Tag Archives: innovation

Don’t Bring Me Angel Investors…Bring Me Hero Investors

Posted on July 25, 2011 by

There is trouble in the town! In case you haven’t seen the headlines, let me deliver some bad news to you. You’re not going to like it, but it’s time you hear it too. The United States is no longer great … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Development Policy, Innovation and the World, Seed/Venture Capital, Tech Based Economic Development | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Small Time Politics, Big Time Stakes

Posted on May 23, 2011 by

Twenty-some years ago, I was a young economic developer working in the City of Allentown, PA.  My job frequently took me to city council meetings where I was able to witness fishbowl politics at its worst.  There were plenty of … Continue reading →

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Patent Reform 2011 – A Sword with Two Very Sharp Edges (part 2)

Posted on April 27, 2011 by

In part 1 of my post last week on patent reform, I identified several ways in which the new Patent Reform bill (S.B. 23 and H.R. 1249) is better for big business than small business.  And I’m disappointed in that.  One big … Continue reading →

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Patent Reform 2011 – A Sword with Two Very Sharp Edges (part 1)

Posted on April 20, 2011 by

David Kappos is President Obama’s “Patent Czar”.  He has helped create and guide patent reform legislation through the US Senate last week by a score of 95-5.  The US hasn’t had such a significant overhaul of the patent system in … Continue reading →

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“A Generation of Creators”

Posted on April 13, 2011 by

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Lehigh University Create! Innovate! awards dinner.  Over the past few years, my own Lehigh University set sail for the entrepreneurial horizon.  Donations from the Thalheimers and from Dexter Baker set this in … Continue reading →

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SBIR/STTR…Defense of a Government Acronym (part 2)

Posted on April 7, 2011 by

Last week, I wrote Part 1 of this post that provided a little background on the SBIR/STTR program.  This federal government legislation is in the process of being revised and, hopefully, readopted.  It basically assures that ~2% of all federal government … Continue reading →

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SBIR/STTR…Defense of a Government Acronym (part 1)

Posted on April 1, 2011 by

Many of you may not be familiar with SBIR/STTR.  The quickest explanation is that there are two ways that your federal government invests in advanced technology.  One way they do so is by owning their own laboratories.  The National Renewable … Continue reading →

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The Private Sector Can Save Detroit

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

I’m certainly oversimplifying the world, but two articles today helped clarify for me today why the private sector is still the best way to save America and Americans.  When the semiconductor industry was beginning to heat up in the 1960s … Continue reading →

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Is Y Combinator Building Value or Just Guessing?

Posted on March 25, 2011 by

When I read the attached article discussing the best of Y-Combinator companies, I struggled to see companies with much intrinsic value.  If you read into this article and click on some of the links for the companies, you may find something that you … Continue reading →

Posted in Seed/Venture Capital, Tech Based Economic Development, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Can Sock Puppets Be Far Behind?

Posted on March 14, 2011 by

Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1999.  Ahh, the good old days of sock puppets, inflated valuations and excess cash available to start-ups with eyeballs.  I’m sure it is just sour grapes on my part, working too hard to help … Continue reading →

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