Entrepreneurship and Innovation Today

The secrets of serial entrepreneurs

On Aug 20^th, the WSJ published a story called “The Secrets of Serial Success” profiling  serial entrepreneurs -- which are defined as those who had owned and operated three or more businesses.

In 2000, Wayne Stewart, a management professor at  Clemson University in  Clemson S.C.published a study looking for common traits among serial entrepreneurs.

"Of the 664 entrepreneurs studied, only 12% fit the bill. But those who did scored higher in all three categories examined: They had a higher propensity for risk, innovation and achievement. They were less scared of failure. And they were more able to recover when they did fail."

"Beyond that, many serial-preneurs bring tactical advantages from their first venture to apply the second and third time around. For instance, they recruit top talent from their original companies to subsequent ventures. They double-dip financially, getting money -- and connections -- from people who backed their earlier brainstorms. Several lean heavily on a trusted partner for financial, professional and emotional support in whatever endeavor they undertake."

Full story >>[...] 

Convergence of nanotechnology, microtechnology, microfluidics, photonics, signal processing, and proteomics to build a medical device that could lead to the development of fast, portable point-of-care diagnostics for infectious disease such as HIV or SARS

You might have seen us use the  acronym NBIC, which stands for Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information technology and  technologies based on Cognitive science. Initially introduced in the U.S. National Science Foundation's 'Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance' report this acronym is often used to describe the basic idea that scientific and technological innovation can be stimulated through the convergence of two, three, or all four fields.

The most radical (and most controversial), proponents of convergence suggest that nanotechnologies will promote the unification of most branches of science and technology, based on the unity of nature at the nanoscale, including cognitive sciences. A first step toward this  was announced this summer by scientists at the

University

of

Toronto.

They have demonstrated, for what appears to be the first time, the convergence of nanotechnology, microtechnology, microfluidics, photonics, signal processing, and proteomics to build a medical device that could lead to the development of fast, portable point-of-care diagnostics for infectious disease (IDs) such as HIV, SARS and many others.

See article in Nano Letters:

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/nalefd/asap/abs/nl071415m.html

Nano Lett., ASAP Article 10.1021/nl071415m S1530-6984(07)01415-4
Web Release Date: August 18, 2007

Copyright © 2007 American Chemical Society

Convergence of Quantum Dot Barcodes with Microfluidics and Signal Processing for Multiplexed High-Throughput Infectious Disease Diagnostics

Jesse M. Klostranec, Qing Xiang, Gabriella A. Farcas, Jeongjin A. Lee, Alex Rhee, Erin I. Lafferty, Steven D. Perrault, Kevin C. Kain, and Warren C. W. Chan*

Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering and The Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Molecular Research, Institute of Medical Sciences and the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine, Department of Materials Science, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada, and McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, Tropical Disease Unit, UHN-Toronto General Hospital, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario M5M 1M1, Canada

Received June 13, 2007

Revised July 31, 2007

Abstract:

Through the convergence of nano- and microtechnologies (quantum dots and microfluidics), we have created a diagnostic system capable of multiplexed, high-throughput analysis of infectious agents in human serum samples. We demonstrate, as a proof-of-concept, the ability to detect serum biomarkers of the most globally prevalent blood-borne infectious diseases (i.e., hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV) with low sample volume (<100 L), rapidity (<1 h), and 50 times greater sensitivity than that of currently available FDA-approved methods. We further show precision for detecting multiple biomarkers simultaneously in serum with minimal cross-reactivity. This device could be further developed into a portable handheld point-of-care diagnostic system, which would represent a major advance in detecting, monitoring, treating, and preventing infectious disease spread in the developed and developing worlds.

CfP: Entrepreneurship in Indigenous Communities

Call For Papers Journal of Enterprising Communities “Entrepreneurship in Indigenous Communities”

Editors for the Special Issue: Prof Howard Frederick, Unitec New Zealand (Auckland) Dr Dennis Foley, Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne) Due date for submission is October 15, 2007. Around the world there is a growing awareness that policies directed to re-igniting and / or developing new Indigenous entrepreneurial activity has the potential to dramatically improve economic and social well-being. Best-practice lessons show that Indigenous people can improve their standards of living through enterprise.  As former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once said, “Entrepreneurs have the power to create the greatest change for their own countries”. In this special issue we focus on enterprise, broadly defined, in Indigenous communities.  This often means business enterprises but it can also mean enterprises with much broader goals, many of them social / cultural / environmental rather than economic, and they exhibit diverse forms of ownership, organization and operation.  We seek research articles, well-developed case studies and book reviews that deal with successes and failures, explore theoretical perspectives, distil key practices, detect common pitfalls, and identify policy issues and options. The topic area should focus on communities, but the content is open.  We welcome articles that deal with Financing of Indigenous Enterprise; Marketing Indigenous Products and Service; Gaming, Media and Design; Indigenous Women; Education & Training; Commercial & Professional Infrastructure; Role of Culture; Role of Government Agencies; Case Studies from around the world.  Research articles should not exceed 25 pages.  Cases and book reviews may be as short as five pages.  Contributions should be prepared in accordance with the Journal’s submission guidelines located at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/info/journals/jec/notes.jsp Please send an electronic copy of your contribution before October 15, 2007 to:  Professor Howard Frederick, Unitec New Zealand, Auckland, [email protected] and Dr Dennis Foley, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne [email protected] However, authors are welcome to submit their manuscripts earlier. The review process will begin immediately upon receipt of the manuscript. Inquiries are welcome.