What's News in 2009
News....Read All About It!
Investors are hip to "Startup lies" Oct 13, 2009 When marketing their start-ups, entrepreneurs will naturally seek to put their companies in the best possible light. Investors are a cynical lot, however, and there are a number of “red flags” which every potential investor unconsciously listens for in elevator pitches, business plans, and executive presentations, notes Martin Zwilling, CEO and founder of Startup Professionals, Inc., and managing partner of Southwest Software Ventures and Consulting. He offers a list of ‘Ten Start-up Lies,’ “not to impugn the honesty and integrity of entrepreneurs, but maybe to curb your natural over-enthusiasm that might detract from your impact.”
The secrets of a Twitter "power user" Oct 13, 2009 Are you a Twitter ‘power user?’ Would you like to be? A blogger named “Partho” offers these tricks and tips for taking your experience beyond the typical Twitter usage and making every tweet ‘magic’:
Social Media and Real-Time Collaboration - Terms like Facebook, Twitter, wikis and blogs are a recent addition to mainstream vocabulary. And now it seems like everyone is fluent in the language of social media – including your prospects and customers.
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Shooting for the Moon: How Universities Can Turn Innovation into Companies Sept 30, 2009 To boost our economy, we need to bridge this gap and improve the university research commercialization system. Many are working on solutions. Unfortunately, things change slowly in academia and those solutions are years off, at best. In the meantime, there are opportunities for ambitious entrepreneurs to do what some smart VC’s do — tap into this goldmine.
Brown and Gillibrand Introduce Bill That Would Support and Create "Business Incubators" in Hart Hit Regions - Sept 10, 2009 The Business Incubator Promotion Act, would make more communities across the nation eligible to receive funds through the EDA and would increase the share the federal government devotes to incubators in economically-distressed areas. The bill would ensure that areas facing high unemployment or poverty rates have opportunities to secure the EDA funds they need. It would also promote business incubators through funding to support the construction of new incubators and the expansion and support of existing incubators. A business incubator would be eligible to receive a maximum award of $750,000 for a feasibility study and $3 million for a three-year implementation period.
Growing Kentucky's Rural Economies Helping entrepreneurs, growing small businesses, and developing future business leaders are the focus of a variety of entrepreneurial programs that provide one-on-one coaching assistance
Ten Tools for Beating Online Competitors May 20, 2009 Sometimes just knowing where to find a few good tools is a resource, so in that spirit, here are a few online tools I like to keep at the ready.
Investors Pay Business Plans Little Heed, Study Finds May 13, 2009 GO ahead and write that 50-page business plan about your fledgling venture if it helps you to focus. Just do not bother showing it to venture capitalists, because it will do nothing to improve your chances of getting financing.
Gov. Beshear announces over $18 million in stimulus funds for employment and training programs - May 08, 2009 Gov. Steve Beshear today announced that over $18 million in stimulus funds will be distributed to the Commonwealth's 10 local workforce investment boards. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is providing a one-time appropriation to Kentucky of $11.2 million for dislocated workers and $6.9 million for low-income adults to pay for training opportunities and employment services.
Exciting News for Small Businesses! Tax incentives for businesses enacted by the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act have been extended through 2009 by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
-As a business you may expense up to $250,000.00 on total equipment investment.
-You may also depreciate an additional 50% of the purchase cost of new equipment over the standard 20% limit.
This applies to purchases and certain leases we have to offer. This will not last forever, your purchases for 2009 can save your company a large amount of money!
VC investments in start-ups keep falling April 18, 2009 All regions of the country and nearly all industries were affected, from software to Internet to life sciences to clean technology, an area that until now has been considered a good bet. Partnership formed to fund start-ups in underserved regions of California April 17, 2009 Wavepoint Ventures LLC of El Dorado Hills and Menlo Park and Golden Capital Network of Chico says they have formed a new partnership to bring resources to start-up companies in underserved regions of California, such as the Central Valley.
The Biggest Risks To Your Business And how to minimize them in a bad economy April 15, 2009 This latest brutal recession has reminded us all that what can happen in business will--and likely when you least expect it. The prepared win--the rest get mauled.
Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurial Alliance April 14, 2009 The Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurial Alliance (NKYEA) has been established to market Northern Kentucky as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation and to facilitate coordination, cooperation, collaboration and communication among those organizations that are involved in spurring entrepreneurial efforts and job growth in our region.
The Most Expensive Way To Raise Capital April 9, 2009 With credit still locked up, you may want to sell an ownership stake in your company. But understand the cost. If your business can't earn its cost of capital, you won't be in business very long. But what is that cost, exactly?
A strong business plan is most important when investing in start-ups April 8, 2009 Strong management is valuable and important. However, poor management is much more likely to be fixed by new management than a poor idea is likely to be fixed by a new idea.
N. Ky. forms entrepreneurial alliance April 1, 2009 Northern Kentucky University and several organizations have formed the Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurial Alliance to promote entrepreneurship in the region.
