Quite a few mixed messages bombard my computer screen every day. Tweets announce "good enough is better than nothing," "your body needs a break" and "don't do anything that makes you miserable." These collide with Facebook and LinkedIn posts that "true warriors never quit" and "great achievement requires great sacrifice." And then there's the motivational email that wormed its way into my inbox just this morning: "Your level of success is determined by your level of discipline and perseverance."  

These venture bets on startups that "returned the fund," making firms and careers, were the result of research, strong convictions, and patient follow-through. Here are the stories behind the biggest VC home runs of all time. 

In venture capital, returns follow the power law — 80% of the wins come from 20% of the deals.

Great venture capitalists invest knowing they’re going to take a lot of losses in order to hit those wins.

Chris Dixon of top venture firm Andreessen Horowitz has referred to this as the “Babe Ruth effect,” in reference to the legendary 1920s-era baseball player. Babe Ruth would strike out a lot, but also made slugging records.

Image: https://www.cbinsights.com

Yo, breakfast enthusiasts: PancakeBot, the pancake printing robot that literally prints pancakes in whatever shape you want, is on sale today. You're welcome.

Using the PancakeBot 2.0 downloadable software, you can pick from pre-made shapes or design your own pancake shape — then watch it watch it come to life when PancakeBot dispenses the batter directly onto the griddle.

Image: http://mashable.com

The importance of family business longevity extends far beyond family owners. Accounting for 70 percent of global GDP and 60 percent of global employment, family firms are among the main drivers of growth and innovation in today’s economy. While strong brands, deep relationships and long-term ownership allow the best performing family businesses to adapt swiftly to an evolving competitive landscape, the family business ownership model carries with it inherent weaknesses.

The moves that led to Nokia’s decline paint a cautionary tale for successful firms.

In less than a decade, Nokia emerged from Finland to lead the mobile phone revolution. It rapidly grew to have one of the most recognisable and valuable brands in the world. At its height Nokia commanded a global market share in mobile phones of over 40 percent. While its journey to the top was swift, its decline was equally so, culminating in the sale of its mobile phone business to Microsoft in 2013.

Oxford University’s innovation arm has announced its 150th company: an augmented and virtual reality startup, 6Degrees.

The company has been spun out of Oxford University Innovation (OUI), the research commercialisation company at the famous university. Companies are created within OUI using research developed at Oxford, before being spun out into high tech companies.

The role of the CIO has undergone enormous change over the last decade. The letters "CIO" have come to mean more than chief information officer. Today, it's necessary to wear multiple hats, including chief intelligence officer, chief innovation officer and chief integration officer.

"The traditional CIO who keeps the lights on and ensures that everything is running is completely obsolete," states Debbie Krupitzer, digital manufacturing and industrial IoT lead at consulting firm Capgemini. "The role has evolved and those that don't keep up with the changes will likely find themselves out of a job."

Tami Howie, Chief Executive Officer at The Maryland Tech Council, joins Rich Bendis for the third episode of the new podcast series. BioTalk with Rich Bendis features conversations with some of the most accomplished and exciting business, academic, and government leaders in the biohealth industry. Over the past 20 years, Tami has helped technology companies grow in the Mid-Atlantic region and nationwide from startup to public companies and beyond. Tami has been involved with the successful exits of over 150 companies and has represented technology companies, investors, SBICs and underwriters such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Image: http://www.biohealthinnovation.org/

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is set to regulate crowdfunding activities in the country to protect the investing public from any abuses in fundraising innovations typically designed for startup companies.

Crowdfunding refers to a method of fundraising by tapping a large number of individuals, usually through an online platform. This method allows investors to obtain access to investment opportunities, while also enabling startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access new sources of funding.

In July, Elon Musk bet the people of Australia he could build a 100MW battery in 100 days or it would be free.

Turns out the man who proposed using rockets to fly us around the world in 30 minutes is nothing if not ambitious. Tesla just did it -- with about 40 days to spare.

On Friday, the South Australian government announced the completion of the world's largest lithium-ion battery just outside the South Australian city of Jamestown. In a statement, the office of state premier Jay Weatherill confirmed the battery would be energised within days.

Over the last few years, I've been heavily involved in the fast-growing startup scene in the St. Louis area. My wife manages a startup incubator, and I owned my own startup before taking a role as vice president of entrepreneurship for my county economic development agency. I deeply admire people who are brave enough to start their own businesses. It isn't easy -- in fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done.

It's so hard that succeeding at starting your own business can result in overconfidence. It isn't uncommon for successful founders, or even aspiring ones, to believe that the skills and lessons that come with entrepreneurship can be applied to any problem society faces.

Image: Elon Musk and his companies have received almost $5 billion in financial support from governments at all levels. (TNS/Los Angeles Times/Lawrence K. Ho)

Since its HBR debut in 1995, the concept of disruptive innovation—the process by which a smaller company with limited resources is able to launch a product or service that displaces established competitors—has been extensively incorporated into startup vernacular. Entrepreneurs often use a version of the phrase when launching products, raising funds, unveiling strategies, hiring teams, and engaging partners.

Yet we do not know much about how entrepreneurs are integrating the concept into their identities and what consequences this has for their startups.

Image: https://hbr.org

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to increase organization’s revenue at a fast pace. The revenue of companies working in the AI space is expected to touch the revenue of $3.06 billion by 2024, according to a report by Avendus Capital.

According to the report, the next five years are going to be crucial for the AI development. The advancements in the technology in next few years will lay the foundation for the companies dealing in AI-based technologies. Among all the AI technologies, Deep Learning is expected to have the fastest growth. The large portion of revenues of AI companies will come from companies offering in Deep Learning solutions.

More than 130 startups sought capital this year from a state-backed fund, far exceeding expectations and serving as another example of the need for funding at the earliest stages of the capital continuum. 

Startups in need of funding today have many more options available to them for investment capital compared to years ago. But despite the growth in venture capital, angel investing and other funding sources over the last decade, an “absolute gap” persists in what Fred Molnar of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. calls the “very, very early” stage.

During the 1960s and 1970s, some of the most innovative companies in the world were Japanese. Firms like Honda, Sony and Seiko managed to utterly transform entire industries.

Japan’s innovation model, however, broke down about 30 years ago.

Today the nation is looking to startups to find a new way. But while they have an important role to play, it will be Japan’s mid-sized companies that will drive large-scale innovation and economic growth over the next 15 years.

Image: https://www.forbes.com

One of the many things that's incredible about David Attenborough's documentaries is just how up close and personal some of the shots are.

In a clip for the forthcoming Blue Planet II, you get right up close to spider crabs shedding their shells and marching along the surface in Australia's Mornington Peninsula. Alex Vail, a camera operator on the documentary, explained in a blog post how he dived to the surface to get the shot.

Image: http://mashable.com

Majority of startups die early in India due to their failure to survive ‘Valley of Death’ – a popular usage in IT world to refer to failure of startups from ideation to taking commercial shape for want of incubation and funding facility, according to National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) chairman and Managing Director H. Purushotham. Not beyond 10 to 15% of startups are successful in launching prototype of their products/services conceived at the beginning and hit the market from ideation stage.

Image: http://www.thehindu.com

BEIJING: Innovation is likely to be a major theme not only for Singapore’s economic transformation, but also for the country’s cooperation with China and the broader region, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Sunday (Nov 26).

Speaking to Singapore media at the end of a five-day visit to Suzhou and Beijing, Mr Heng said the promotion of innovation is something Chinese leaders at the provincial and central government level have given a lot of thought to, and was a topic that came across “very strongly” at all meetings.

We’ve all felt like we’re in a rut, uninspired, and burned out. Often the feeling lasts a few days and then goes away, but if it persists, it’s important to get to the root of the problem.

“Burnout is like a smoldering fire: If you don’t put it out quickly, you’ll soon have a full-fledged conflagration on your hands,” says Don Maruska, serial entrepreneur and coauthor of Take Charge of Your Talent: Three Keys to Thriving in Your Career, Organization, and Life. “Job No. 1 for every person is self-management. If you aren’t at the top of your game, how can you win and enjoy the success?”

BORN IN PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Mark Cuban is the epitome of an entrepreneur. Known as driven and a risk-taker, Cuban has explored a variety of businesses. In the 1990s, he built his fortune by selling the start-ups Microsolutions and Broadcast.com. He also then purchased the Dallas Mavericks, a well-known basketball team. He’s invested in a diverse set of business, including film production. Many have also seen him on the popular TV shows, Dancing with the Stars and Shark Tank.

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