The crowdsourced funding craze is picking up steam. Tonight we see the launch of 33needs, a site where socially-minded startups can raise initial seed funding from individual contributors on the Web. It is Kiva meets Kickstarter.

Social startups post their “needs” in terms of how much money they are looking to raise, what problems they are going to solve and how they are going to do it, along with a video to help spread the word virally. People can invest $10, $100, $1,000 or more, and in return instead of getting shares in the company, they get a promised percentage of revenues for a specified period of time like 5 percent of revenues for three years.

Candytech, a Czech company that helps companies create and measure Facebook marketing campaigns, has gathered a wealth of Facebook-specific data over the years via its statistics portal SocialBakers.

The company has put together this great infographic, offering an overview of Facebook’s growth and population throughout 2010. Some key stats:

- Facebook ballooned from 337 million to 585 million users in 2010
- That means roughly 7.9 new users signed up every second of the year, on average
- USA and the UK are in the top 3 countries, but Indonesia is second with 32.1 million users
- The top 10 countries make up nearly 60% of all users
- The large majority of users is between 18 and 34 years old
- … but the fastest growing age group is 65+ (+124%)
- Three food brands (Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Oreo) make up the top 3 brands on Facebook
- Michael Jackson may have passed away, but his legacy is strong: 26.2 million fans

Now making its way around the internets, a little semi-vintage clip of Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric, then hosts of The Today Show, trying to sort out the new, new thing called “The Internet.” This bit was recorded on January 24, 1994, just months before Justin Bieber came into the world and Kurt Cobain exited stage left…

There are loads of strategies for playing hardball, but whether you're dealing with an employee, a client or an investor, there are some things that should always stay out of the conversation. Inc provided this helpful list on what not to say during negotiations.

1. The word "between." You think it makes you seem flexible, but it really ends up giving whoever you're dealing with an advantage. After all, if you offer a customer a price range of "between $1,000 and $2,000", odds are they'll pick the lower choice.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is among the most competitive schools in the nation.

Do you have what it takes to get accepted?

In an interview with PoetsAndQuants.com, J.J. Cutler, Wharton's deputy dean of admissions and career services, emphasizes just how selective the process is. The 817 member class of 2012 was chosen from a pool of 6,819 applicants. That's 8 applicants for every seat.

This is the first edition of the Innovation Union Scoreboard (IUS). Based on the previous European Innovation Scoreboard, the new tool is meant to help monitor the implementation of the Europe 2020 Innovation Union1 flagship by providing a comparative assessment of the innovation performance of the EU27 Member States and the relative strengths and weaknesses of their research and innovation systems.

The former list of 29 indicators in the IUS 2009 has been replaced with a new list of 25 indicators2, which better capture the performance of national research and innovation systems considered as a whole. 19 of the previous 29 indicators have been carried over from last year’s edition, of which 12 indicators have not been changed, 2 indicators have been merged, and 5 indicators have been partly changed by using broader or narrower definitions or different denominators. Taking into account the merging of 2 indicators, 18 indicators of the IUS 2010 are equivalent to those of the EIS 2009 and in addition 7 new indicators have been introduced. Annex E includes a comparative table with the two sets of indicators.

Download the PDF

After years of American technological leadership, the U.S. received a harsh wake-up call on Oct. 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik I. President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the launch as a catalyst to increase research and development spending that led to many of the tech advances we take for granted in Silicon Valley.

Fifty-four years later, our country finds itself at another Sputnik moment, with cleantech being the new technological frontier and China the looming economic threat. U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu recently said: "The U.S. still has the opportunity to lead in a new industrial revolution. It is a way to secure our future prosperity, but I believe our time is running out."

Many studies have linked exercise with improved brain health later in life. Now a new controlled trial reveals more about how aerobic activity might be helping to bolster the brain by beefing up the hippocampus.

As we age, parts of the brain tend to shrink—even in the absence of neurocognitive diseases, such as dementia or Alzheimer's. The new research shows that at least some parts of the brain can be saved from atrophy—and even built up—by relatively modest amounts of activity late in life. The findings were published online January 31 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and could have implications for preventing memory decline in the growing segment of older adults in the U.S.

Intel Labs will invest $100 million in U.S. university research over the next five years, the chipmaker according to published reports.

Intel will open Intel Science and Technology Centers (ISTC) across multiple universities, focusing on projects in areas "that align with the company's research agenda including visual computing, mobility, security and embedded solutions," the company said, according to a CNET report.

Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, is leaving the White House to become the new president of Case Holdings, the investment company of AOL co-founder Steve Case. Klain is leaving his current position later this month and will oversee Case’s various holdings including investment firm Revolution LLC, investments in Hawaii including Grove Farm and Maui Land & Pineapple, and Steve and Jean Case’s Case Foundation.

We spoke with Case to talk about Klain and the direction of Revolution LLC, which has invested in hot start-up companies such as LivingSocial Inc., which recently raised $175 million from Amazon.com, Zipcar Inc., which is in IPO registration, Everyday Health Inc., and Revolution Money Inc., which was acquired by American Express Co. in 2009 for $300 million.

