Here we highlight selected innovation related articles from around the world on a daily basis. These articles related to innovation and funding for innovative companies, and best practices for innovation based economic development.
I was facilitating a leadership workshop recently when the subject of mentors came up. One participant asked, "How do I find a mentor outside my company who is in leadership? Where would I go to network beyond my current work group?"
Finding mentors outside your own company can be a valuable experience because they can provide a level of objectivity that mentors in your direct management chain lack. So how do you find them?
Image: : FLICKR, TECHEDLIVE
As the use of digital health tools continues to become common practice in people’s lives, it’s always useful to quantify that. An infographic released this week (displayed below) showed that 60 percent of households have some sort of digital health device — such as a digital scale or glucometer. Although 25 percent used digital health apps, only 27 percent used their healthcare provider or insurer’s website. That seems like a low number to me, especially when you consider the push by payers and providers to improve patient engagement on multiple levels.
Image: http://medcitynews.com
Despite the outsize myth of the college dropout founder in Silicon Valley, top university engineering programs are significant feeders to the companies in the region. A Quora question asks which of the top schools might be best for an extremely talented high school computer scientist. + By far the most popular answer, from Airbnb engineer and Stanford grad Christopher Lin, described some of the most prestigious schools out there by their equivalents in the Harry Potter series of books, specifically the four houses at Hogwarts, all of which select for different traits.
Image: The "Silicon Valley Skrewts" in the very real Quidditch World Cup. AP/Phelan Ebenhack
The Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority approved funding the four Ben Franklin Technology Partners with $14 million to provide technology-based economic development support for entrepreneurs.
An initiative of the state Department of Community and Economic Development and the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, Ben Franklin Technology Partners is one of the nation’s longest-running, technology-based economic development programs, the state said in a news release.
More angel investors are putting their money into Internet-related companies and less into mobile and health care startups. That’s according to The Halo Report, a quarterly survey put out by Angel Resource Institute, Silicon Valley Bank and CB Insights.
Image: Dilip Vishwanat - Gil Bickel, chairman of the St. Louis Arch Angels
NASA has selected 23 proposals from small business and research institution teams to continue the development of innovative technologies that will support future agency mission needs and may also prove viable as commercial products and services.
The Phase II selectees in NASA's Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program are permitted to enter negotiations for possible contract awards, worth a combined total of approximately $17.2 million.
It’s the Monday of a new quarter and you (a BDR manager or sales executive at an expansion-stage company) stand up in front of your team to go over the daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly conversion and activity goals your reps will be asked to hit. These objectives may seem spot on. And if your team hits them, then the company’s sales may very well go through the roof! But what if you’re off target?
Who in social media is talking about digital? Join the conversation by using the trend board below.
If you have a software development background like mine, I’m sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. The same applies to manufacturing and almost any process these days. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe.
If you’re not thrilled with your current work situation, chances are you've probably discussed your options with family or friends. You may have even confided in your co-workers. But there’s probably one person you haven’t run it by: your boss. Whether you’re unhappy in your present position or simply seeking new challenges, you may be wondering if sharing your feelings with your immediate supervisor would be more helpful or harmful. Will you be viewed as a deserter or a lame duck — or will the company vie to keep you? You may never know, but here are a few things to consider.
Computerworld - With an aging Baby Boomer population and broadband bandwidth improved a hundredfold from a decade ago, telemedicine is exploding as a convenient and less costly alternative to the traditional visit to the doctors' office.
This year in the U.S. and Canada, 75 million of 600 million appointments with general practitioners will involve electronic visits, or eVisits, according to new research from Deloitte.
Image: eVisits reduce time to patient care and costs. Through electronic record portals, they can also offer physician and patient a view of the same health information, such as appointments, prescriptions, test results and complete medical histories. - http://www.computerworld.com/
CONNECT, a regional program that catalyzes the creation of innovative technology and life sciences products in San Diego County, and Co-Merge Workplace, a coworking space located in downtown San Diego’s financial district, today announced a strategic partnership to provide business acceleration and incubation services for startup and early-stage companies. Branded as “CONNECT Co-Merge”, the partnership will benefit CONNECT members by providing complimentary incubation space to Springboard Capital Competition winners at Co-Merge and CONNECT will refer its members and Springboard companies to the downtown facility.
image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
About 18 months ago I was in the middle of gathering evidence for my second report on small firms, “Growing your Business”, when I met the chief executive of the Association of Business Schools. At first I could not see its relevance to my report until I idly asked him how many members the association had and he replied 138. I then realised that we had both a problem and an opportunity.
Merriam-Webster defines innovation as "the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods."
Inherent in that definition is the need for change, and change is hard for a lot of people — especially when it affects your daily routine or the way you live your life.
Right now, we're in the midst of major innovation at The Tennessean, and it's not easy
Image: File/The Tennessean
Founded in 2004, JumpStart is a non-profit venture development organization committed to strengthening the inclusive economic vitality of neighborhoods, cities and regions. JumpStart partners with entrepreneurs and community leaders who believe the success of startup and small businesses is key to fully realizing their wealth and job-creating potential.
Fueled with 10 years of experience working with leaders in 20 regions across the United States, JumpStart’s “ecosystem” approach helps philanthropic, business, public and institutional leaders create programs that address critical challenges, such as access to capital, for fast-growing, high-potential firms that can drive economic growth.
Given JumpStart’s passion for assisting and investing in high-impact entrepreneurs and engaged community leaders, we are happy to partner with Innovation America and look forward to a continued dialogue with the Innovation Daily reader.
Technology is the canvas for our teenagers and 20something to build their vast dreams and ambitions on. Deals like “yo” that get funded 1million$ further fuels the already maddening gold rush to dive in and be a participant. Outcome: A lot of start-ups trying to solve a lot of problems. That is great.
image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
In the August 18, 2014 issue of Forbes Magazine, the University of Maryland, College Park was ranked as one of the nation’s most entrepreneurial research universities. These rankings are based off of the number of alumni and students who have identified themselves as founders and business owners on LinkedIn against the school’s total student body which includes undergraduates and graduate combined.
Image: http://www.umventures.org
It’s 9:45 on a Monday morning, and Jonathan Marino has just arrived at his tech startup in D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood. The 30-year-old director of content for Map Story--which aims to be the Wikipedia of interactive maps--greets his two interns with a huge smile, joins them at an open table tucked inside a glass-walled pod, and fires up his laptop. Hunched over their computers, the group looks like any other early-stage startup, with one key distinction--their “office” is merely a meeting area inside Washington, D.C.’s main public library.
Image: http://www.fastcompany.com
The Wall Street Journal’s “These Entrepreneurs Make Mark Zuckerberg Look Ancient” recounts the surging demand to develop entrepreneurial skills in the prepubescent set, an offshoot of the growing fever to make it big, younger and faster than ever. In this roaring app economy, startups have created the new must-have capabilities for big businesses, as entrepreneurs define the new fast track to success and wealth. Ambitious career-builders take notice.
Navigating the startup landscape is fraught with challenges; the most difficult being the funding process. The competitiveness between ventures to secure the money needed to survive in such a crowded space often causes founders to overvalue their startups during the investment seeking process. In reality, they need to be seeking only what they need and ensuring it benefits the part of the business that needs it the most at that time.
Image: http://tech.co
