Derived from the Greek myth of Narcissus, the caricature of a classic “narcissist” is someone who is manipulative, entitled, lacking in empathy, obsessed with grandiose fantasies about power and admiration, and abuses relationships for personal gain. Not surprisingly, then, narcissism is a purported attribute of many powerful leaders, including both destructive leaders, like Saddam Hussein and Dick Fuld of Lehman Brothers infamy, but also victors against tyranny like Winston Churchill and visionaries like Steve Jobs.

We've all heard the saying, "You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with." It turns out that social influence goes well beyond that. You're affected by all the people in your community (and three degrees beyond them). They influence whether you're happy, healthy, productive, empathetic―even how long you live.

In 1967, the two competing football leagues, the AFL and NFL, faced off in what was described as the “First World Championship Game AFL vs NFL.” It was a mouthful–but one that attempted to describe a very real rivalry. The NFL had run its football league for 40 years before a new league, the AFL, came around in 1960. In the months that followed the first game between the two rival leagues, a better and more succinct name was born to hype the event: The Super Bowl.

Harvard Business School professor Bill Kerr says we are having the wrong debate about immigration. For example, Kerr thinks the way the Trump Administration fumbled the migrant caravan dustup “sucked the oxygen out of what could have been a meaningful conversation.”

In his new book, The Gift of Global Talent, Kerr makes an airtight case that America’s real problem is how to get more ‘talent immigrants’ into the country as they help drive the innovation economy.

Image: Harvard Business School Professor William Kerr

Have you noticed something about the breaking news coverage of Brexit over the past week in America, and I suspect across most of the world outside Britain? Beyond the headlines – “Biggest Defeat Ever for May,” “May Not Removed As Prime Minister, But No Plan B” – there was not much analysis of what is going on. The reason: Brexit is so complex, so riddled with jargon, and so uncertain, that most media have chosen not to go down the rabbit hole.

Catalyze announces collaboration with Biopôle, providing dedicated services to members towards better access to non-dilutive funding opportunities.

Catalyze is an expert in obtaining non-dilutive funding for life science innovations. Catalyze provides clients and partners with the necessary help in obtaining funding for their R&D projects, supporting them as well with services to build strong European consortia. Starting this year, the company will provide support to the life science community of Biopôle science park in Lausanne.

Joanna Wong had been stuck in the same corporate job for years, becoming more and more disillusioned, when she decided one day that things had to change.

"I was frustrated, I think, working in a large organization," said Wong. "I wanted to be able to make a bigger impact."

So, she quit her 9-to-5 job as a womenswear buyer in Australia, and set out to find what she hoped would be a more fulfilling path as an entrepreneur.

Image: CNBC - Joanna Wong, founder and CEO of All Woman Co., speaks at the demo day of start-up generator Antler in Singapore on January, 9. 2019.

The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, through its Startup@BerkeleyLaw initiative, and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) have partnered to launch VC University, an educational program providing practical training on venture finance for entrepreneurs, investors, attorneys and others interested in emerging company finance. Participants can access VC University through the online certificate program or by attending one of the in-person programs held in emerging venture ecosystems across the United States, called VC University LIVE. In 2019, VC University will partner with the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University to bring VC University LIVE to the Midwest and South.

For startup founders one of the toughest challenges is deciding how to fund your business. Do you bootstrap, invest your own savings (yes, you should have money in the bank before you build a startup), or do you raise capital? It can be an agonizing slog to pitch dozens of investors and deal with endless rejection, but often times it appears the most attractive funding path to pursue.

Startups don't want to give up on London. Whether they’re a British company or not, many founders talk about the vibrant ecosystem of Silicon Roundabout, including the rich business network, the flow of finance and an attractive UK market. Some startups want to build their current market share, some want to break into the British market and many still see London as a European gateway and a stepping stone to international growth, especially to the United States.

INNOVATION RELIES ON A series of principles and international cooperation, say experts, yet not all countries contribute equally to the advancement of technology.

Many nations, including advanced economies, may bend the rules and pass laws and policies that favor their own businesses but in turn hurts global cooperation. The biggest offenders in 2018 were China, Europe, Kenya, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Turkey, shows a new report produced by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, or ITIF, a nonprofit public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on technology research.

Diversifying the white male dominated tech industry is quite the task, especially outside major cities. But there are two kickass Australian women who've found neon-lit ways to start working on this, especially in regional areas.

Melbourne-based tech education startup Code Like a Girl has launched a mobile, pop-up classroom with the aim to provide coding workshops to young women, and diversify the tech industry in the long run.

If you listen primarily to the popular press, you could easily be convinced that all successful startup businesses are built by one smart person, such as Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, or Jeff Bezos at Amazon. In reality, it takes a collaboration of many good people to build and run a business, even though the original idea probably did come from that innovative entrepreneur.

We are barely into the year and yet already one of our trends for 2019 has exploded. Thanks to Gillette’s ad, which claims the best a man can get is now being woke to the #metoo era - the outrage dragons are officially out (looking at you Piers Morgan). Social media sentiment analysis shows a predominantly negative online conversation (69%). This is due to a few people raging online about their damaged masculinity and an even smaller number pointing the finger at Gillette for hypocrisy (because it produced this ad while simultaneously contributing to #pinktax with their more expensive and, ironically, literal women’s pink razors) - all the while the vast majority of consumers back out of the conversation. Why? For fear of backlash and in favour of Neo-Civility.

Growing data suggests that exposing young children to too much time in front of a TV or computer can have negative effects on their development, including issues with memory, attention and language skills.

In the latest look at the topic, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics that more screen time is linked to poorer progress on key developmental measures such as communication skills, problem solving and social interactions among young kids over time.

Every startup is a seed about to grow into something bigger, whether as an independent company or as a perfect fit for an even larger organization. You may not have started your company with this notion in mind, but eventually your employees, investors, and partners will want to know where you’re taking the company. According to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2018 survey, 57 percent of entrepreneurs see an acquisition as the realistic long-term goal for their startup.

Image: https://thenextweb.com

Blogging has come a long way in the past few years, from a social release for narcissists, to today’s required vehicle for promoting your consulting business and gaining valuable online exposure. Even with product businesses, it’s the ultimate way to build your brand credibility, bring in customer leads, and get feedback from your target market.

With the start of a new year, it’s a great time to reflect on past successes and take a look ahead. For TechConnect West Virginia, this means taking the pulse of tech growth over recent years and charting a bold course forward.

In 2006, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation helped to create TechConnect, which started as a collaboration between Marshall University, West Virginia University, the INNOVA Commercialization Group, MATRIC and the Chemical Alliance Zone. The group soon added representatives of investor groups, private sector tech firms and professional services, including legal and accounting.

Whether you’ve been promoted, taken a new job, or just needed to make a change — moving to a new city can be a scary endeavor. You’ve been uprooted from your social circle, severed from your former colleagues, and charged with rebuilding a network for personal support and professional development.