Startups provide leadership in the market. Entrepreneurs provide leadership to their startup. There are many styles of leadership, like dictatorial, laissez-faire, and democratic. One that I hear discussed more these days, in this age of relationships, is called “servant” leadership.

At some point in their life, hopefully everyone strives to be the best in their chosen profession. Most people think that being the best requires more intelligence, more training, and more experience. In reality, in business or even in sports, the evidence is conclusive that it is as much about how you think, as what you do.

Venture capitalists are in the business of placing big bets on new technologies. That’s why it’s fun to get their yearly predictions — and then assess how well they forecasted the future.

Just as 2018 began, GeekWire asked six Seattle-area VCs to put on their fortune teller hats and make some predictions about everything from Amazon’s stock price to the most overhyped technology of the year.

Peloton tops the list of NYC fund raisers in 2018, followed by WeWork and Letgo.

Image: Late-stage, New York-based companies raised massive deals in 2018. WeWork, Letgo and Peloton all scored $500 million-plus rounds. Pictured: WeWork founders Miguel McKelvey and Adam Neumann (top); LetGo founders (bottom left) Alec Oxenford, Enrique Linares and Jordi Castello; Peloton founder John Foley. COURTESY OF WEWORK, LETGO AND PELOTON

We see a lot of headlines about how our population is aging, but we don’t see what businesses are doing about it. By 2035, for the first time in American history, people aged 65 and older will outnumber those 18 and younger, and it’s time for entrepreneurs to take note. As someone who has worked in innovation in the senior space, for AARP and elsewhere, I can offer some predictions for what I see as the path forward, and what entrepreneurs -- of any age -- can do about it.

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. That’s like trying to sell part of something to a stranger for big money when you haven’t fully defined it yet. It won’t work, it costs time and money, and hurts your credibility when you need them later.

MIDDLESEX, Vt. — One Vermont community is celebrating the holidays and the winter solstice with a massive bonfire and what they hope will be the world’s largest s’more.

The Winter S’morestice takes place Saturday at Camp Meade in Middlesex and includes fire artists and dancers, music, food, beer and wine and, of course, a sampling of the giant s’more.

In a phone interview, Marin General Hospital chief information and technology integration officer Mark Zielazinski discussed how voice recognition will play a role in the evolving healthcare technology landscape.

Every year brings unique and sometimes wacky new workplace initiatives. 2018 brought us examples such as such as implanting microchips in employees and allowing them to only expense vegetarian food but there are also important trends that will help you become a better employer. Some of the more progressive initiatives we can learn from are Vermont offering an incentive of $10,000 for remote workers to move there and an insurance firm in New Zealand conducting an academically rigorous trial of a four-day work week with great success.

In the first part of this article mini-series I demonstrated, based on my original research, that for innovation to exist, you must be able to create a culture of innovation, first. A culture of innovation exists when leaders give their employees autonomy, employees show accountability and are willing to try things (even if it means that they might fail), and team members are capable of holding constructive disagreement, in which they are willing to be vulnerable with each other, offer direct and honest feedback, and be receptive to such feedback.

African Leadership Academy cofounder Fred Swaniker explains why companies should invest in people and harness technology to take on the continent’s big challenges.

There are many business opportunities in Africa, but talent is a crucial component to deliver on the potential. As founder of the African Leadership Academy and the African Leadership Network, Ghana’s Fred Swaniker has long sought to support entrepreneurs on the continent. In this interview with McKinsey’s Acha Leke, Swaniker discusses what it takes to succeed in Africa and how talent and technology can catalyze change. An edited transcript of his remarks follows.

This article was first published in the 3rd quarter 2018 edition of Personal Finance magazine

It may have its critics, and it certainly doesn’t work for everyone, but crowdfunding is undeniably a legitimate and effective form of “alternative” financing. Over the years, crowdfunding projects in South Africa have financed the launch of new technologies, helped myriad individuals and organisations, rescued deserving charities, taken athletes and adventurers to places they’d never dreamed possible, and even saved lives.

It's 2 am in the morning and there is still a lot to finish from the last week's to-do list but, look at you -- there isn't an iota of panic on your face. You are able to tick everything off the list, one thing at a time.

Weekends turn into weekdays and personal life gets trapped beneath an avalanche of work, but you embrace it -- with all its risks and rewards.

JumpStart Inc. of Cleveland reported hitting a significant milestone as 2018 comes to a close: The business accelerator has crossed the $50 million threshold in total pre-seed and seed venture capital investments in companies since it was launched in 2004.

Indeed, JumpStart said in a news release on Thursday morning, Dec. 20, that it "has deployed a total of $51.5 million in capital into 114 companies" in the last 14 years. The milestone figure "follows a record-setting year for the JumpStart investing team, which deployed nearly $8 million in fiscal year 2018, the most capital ever invested by the organization in a single fiscal year," the organization said in a release.

The pervasiveness of social networking and the Internet has caused a new focus and value on “openness,” which leads to a new element of leadership, called “open leadership.” The mantra of open leadership is “Be Open, Be Transparent, and Be Authentic.” This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

For all the concern over China’s targeting of foreign intellectual property, how much forced transfer of leading-edge technology has really happened?

By the looks of the Chinese auto industry, hardly any. If there has been, then Beijing has precious little to show for it in a market of 25 million cars a year.

Image: Following the leaders isn't as easy as it might look. Photographer: Nelson Ching/Bloomberg

Money has been pouring into Silicon Valley in recent years, and much of it has flowed into the offices of venture-capital firms, which fund and nurture tiny companies with big ideas that hope to become the next Amazon.com or Microsoft or Google. VC investors have raised an estimated $180 billion since 2013—a ginormous sum that has fueled the growth of start-ups such as Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb, whose valuations have ballooned into the billions, notwithstanding a paucity of profits. It has been one heck of a party, but don’t let all the hoodies andsneakers fool you: Funding the future is deadly serious business, and financial rewards are far from guaranteed.

Image: Reid Hoffman Photograph by Noel Spirandelli - https://www.barrons.com

Healthcare in 2018 was marked by a growing impatience with the fierce political battles and partisan deadlock of the year before—in its stead were massive calls to action by employers and patients alike for healthcare to produce better access, better results, and better value. Below are a few of the forces that defined health care in 2018 and how we predict they’ll carry out next year.

Competitiveness was one of Canada’s buzz words of 2018 — and not for good reason.

The past year saw a growing chorus of voices from the business community sounding the alarm on Canada’s eroding competitiveness. Pressure mounted on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respond to the Trump administration’s cut to U.S. corporate tax rates, while warnings about regulatory uncertainty and foreign investment outflows grew louder.

Image: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca

With the New Year right around the corner, many small-business owners are likely wondering what to expect in 2019. After all, spotting or failing to recognize an important trend can be the difference between a banner year and one we'd rather forget.