Research Commercialization Academy (BETA 0.01)

Author: Sustainable Business Oregon

Source: Sustainable Business Oregon

Interest: The JOBS Act, which will let individual investors invest in startups, will result in what he predicts will be $300 billion being funneled toward entrepreneurs after markets begin to crop up by the end of the year. (Wilson’s $300 billion estimate is based on families and individuals investing 1 percent of their assets in crowdfunding—which he thinks will become a popular investment strategy for everyday people.)

Link: http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/national/2012/05/emerging-crowdfunding-trend-could.html

Author: Vincent Ryan

Source: CFO

Interest: Because of the reporting and regulatory hurdles, crowdfunding as it’s specified in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act may be too complex and onerous — and not very cost-effective — for any of these early-stage ideas.

Link: http://www3.cfo.com/article/2012/5/credit-capital_crowdfunding-costs-compliance-financial-reporting-jobs-act-liability-kickstarter

Author: Steven Loeb

Source: Vator News

Interest: The Jumpstart Our Business Startup (JOBS) Act was signed into law a month ago, and the effects of the bill are already being felt, in ways both good and bad. The law has a number of components that are designed to ease regulations on businesses that earn less than $1 billion in annual revenue, repeal conflict of interest laws and make it easier to raise money through crowdfunding.

Link: http://vator.tv/news/2012-05-06-jobs-act-allows-companies-to-file-confidential-ipos

Author: Jacqueline Taylor

Source: Chron.com

Interest: Q: I'm curious about the idea of crowdfunding for a small business. How does that work? A: Crowdfunding recently made the news as a way for small-business startups to raise money under the new Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act.

Link: http://www.chron.com/business/article/Small-business-Q-amp-A-True-crowdfunding-3536400.php

Author: Cathy Mckitrick

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

Interest: The ink has dried on President Barack Obama’s signing of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act but debate continues to stir over the new law’s potential impacts. Some see it as a job creator, while others warn that it could be an incubator for fraud.

Link: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/53925299-79/companies-public-act-crowdfunding.html.csp

Author: Kent Hoover

Source: The Business Journals

Interest: A just-released Kauffman Foundation study found that fewer than 8 percent of all businesses in the U.S. were new businesses in 2010, continuing a steady decline in startup activity since the 1980s. That’s bad news for the economy and the job market, since Kauffman also has found that startups create more jobs, on net, than existing businesses.

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/washingtonbureau/2012/05/03/5-things-washington-can-do-to-boost.html

Author: Dannika Lewis

Source: NBC29

Interest: Some business-minded folks in Charlottesville say there's a biotechnology boom happening in the city, one that could certainly bolster the bottom line for the economy in the area. Those familiar with the industry's growth say Charlottesville may not be in the ranks of California's Silicon Valley or North Carolina's Research Triangle quite yet, but 35 thriving biotech companies have started up in the city so far, and they only anticipate more to come.

Link: http://www.nbc29.com/story/18061574/biotechnology-booming-in-charlottesville

Author: Audrey Cheng

Source: dailynorthwestern.com

Interest: The number of Northwestern student startups has doubled in the past year, according to Michael Marasco, director of NU’s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which offers a series of entrepreneurial courses for NU students.

Link: http://Northwestern sees increasing trend of student startups

Author: Sacramento Business Journal

Source: Sacramento Business Journal

Interest: A business accelerator to support and keep startups in Davis opened Monday, and it already has two companies on board. Davis Roots, a collaboration between the city of Davis and the University of California Davis, is based in the Hunt-Boyer Mansion. Startups first are selected for the Davis Roots mentoring program, with access to experts in starting a business. Ventures then can be given space within the incubator at Davis Roots.

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2012/05/02/davis-roots-startup-accelerator-uc-davis.html

Author: Gary Shapiro

Source: Forbes

Interest: When you write a column on the “50 ways the Obama Administration has hurt the economy and job creation,” and say things like, “President Obama is the most anti-business president I’ve ever seen,” you’re not leaving much room for interpretation. But from my position as a champion of innovation and the tech sector, and to be fair and add balance, there were a few items on our list that Obama has indeed checked off. So, though my criticisms stand, I also want to highlight some positive achievements

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/garyshapiro/2012/05/02/what-obama-has-done-right-for-innovation/

Author: Tom Cooney and Crystal Faulkner

Source: Cincinnati.com

Interest: The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) was signed into law by President Barack Obama last month to help business owners like you fuel and sustain growth. The law will make it easier for you to raise capital more efficiently and will hopefully result in the development of new jobs and business growth.

