PORTLAND - After 18 months of planning, the city introduced its first comprehensive economic development plan Wednesday.

The 19-page document, presented at the monthly meeting of the City Council's Community Development Committee, focuses on three major areas: expanding the employment and tax bases; enriching the creative economy; and supporting local business.

Greg Mitchell, the city's economic development director, said, "It's the first time we've ever had everybody moving in the same direction." He noted that about a half-dozen local organizations contributed to the report.

The committee unanimously endorsed the plan, which will go to the council. Since three councilors -- John Anton, Cheryl Leeman and Dory Waxman -- comprise the Community Development Committee, the nine-member council will likely approve the plan.

The German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) is proud to announce the release of its first Annual Report. Under the joint leadership of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Research Foundation (DFG), GCRI opened its doors on February 19, 2010. Created through the cooperative effort of the German Federal Foreign Office's Research and Academic Relations Initiative and the Internationalization Strategy of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, GCRI's goals are to

• Increase the visibility and awareness of Germany's research and innovation capabilities in North America
• Enhance and facilitate dialogue between academics and industry in North America and Germany to foster collaboration and communication

A new Y-Combinator-style incubator that will focus solely on the intersection of energy and information technology is launching in Houston, the founder of the group Kirk Brand Coburn told me in an exclusive interview. The accelerator program, called Surge, will start accepting applications for its program starting in November, says Coburn, and will select 10 companies in January 2012 that it will fund with $30,000 each for a chance to come to Houston for three months and receive mentorship.

The intersection between energy and IT could mean anything from projects building smart grid applications, to software for energy trading to analytics for the oil industry. The latter which Coburn explained to me could help oil producers seek resources more efficiently, in a safer way, and with a smaller environmental footprint. The overall goal of the startups that Surge brings into its fold will be to “create the efficient energy software technologies of tomorrow.”

For three days this week at the Demo conference in Silicon Valley, founders with companies in cloud, enterprise, consumer, mobile, social and media technologies are being advised onstage by “sages”—venture capitalists, angel investors and executives who tell them how best to proceed.

One piece of advice came across again and again Tuesday at the conference: Don’t think small.

“You need a big idea,” said Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn Corp. and a part-time partner at Greylock Partners, speaking to VentureBeat Chief Executive Matt Marshall on stage (the conference is sponsored by technology blog VentureBeat). “You have to be paranoid. The tech cycle is new invention every two to three years, and if you’re not vigilant and inventive enough and evolving, you’ll drift off course.”

THERE is an old parable about the concept of commitment when it comes to breakfast. The story goes that when looking at a plate of the traditional fare of ham and eggs, it's obvious that the chicken is an interested party, but the pig is truly committed.

When I tell this story to entrepreneurs, my point is usually to contrast the approach venture capitalists have to startups as compared to entrepreneurs. The VC is an interested party, but at the end of the day if their startups live or die they typically still have their job, their office and their portfolio of other investments.

The entrepreneur, on the other hand, is the pig - truly committed to the outcome, with no fallback.

Chamber announces “Big 5” strategic goals for the Kansas City region.

You can’t do everything, so focus is important whether you’re a small business, or a city. Choosing the right place to invest your energy and resources isn’t an easy process when you’re a small business owner, and it’s even tougher for a major metro with all its stakholders.

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce took on the challenge of helping Kansas City identify “Big Ideas for Big KC.” The initiative is an effort to identify and gain alignment of stakeholders around a few key goals. On Tuesday, the Chamber announced its “Big 5” initiatives.

“The Big 5 build on strengths we already have regionally. Taken together, they propel the community forward, enhance our quality of life, and create jobs,” said Greg Graves, Chamber chair and chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell.

An online version of the full, 36-page report is available at www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/publications

With stories earlier this year of outrageous valuations surrounding information technology companies like Groupon and Facebook, there’s been plenty of hand-wringing about whether overzealous investors have created a “tech bubble.”

So it’s only natural to wonder whether that bubble has spread to health information technology, particularly given all the hype and promise surrounding electronic health records (EHRs) in recent years. Of course, it’s virtually impossible to definitively say whether a health IT bubble has arrived — or whether one ever will — but some investors at least acknowledge that it’s possible we’re already there.

Eve Kurtin, managing director with Pacific Venture Group and a long-time healthcare investor, said she didn’t know whether a health IT bubble has started, but said investors and strategic acquirers are at least “in danger” of creating one.

Do you think you take a unique approach to, say, leading people, starting businesses, dealing with conflict, or satisfying customers?

Great!

Now pretend you want to write a great book that will describe your unique approach. Not a paragraph, not an article. A book. Go ahead. Determine your main theme and put together an outline.

My guess is you’ll struggle, because what you thought was your comprehensively unique approach to business really isn’t. Sure, you do some things differently and your approach is occasionally unique… but certainly not enough to justify an entire book.

