The venture capital (VC) industry has been redefining, reinventing and repurposing itself in recent times due to the influx of online crowdfunding platforms, accelerated technology cycles and a newer generation of founders. This has required venture capital funds to increase their relevance, become agile and transform themselves into more than an investment partner to founders. In this article, I'll discuss several factors that are helping venture capital funds to innovate and differentiate.

Now that you can find anything on a moment’s notice via the Internet, people have found that a temporarily unused expensive asset, such as a room in your house, or your car sitting idle, is a new business opportunity. Thus the rise of the “sharing economy,” with collaborative and peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms, including Lyft (rides), Airbnb (lodging), and WeWork (workspace).

Imagine a world in which companies are defined by their ability to inspire, foster collaboration, and create experiences for employees and customers that are simple, meaningful, and enjoyable. Sound like some impossible, distant dimension? It’s not. All this—and more—is beginning to take place right now inside organizations that are leveraging these challenging and uncertain times to reinvent, reshape, and reimagine how they operate.

Just how risky is it to travel for the holidays this year? With rising rates of COVID-19, many experts are recommending a moratorium on holiday gatherings. But for those who are trying to decide whether they still want to travel, smart-thermometer company Kinsa has created predictive COVID-19 risk scores for every county in the U.S.

Image: courtesy of Kinsa

When President Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, one of the cutting-edge experimental therapies he received was a mixture of monoclonal antibodies. But now a vaccine may soon be available. So are other therapies necessary or valuable? And what exactly is a monoclonal antibody?

Over the past few months, the public has learned about many treatments being used to combat COVID-19. An antiviral like remdesivir inhibits the virus from replicating in human cells. Convalescent plasma from the blood of donors who have recovered from COVID-19 may contain antibodies that suppress the virus and inflammation. Steroids like dexamethasone may modify and reduce the dangerous inflammatory damage to the lungs, thereby slowing respiratory failure.

Image: Y-shaped proteins called antibodies are vital for attacking and destroying the virus. Dr_Microbe/Getty Images - Royalty Free Image.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte today released its "North America Technology Fast 500," an annual ranking of the fastest-growing North American companies in the technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech and energy tech sectors, now in its 26th year.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. claimed the top spot with a growth rate of 106,508% from 2016 to 2019. Based out of Pasadena, California, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep and durable knockdown of target genes.

The results of this year’s McKinsey Global Survey on artificial intelligence (AI) suggest that organizations are using AI as a tool for generating value. Increasingly, that value is coming in the form of revenues. A small contingent of respondents coming from a variety of industries attribute 20 percent or more of their organizations’ earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to AI. These companies plan to invest even more in AI in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its acceleration of all things digital. This could create a wider divide between AI leaders and the majority of companies still struggling to capitalize on the technology; however, these leaders engage in a number of practices that could offer helpful hints for success. And while companies overall are making some progress in mitigating the risks of AI, most still have a long way to go.

This month, the Securities Exchange Commission approved major updates to rules enacted via the 2012 JOBS Act. Their stated goal was to “harmonize” the guidelines that establish exemptions for equity crowdfunding, Reg D and Reg A+ offerings. These changes are a powerful step forward for both startups and investors alike.

This is a space I’ve watched closely since we launched Indiegogo in 2008 and Vincent earlier this year. I spent four years working with the Obama administration, the SEC and FINRA to help pass the JOBS Act in 2012. After that, it took another four years of rule refining with the SEC and FINRA before finally seeing equity crowdfunding go live in May 2016. At Indiegogo, we worked with several great partners, helping fund nearly 150 businesses via equity crowdfunding in just a couple of years.

Two years ago, when Amazon acquired online pharmacy PillPack for $753 million, it hinted at plans that the retail giant might enter the pharmacy business someday soon. Now, Amazon is showing its hand.

On Tuesday, it rolled out a service for users to purchase their prescriptions online and receive them at home. The news shook several pharmacy stocks, posing a potential threat to the dominance of big chains such as CVS Health and Walgreens. Despite this, an analyst believes there will not be a “blow up” in prescription pricing.

Image: Amazon launched its much-anticipated Amazon Pharmacy on Nov. 17. It delivers prescriptions to patients homes and lets Prime users access cash pay discounts. Photo credit: Amazon

Black leaders and entrepreneurs in technology aren’t new to the scene. Think of inventors like Dr. Mark Dean, who contributed numerous key patents for the development of the personal PC during his time with IBM, or Annie J. Easley, who developed software for NASA’s Centaur rocket stage. Both Dean and Easley had to navigate more than just science and technology. They also wrestled with racial injustice throughout their careers. Black tech professionals made a significant impact then, and continue to do so today.

Some of those leaders live right here in Pennsylvania, making waves that ripple far beyond the Keystone State. These entrepreneurs are transforming medicine, data literacy, education, and system efficiency, and are leading the way as we enter the third decade of the 21st century.

Image: https://www.pa.gov/who-we-are

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), and others in the coronavirus vaccine race are approaching the finish line. This week, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) reported positive interim efficacy data from their phase 3 trial. Moderna and the Pfizer team have each said they expect phase 3 safety data this month, after which they will apply for an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S Food and Drug Administration.

Well before now, however, clues were emerging about which companies may become the biggest vaccine suppliers. Months ago, pharmaceutical companies and biotech rivals began announcing agreements to supply organizations and countries with doses, following vaccine approvals. Let's take a look at where things stand today for some of the most significant participants in this race.

In the 1970s, Houston was the undisputed oil capital of the world and with that went “attitude.” Bob Harvey, president of the Greater Houston Partnership, is keen to separate the new Houston — the one that he’s working to improve – from the old Houston, all the while recognizing that oil built the city and the fracking revolution gave it a great boost.

Harvey is a dynamic Houstonian and a 17-year veteran of McKinsey & Company, the global management consulting firm. The Greater Houston Partnership is a 1989 amalgam of what was once the Houston Chamber of Commerce (founded in 1840), the Houston Economic Development Council, and the Houston World Trade Association.

Image: The Texas Medical Center is key to Houston's plan to reposition itself from an oil capital to an innovation hub. CREDIT: BRYAN MALLOCH

Eight months after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, COVID-19 is reaching the last places on Earth that remained untouched by the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, Vanuatu, a Pacific island nation about 1,200 miles northeast of Australia, reported its first COVID-19 case. Two other countries in the Pacific Ocean, the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands, reported their first infections in October. In Samoa, workers who serviced a ship with COVID-19-positive crew members are in quarantine.

Image: All of the last remaining COVID-19-free nations are believed to be far-flung islands in the Pacific Ocean. Lon Tweeten/TIME

Virgin Hyperloop made history Sunday when it completed the world's first Hyperloop passenger test. Company Co-Founder and CTO Josh Giegel and Director of Passenger Experience Sara Luchian were the first to ride Virgin's new form of transportation: Experimental Pod-2 (XP-2).

Since its launch in 2014, the company has been known by many names - including Hyperloop Technologies, Hyperloop One, and Virgin Hyperloop One - but has always been focused on one goal: transforming the way people travel. Six years later, Luchian and Giegel traveled 48 meters per second on a 500-meter journey through the Nevada desert. "We took a big step towards that last dream," Giegel said in a statement . "Not just for me, but for all of us who are looking towards a full moon here on Earth."

Image: Image credit: Virgin Hyperloop vía PC Mag

During times of uncertainty, we tend to hunker down and cling to the status quo. A kind of myopia kicks in, and we focus on our most urgent decisions: how to keep our families safe and healthy, how to keep our bosses happy, or, if we’ve lost a job, how to find a new one as quickly as possible. When we’re overwhelmed, it can be hard to find the time, motivation, and mental energy to think about longer-term questions.

Image: HBR Staff/Mariia Demchenko - https://hbr.org/

As a business advisor and advocate for entrepreneurs, I find myself almost always talking and writing about change. Yet there are many things about business and work that haven’t changed for a long time, and don’t need to change anytime soon. I’m always surprised when someone doesn’t seem to grasp these basics, or thinks it’s fine to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I was reminded of a number of these by a classic book, “The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters,” by Richard A. Moran. With a bit of humor, he provides some serious guidelines for struggling career professionals looking to move up, and new entrepreneurs looking to build a company. Moran seems to speak directly from my long-time personal business career.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) wrapped up its Virtual National Summit last week with a session called The Road to COVID Recovery – Moving Forward. I was pleased to join a thoughtful group of panelists charged with offering a positive take on new ideas and approaches in our respective fields.

Incentives are usually a prickly topic, but this year there truly are some positive developments to report. 

Image: https://smartincentives.org

The central goal of this study is to generate enhanced understanding of the favorable characteristics of global life sciences ecosystems that were able to energize their intellectual and infrastructural resources to respond to the COVID-19 challenge. It seeks to communicate the characteristics of best-practice ecosystems, so that the world and individual nations can be better prepared in the future.

LONDON, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mountside Ventures and ALLOCATE, today released their inaugural annual report entitled, "Capital Behind Venture 2020."  The report provides insights on Venture Capital (VC) firms looking to raise funds from Limited Partners (LPs) such as pension funds, university endowments, government agencies, fund-of-funds, and high net worth (HNW) individuals or family offices who actively invest in Europe's growing VC ecosystem.

"There is very little information in the public domain on best practices, preferred terms and practical advice on raising a VC Fund in Europe, even less so for emerging fund managers," said Jonathan Hollis, Managing Partner at Mountside Ventures. "Our goal in writing this report was to reduce barriers for VC fund managers, but also show LPs how their peers are exploring investing in this space."

I love California, but I had to leave. I grew up in Fremont, attended Stanford, and have spent most of my adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area, founding technology companies like Palantir and Addepar and investing in many others. In 2011 I founded 8VC, a venture-capital firm that today manages more than $3.6 billion in committed capital. Few top venture capitalists consider living anywhere other than California and a handful of global financial centers, but I am moving myself and dozens of my 8VC colleagues...

Image: Wonder Land: After months of the pandemic, protests and failing progressive leadership, many are going to move out of U.S. centers. Images: Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly