The origin stories of some of the biggest companies in the world are by now almost folklore. But perhaps the lesson from these giants is not “how to become the next Google,” but simply how to start thinking about ideas in a way that these mega-companies did when they first started. 

Every entrepreneur has blind spots which limit their effectiveness and success, but due to ego, over-confidence, or deferential subordinates, many live totally in the dark. Some are smart and humble enough to assume that they don’t know what they don’t know, but lack an effective process for shining a light on their blind spots. Both are equally surprised by their every setback.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

It’s the same display every year. Or at least it feels that way. Whenever I look up at Fourth of July fireworks, even right as they’re reaching their most Van Gogh-like incandescence, all I feel is the desire to feel something.

Image: https://www.fastcompany.com

Let’s play out this scenario. Your deck is ready and you’re just about to start reaching out. What does conventional wisdom say that you should send? A three-paragraph overview, four bullet points outlining the problem, and three bullet points on how you solve it and why you’re the best. You went through all that work … but who is going to read it? A junior person. Not even a senior VC.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Nine high-tech Kentucky companies will receive a total of $900,000 in state matching grants to support high-paying jobs and technology development in the commonwealth.

The grants are part of the commonwealth’s nationally recognized Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching Funds program. The Kentucky grants match in part $4.77 million in federal grants the businesses will collectively receive.

The casual observer of the world of bitcoin could be forgiven for thinking that China is hostile to the development of blockchain.

Just last month there were headlines about crackdowns on everything from bitcoin mining to a warning from the People’s Bank of China that banks and payment firms shouldn’t be providing crypto-related services.

However, as intuitive as such an observation feels, it would be wrong. In fact, as someone who lives on the ground in Beijing and is actively involved in the development of blockchain projects in China and around the world, I would argue that China has been, in its own way, the place where top projects can flourish, even to a greater degree than in the United States.

Multi-cloud strategies are emerging as a dominant part of organisations’ long-term IT roadmaps.

This is according to a study by IT services firm Ensono in which 500 full-time professionals across the UK and US with cloud procurement decision-making power were surveyed.

Bryan Doerr, executive VP of Product and Technology, said: “This report captures a clear picture of the industry and reveals how companies’ investments in cloud services have changed over the past year.

The Army Ants, a Columbia robotics team, won the Design Award in the FIRST Global Innovation Challenge. Made up of 35 high school students, the Ants have won awards on the local, regional, national and now global level.

The 12 girls and 23 boys on the team include home-schooled students and students attending Tolton Regional Catholic, Rock Bridge, Hickman and Battle high schools.

Every year, FIRST — For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology — hosts a global robotics competition in which students design, build and program industrial-size robots.

Most S&T students take a well-earned break in the summer, but the quiet on campus is still occasionally disrupted by the roar of a rocket launch or the rumble of a racecar engine coming from the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center.

Even during the summer, students are working in the design center, which provides Missouri S&T’s student design teams with computer design laboratories, a manufacturing shop, office space and logistical support. Several teams are preparing to compete this summer, but all 19 teams are in a constant state of testing, manufacturing and planning for the next season or next competition.

Image: The Formula Car Design Team practices in a parking lot near Castleman Hall in the spring 2021. Photo by Michael Pierce, Missouri S&T.

BENNINGTON — An online Southern Vermont Jobs and Climate Forum highlighted both the economic challenges posed by climate change and the opportunities for innovative business owners who anticipate what a changing climate will foster.

Sponsored by the Vermont Council on Rural Development and the Vermont Climate Economy Action Team, the June 24 event included panelists Robert Stevens of Stevens & Associates; Stephanie Lane, executive director of Shires Housing; and Jesse McDougall of Studio Hill Farm in Shaftsbury.

The forum was moderated by Jon Copans, director of VCRD’s Climate Economy Model Communities Program.

Image: The installation of electric vehicle chargers is one way businesses and communities are positioning themselves for a changing climate. A recent Vermont Council on Rural Development online forum discussed those possibilities. Bennington Banner - file

PRINCETON, N.J., June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wrap Technologies, Inc. (the "Company" or "WRAP") (Nasdaq: WRAP), a global leader in innovative public safety technologies and services, announced that the Princeton Police Department in New Jersey has selected the Company’s WRAP Reality Virtual Training Platform to deliver the latest simulator training technology to Princeton’s police officers.

With the WRAP Reality platform, Princeton PD will have access to WRAP Reality’s robust, cutting-edge training scenarios and technological innovation. WRAP Reality’s platform fully immerses the trainee in realistic training scenarios. WRAP Reality’s focus on a broad range of skills, including de-escalation and community policing, were critical factors in the department’s decision.

With the rapid rise of electric vehicles (EVs) and increased investments in autonomous driving, what was once the future of vehicles is quickly becoming a present day reality.

By 2040, EVs are forecast to account for more than half of global annual car sales. A 2020 Consumer Reports survey showed that 31% of U.S. consumers said they are interested in an EV for their next car purchase, with another 40% saying they’re interested in EVs for a future purchase.

And the drive is no longer fueled by just a few players like Tesla. Every major automaker and several Silicon Valley giants are investing billions in the future of vehicles.

Image: https://www.visualcapitalist.com

hether it's cloud computing, cybersecurity, healthcare innovation, or online retail, an array of megatrends are changing how companies do businesses, how consumers shop, and how patients receive care.

These trends were at play prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but the global health crisis only accelerated the timeline under which some new technologies and concepts are being adopted. All that may sound dizzying, but investors can efficiently tap into the range of emerging themes with the ALPS Disruptive Technologies ETF (CBOE: DTEC).

We at HRE and the HR Tech Conference are starting the annual process to determine our Top HR Products of 2021. This is, I believe, the most prestigious award in the entire HR technology industry and has a rich history dating back more than two decades. For readers unfamiliar with the process, it begins with a call for submissions of new products and enhancements to existing products, which, in a typical year, number well over 100. We then spend several days (it truly takes at least a week, to be honest), reviewing all of the submissions and developing the initial list of products we would like to see; from there, we undertake a few rounds of demos and internal discussions to build the final list of winners.

Image: Steve Boese is HRE's Inside HR Tech columnist and chair of HRE’s HR Technology Conference®, which is taking place Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2021, in Las Vegas. He also writes a blog and hosts the HR Happy Hour Show, a radio program and podcast. He can be emailed at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

There is something to be said for a good productive meeting. However, there are many meetings in which almost nothing gets accomplished. Furthermore, said meetings also keep people from being productive and affect job performance. And according to the 2021 State of Meetings Report from Doodle, it does have an impact.

The 35 Innovators Under 35 is our yearly opportunity to take a look at not just where technology is now, but where it’s going and who’s taking it there. More than 500 people are nominated every year, and from this group the editors pick the most promising 100 to move on to the semifinalist round. Their work is then evaluated by our panel of judges who have expertise in such areas as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, software, energy, and materials. With the insight gained from these rankings, the editors pick the final list of 35.

Think you can’t be an entrepreneur? Don’t have what it takes? Not enough money or time? Think again. 

 Alonzo Pierce didn’t have any of those things and calls himself “an unlikely entrepreneur”. His story shows that anything is possible. He says, “If you want to achieve something, there is always a way.”

The National Federation of the Blind, America’s most powerful civil rights and advocacy group for the visually impaired has launched a scathing attack on web accessibility overlay market leader accessiBe, accusing the company of engaging in “harmful” practices.

Israel-based accessiBe provides a web overlay solution that sits on top of web pages for the purposes of automatically scanning and reformatting them to ensure they are accessible and able to work with assistive solutions such as screen readers and keyboard navigation.

Blockchain technology is a shared, immutable ledger for recording transactions, tracking assets, and building trust without the need for any third-party involvement. There are three different types of blockchain platforms available in the market for various purposes, i.e., public blockchain, private blockchain, and consortium blockchain.

Before understanding the differences between them, let’s learn the common key features they have in them. All blockchains, despite the differences, are a network of peers that have append-only ledgers and uses a consensus mechanism to agree upon the correctness of transactions.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted labor markets globally during 2020. The short-term consequences were sudden and often severe: Millions of people were furloughed or lost jobs, and others rapidly adjusted to working from home as offices closed. Many other workers were deemed essential and continued to work in hospitals and grocery stores, on garbage trucks and in warehouses, yet under new protocols to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.