KPIs, TAM, ROI, CAC, NPI: Founders are fond of using acronyms to quantify their startups’ successes. The only hitch is that not every venture capitalist wants to be spoon-fed an alphabet soup of progress metrics. Here are a few data points and figures that six VCs think are overrated–and what, in their view, matters a whole lot more.

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Being your own boss can be a tempting proposition and, in the “gig economy,” there are plenty of opportunities to do so. From using platforms like Lyft, TaskRabbit, and Upwork to find work to  finding clients on your own as a freelancer or consultant, in a few simple steps, it’s possible to free yourself from open floor plans and fluorescent lights. After all, if you make $62,000 per year working 40 hours a week, you’re earning roughly $30 per hour. Why not try to do that on your own?

Enthusiasm for the biopharmaceutical sector in Asia has been flat, due in part to China’s market-access blockade, Japan’s spending controls, and deceleration in India and Southeast Asia. Recent changes have reignited interest in the region, with important implications for pharma executives.

There are only five wind turbines operating in U.S. waters today. But that will likely soon change, partly because of states with ambitious offshore wind targets.

Massachusetts, for example, is about to pick one of the three bids it got from companies vying to build one of the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind farms. Equipped with the capacity to generate enough electricity to power as many as 150,000 homes, the turbines located about 20 miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard would be among several big offshore wind projects that could transform the grid.

After Steven Yang left his coveted job at Google, he asked his mother whether he should take venture-capital money to fund his business idea.

If his online consumer-electronics enterprise was a risky bet, she told him, go with the venture capitalists. But if building the business into something great was his destiny, he instead should use her money from a pharmaceutical career in China.

It pays to plan. Entrepreneurs who write business plans are more likely to succeed, according to our research, described in an earlier piece for Harvard Business Review. But while this might tempt some entrepreneurs to make writing a plan their very first task, our subsequent study shows that writing a plan first is a really bad idea. It is much better to wait, not to devote too much time to writing the plan, and, crucially, to synchronize the plan with other key startup activities.

Bill Gates wants you to do some serious thinking this summer. For his annual list of the best books to read this season, Gates has selected five heavy hitters that pose big questions: “What makes a genius tick? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where does humanity come from, and where are we headed?”

Every entrepreneur wants to hear “yes” during the fund-raising process but I would argue that being too risk averse and not pushing hard enough and be willing to hear a “no” is what holds back many people from “yes.”

I believe people generally hate making decisions and especially so when they involve commitments and risks. This is true of any buying process where a customer has to make a large investment decision on your software or when an investor must decide whether to give you $5 million.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates, home to financial hubs Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is loosening its residency laws and will grant long-term visas for up to 10 years to investors and highly-skilled professionals.

The 10-year residency visas will be granted to specialists in science, medicine and research, and to “exceptional students.” The state-run WAM news agency says the plan aims to attract global investment and innovators.

Richard Branson and Harland David Sanders are exceptional. Branson was a born entrepreneur, shunning school to trade in Christmas trees and budgerigars, while "The Colonel" – after working as a steam engine stoker, insurance salesman and filling station – waited until he was 65 before starting KFC.

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Hanover — Dartmouth College’s entrepreneurship program has gone from startup to IPO.

The college’s four-year pilot program that reorganized and expanded its program for budding entrepreneurs has raised $36 million to establish a permanent center on campus that will serve as a cross-institutional “hub” for students, faculty and alumni that will focus on entrepreneurship.

The new center, which will be located on the west end of campus near the Tuck School of Business and Thayer School of Engineering, is designed to foster and support students interested in launching business ventures or social enterprises by tapping the resources of all divisions of the college as well as alumni and experts in the entrepreneurship community.

African countries should be nervous about the big technology companies sweeping through their economies, knocking out established businesses and crushing startups before they have had a chance to blossom.

That’s the message from the anti-poverty charity Global Justice Now in a report that warns of an “e-pocalypse” across the southern hemisphere, as western firms keen to sell sophisticated digital services use their muscle to outmanoeuvre local businesses in poorer nations. Africa is seen as particularly vulnerable after decades of underinvestment that has left many countries with seemingly little option but to accept the terms laid down by the tech giants.

Entrepreneurship, as it is known today, is primarily about finding solutions for challenging problems that exist. And innovation is the key to the exercise of finding solutions and lies at the core of every successful enterprise that we read, hear and study about. The sheer ability to look at problems and processes with a new perspective has led to some of the most innovative companies in the world.

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. The common reason given is that this prevents any competitor from stealing their idea and beating them to market. In my view, this paranoid approach costs them much more than the risk of being open.

I’m not suggesting that a startup should ever disclose patent details to others before filing, but I can’t imagine why a startup would not seek visibility and feedback for their idea and solution while they could still make changes with minimal cost. Pivots and corrections are inevitable for startups in this age of rapid change, and the earlier you make them, the quicker you get to success.

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Entrepreneurialism is not confined to the adult world. On the contrary, with their creative minds and determination, children can make excellent entrepreneurs. Check out the following do’s and don’ts for parents or child entrepreneurs.

Parenting a Child Entrepreneur – Do’s

Do Be Supportive

From inventing a fabulous new product to writing a book or selling lemonade, if your child comes to you with an idea for a business, it is important to be supportive. Avoid ridiculing or dismissing the idea, which could discourage your child from starting a business venture. Instead, show enthusiasm and support and take the subject seriously.

Today everyone seems to be talking about "disruption." It's modern, hip, trendy. Very new millennial.

But business disruption is much more than a passing fad. Mankind discovered early on that the best way to increase our standard of living was to create order out of chaos by constantly inventing and reinventing our most important tools: technology, processes and systems.

There are a lot of theories about how old you "should" be to found a startup.

Some people say younger is better. You're young and strong and can withstand lots of sleep deprivation and keep going. You're more likely to take risks and less likely to quit (supposedly).

On the other hand, wisdom comes with age. The older you are, the better you know your industry, and likely more than one industry. You have strong connections and a lot of experience.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the President of Iceland awarded Kerecis the Industry Award for Entrepreneurship. Kerecis is the creator, manufacturer and patent holder of revolutionary, fish-skin-based therapeutic products that speed up the healing process of human wounds and repair tissue damage. 

Specifically, Kerecis Omega3 is intact fish skin that is rich in naturally occurring Omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. When grafted onto damaged human tissue (such as a diabetic wound), the material recruits the body’s own cells and ultimately is converted into living tissue.

NEW YORK –The U.S. Small Business Administration, under its Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program, is soliciting grant applications from New York organizations to help boost the development of technology from small businesses.

According to Beth Goldberg, Director of the New York District SBA Office, the agency aims to increase the number of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer  (STTR) awards to small businesses through technical assistance and mentoring, especially among women, socially/economically disadvantaged individuals, and small businesses in underrepresented areas.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, i.e., the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, gave the public quite a fresh, warm wedding at St. George’s Chapel on Saturday. While there were no Beatrice-level crazy fascinators or Prince George side-eye, there were memorable moments that already prove the bride’s modernizing effect on the royal family.

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