A flood of new health care IT companies has been pouring into the U.S. health care market. The cause of this torrent: the recognition that as market and regulatory forces alter incentives in health care, IT companies will play a powerful role in combating the overemployment and declining productivity that has plagued this industry and in helping providers improve the quality of care.

Louis Brandeis famously characterized states as laboratories for democracy, but cities could be called labs for innovation or new practices. With far fewer resources than states or the federal government and responsibilities to people on a daily basis, cities have to be scrappy and creative when it comes to delivering services and running their operations. Having less to spend and fewer workers means cities try to automate where possible. And because more people deal with city government directly -- whether it’s sending their kids to public schools, riding public transit or having their trash picked up -- the need to perform effectively has far greater importance.

After more than 30 years as a successful serial entrepreneur, lawyer, financier and turnaround specialist, Joel Hartstone has devised a few time- and money-saving shortcuts to achieving his business goals and getting the profitable results he expects. So his latest venture, in partnership with Hartford business-law firm Cohn Birnbaum & Shea Co., seeks to apply that wisdom to shortening the time it takes for a fledgling startup to bring its product or service to full flower in the marketplace.

Image: PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Serial entrepreneur Joel Hartstone, left, says too many businesses are sunk by the weight of all the time-consuming details they routinely contend with beyond promoting their products or services. Teaming with lawyer Michael Mulpeter and his Cohn Birnbaum & Shea partners, Hartstone sees their “accelerator’’ concept as a money-making way to help entrepreneurs while building lasting client-professional relationships.

What questions should I make sure to ask when viewing an office for my startup?

Answer below by Quora user Kevin Cronin, corporate real estate advisor.

Finding the right office space can be both one of the most exciting and disruptive challenges for a business. Over the years, we’ve developed a roadmap for our startup and small business clients to help navigate the process of finding office space. Below are some of the most important questions to consider.

While inexperience can have certain benefits (like fearlessness and confidence), a seasoned businessperson with no regrets is incredibly hard to find. With that in mind, I asked 13 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) what they would tell their younger selves when first starting out.

I am almost forced to write this blog. Just had an interesting conversation with a cab driver outside my office building. School dropout, married.

Quote from the cabbie

"agar yeh aise hi chala toh ek saal mei Mercedes le lunga"

Translation: if this goes the way it is right now, I will buy a Merc in the next 1 year.

There is a notion of ‘graduation’ in incubators and accelerators that I find amusing.

Entrepreneurs are often expected to ‘graduate’ after 3-months.

Let’s explore what this means …

Out of the over 7,500 incubators and accelerators around the world, most consider ‘funding’ as the key success metric.

As I pointed out in my Harvard Business Review article, The Problem With Incubators and How To Solve Them:

China’s tech industry is far better-known, far more creative, and far more successful than it was ten years ago. But China is still often criticized as lacking innovation. Alibaba founder Jack Ma addressed China’s innovation gap head on in a speech on Monday and a convention in Shanghai, and put the blame on China’s education system, or at least one part of it.

Image: https://www.techinasia.com

Bill Belichick has won more games than almost any other coach in American professional football history.  As head of the New England Patriots, he has fielded a leading team for nearly fifteen years straight.  In a sport replete with mechanisms to level the playing field – from team salary caps to draft rules that favor bad teams – his sustained success is even more impressive.  Coaching an NFL team is an endeavor enmeshed in trade-offs; you can sign a better running back, but you’ll have to release a defensive end, and so on.  There is no free lunch.  So what can we learn from how Belichick consistently beats the system?

A highly personal list

1. Have a kid.  Nothing else comes close. 2. Learn a lot about something. A whole lot. 3. Learn a little about a whole lot of things. 4. Do something nice for someone with no expectation of reward or even acknowledgment. 5. Forgive yourself 6. Forgive someone else 7. Grow up (the one good thing about adolescence? It ENDS!) 8. Get over depression (oh damn. Don't JUMP). 9. Write a book (hey! Mine will be published in about 3 weeks!) 10. Learn that pain shared is lessened, but joy shared increased.