Sales of Start-Ups Plummet, Along With Prices April 1, 2009 So you'd think that withstart-up valuations down, corporate acquirers could be jumping on opportunities. Instead, they are becoming more selective, waiting to get the best price possible, said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association.
Weary of Looking for Work, Some Create Their Own March 13, 2009 Alex Andon, 24, a graduate of Duke University in biology, was laid off from a biotech company last May. For months he sought new work. Then, frustrated with the hunt, he turned to jellyfish.
Global heroes May 12, 2009 Despite the downturn, entrepreneurs are enjoying a renaissance the world over, says Adrian Wooldridge "High-flyers from around the world still flock to America's universities and clamour to work for Google and Microsoft. And many of them then return home and spread the gospel."
Alumni Act as Consultants to Kentucky Businesses, Entrepreneurs March 10, 2009 University of Kentucky alumni experts are now only a click away for Kentucky small business employers and entrepreneurs who have a business or technical question.
Life Sciences on a Budget: Startups Make Pitch for Angel Dollars at First Zino Society Forum - Feb 25, 2009 Angel investors and biotech companies don't usually mix. . . as many biotech companies are facing extinction, the Seattle-based Zino Society chose to organize its first Life Sciences Investment Forum.
Angel Investors Take Control of the Economic Stimulus Plan to Create Jobs - Feb 25, 2009 Investors from New York to Miami are making plans to attend the second annual Southeast Private Equity Conference (SPEC) April 14th and 15th in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 120 private angel investors, venture capital firms and fund managers will attend SPEC 2009 to meet the hottest emerging growth companies to see their presentations and make strategic investments that will lead to new innovations in the market and job creation.
Protecting Your Organization's Innovations - Feb 23, 2009 The targeting and theft of U.S. innovation, be it in the form of intellectual property, trade secrets, research, prototypes, etc., has significant dire effects on our nation.
The theft of U.S. innovation erodes our industrial base, our economy, and weakens not only the competitive advantages of our companies, but our Nation as a whole. To maintain a competitive edge U.S. companies and governmental organizations must continue to foster innovation and must also protect the innovation from competitors.
7 strategies for innovating your way out of the recession - Feb 23, 2009 As the economy continues to tumble, it is tempting to cut back on your investments in innovation. But now is the perfect time to increase your innovation efforts. Here are seven creative ways that innovation can help you recession-proof your business.
Obama Needs a Secretary of Innovation - Feb 11, 2009 Federal relief alone won't sustain the economy. A new Cabinet position would help to sharpen the focus on the innovation needed in the U.S.-and worldwide
bioLOGIC expanding Covington lab space - Feb 10, 2009 bioLOGIC Corp, a global life science investment and management company, is expanding its U.S. headquarters by relocating to Covington Station at 632 Russell Street.
Another View: V.C. Investing Not Dead, Just Different - Feb 9, 2009 Alan Patricof, managing director of Greycroft Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in digital media companies, offers this view of how venture capital investing has been changing:
How to Cut Out Unnecessary Innovation Feb 4, 2009 During a recession, companies must prioritize investments on new products and services. Here are a few how-to tips, including what to avoid
State's economic recovery to rely on small employers Jan 31, 2009 Kentucky's economic recovery will depend on small businesses. That message is driven home in the recently updated Kentucky Small Business Profile released by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
USDA, DOE Announce Up to $25 Million in Funding for Biomass Research and Development Initiative - Jan 30, 2009 The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) today announced up to $25 million in funding for research and development of technologies and processes to produce biofuels, bioenergy, and high-value biobased products, subject to annual appropriations.
Innovators Share a Wealth of Ideas on Twitter - Jan 27, 2009 The innovation community has adopted the social networking tool Twitter big-time. It has quickly evolved into a wonderful tool for (briefly) sharing ideas and resources, and for networking with other like-minded people. Here's a list of the people I follow who are "tweeting" about innovation and creativity, along with links to help you to explore what they're talking about. Some of them post quite frequently, while others do so only occasionally.
Local Entrepreneur Creates Product To Protect Troops Jan 15, 2009 A small Northern Kentucky company is looking to make a huge impact when it comes to protecting our troops.
The Kentucky Enterprise Fund (KEF) announced that Mersive Technologies, a KEF portfolio company, closed a $4.6 million Series B round of venture capital financing. - Jan 15, 2009 Mersive is a prime example of a growing technology company that was able to leverage the state-sponsored Kentucky Enterprise Fund to generate private investment.
Kauffman Foundation News: New Data Show Startups Create Jobs - Jan 14, 2009 A new Kauffman Foundation-funded U.S. Census Bureau study reinforces what entrepreneurship experts have long known: Startup companies are a major contributor to job creation.
Get the energy future right - Jan 5, 2009 "As a state 80 percent more coal-dependent than the nation as a whole, and where coal is a source of jobs for parts of eastern and western Kentucky, we face enormous risks and challenges in the coming years."