Isn’t it amazing that some people you know always seem to be working hard, but never seem to get anything done? As an entrepreneur, you need to avoid partnering with these people, or hiring them into your startup. The challenge is to find people who get things done, as well as work hard. LinkedIn profiles and resumes still focus too much on responsibilities rather than results.

The startup universe revolves around Silicon Valley, but there is life on the other planets, too. Long has the entrepreneur community been used to the term “startup valley of death” and come to fear it. As most accelerators claim, once you make it out of the ditch, you’re on your way to fame and glory. But not in Mexico.

Peter Thiel sometimes wonders if people just want to meet him because of his money, he tells Christopher Calnan of the Austin Business Journal while on tour for his new book. He also says he doesn't download mobile games because he doesn't want to be sucked into them.

We're all for flexibility. Going your own way. Paving your own path. Doing what works for you (and not doing what doesn't).

We're also big fans of not putting a timeline on things. We've even said that there are plenty of things you don't have to have by 30 (or 40, or 50, or ever ... ).

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These aren't just gadgets that charge your devices faster or "groundbreaking" apps — they have potential for lasting impact. They can change the world.

From mind-controlled exoskeletons to solar-powered toilets that turn waste into biofuel, here are 14 innovations that address some of the most important issues of our time.

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Alex Murillo leans forward in his seat, sipping coffee from a shot glass and waving his hands as he talks. He points to the screen of his MacBook Pro, explaining the genius behind Audive, the mobile application he is developing that allows users to record cover songs and mix tracks with music enthusiasts around the world.

Image: JULIAN KING/NATIONAL JOURNAL  

If you're lucky, your network includes a few contacts you can always count on. These are the people who are truly in your corner. They say they'll forward your resume on — and then do. They help you prepare for an interview — and want you to keep them apprised of your progress. They congratulate you on your new job — and connect you with someone with years of experience in the field.

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For you, an entrepreneur is somebody who is not always a tech genius, somebody who looks like Mark Zuckerberg. Explain. Yes, I've been saying to people, you don't need a hoodie to be an entrepreneur. So first of all, in this country, it turns out the two fastest growing groups starting businesses are women and baby boomers over 55.

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In 2004, the French car maker Renault launched Logan, a no-frills sedan priced at €5,000 euros ($6,000). Initially destined for emerging markets, the low-cost car became a huge hit in Western Europe where, due to the recession, budget-conscious consumers had begun seeking affordable products that deliver greater value for money. Sensing an opportunity, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance (a strategic partnership between Renault and Nissan), launched the development of a whole new product line of entry-level vehicles under the Dacia brand.

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However long the project took to get “close to done,” it will probably take that much time again to really be done. It’s funny because it’s true.

Why is it true? Here’s a novel way to frame it: When you’re exploring something new, where the terminus is unknown, you never know how far along the path you are. On average, however, you’re halfway there. This is due to the very definition of “average” — you’ll spend half your time before the half-way point, and half after.

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SINGAPORE — The local technology scene is getting a fresh boost with the launch of an accelerator programme by European firm Startupbootcamp FinTech, a financial innovation-focused group looking to support up to 10 start-ups here.

Launched yesterday in partnership with the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) during a gathering of financial technology leaders, the programme will provide successful applicants with funding of €15,000 (S$24,000) each, as well as office space for at least three months at Singapore’s start-up cluster in one-north.

It’s always been tough to start a new business, even when the bottom line was just making a profit to stay alive. A few years ago, a second focus of sustainability (“green”) was added as a requirement for respectability. Now I often hear a third mandate of social responsibility. Entrepreneurs are now measured against the “triple bottom line” (TBL or 3BL) of people, planet, and profit.

The stampede is back on among venture capital firms to raise new money and close more funds, after years of standing pat following the recession and years of sluggish recovery.

Polaris Partners became the latest VC firm in the money on November 24, when it announced it had closed on its $450 million seventh fund, to be focused on healthcare and technology investments. That seventh fund closed $50 million higher than the $400 million “offering amount” that the firm stated back on June 17, when it disclosed its plan to raise the fund in a Form D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Canada’s private capital industry is poised to have its best year for deal activity in buyout and related private equity markets since 2007.

That is the main finding from the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association’s Q3 2014 report released this week. This is largely due to the $12.5 billion merger of Tim Hortons with Burger King.

When asked to describe the profile of a typical tech start-up founder, many people picture a hoodie-clad twenty-something, the ink still drying on their computer-science degree. But earlier this year, Bloomberg’s venture capital arm, Bloomberg Beta, commissioned a study to identify the key qualities of start-up founders – and they came up with a very different picture.

I have tried on hundreds of different shoes in the entrepreneurial world.

While many people prefer to use hats as an analogy for playing different roles, I like to use shoes as I'm a woman who just loves shoes.

In 1978, Eric Roudi came from Iran to Massachusetts to attend college. But when revolution broke out in his native country, Roudi was forced to strike out on his own in the U.S.  

For this week’s Salute to American Success, we talked to Roudi about his growing franchise business, OpenWorks, a facility maintenance services company – and what he’s thankful for as an immigrant entrepreneur.

Steve Blank is among the most respected authors and teachers in the world on the topic of modern startups. His work at Stanford, Columbia, and NYU is a global model for entrepreneurial education. Beyond that, the U.S. National Science Foundation Innovation Corps uses Steve’s approach as an important foundation for technology transfer between the federal government and the private sector.

Alberta and Ontario consistently outperform national averages in domestic patent applications per capita, says a new measure of Canada’s innovative spirit.

“Alberta stands out as a success story, with it and Ontario leading the pack,” the C.D. Howe Institute said in a report Friday.

In the period 2010-12, Albertans filed an average of 140 patent applications for every million residents, compared to 150 for Ontarians and fewer than 40 for Atlantic Canadians. The Canadian average was just under 120.

Image: Many small business owners in Alberta are planning to invest in innovation in the coming years. 

Comprised of four main islands, and over 6,000 smaller ones, Japan stretches for around 1,500 miles from sub-tropical Okinawa in the south to the frozen climes of Hokkaido in the north.

The bulk of the country's 127 million inhabitants live in urban areas, mostly on Honshu island, the country's largest. The capital since 1868, modern Tokyo is a sprawling mega city and home to over 36 million people.

From the 12th century until the mid 19th century, Japan was a feudal society dominated by military leaders known as shoguns. A long period of self-imposed international isolation ended when the Emperor Meiji took direct control of the country in 1867 and began a period of modernization. Western trade began to influence the development of the country.