It takes a certain personality and style to become a successful entrepreneur. However, what does it take to become the man or woman on top? Are you the next Richard Branson or Oprah? A recent study noted some common traits top entrepreneurs share.

They believe knowledge should be shared

More than three-quarters of Canadian respondents are mentoring other entrepreneurs in some form. They value the lessons learned from these relationships, and they pass that knowledge on. Collaborating like this benefits the teacher, and the student.

Everyone in the business world has heard of the book by Geoffrey A. Moore titled “Crossing the Chasm” (1991), but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them. In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers.

Most investors and startup professionals expand this concept of focus to apply to key issues of every aspect of strategic and tactical planning in a startup. Missions and products that are too broad confuse your team, your customers, and potential investors.

At around 11 a.m. last December 30, from his office in Oklahoma City, an inventor named David Albert uploaded a webcam video in which he demonstrated how to obtain an electrocardiogram with an iPhone.

Opening his shirt and white lab coat, he placed the phone against his chest. "Now you will see a very clean ECG," Albert explained, as a heart rhythm pulsed across the screen. "I am detecting and storing, wirelessly transmitting, and storing locally in real time. It's being analyzed, beats are being identified."

Gadgets that connect to Apple's iPhone already include TV remotes, audiophile speakers, and financial payment systems. The next wave may be medical devices. Think iPhone breathalyzers, thermometers, or stethoscopes.

For any innovator with a clever medical hack, a place in the Apple retail store would mean success. But how to get there? Technology Review interviewed several companies who already have health gadgets in Apple stores, or are in negotiations with the Cupertino, California, computer giant to see what it takes to get on Apple's shelves.

STANFORD, Calif., Sep 13, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship has joined the Graduate School of Business, where it will expand and enhance the depth and reach of global content for the school's academic programs and research.

The Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SPRIE) is focused on understanding the development and practice of innovation and entrepreneurship around the world. Current research focuses on the dynamics and sustainability of Silicon Valley and high-technology areas across Europe and Asia, including those in mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, India, Korea, and their collaboration and competition in the evolving global innovation network. Specific projects focus on "Silicon Valley Transforming," the rise and implications of China's internet industry ("China 2.0"), Japanese entrepreneurship ("STAJE"), and clean energy and urbanization ("Smart Green Cities").

WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College's Undergraduate School has been ranked #1 in entrepreneurship for the 15th consecutive time by U.S. News & World Report.

Babson leads the top 5 schools, followed by Indiana University (Kelley), University of Southern California (Marshall), University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), and MIT (Sloan).

"This year's survey confirms our continued undisputed leadership in entrepreneurship as we extend this leadership to Entrepreneurship of All Kinds® in the broadest array of settings," said President Len Schlesinger.

The College also earned a spot on the list of elite institutions recognized as a "Best in Undergraduate Business" program, coming in at #28.  View the rankings at www.usnews.com.

Paul Cerrato, Marianne Kolbasuk McGee 09/14/2011 InformationWeek 500 healthcare companies and hospitals are using technology in inventive ways to improve care. These innovations include a unique virtual reality system for burn victims, "Smart Rooms," and a customized program to track application and system performance problems. Take a quick peek at 10 of these IT initiatives in our slideshow.

J. Nicholas Hoover, John Foley 09/14/2011 Government agencies from California to Washington, D.C., are taking on ambitious IT initiatives in an effort to provide better services at lower costs. Here are some federal, state, and local efforts that are leading the way.

The gift shop at the Burbank airport sells Mexican jumping beans. I always buy a couple of packs when they are available. My kids and I had a fun jumping bean race after dinner tonight (my bean kicked ass). Afterwards, I loaded up the URL on the label on the little plastic box and marveled at the all-caps information page about jumping beans. It's worth reading in its entirety, but here are a few highlights:

"THE MEXICAN JUMPING BEAN IS UNDOUBTEDLY AMONG ONE OF OUR CREATOR’S BEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS. IT UNDOUBTEDLY GIVES MORE PLEASURE AND INTRIGUE FOR THE MONEY THAN ANY OTHER CREATION."

Why did entrepreneur and former Facebook employee Dave Morin turn down a $100 million buyout offer for his start-up, Path?

Dustin Moskovitz, Facebook's co-founder and a Path investor, thinks he had something to do with it.

Morin launched Path, a smaller social network, in November, 2010. In December, Google offered him a $100 million buyout, plus a $25 million earn out over four years. He said no thanks.

"I can't take full credit," Moskovitz, 27, said at TechCrunch Disrupt, "but we happened to be on vacation together. It was me, him, and Brian Singerman of Founders Fund. It just was really clear from Dave's body language and what he was saying that he didn't want to do the deal. He was feeling pressured to do it. People were telling him, 'Take the deal, don't risk it all.' The lesson learned is [founders should] set expectations higher [for themselves and their companies]."