What would happen if global health innovators appeared on "Shark Tank," the reality TV show that judges business concepts from straightforward to zany?

It'd probably look a bit like the pitch competition the late July DevelopmentXChange conference in Washington, D.C. The event was organized by Saving Lives At Birth: A Grand Challenge For Development, a program that gives out grants to projects helping to improve medical care for moms and babies in low-income settings. It's funded by groups like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. and U.K. government.

Image: Bryn Sobott of the FREO2 Foundation presents his group’s solution to pneumonia treatment — an oxygen delivery machine that can operate using the energy generated by running water — at a pitch competition organized by Saving Lives At Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development in Washington, D.C. - Pearl Mak/NPR

What are the expectations of the young people in 2030 for the employer Porsche? Is it possible to provide executives with an app as a personal coach? And what could a digital tool look like to optimize the time-consuming meeting culture? Student teams from the HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management and the private Code University Berlin dealt with these questions around “New Work at Porsche” as part of the “Open Innovation Contest”. The best idea was awarded “BetterMeet”. The digital solution for better structuring and preparation of meetings promises a significant time saving. The new format “Open Innovation Contest” links the students of the partner universities even more closely with the experts of the sports car manufacturer. It is part of a university offensive by Porsche.

Innovation is famously difficult — many projects end up losing money, frustrating employees, and going nowhere. And yet corporations and governments spend billions of dollars annually pursuing innovation. This huge spending would generate more value for businesses and societies if the innovation success rate were just a little higher. Is there a way to increase the success rate without spending more?

The most valuable assets of a new startup are the people on the team, and the most challenging task of the entrepreneur and team leaders is to spend their leadership time and energy productively. Cash isn’t always the scarcest resource startups have to invest – more often it’s the leadership capital of under-experienced and over-stretched entrepreneurs and co-founders.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

New Jersey, long considered a state-leader in technology-based economic development prior to the Great Recession, has committed to reinvesting in its innovation economy. In addition to the legislature overwhelmingly approving a bill to reconvene the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology — the state’s primary technology-based economic development organization — Gov. Phil Murphy also announced several other initiatives to support innovation and entrepreneurship in the state.

Not long ago, the top concern for founder teams was, “Will we be able to raise?”

Today, that is no longer the case. Thanks to an unprecedented flow of capital, talented entrepreneurs have no shortage of suitors eager to support their visions. Crunchbase estimates that investors put $214 billion into 22,700 ventures in 2017. To put that into context, deal volume last year was up just shy of 4 percent over 2016, but dollar volume increased by nearly a quarter – in other words, more money is chasing fewer deals.

Inside a secure laboratory in New York City geologist Evan Smith is peering into billion-year-old blue diamonds to gauge the inner workings of Planet Earth.

The cold, dense objects zap the warmth from his hands. They come in a range of hues. “Some are so pale you wouldn’t know they’re blue, some get a gray tone along with the blue, so they can look a little mysterious,” says Smith, who works in the diamond-grading lab at the Gemological Institute of America

Image: https://www.scientificamerican.com

Getting more done effectively and efficiently is a challenge for both employees and employers. And it’s an expensive one. A March 2018 study by leadership training company VitalSmarts found that 70% of managers currently have at least one “high-potential” (HIPO) employee they are considering letting go for poor performance.

Image: Bernard Hermant/Unsplash

With rising production costs, an ageing population and shrinking return on investments it is clear why China’s economy has shifted from labour-intensive manufacturing to an innovation-driven paradigm in just a few years.

Today, Huawei is the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world and JD.com, Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu are among the world’s top 10 internet companies in terms of revenue. These companies, and the new tech-based businesses seeking to emulate their success, have all benefited from the “innovation ecosystem” China is developing.

Image: https://www.scmp.com

Facebook has reset the growth meter for itself and other social media companies, which are facing changing user tastes and increased regulatory scrutiny in a world following the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Russian meddling in U.S. presidential elections.

