Over the last decade, non-compete reform has been a third rail of Massachusetts politics. Although many employers believe non-compete agreements are necessary to protect their trade secrets and confidential information, others view them as unduly restrictive of employees’ rights. For example, the New England Venture Capital Association released a statement at the end of July pushing for the passage of strong non-compete legislation to protect workers in the so-called innovation economy.

So far, 2018 has been a year of so much progress…along with a sizable dose of healthy frustration. Progress, in that we’re pushing multiple new brands (including Idea Magnets) to market. Frustration, because it’s 2018 and not 2011 or 2012, at the latest.

Here is the ultra-honest admission: I didn’t have all the business model stuff and entrepreneurial lessons figured out when I started The Brainzooming Group.

The University of Arizona has once again met or surpassed performance expectations for its key annual measures in technology commercialization during the 2018 fiscal year.

These results demonstrate how the UA’s Tech Launch Arizona, or TLA, is continuing to to significantly enhance the impact of UA research, intellectual property and technological innovation by bringing the University’s inventions to the public for economic and social benefit.

According to the entrepreneurs I advise, the biggest challenge they typically face in starting a new business is funding. It consistently takes a huge amount of time and effort to find an investor you can trust, and that constrains your efforts in developing the solution you envision. People always expect that it should be easy to find investors, given their passion and excitement for the solution.

Krishna Yeshwant is no stranger to skepticism.

Yeshwant is a general partner and head of the Life Sciences team at GV, formerly Google Ventures. GV has invested in a number of life sciences startups that have made it to $1 billion-plus status, including Clover Health, 23andMe, Grail, and Oscar.

Image: Krishna Yeshwant GV

In 1973, America watched as then President Richard Nixon vehemently declared on national television, “I am not a crook” in regards to the Watergate scandal.

Not many people believed him.

In fact, as soon as he uttered the word “crook,” most people immediately envisioned a crook.

My favorite work involves sharing ideas with emerging leaders on the realities and challenges of leading in an environment of volatility and ambiguity. In a recent setting with a diverse group of early-career and first-time managers, we worked together to create a manifesto for leading today. The list below reflects a blended view of our mutual perspectives on succeeding as a leader. The energy and enthusiasm from this emerging generation of leaders for getting it right was palpable and comes through in our joint work-product.

Nearly four decades after President Carter adventurously installed solar panels on the White House, America’s energy transition away from fossil fuels has seen only modest progress. 2007 marked the first year in history when more than half of the world’s population lived in cities, and the U.N. estimated that, by 2030, urban settings will be home to nearly two thirds of the global population. However, it was just in March 2017 that monthly electricity generation from wind and solar exceeded 10% of total U.S. electricity generation for the first time.

Selling may be a dirty word for some, but it’s an absolutely critical skill in our personal and professional lives.

Some 28 years ago, on a hot August day, I found myself on the streets of Brussels with a backpack full of small plush dogs to sell. I scanned the crowd, looking for my ideal customer. Suddenly I spotted her. A woman in her sixties, pulling a cart of groceries.

In looking for innovations it is sometimes helpful to consider whether your product or service is open or closed.  If it is open what would happen if you enclosed it?  If it is closed what would happen if you opened it?  The opposite approach to the current method can yield powerful new ideas.  Here are some examples.

Image: http://innovationexcellence.com

The early days of a startup are a thrilling time. Late nights, too much caffeine and oh! the realization that you need cash (someone else's) to bring your idea to life. Sound familiar? It should. Nearly every budding entrepreneur's quest for cash begins this way.

“Medicare for all,” or “single-payer,” is becoming a rallying cry for Democrats.

This is often accompanied by calls to match the health care coverage of "the rest of the world." But this overlooks a crucial fact: The “rest of the world” is not all alike.

The commonality is universal coverage, but wealthy nations have taken varying approaches to it, some relying heavily on the government (as with single-payer); some relying more on private insurers; others in between.

Experts don’t agree on which is best; a lot depends on perspective. But we thought it would be fun to stage a small tournament.

Robin Schaad sat down to break the disappointing news. Even after receiving an appeal for more money, her daughter’s top-choice college — a well-regarded engineering school — hadn’t offered enough financial aid.

They went over the pros and cons together: what her daughter would study, how much she’d owe upon graduation, and how that might handicap where she could live or what jobs she could take. For a teenager, the weight of future bills — she’d likely be paying hundreds of dollars each month as a fresh grad — can be hard to grasp.

I recently had the pleasure to sit on a panel with a number of incredible inventors and leaders on innovation issues in an experience that was both inspiring and infuriating.  Discussing a new documentary on the patent system – Invalidated: The Shredding of the US Patent System – which I had the honor of being interviewed for, we discussed the state of the patent system and American innovation.

In 1973, America watched as then President Richard Nixon vehemently declared on national television, “I am not a crook” in regards to the Watergate scandal.

Not many people believed him.

In fact, as soon as he uttered the word “crook,” most people immediately envisioned a crook.

Every single time I interview a candidate for a position at work, I always start out by saying, “Tell me about yourself.”

Of course, I start with a little small talk here and there, but I always ask people to tell me about themselves early. As simple as it may seem, their response determines the course for the rest of my interview -- including how long I’ll spend with them. If a first impression creates a lasting impression, then the way they respond is the epitome of a first impression.

Left-handed people haven't always been treated well throughout history. They've been persecuted for their disposition, being been labeled as evil — or even as witches — despite making up about 10% of the population. In fact, the word "sinister" comes from "left" or "left hand."

There have been a few theories over the decades about why some people are left-handed, including an outdated idea that it has something to do with mothers who are stressed while pregnant.

New technologies promise to make the classroom experience more interactive and personal, but they also raise concerns about ethics and privacy.

Many U.S. cities are wrestling with how to build a healthy “pipeline” of tech talent. But too often those solutions are limited to the addition of new STEM degrees at traditional higher education institutions or coding classes in local K-12 schools.

In Pittsburgh, local seed stage investor Innovation Works is interested in another issue: how to get teens involved with the local hardware sector. So in conjunction with its hardware accelerator, AlphaLab Gear, Innovation Works launched Startable Pittsburgh a few years back.

Image: Above: Startble instructor Justin Harvilla (left) and student Norma Cusin (right). Image Credit: Courtesy Innovation Works

Over the course of 30 years as a General Partner at Highland Capital Partners, I’ve had the privilege of attending more than 5,000 introductory meetings with startups. Based on that experience, here are five tips to help founding teams prepare for their first big meeting with venture capital firms.