Business owners who are expecting to sell their companies to fund their golden retirement years may be in for a surprise. They simply may not be able to sell their businesses when they want to, or get the amount they want from the sales. Thirty-five percent (35%) of business owners are counting on the sales of their businesses to be financially prepared for retirement. Yet only 17 percent have identified potential buyers for those businesses. This comes from a 2014 comprehensive national study of nearly 1,500 small business owners conducted earlier this year by Guardian.

The Mobile Learning Incubator team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is working to help students broaden their classroom experience using their phones.

The incubator team is dedicated to advancing mobile learning on campus by partnering with faculty. It has released apps such as Mobile UW, which unifies campus information and activities; and Sustainable U, which allows students to explore the campus through an environmental lens.

Brought on by the defects and rising tuition prices of colleges and universities, serial entrepreneurs Rick Fiery and Tom Bergeron have discovered a new market. The duo has recently founded InventiveLabs, part incubator and part alternative to the traditional college experience. InventiveLabs is bringing in smart candidates who will work in collaboration or on their own to start a company, prepare for a job, or just realize their passion and return to academia.

Image: Rick Fiery InventiveLabs is bringing in smart candidates who will work in collaboration or on their own to start a company, prepare for a job, or just realize their passion and return to academia.

Of the thousands of Israeli startups vying to become global businesses, only a small percentage of them will make it to the big leagues. Everyone wants to bet big on the next Waze, Wix, or Outbrain. So which ones are on the verge of greatness? Here are some up-and-coming Israeli startups that I believe you should watch closely in 2015.

Steve Jobs was one of those entrepreneurs who seemed universally either loved or hated, but not many will argue with his ability to innovate in the technology product arena over the years. He was instrumental in creating Apple, which has pioneered a dazzling array of new products, and even surpassed Microsoft, to become the world’s most valuable technology company.

When is Santa coming? It's a question that pops up a lot this time of year. But Santa fans can rest assured they'll get a quick, detailed answer to that query this holiday season, thanks to the folks at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

For more than 50 years, NORAD has been tracking Santa's journey from chimney to chimney from the agency's headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The organization — which usually keeps an eye out for threats from ballistic missiles — uses its advanced radar system, as well as satellite imagery, to follow Mr. Claus' flight path from the North Pole.

The BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) began a new chapter of its more than twenty year story last week as it opened the doors of its new 26,000 square foot accelerator space, dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and tech companies grow. The recent Government of Canada announcement stating the BCTIA will receive $10.4 Million in Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program (CAIP) funding, combined with matching funds from industry partners, has allowed the BCTIA to build Vancouver's first open innovation space.

Without a deep and accurate assessment of their organisation’s culture, boards and management teams will find it very challenging to initiate and implement strategic change.

A company however big or small, cannot successfully implement corporate strategy without employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it. As Louis V. Gerstner, former CEO of IBM once noted, “Culture isn't just one aspect of the game, it is the game.”

You may think everyone knows who is in your team, and who isn’t, but think again.

Abe, a member of “Alpha” product development team in an established global software firm, sat frustrated as he read the onslaught of criticism from his teammates on a presentation he had recently made to the board on their behalf. The board had turned down Alpha’s new project, and his teammates were calling his presentation incomplete and off target, claiming he had ignored some of their most important arguments. This bewildered Abe as he had met with each member of the team individually the previous week, asking for comments on his draft. Betty explained that Abe had not included any of the arguments Chris and Denise had made.  “Why should I?” thought Abe. “Chris and Denise are not even on the team.”

Nearing the holidays with gadget-loving folks left to check off your list? Don't fret. Get weird. Appease your tech-loving friends and family members and stand out from the pack by infusing quirkiness into your gift-giving game.

Image: http://mashable.com