We’re all guilty of the Crop. You know, that group photo where you look so good that–sorry bestie, apologies grandma, see ya, ex–you carefully crop the other person out.

But what if there was a tool that could erase people and things automatically–a magic wand that could do hours of imperfect Photoshop work in an instant? Now, thanks to an MIT Media Lab project led by Matt Groh, that tool is real–if still imperfect.

In my experience mentoring new entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders, I see far too many who seem to be driven by all the wrong reasons. Everyone seems to espouse extrinsic motivations, such as getting rich, having power, and fulfilling parent dreams, when in fact a focus on satisfying internal interests and desires will likely lead to more success, as well as satisfaction.

Among our greatest enemies, as individuals, as organizations, and as a society are the false biases that justify an attitude of “us and them” –in a word, discrimination. Fortunately it’s one of the areas where we’ve made the most progress over the past 100 years.

Yet, there is one area where even the most tolerant among us feels it’s totally justified to discriminate with utter abandon; millennials and Gen Z.

A new survey from The Hartford has revealed around 57 million Americans or 25% of the population own a side business.

Even though unemployment rates are low and the average wage is increasing, a lot of Americans need a side business to make ends meet. The primary reason for these side hustles is financial, with those pursuing their passion making up less than 10% of the respondent in the survey.

Image: https://smallbiztrends.com

The internet, social media and the comfort of technology have changed many of our lives for better or worse. Many of us probably think if we work hard and obtain "success," everything will be alright and our lives will feel complete.

We now not only see the glamorous lives of celebrities but also those of Instagram and YouTube stars, and it can lead us to think that is the dream life. And when we realize our life plans don't match up to that kind of life, we may feel unhappy, lost or unmotivated in life. We may have negative thoughts that we're on this endless treadmill, jogging tirelessly through life.

Chances are, you start each workday with high hopes and energy. You get to the office ready to take on the world. Your energy may ebb and flow, but you reach a point (often an hour or two before the day ends) where you’re just tapped out. You are physically there at work, but your brain has taken a holiday. You may find yourself doing “fake work” searching the internet (maybe reading articles like this one) or shuffling papers.

The ‘missing middle’ of the financial services spectrum in much of sub-Saharan Africa means that start-ups are unable to find the investment they need to grow. That may be about to change with the arrival of more venture capital funds that target low-income mass market.

In a 2015 poll by research analysts Intellecap, 68% of business leaders in Kenya, the main business hub in East Africa, said access to finance is a challenge. 40% said they were forced to self-finance their business.

Image: Pay-as-you-go solar power schemes are among the products aimed at the low-income mass market in East Africa. (DIVatUSAID / Flickr)

I have been hanging out with a lot of investors lately. And I call it ‘hanging out’ because that's what it is. Two people with a common interest getting to know each other and seeing if this is a long-term relationship we would like to take on with one another. I know you may think as an early stage business founder that you should be so lucky to take on an investor’s capital, but it really should be a two-way street of excitement and appreciation.

While recent headlines have blared about the Trump administration’s multi-front trade war with Canadian dairy farmers, Chinese manufacturers and the European Union’s steel, aluminum and automotive industries, a much larger economic threat has gone virtually unnoticed. The high-tech startups that have provided the U.S. with a powerful edge in fields such as computers, software, mobile devices, biotech, the internet and an array of digital platforms now face rapidly increasing pressures from foreign competition.

In my work advising and consulting to some of the world's most innovative companies, I see the best of the best practices for managing innovation. I also get a behind-the-scenes view of what really goes on during the innovation process itself--and it's messy.

We tend to celebrate the kickoffs and successful completions of big projects. But the real success factors must happen in the middle, the messy middle.

Two of the most challenging but rewarding endeavours a person can undertake are raising a family and starting a business. There has been a significant rise in women owned businesses over past few years. The old school thought that your career growth becomes stagnant once you become a mom does not stand true anymore. Mompreneurship has enabled women to find her place and establish an identity.

Entrepreneurs who experience success with their first startup are often amazed to realize that the risks and fears of doing it right the second time go up, rather than down. Encores are tough, especially in the high-risk world of startups, yet every entrepreneur I know can’t wait to start over and do it again. Sometimes their haste or ego causes them to ignore basics, and they fall hard.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities chairman and co-founder Joel Marcus sit down with Bloomberg's Rebecca Spalding in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Source: Bloomberg)

A first-of-its-kind event is drawing successful Kansas Citians who’ve left the region “Back2KC” Thursday and Friday for a hands-on glimpse at the city’s evolving innovation economy, Darcy Howe said.

As managing director of the KCRise Fund — a co-investment fund that works with venture capital investors to support early-stage Kansas City companies — Howe saw that startups backed by the organization had ramped up their hiring efforts, thanks in large part to the amount of money they’ve raised, she said.

Image: Darcy Howe, Bek Abdullayev, Brian McClendon and Toby Rush - http://www.startlandnews.com

Popular culture celebrates the start-up. You can binge watch Shark Tank at will, and podcasts such as “How I built This” celebrate, well, how “I” built “this.” And, while media outlets love the story of a start-up and the possibility of a “unicorn,” most innovation is not entertainment. The most significant innovation challenges today are arguably being tackled in the corporate office parks of well established companies.

Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) President & CEO James C. Greenwood today issued the following statement on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):

BIO supports the USMCA and appreciates the Administrations efforts to prioritize biotechnology innovation, including provisions that update intellectual property protections and agricultural market access to 21st century standards.

Strong and dependable intellectual property standards are critical to fueling innovation, attracting investment, and ensuring that patients, farmers, and consumers around the globe have access to the next generation of biotechnology breakthroughs. The USMCA represents an important step in bringing Mexico and Canada closer to high U.S. standards that have made us the world leader in biotechnology innovation.

Be careful, the company is febrile. Fluttering hearts, sweaty palms, anxiety, and delusions of grandeur are the other symptoms that seem to be transmitted from company to company--starting with the Chief Infection Officer.

Programmers from around the world are drawn to hackathons for the fun, the camaraderie, and most of all the opportunity to develop real solutions to the difficult challenges our our day. No doubt about it, hackathons like GlobalHack VII are thrilling to watch — and even more exciting to participate in.

Unfortunately, “hackathon” comes with a certain stigma for those not in the know — the misconception that you have to be a “hacker” to join. The term itself is partly responsible for deterring those who might otherwise make valuable contributions.

Image: http://eqstl.com

Nine ... point ... six ... billion ... dollars.

Fundraisers have been rolling that figure around in their heads in the wake of Harvard University’s announcement that its most recent campaign, which concluded July 1, brought in more money than any previous drive by any institution anywhere.

The job market may be heating up, but Americans still aren’t saving enough for retirement. And the growing number of gig economy workers–freelancers, independent contractors, and sharing economy workers–are struggling even more.