Cleveland, OH - JumpStart Inc., a nationally recognized non-profit venture development organization based in Cleveland, announces the creation of a new national initiative, JumpStart America. JumpStart America will focus on building robust public, private, and philanthropic partnerships across the country with the goal of aggregating over $2 billion in total funding to create or accelerate regionally-based innovation and entrepreneurship programs. It will also serve as a national center for public policies and programmatic best practices that support high growth entrepreneurship. These efforts will accelerate the economic impact of 100,000 new and existing firms across the U.S. and create hundreds of thousands of new private sector jobs.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the occasion of President Barack Obama’s launch of Startup America, HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced new support for entrepreneurship through educational and technological outreach to startups and small business owners across the United States.

HP joins The Startup America Partnership, an independent private sector alliance responding to the President’s call to action in bringing together top entrepreneurs, startup firm funders, CEOs, university presidents, foundations and other leaders to help entrepreneurial companies start and grow.

HP, represented by HP Startup Central, a network supporting entrepreneurship and startup growth, and HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE), a global program that uses technology to help entrepreneurs establish and sustain growth, joins President Obama’s coalition, extending the company’s commitment to empowering innovators through entrepreneurial tools and market access.

Will collaborate with White House in Startup America program

WASHINGTON and ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it will invest $150 million in 2011 to fund programs that promote entrepreneurs and new business opportunities in the United States. The announcement was made as part of the White House-led Startup America campaign launched today.

"The investment will help us greatly expand the work we're doing to build business skills and provide market opportunities for the most innovative new companies in the country," said James Corgel, General Manager, IBM Developer and Academic Relations. "These start-ups are tackling some of the country's most pressing challenges and opportunities."

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? Aren’t you ever tempted to go back and do it again?”

The obvious answer is yes. When it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood. I guess it’s kind of like crack (not that I know from experience). It’s addicting. I know this sounds superficial. If you’ve taken the roller coaster ride that is a startup - you know what I’m talking about.

But I’m very happy now. I’m enjoying being a VC. I thought I’d talk a bit about the differences I’ve experienced between being an entrepreneur & a VC – you know, from “both sides of the table.”

(MEXICO CITY) Six major emerging economies, the 'BRIMCS' countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico, China and South Africa), invest more in energy research and development (R&D) than a large group of developed countries, according to a report.

In 2008, the governments of BRIMCS countries invested US$13.8 billion in energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D) — well above the combined US$12.7 billion spent by the governments of the 28 member countries of the International Energy Agency, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Most of the funding went towards fossil and nuclear energy.

January 31, 2011 - Washington, DC – Marc Ecko’s venture innovation company, Artists & Instigators (www.artistsandinstigators.com), is announcing its first product, A&I Practicum, as part of the White House’s launch of its “Startup America” campaign to celebrate, inspire and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. A next generation entrepreneurial engine, A&I Practicum will invest over $1 billion in 750 startup companies and create 20,000 student apprenticeships by 2016.

“In my own personal journey as an entrepreneur and education reformer, I have been inspired by some of America’s greatest ‘artists’ & ‘instigators’ - Ben Franklin, Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali, and our generation’s artist and instigator, Steve Jobs,” said Marc Ecko, CEO of Artists & Instigators.

YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar and his team have transformed Google's Folly into a mind-blowing -- and lucrative -- global platform that is redefining the entertainment business.

Salar Kamangar floats unnoticed through YouTube's sprawling San Bruno, California, offices dressed in a navy blue hooded sweater and jeans, laptop cocked on his hip. he might as well be just another anonymous, nomadic programmer rather than YouTube's newly named CEO.

The exceedingly shy 34-year-old escorts me into a corner office filled with a cornucopia of Silicon Valley souvenirs, including hundreds of conference badges and, naturally, a Segway. "None of this is mine," Kamangar tells me. The office belongs to YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, even though neither technically works there anymore. Kamangar's own desk is a naked cubicle right outside. Jeff Zucker he isn't.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. and WASHINGTON, DC - Today, as part of President Obama's national strategy to stimulate economic growth and the creation of quality jobs, the White House announced the launch of the Startup America Partnership. Chaired by Steve Case, co-founder of AOL, CEO of Revolution LLC and chairman of the Case Foundation, the Partnership will receive launch funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Case Foundation, and act as an independent private-sector alliance intended to dramatically increase the development, prevalence and success of innovative, high-growth U.S. firms. Carl Schramm, CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, will serve as a founding board member of the effort.

The Startup America Partnership will work closely with the White House to advance the goals of its Startup America initiative. The Partnership will bring together top entrepreneurs, start-up firm funders, CEOs, university presidents, foundations, and other leaders to help entrepreneurial companies start or grow. Partners (including corporations, foundations, startup funders, CEOs and others) will contribute funds to existing proven models or develop new programs and efforts to help entrepreneurs.

At a recent regional conference about jobs for the next generation, several speakers highlighted the economic resilience of North Carolina's Research Triangle region, so named for the three research universities—Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—that anchor the triangle. The conference was held on North Carolina State's Centennial Campus, one of the country's top university research parks.

Despite the area's economic dynamism, our unemployed neighbors probably don't feel very resilient, and our governor and the first Republican majority in North Carolina's legislature in over a century are considering major budgetary reductions. As political and civic leaders cope with this financial spasm, it is useful to consider that the Research Triangle was not always so resilient.