Syracuse University owns, or has owned, trademarks on nearly two dozen phrases involving the word "orange."

The Colorado School of Mines owns "Genius Juice," which apparently is what people there like to call bottled water.

"Urban Meyer" belongs not to Urban Meyer but to the football coach’s employer, Ohio State University. Mr. Meyer knows this, and has given his consent. (Incidentally, "Urban Meyer Knows" is also owned by Ohio State.)

Once or so a week—maybe more, maybe less, depending on her schedule—Janna Levin ventures from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where she teaches astrophysics at Barnard and Columbia University, to Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood. Oftentimes, she first swings by her writing studio in Fort Greene, but usually she ends up at Pioneer Works, a renovated warehouse space near the industrial waterfront. There, she’ll go to the third floor, where she works on her book about black holes or chats with Matthew Putman, a former Columbia professor and owner of Nanotronics Imaging, a startup developing atomic force microscopes.

Image: http://www.wired.com

Maybe you heard that the Tropical Storm Marie swells in Malibu topped 20 feet last week; that the waves were the biggest locals had seen in 35, 40 years; and that a certain big-wave surfer not only tamed them, but also dove in to save an injured surfer being pulled out to sea.

We just want to set the record straight here: This was actually the second guy Laird Hamilton saved that week. 

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The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced this week the release of the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) annual report for FY2014, showing growth in new patents, products and innovative companies.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

BURBANK, California — A game that teaches children to code. An app guaranteed to make your kids do chores. Your selfies, burning up the dance floor.

These were just a few of the ideas pitched Tuesday at the Disney Accelerator's inaugural demo night, the grand pageant at the end of the media giant's first startup incubator. Focused on entertainment and media entrepreneurs, the 15-week program took on 10 early-stage startups, gave each a seed investment of up to $120,000 and offered "mentor support" from CEO Bob Iger and dozens of other Disney executives.

Image: MASHABLE/JOSH DICKEY  

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) October 16, 2014

The University City Science Center has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for Phase 1 Ventures, a new multi-institutional commercialization program.

Operating as an accelerator for the launch and growth of new companies, Phase 1 Ventures offers a comprehensive turn-key approach to effectively and efficiently test business feasibility. Phase 1 Ventures will identify promising technologies that have moved beyond the initial technical proof-of-concept stage, provide management and other project development resources, and facilitate funding to get the enterprise up and running.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

As we continue deconstructing the Techstars Mentor Manifesto, element #8 is Adopt At Least One Company Every Single Year. Experience Counts.

But first, it’s worth noting that yesterday Techstars announced its newest accelerator program, this time the Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator, powered by Techstars. This is our first accelerator with Qualcomm, our first accelerator in San Diego, and all about Robotics. I’m psyched about the Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator Mentor List, which includes a great mix of experienced Techstars mentors along with some new ones.

Intellectual light bulbs are known to illuminate across academic disciplines at Penn, igniting new approaches to innovation and technology transfer while powering valuable real-world applications.

On Friday, Oct. 31, Penn students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends are invited to honor the University’s culture of innovation at “Celebrating Innovation at Penn,” a University-wide gathering at the future home of the Pennovation Center from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at the South Bank, 3401 Grays Ferry Ave.

Image: http://www.upenn.edu 

Meanwhile, those of us without an ocean view can tell you that it's slim pickings for the rest of the country.

Last year, 70 percent of all venture capital investment in the U.S. went to companies in either California, Massachusetts or New York. California companies pulled in roughly 50 percent of those dollars all by themselves.

Recent research from the Center for Talent Innovation shows U.S. women working in science, engineering, and tech fields are 45% more likely than their male peers to leave the industry within the year. It's not for lack of enthusiasm or passion. Of those women surveyed, 80% say they love their work, yet many still report barriers to getting to the top.

Image: Free Digital Photos

Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania Jim Cawley visited Drexel University’s campus on Oct. 10 and announced a $5 million Economic Growth Initiative Grant to assist in the development of the University’s Innovation Neighborhood development project.

“Today we make an investment in the future of Drexel University,” said Cawley. “We are ensuring that this great higher education institution will continue to effectively educate the next generation of doctors, researchers, and scientists.”

Image: http://drexel.edu

Theories of life are a dime a dozen. For what it’s worth, here’s mine:

Hourglass Theory Of Life: Start with broad learning, narrow focus for impact, return to generalized exploration before the sand runs out!

Every life takes a different path but as sand moves inexorably through our personalized hourglasses there are patterns worth considering.

The top of the hourglass represents unlimited potential. While full with life’s sand anything and everything seems possible.  The future is brightest when we start with the broadest learning. No limits. No boundaries. Zen Buddhism teaches us the important concept of beginner’s mind, approaching everything with an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions.

Charlottetown, PE, October 15, 2014 --- The Prince Edward Island BioAlliance will receive up to $3.8 million in federal government funding to support the growth of bioscience-based companies in the province. The announcement was made today in Charlottetown by the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Minister Shea was accompanied the Honourable Allen Roach, PEI Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning, and by John McDougall, President of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and joined by many members of the Island’s bioscience and food sectors at the Regis & Joan Duffy Research Centre at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Image: Free Digital Photos

The momentous decision to seek funding to accelerate the growth of your company is often followed by nagging questions: Am I raising too much capital? Too little? Just how much funding do I need?

Securing as much financing as you possibly can is a common approach — and an understandable impulse. With more capital on hand, you’ll be able to jump on new opportunities that arise so you can respond to market shifts swiftly. This can be a huge value to your company, since launching your product or update more quickly than your competitors often means grabbing more market share, which can boost revenues and raise the valuation of your company.

Today, editorial voices are outnumbered by public relations professionals by almost 5:1 – something most publishers lament. The problem with this plague of pitches is that publishers have had enough, and they’re beginning to implement strict spam filters to keep public relations pitches out of their inboxes. In an effort to raise awareness, I conducted an exclusive survey with more than 500 leading digital publishers to find out what we can do to improve the noise-to-value ratio for people who desire press.

Image: Free Digital Photos

Tech Leaders Burst Bubble Talk: Execs See No Signs of Irrational Exuberance, Just Steady Growth Ahead -

With a thriving tech economy, ballooning valuations and an IPO market humming at a level unseen since the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, headlines have lately, inevitably been raising the specter of another tech bubble — and asking whether a corresponding collapse is at hand. The answer, according to technology leaders, is a resounding no.

Image: http://www.jdsupra.com

Inside the new-economy office space in downtown Toronto, past the exposed brick and hardwood floors, rows of young computer programmers beaver away at their keyboards. To the left, employees huddle over laptops in rooms and on couches, sporting “casual” Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday dress.

Image: http://www.theglobeandmail.com

The umbrella market is ripe for innovation, and regular ones just don’t cut it anymore. So one Kickstarter project wants to bring you an umbrella powered by air.

The aptly-named Air Umbrella is a rod-shaped device with a motor, rechargeable lithium battery and fan blade. The device takes in air below the fan blade and forces it out in such a manner that falling rain gets redirected.

Accelerators are the entrepreneurial equivalent of band camp – away from reality, stuck with your peers for all hours of the day, putting up with dubious living and culinary conditions.

But there’s no more tightly-knit group than the marching band kids, right? After finishing an accelerator, you join that illustrious group of entrepreneurs who have survived it. Accelerators may all be different, but there are certain universal truths that graduates know. “Remember that one time during the accelerator?” Why yes, yes they do.

Image: tech.co

USC has unveiled its first crowdfunding platform to help faculty, staff and students secure financial support for their projects: Ignite USC.

An online launching pad for innovation, the website serves as a sort of Kickstarter for Trojans. Through Ignite USC, project leaders can raise the funds they need through the power of broad support: a large number of donors who each give a small amount of money. The site enables USC alumni and the public to target donations in support of endeavors that are important to them.