Link: http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20120502/BIZ/305020056/BusinessWise-How-JOBS-Act-benefits-small-biz?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|communities|s

Author: Resources for Entrepreneurs Staff

Source: Gaebler.com

Interest: Small companies are beginning to lay the groundwork for crowdfunding initiatives created by the JOBS Act. Last month, President Obama signed the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, a piece of legislation that will make it possible for small companies to raise capital from small investors by registering on an Internet-based crowdfunding platform.

Link: http://www.gaebler.com/News/Small-Business-Finance/How-Small-Businesses-Are-Preparing-for-Crowdfunding-900000139.htm

Author: Euromoney.com

Source: Euromoney.com

Interest: Banks' misgivings about the Jobs Act reflect their own failure to cater to the full sectrum of US enterprise. In a world where changes in legislation regarding finance can take at least 3 years to come to fruitition, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (Jobs) Act has blindsided US banks.

Link: http://www.euromoney.com/Article/3020018/US-Jobs-Act-More-than-banks-Jobs-are-worth.html

Author: Kylie MacLellan and Olivia Oran

Source: Reuters

Interest: A new U.S. law to help small firms raise capital is boosting the number of European companies looking to list in the United States after a decade deterred by tougher regulation in the wake of scandals such as the Enron fraud. With stockmarkets in Europe buffeted by the euro zone debt crisis and seeing few initial public offerings of note over the last nine months, some Europeans were already beginning to look across the Atlantic, but the Jobs Act is providing extra pull.

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-jobsact-ipos-idUSBRE8410VH20120502

Author: Nicole Leonard

Source: NextGenJournal

Interest: With the economy still struggling and the job market unsteady, recent college graduates might have trouble finding what they want to do with their degree. This summer, 40 graduating college seniors and recently graduated students will become involved in a two-year fellowship program called Venture for America. The program, designed for students wishing to get experience in start-up businesses, will help graduates “become socialized 
and mobilized as entrepreneurs moving forward,”

Link: http://nextgenjournal.com/2012/05/venture-for-america-provides-start-up-opportunities/

Author: Mindful Money

Source: Mindful Money

Interest: Budding entrepreneurs can take their ideas from first concept to commerciality thanks to a growing number of "incubators" - specialist firms which provide advice and practical training on technical, business and fundraising issues to help turn that idea into marketable reality. Incubators typically take a smallish slice of equity in exchange - some charge fees additionally or as an alternative.

Link: http://www.mindfulmoney.co.uk/11704/sector-watch/y-combinator-and-the-rise-of-incubator-companies.html

Author: David Gold

Source: CleanTechies

Interest: You landed your first pitch at a venture capitalist’s (VC) office. You’ve practiced the pitch and have your laptop fired up to deliver. So, like a sprinter at the sound of the gunshot, you dive in hard and heavy to make sure you get through the deck. After all, you might only have one chance to excite them with your company’s story. Inevitably, with all the questions the VC throws at you, time expires before you even think about asking questions of your audience.

Link: http://blog.cleantechies.com/2012/05/02/top-questions-to-ask-a-venture-capitalist-in-the-first-pitch/?goback=.gde_46231_member_112187146

Author: PRNewswire

Source: National Crowdfunding Association

Interest: Today the National Crowdfunding Association www.NLCFA.org launched CrowdFund Local, its nationwide initiative to bring crowdfunding to every town and enterprise community in America that wants to give its citizens the opportunity to invest in their local businesses, and for the local businesses to find the capital they urgently need to operate, expand, and hire new employees.

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-national-crowdfunding-association-launches-crowdfund-local-local-capital-for-local-businesses-2012-04-26

Author: Ed Hayward

Source: The Boston College Chronicle

Interest: Boston College Venture Competition (BCVC) is a University-wide business plan competition designed to promote and support entrepreneurship at the undergraduate level at BC. With mentoring from experienced alumni, students develop and implement the skills necessary for starting successful businesses.

Link: http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/publications/chronicle/FeaturesNewsTopstories/2012/features/bcvc042612.html

Author: Jan Norman

Source: Orange County Register

Interest: A growing number of colleges nationwide sponsor business plan competitions to introduce their students and faculty to the creation and funding process of entrepreneurial ventures. Now Chapman University in Orange is taking the competition to the next level. April 27-28, the university will host winning business teams from 19 universities in the California Dreamin' Business Plan Competition with $100,000 in prize money plus the opportunity to secure equity investors.

Link: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/business-351017-competition-plan.html#