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Week of February 5 - 11, 2007

Finding the Missing Link Just Got Easier

The iBridge Network, a program of the Kauffman Innovation Network debuted at DEMO 07, the premier launch venue for new products, technologies and companies and was awarded the prestigious DEMOgod award. University researchers, industry representatives, and entrepreneurs can use the iBridge website to search for innovations that, until now, have been lost and untapped behind university walls. With more than 700 research projects listed, the iBridge website is fast becoming a place for researchers and technology transfer officers to post research from their universities, as well as the place to go to find research occurring at other institutions. The website is designed to ease the transaction burden on university technology transfer offices, and encourage more open and efficient access to innovations of interest to entrepreneurs and industry representatives alike.

Learn more about iBridge. The Kauffman Innovation Network is an initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Intuit Small Business of the Future Report

Intuit and the Institute for the Future, a Silicon Valley-based think tank, are engaged in an interesting new exercise that examines the future of small business. The first installment of The Intuit Future of Small Business Report, which examines demographic trends, was released in late January. It predicts that two trends—the recent boom in entrepreneurship and digital transformation---will coalesce to create a new era of economic decentralization. This era will in turn support three major trends:

• The emergence of a new breed of entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs will become more diverse, more international, and will come from the “edges of the age spectrum.” In other words, we should expect a simultaneous jump in the number of both young entrepreneurs and older boomer generation entrepreneurs.

• The number of sole proprietorship - what the study calls personal businesses - will continue to boom and become an important part of the US economy.

• Entrepreneurship education will also boom as more schools and disciplines embrace entrepreneurial training.

View the first installment of The Intuit Future of Small Business Report.

GAO Symposium on Education and US Competitiveness

A recent symposium sponsored by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) offers another take on links between America’s higher education system and its global competitiveness. The Forum brought together some of the nation’s leading policymakers and thinkers on the linkages between higher education and economic prosperity. Participants discussed a wide range of issues, but spent much of their time focused on how the US can better attract talented international students. They reached a consensus on three key points: 1) The US needs a strategic plan for recruiting students that not only sets out clear objectives, but also helps improve coordination between federal agencies, 2) Current visa barriers that block student entry into the US should be eliminated, and 3) Schools should consider new sources for international students, particularly in developing countries that have not sent many students to the US.

Download the January 2007 US Government Accountability Office GAO Forum Report, Global Competitiveness: Implications for the Nation’s Higher Education System.

EntrepreneurshipWeek USA Tops 1,000 Partners

When the Kauffman Foundation, Inc. and the New York Times put a call out across the country for organizations to help inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, the commitments started rolling in – and they haven’t stopped. Last week, EntrepreneurshipWeek USA announced that more than 1,000 organizations – ranging from grade schools to universities and local community groups to national associations – have joined the effort and are planning activities during The Week.

During EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, we’ll be bringing you a special edition of NDE-news each day with highlights from coast-to-coast. In the meantime, learn more about featured activities in New York, Stanford, CA and Washington, DC… and get involved in an activity near you.

A New Geography of Innovation

An interesting new project and report from Demos, a London-based think tank, looks at emerging innovation powerhouses in Asia. The project, dubbed “The Atlas of Ideas,” notes that the locus of global innovation is changing. We used to expect new ideas and technologies would come from universities, research labs, and large corporations, most of which were located in the Europe and North America. With global supply chains in place, this expectation is no longer the norm. New ideas are emerging from new players. The Demos project specifically examines innovation in China, India, and Korea; a second phase will analyze trends in South Africa and Brazil. China is described as an emerging ”science superpower.” China has great potential but, if it wants to pursue “independent innovation,” some major reforms will be required. It cannot just focus on the “hardware of innovation,” i.e., developing labs and research centers. It must also develop the “software” of innovation, i.e. creativity, ethics, and research cultures. This task may create significant political, social and cultural challenges for China. Meanwhile, India is described as a center of “uneven innovation,” and South Korea is lauded for its efforts to promote mass innovation.

Learn more about Demos’ Atlas of Ideas project.

Bankruptcies Predicted to Rise in 2007

Two new polls from the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) may portend bad news for American consumers and small business owners. ABI regularly posts on-line polls that ask its members and others to offer their views on future trends in the field. Recent polls asked respondents to comment on trends in consumer bankruptcies and bankruptcies among middle-market companies (i.e. family-owned firms, private companies and smaller publicly-traded firms). Sixty-one percent of respondents expected consumer bankruptcies to grow by at least 20% in 2007. Meanwhile, 71% expected middle-market bankruptcies to “substantially increase” in 2007. Both of these predictions run contrary to 2006’s pattern when bankruptcy filings in both categories were at extremely low levels. Industry observers expect an increase in bankruptcies will result from tighter credit and an expected “shake-out” in key sectors such as real estate.

View the results of the latest surveys from the American Bankruptcy Institute,

Final Venture Capital Numbers for 2006

The National Venture Capital Association, Thomson Venture Economics and PricewaterhouseCoopers have released the final venture capital (VC) investment totals for 2006. Total investments in 2006 reached a level of $25.5 billion in 3,416 deals. These totals represent an approximate 10% increase from 2005, and are the largest annual totals for VC investing since 2001.

View the latest venture capital data from Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association.

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.

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All stories © 2006 The Public Forum Institute
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