When people talk about entrepreneurs, they immediately think about the Mark Zuckerbergs or Elon Musks of the world. And, they're not wrong to think about those giant tech disruptors, who impact millions of lives daily.

However, not all entrepreneurs are created the same. And not all have the same motivation. While some feel a passion for technology and disruption, others want to use their entrepreneurial skills to make the world a better place. In an era where more companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's and others are putting a big emphasis on corporate social responsibility, more and more entrepreneurs want to join the fray.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration has granted up to $125,000 awards in FY 2017 to 16 Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program recipients including state and local economic development entities, small business development centers, colleges and universities and up to $200,000 awards to five Small Business Technology Development Centers (SBTDCs) that provide support to innovative, technology-driven small businesses.

When it comes to attracting venture capital for local startups, Boston keeps falling further behind Silicon Valley -- it used to be second in the nation and now it lags New York as well.

One investor who targets Boston seed stage investments thinks that he's leading Boston's VC renaissance. But in today's very challenging environment for tech IPOs, I am skeptical that Boston will catch up.

It’s been said that entrepreneurs aren’t born, they’re made.

Said another way, all of us have the skills we need to become successful founders, but it’s the training -- the education, the mentorship, the guidance -- and application of those skills that make the real difference between success and failure in the world of entrepreneurship.

Time and time again, senior executives are challenged to transcend their personal limitations. This often relates to the way their behavior is perceived. They may be brusque with people, or somewhat disorganized, or easily distracted, or they may act out of their depth in some other way. They discover they must change if they hope to keep the loyalty of the rest of the enterprise. They have to learn to communicate and make decisions in new ways that may feel uncomfortable at first.

Image: Photograph by Aaron Kotowski 

Better use of data will be a crucial driver of economic and societal progress in the future. Widespread adoption of data analytics and artificial intelligence is expected to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to U.S. GDP in the coming years in sectors such as finance, transportation, and manufacturing, while unlocking new opportunities to improve outcomes in fields such as education and health care. A new report analyses and ranks which states in the United States are best positioned to take advantage of the data-driven economy.

Image: http://www.thenextsiliconvalley.com

If a business is searching for a source of external funding, it can turn to various sources. Some of these sources may be vastly different, such as venture capital (VC) and private equity.

Although both are forms of private financing and the investment horizon is roughly similar, that does not mean they are the same.

Whether you’re right or wrong, winning an argument can be a challenge. Luckily, with a few simple tricks, you can learn how to debate like a pro.

For starters, rather than coming off aggressively, start a conversation. Having a two-way discussion will show the other person that you’re open to hearing their ideas, and in turn, they’ll likely be eager to hear yours. You should also always let them speak first and ask them open-ended questions.

Meeting with a client to design a visioning session for its upcoming strategic planning activities, I prepared several pages of options. The possibilities included many different directions we could incorporate within their strategic planning process. The objective of our conversation, at least from my end, was to help them start making decisions about how they wanted an early step in their strategic planning activities to look.

One early July morning, in a high Alpine valley above rolling pastures, a group of hikers gathered for breakfast at the historical Schatzalp Hotel in Davos, Switzerland’s easternmost resort. The sky was pallid grey, as were the clouds on the horizon, but the colour on the breakfast-goers cheeks was a healthy rose-pink. One by one, they filled their dishes from the buffet, smiling contentedly as they took their time heaping spoonfuls of grated apple, cinnamon, rolled oats, seeds, nuts and dollops of yoghurt into the bowls. Eating it was proper work, but later, half a dozen of them went back for seconds. And so did I.

Image: Switzerland’s historical Schatzalp Hotel is situated in a high Alpine valley above rolling pastures (Credit: Mike MacEacheran) 

While the New Brunswick startup community is growing – leagues ahead of where it was before companies like Radian6 and Q1 Labs put the region on the map for outside investors – unrealized promise remains, industry leaders say.

"There is capital here," said Larry Shaw, CEO of Ignite Fredericton and Knowledge Park.

"We don't have all the tools and assets or capital investments that we need in this province to meet the full potential."

Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. Some entrepreneurs forget that talking is not communicating. Fortunately these skills can be learned, and the barriers to communication can be overcome one by one.

Founders have to communicate their ideas and products to investors, business partners, and the rest of the team. Then, hopefully, come customers, distribution channels, and going public or merging with an attractive buy-out candidate. Communication is not just talking, but also listening, writing, body language, and “actions speak louder than words.”

Chatter about regional planning ebbs and flows in the urbanist world. But a group working that angle for nearly a century, the Regional Plan Association, has never stopped thinking in terms of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. A new exhibit from the research and advocacy organization offers a look at a future in which that region has successfully adapted to sea level rise — and Mark Zuckerberg’s in the White House.

Image: https://nextcity.org

The 2017 total solar eclipse is fast approaching, and hordes of sky gazers are scrambling to find a spot where they can see the shadow of the moon completely obscure the sun for a few moments on Aug. 21.

There's technically plenty of room for every American to pack into the narrow zone from Oregon to South Carolina where the total blackout will occur, shown on this eclipse map. But most of the country will be moored in a place where they will see only a partial eclipse, which occurs when the moon will block anywhere from nearly the entire sun to just a slice of it.

Image: http://time.com

Oliver Sanchez has created an incubator for the entrepreneur who has a great idea but may struggle with English, someone with a product but limited knowledge of American marketing and culture.

And unlike other incubators that require specific funding or proof of investor interest, you don’t have to have all your ducks in a row — or cash in hand.

Image: JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF - Oliver Sanchez (left) is founder and CEO of Plug; Peter Yao is the Cambridge incubator’s chief operating officer.

In the years following the American Revolution, not everyone expected New York to emerge as America’s preeminent city. Philadelphia had hosted the Constitutional Convention. Boston was a crucial manufacturing hub. And even among the cities crowding the lower Hudson (then called the North River), some believed that those on the western shore were more likely to flourish. A figure no less prominent than Alexander Hamilton predicted that Jersey City would eventually become the “metropolis of the world.”

Mayor Dan Horrigan recognizes “the heavy lift” required of the city if it is going to spur innovation and entrepreneurship. He also understands why it must try. For Akron to sustain and enhance its quality of life, it must keep and attract talent. It must be a better place for families and for businesses. Part of getting there is building a stronger culture for startups.

Bain and Company has recently published a worthwile article, debating the question:

What will the firm of the future look like?

Among several characteristics, the authors also particularly anticipate future-proof companies to be required to manage two types of businesses by deploying distinct “engines”.

Companies have always pursued innovation in their core business. Clayton Christensen has called these “sustaining innovations”; they bring incremental improvements in performance or value. But what about the innovations that upend an entire industry? They are all around, even if leaders sometimes find it hard to believe it will happen to them.

Amazon’s engineers are cooking up some wild ideas on how to integrate drones into major cities. In the latest patent filing, the e-commerce giant shows how special facilities connected to trains, boats, and vans could be used as storage space and repair stations for drones.

The drones would be moved to areas of anticipated demand and fly out from the mobile hub.

Image: https://readwrite.com

President Donald Trump’s immigration policies would dramatically diminish American entrepreneurship at a time when our country needs more people to start companies and organizations.

Trump has taken a hazardous scalpel to America’s startup ecosystem by announcing that his administration would delay and may even remove the International Entrepreneur Rule implemented by former President Barack Obama, which enables immigrant entrepreneurs to found companies in the U.S. These measures are harmful to our economy in the short and long run.