Is Your Company Risk Appropriate?
The Big Question I have often said: The problem is that too many companies are out seeking risk capital that isn't appropriate for them. How can I support this statement? After all, entrepreneurship is the primary driver of growth and job creation in the US. From 1979 to 1995, the Fortune 500 shed 4 million jobs, while entrepreneurial firms created 24 million jobs. I'm not sugg...Boundaryless: Economic Development?
Jack Welch used the word boundaryless to describe his vision for GE. Specifically, Welch wanted to do away with the hierarchical, get-seven-signatures-before-buying-toilet-paper, bureaucratic B.S. that crippled GEs ability to move nimbly into markets, execute quickly on decisions, and empower people. Economic developers would do well to tear a note from Welchs playbook. Why? Because markets ar...Quintessence Secures Financing
MADISON, WI. - Quintessence Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company developing pharmaceutical products for use in research, has finalized a three million dollar financing deal. The majority of the funding, $2.3 million, was received from individual investors, and the remainder was borrowed from the Madison Development Corporation, Wisconsin Department of Commerce, and m2 Lease Funds, a private...The Making of Chicago as a Biotech Cluster
On May 15, I had the opportunity to attend an exciting Chicago networking event that was organized by Women Advancing Biosciences . The event featured a presentation by professor Alicia Loffler, who is the director of the Kellog Center for Biotechnology at Northwestern University . Lofflers presentation addressed the key biotech clusters in the U.S. and the core ingredients needed to make...Are We Headed for a Global Economic Collapse?
The first three days of June, the first through the third, will be most interesting to watch because thats when the G-8, US, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, Canada and Russia, have their annual meeting to discuss global issues. Unfortunately, China is missing from the party, and given their importance on the global stage, thats a huge mistake! Usually these meetings are photo opportun...Lowering the fear factor for entrepreneurs, intra-preneurs
MILWAUKEE,WI.-Beware calling the next strange idea you hear strange: the person touting it just might be the next millionaire next door. A panel of experienced entrepreneurs speaking to attendees at the first Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Conference in Milwaukee last Wednesday have dealt with looks and whispers their entire working lives, and they encouraged their brethren in the audience to accept...Employer Brands Require More Than Slick Marketing
Successful internal brand building requires more than a marketing campaign and the involvement of the marketing department. Key people in the organization (HR managers, senior executives and middle managers responsible for creating the product - in this case, the employee experience) play a vital role in marketing the brand. Employees today are too savvy for marketing-style campaigns alone to wor...