People are moving into cities all over the world, but the ascendance of urbanism doesn’t come without pain, and that pain is borne the most acutely by people with the least means. Can cities manage the population uptick in a way that avoids that negative impact? That’s the underlying question at the core of a new exhibit opening Nov. 22nd at the Museum of Modern Art, “Uneven Growth.”

Image: http://nextcity.org

Corporate venture capital is picking up speed in the investment industry, as large companies start setting aside funds for external investment in fledgling companies or startups.

Tech giants like Intel, Dell and AMD all have strong track records with their proprietary funds, and more companies like Microsoft and Salesforce are now entering the venture-fund game. During the past four years more than 475 corporate venture funds have started, bringing the worldwide total to more than 1,100, according to Global Corporate Venturing. 

Looking back at my life, I believe I grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit, although I didn't see this at the time. My dad is a doctor and together with my mom who is a nurse, they created their own medical practice, which they solely operated. Growing up, I remember visiting the office -- not 100 percent appreciating what they did with the amount of effort they put into their business everyday. I remember them dedicating a lot of late hours and long days to paperwork and listening to quiet conversations that they thought I didn't hear about their fears regarding money. Perhaps it was some of the challenges that I saw and experienced through them that initially steered me away from this lifestyle.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

Internet freedom around the world has declined for the fourth year in a row, as more countries introduce aggressive online censorship measures, according to a new report.

Freedom on the Net 2014, the fifth-annual report released by independent watchdog organization Freedom House last week, found that of the 65 countries assessed, 36 experienced a negative trajectory in online freedom between May 2013 and May 2014. This was due to factors such as blocked social networks, aggressive online surveillance and cyberattacks, and the intimidation and arrests of journalists and digital activists.

Over the last three years, 15 Harvard-connected, venture-backed biotech companies have gone public. Over the University's more than 375-year history, however, the school has proved to be a linchpin of Massachusetts' economy. Helping highlight that is a new website launched by Harvard called, "An Ecosystem of Innovation."

"We're always thinking about ways to convey to the broader community why Harvard has a relevance to their lives when they think they might not have a connection to Harvard," said Kevin Casey, the University's associate vice president of public affairs and communications.

If we think back 10 to 15 years ago, we could not have imagined shopping online or the increasing importance of online retail in today’s society. Now, we can shop for almost anything from our personal computers, smartphones and tablets; from anywhere in the country and have it delivered to our doorstep. According to an ecommerce report issued by Effective Measure / IAB South Africa during February 2014, roughly 23% of online shoppers in South Africa buy using their tablets and another 23% purchase using their smartphones.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

Last week I was in the southern part of Paris, when Daniel Jarjoura who oversees the Startup42 accelerator took me through the EPITA Graduate School of Computer Science. As we’re walking through the school hallways, there are literally hundreds of soon-to-be programmers learning and practicing their trade at wooden tables and uncomfortable chairs in a five-story nondescript building. Later that night we sat down with six companies who are going through Daniel’s Startup42 accelerator. These entrepreneurs shared how they are currently building products and services for a French market that’s gaining more and more momentum in the technology field.

There has never been a better time to be in software, and the hiring trends prove it. According to Dice.com's semi-annual report, tech hiring is at unprecedented levels. For tech professionals, this means that now is the time to ask for a better, higher-paying job. 

Which may not actually be what developers want.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

Believe it or not, 2014 is almost over and 2015 is right around the corner. With a new year comes new opportunities, and around this time we at LinkedIn are typically asked the following question: “Who’s getting hired and what are they doing?”

To get to an answer, we analyzed the skills and experience data in over 330 million LinkedIn member profiles. If your skills fit one of the categories below, there’s a good chance you either started a new job or garnered the interest of a recruiter in the past year.

It was a banner year of growth for the crowdfunding industry in 2014 as several record-setting rewards-based and equity-based crowdfunding campaigns took place.

Each year the bar continues to rise, as the overall crowdfunding industry is estimated to grow to nearly $10.9 Billion in total funding in 2015, up from $1.5 billion in 2011.

At the recent Small Business Forum at the SEC held this past November one of the hot topics of discussion was the definition of an “Accredited Investor”.  As it stands today, an accredited investor is a wealthy sort that earns over $200,000 per year or happens to have $1 million in his or her bank account.  This definition has been the qualifier for individuals being allowed to invest in certain private placements; risky yet potentially very lucrative opportunities to generate wealth. This definition has been in place since the early 1980′s but is currently up for a refresher.

Universities are stepping up efforts to create “spinouts,” or business startups born from some of the cutting-edge research of their students or faculty.

Some schools are creating funds that help cover startup costs. Others are pairing scientists with entrepreneurs, launching incubators, or programs to foster business development, and even including entrepreneurial activity in their reviews of faculty.

Image: Alan Mickelson, a professor at the University of Colorado, brought on an entrepreneur to be the CEO of a spinout based on his optical communications technology research. MATT NAGER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

The U.S. venture industry has been fascinated by “Unicorns” (companies with a $1 billion exit or private valuation) in recent years. The term Unicorn, coined by Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures in a TechCrunch post three years ago, suggests a rare and magical thing. The current meme in the venture business holds that all the money is made by investors and entrepreneurs who find Unicorns.

I hate it when people call ideas or businesses “sexy.” People are sexy, ideas and inanimate objects are not.

When I hear a person use that term to describe a startup company, I think, “Shallow. Short attention span. Not interested in solving real problems.”

A weak idea delivered via a slick pitch almost always beats a great idea presented by a poor public speaker. However, I am enough of an idealist to want that NOT to be true.

Image: http://medcitynews.com/ 

Whether you’re a startup looking to attract venture capitalists, a nonprofit hoping to break your previous funding record, or an established business venturing into new territory, you need to be able to sell your story to all the people in a position to help you succeed — or, quite simply, you won’t.

You might be a coding genius or a brilliant app designer, but if you aren’t able to articulate how your product can change people’s lives, you won’t get very far. Here are some tips for creating not only a story, but momentum to carry you through the beginning stages of any new venture.

Image: http://mashable.com/ 

The University of Kansas Medical Center has teamed with the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator for the 2015 business startup program.

KU Medical Center will give companies that take part in the accelerator program access to mentors from its many fields of expertise.

Sprint’s accelerator, run by Colorado-based Techstars, brings 10 young companies to Kansas City for an intensive three-month push to advance their products and services to market. Each receives up to $120,000 in equity financing through the program, which ends with a presentation to possible investors.

Image: An onstage celebration capped the Sprint accelerator companies’ June 12 presentations to investors at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. SHANE KEYSER THE KANSAS CITY STAR 

Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. In reality, more features will more likely make the product confusing and less usable to all. Focus is the art of limiting your scope to the key function that really matters for the majority of customers.

YouTube did it with videos, Instagram did it with photos, and Amazon did it with books. Many of the business plans I have seen as an investor, like trying to integrate all the social media features of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn into a new platform, don’t do it. Of course, once you have a brand and more resources, it can pay to expand your book selling to a full e-commerce site.

Microscopes made from paper, giant rats detecting landmines and ‘plant sticks’ that could filter bacteria from water are just some of the news articles on SciDev.Net’s most read list this year. Based on the number of views they received, here is our countdown of the top ten news articles of 2014.

Image: http://m.scidev.net/ 

What’s the secret to landing a job in today’s competitive market? In this guidebook, hear it straight from academic-career expert Karen Kelsky, author of the popular advice column “The Professor Is In” on Vitae.

When a retailer recently tried to launch a new e-commerce business, it found itself stymied by the fact that IT-spending amounts were capped as a percentage of revenue and by a lengthy and cumbersome approval process for new projects. The company’s goal of launching the business in two months proved hopelessly optimistic.

This retailer’s time-to-market problem is symptomatic of a dilemma many companies face as they seek to develop new products at a faster tempo, digitally optimize processes, or otherwise place major strategic bets in response to the digitization of their businesses. Digital competitors are now biting into a range of industries, creating a need for a rapid response. Yet the technology processes running many large-scale businesses are also mission critical. There’s no room for compromise on the performance of current technology-enabled (and often transaction-oriented) operating processes, even as organizations try to increase their pace of digital innovation.