News
Obama Promises Help for Small Businesses
1/28/10
Staring down a 10 percent national unemployment rate and his own plummeting approval ratings, President Barack Obama made big promises to small businesses during his first State of the Union address last night.
Kauffman Foundation offers online entrepreneur education program
1/27/10
Would-be entrepreneurs can test their mettle through a new online learning program developed by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a partner.
Creative economy - Opinion
1/27/10
There’s a call from the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) for Congress to pass legislation that would develop what the planning agency calls “21st-century industries.”
WXPN to produce and distribute music
1/27/10
WXPN in Philadelphia said Tuesday it will collaborate on a project to produce and distribute independent music.
MoneyTree: Worst venture year since ’97
1/26/10
A fair fourth quarter couldn’t stop 2009 from being the worst year for venture-capital investment in Philadelphia-area companies since 1997, according to the latest MoneyTree Report.
Videogame Growth Initiative pushes to attract companies
1/22/10
A group of people in the video-game industry in Philadelphia are trying to take it to the next level. The Videogame Growth Initiative has set up a Web site at vgiphilly.com and assembled a package of information to try to convince Philadelphia and Pennsylvania legislators to offer incentives for video-game companies to set up shop in the city and state.
Presenters and keynote announced for 3rd annual Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic DEMO Night
1/20/10
DEMO Night gives mobile-related businesses from the Mid-Atlantic region the chance to present their products, innovations or business ideas to an audience of local and national industry experts, entrepreneurs, investors and media.
12th Annual Angel Venture Fair - April 5 & 6, 2010
1/20/10
The Angel Venture Fair - one of the few events organized by and exclusively for private investors - is brought to you by the Private Investors Forum (PIF), a non-profit consortium of accredited private investors and angel investor groups in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Number of New Companies Created Annually Remains Remarkably Constant Across Time, According to Kauffman Foundation Study
1/20/10
Given the positive effects of new-business creation on the economy, policymakers and economists logically might seek to understand and establish the environment that best fosters entrepreneurship—especially at a time when the nation is facing a record recession. It is reasonable, for instance, to expect that external factors such as the current economic slump would create large, and potentially volatile, fluctuations in firm formation from year to year.
Web Wealth: Raise, promotion, or new job strategies
1/17/10
What strategies will get you a raise, promotion, or new job in this economy? These sites ought to help you advance despite the unemployment rate.
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. launches brand new VisitPhilly.com
1/13/10
The Philadelphia region’s most powerful cheerleader will unveil a sleek new Web presence and re-branding effort today.
New art-oriented high school in Phila. praised
1/12/10
John Kinning-Graves spends three hours a day on buses - from home in North Philadelphia to school in the Northeast, then back again. Kinning-Graves, a sophomore at the new Arts Academy at Rush High School, considers the trek well worth his time, even if it means leaving before the sun rises and returning after it sets.
Philadelphia’s First “Gym” for Innovators Opens at the University City Science Center
1/11/10
Access to 3D printers has generally been limited to people with deep pockets, like Jay Leno who uses his $15,000 3D printer to manufacture replacement parts for his antique auto collection. That’s changing later this month when Philadelphia’s first “gym” for innovators opens at the University City Science Center.
Villanova is launching a green-degree program
1/10/10
Businesses see a sizable obstacle to meeting the increasing demands for measuring and reporting their commitment to sustainability and improving it: a shortage of experts to do the work. That includes the very companies in the business of advising on sustainability.
White House Highlights Creating Jobs Is Hard Work But It’s Worth It
1/10/10
In 1993, Kevin Kline starred in a movie titled “Dave,” the story of a temporary employment agency owner and presidential doppelganger who finds himself substituting as the President. Despite its comedic wrapper, the movie’s theme emphasized that Kline’s character Dave Kovic was a man who believed in the dignity of work, whether finding people jobs from his storefront office or from the Oval Office.
A powerhouse duo on the green front
1/10/10
President Obama is not expected to be there. Nor is the head of Wal-Mart, Mike Duke. But when Valley Forge building-products manufacturer CertainTeed Corp. unveils its "very, very first baby step" into the world of photovoltaic roofing next week at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Obama and Duke presumably will be pleased.
Nutter’s stroke of genius was Gary Steuer
1/6/10
When Michael Nutter appointed Gary Steuer as the Art Czar we were elated to hear there would be arts liaison, although we knew little about him. Then, the economy tanked, pulling the budget out from under him and everyone else and we lost hope.
Pennsylvania Bio to Honor Industry Leadership at Annual Dinner & Awards Celebration March 11
1/6/10
Pennsylvania Bio will honor Brenda D. Gavin, partner, Quaker BioVentures, with its Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Leadership Award at its 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Celebration on March 11th at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
Slow-moving stimulus: Obama's program has given over $1 billion to Philly, but only 3,500 new jobs have resulted
1/6/10
Federal records show that more than a billion dollars from President Obama's $787 billion economic-stimulus program has been targeted for Philadelphia. But the typical job created here is just as likely to require a lab coat as a hard hat, as much of the money has gone for university research projects.
Start-Ups Will Keep Struggling in 2010
1/5/10
The economic downturn has dimmed many entrepreneurs' hopes of opening a small business, as sources of funding have dwindled or dried up completely. And while many hope 2010 will be better, the outlook continues to be bleak.
First Round Capital Takes A Tour Of NYC’s Start-Up Scene
1/5/10
The investing team at First Round Capital trekked through New York City today on a
start-up scavenger hunt. (First Round Capital is based in West Conshohocken.)
A Call for Speakers (and Characters): The 140 Characters Conference: April 20/21 in NYC
1/5/10
The 140 Characters Conference: Exploring the State of NOW (#140conf) will be returning to New York City on April 20-21, 2010 - http://140conf.com
N.J. bills aim to include minorities in stimulus spending
1/4/10
New Jersey’s efforts to ensure women and minorities are included in federal stimulus opportunities could gain some traction today.