In its 2018 second-quarter earnings call on July 25, Facebook warned of decelerating revenue growth “over the next several years,” and of uninspiring trends in its user patronage in the U.S. (flat at 185 million daily active users) and in Europe (down 3 million to 279 million daily users), where strict data privacy rules took effect in May. Facebook lost nearly $120 billion in market capitalization the day it announced its results, bringing down other tech stocks such as Amazon, Twitter and Netflix (although they have since recovered somewhat).

Venture capital firms are without a doubt the muscle behind innovation as they support the company they may invest in, from the early stages, all the way to IPO — especially those with larger funds that have billions of dollars under management.

Defining the Roles at a VC

As described in my book, The Art of Startup Fundraising, VC firms have different types of individuals working at the firm.

We all have times when we wonder, “Am I at the right company? Am I in the right job? And is this all there is?” These questions are especially agonizing for mid-career professionals who may be searching for fulfillment while juggling demands at home and intense financial pressures to earn. How should you address a mid-career crisis? What actions can you take to improve your professional satisfaction? How can you combat the dullness and tedium of your workaday life? And how can you tell if it’s time to make a drastic change?

Matthew Brimer builds things. In 2011, he cofounded General Assembly, an early coworking company that evolved into tech and programing school. (Fifteen campuses strong, it sold to the Adecco Group for more than $410 million in April.) Passionate about music, in 2013, he helped launch Daybreaker, a wellness and dance party experience—early morning and substance free—which has become an unlikely lifestyle brand with a cult following.

Image: The Fund's cofounders Jenny Fielding, Katie Hunt, Adam Carver and Matthew BrimerALEX COLBY FOR THE FUND

Sixty-six million dollars. Armed with a 25-slide presentation, 28-year-old CEO Mathilde Collin earned her company, Front, $66 million in Series B funding.

She pitched to 11 investors over five days, and walked away with 10 investment offers.

Front is an app that streamlines social media message, emails, Slack messages, and texts in one place for easy collaboration. It’s a forward-thinking, competitively priced service.

The former London banker who became the youngest person to travel to all 196 countries by the age of 24 is now giving away all of his air miles on Instagram — but he won't reveal how many he has.

29-year-old James Asquith, founder of the Holiday Swap app , announced the competition in an Instagram post earlier this week.

Image: James Asquith

Apple just became the first US publicly traded company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization.

The milestone was hit when the company's share price rose to $207.05 on Thursday morning, just two days after the company reported its strongest third quarter in history. The earnings announcement helped spur a 6% spike in Apple's share price Wednesday.

Image: Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

To date, many innovative education technology products and services have not been adopted by schools or have failed to achieve scale. One reason for this lack of adoption and implementation is the disconnect that often exists between educators and entrepreneurs. Practitioners often receive inadequate information about new tools and their capacity to enhance instruction, which further impedes implementation.

Image: Photo by Erica Hartman via facebook.com/EdSurge

Common career wisdom tells us that being a "hard worker" is one of the best things we can do if we want to advance. Working long hours and putting your job first shows your dedication, and all that effort will pay off when you earn that promotion or land that business deal.

Of course, the consequence of constantly working is extreme stress and burnout. If you don't slow down to take care of yourself, your physical, mental and emotional health will suffer, ultimately making you less productive.

Image: Founders share their productivity tips.ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS.

Santa Ana, Calif., July 31, 2018 – The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) is pleased to announce the election of the 2018-2019 Board of Directors including a new Chair, Doug Robertson of Venn Innovation Inc. The 2018-2019 Board of Directors was ratified by the membership at the annual Summer Conference hosted by TECNA Member Technology Association of Iowa in Des Moines, July 24-26, 2018. Robertson replaces outgoing Chairman Skip Newberry of the Technology Association of Oregon, who will continue to serve on the Board.

Image: http://www.tecna.org

CLEVELAND, Ohio - When it comes to taking advantage of the so-called "innovation-based economy," where does Ohio rank? 

About in the middle when compared to the whole country, according to a new study released Tuesday, and better than most of the 18 other states that researchers identify as making up the American Heartland. 

Clearly, Ohio can do better, and can take steps to improve its standing, according to the report by the Walton Family Foundation of Bentonville, Ark., entitled, "The American Heartland's Position in the Innovation Economy."  

Image: https://www.cleveland.com