If you encounter problems viewing this email go to http://www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde/news/nde-news.htm

Week of January 8 - 14, 2007

Entrepreneurship Hottest Ticket on Campus

Nine universities pledged to make entrepreneurship education a campus-wide opportunity and were rewarded with a total of $25.5 million in grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Including matching commitments from other funding partners, more than $200 million will be directed to cross-campus entrepreneurship programs over the next five years. The grants mark the second round of the Kauffman Campuses Initiative, which was launched in 2003 to foster the creation of interdisciplinary entrepreneurship education programs that are available to all students regardless of major.

The schools were selected based on a series of criteria, including the ability to create a culture of entrepreneurship that permeates the campus, the potential to create new representative models, and the ability to partner with other foundations and funders. The universities receiving grants for this round are: Arizona State University; Brown University; Carnegie Mellon University; Georgetown University; New York University; Purdue University; Syracuse University; University of Wisconsin-Madison; and, University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Learn more about the Kauffman Campuses Initiative

2007: What are Venture Capitalists Expecting?

Venture capitalists (VCs) had a pretty good year in 2006, and they’re expecting more good news in 2007. That’s one primary message from the National Venture Capital Association’s (NVCA) year-end survey of its members. VCs are anticipating continuation of several trends that came to prominence in 2006. They expect to see more investing overseas, especially in China and India. They also expect to see growing investments in a more diverse set of industries. For the past decade, venture investing has been heavily concentrated in a few sectors such as software, information technology, and biotechnology. More recently, new industry areas, such as energy and media/entertainment, are receiving more attention and more dollars from the VC industry. Finally, the US’s lagging market for initial public offerings (IPOs) means that alternative exit strategies will be the name of the game. In 2007, VCs expect to see a big increase in mergers and acquisitions and in overseas IPOs.

Learn more about the National Venture Capital Association’s predictions for 2007

Small Business Lessons for the War on Terror?

An interesting new article from USA Today examines the Pentagon’s efforts to learn from small businesses about new methods and organizational structures that could help improve operations in Iraq. Specifically, defense and intelligence officials are fascinated with new decentralized business structures such as those deployed by Craigslist and the Wikimedia Foundation. They are also interested in studying how “industry disruptors” like YouTube, Skype, and Kazaa succeeded in markets dominated by entrenched large corporations. The basic premise is this: the business world has become flatter, more decentralized, and more networked. The same thing is happening in the political sphere, and effective foreign and defense policies require a better understanding of how these new organizations operate. The article concludes with some useful insights about how lessons from business could be utilized in the fight against al-Qaeda.

Read the article, “Can Small Businesses Help Win the War?” by Del Jones in the January 3, 2007 edition of USA Today.

Franchises for Veterans

Returning veterans can get a leg up on starting and owning a franchise business, thanks to an initiative known as VetFran. This effort, an initiative of the International Franchising Association, helps veterans who want to acquire a franchise by allowing them to make a purchase with only 10% of the required down payment. More than 200 companies, including household names like Dunkin’ Donuts and Midas, participate in this effort. Since it was started, VetFran has assisted more than 600 veterans who have purchased franchises. This is one effective means to help ease the transition for returning veterans.

Learn more about VetFran or other business initiatives for veterans

Hamilton Project Reports

A new research group based at the Brookings Institution, the Hamilton Project, has been generating some interesting research on issues related to innovation, technology, and economic prosperity. The Hamilton Project is the brainchild of former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and promotes a message that seeks to combine a commitment to economic justice, security and rigorous economic growth. Recent papers have covered topics including expanded fellowship support for science and engineering students and reforming the patent review process. A December 2006 paper, Promoting Opportunity through Science, Technology and Innovation, makes a clear and compelling case for the power of R&D and technology improvements to promote economic growth and prosperity.

Learn more about the Hamilton Project and its recent reports. 

Small Business Lending Data

If you’re looking for “small business friendly” bankers, you might want to check out a recent data release available from the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. The report, Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States, for the Data Years 2004-2005, compiles data on institutional lending to small firms. Overall, this is a big business. In June 2005, 8,799 lending institutions reported 21 million outstanding loans valued at $601 billion. Among the biggest small business and micro business lenders in 2005 are American Express Bank, Capital One, Regions Financial Corporation, BB&T, Synovus Financial Corporation, MBNA, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo.

Download the December 2006 Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy report, Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States, for the Data Years 2004-2005

The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday on the NDE main page - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news.

National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship

All stories © 2006 The Public Forum Institute
Content from this newsletter may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution to the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship and a link to www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde.