Work & Life Archives
Another Entrepreneurial Benchmark - the Inc. 500 is Now 5000
Back in the day, when IBM, General Motors and Procter and Gamble drove the national economy, a list of 500 "fastest growing privately held companies" was sufficient to capture the depth and breadth of entrepreneurial achievement in America. Launched at the same time CED was being formed as a spin-out of the Raleigh Chamber, the Inc. 500 has featured many companies before they became world-renowned, including Microsoft, Domino's Pizza, and Oracle.
Starting in 2007, the list was expanded ten-fold to 5,000. The deadline for the 2008 list, to be publicized in September, is April 30, 2008. For more information, visit www.inc.com/inc5000apply/.
Q&A with Monica Doss
In a recent interview with WRAL Local Tech Wire, CED President Monica Doss discussed how the culture of entrepreneurship has evolved in the Research Triangle.
QUESTION: Can you describe the entrepreneurial climate in the Triangle 20 years ago? What were some of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs were facing when they were trying to start a business?
ANSWER: Back then the Triangle had a very successful economy, which made it more difficult to draw attention to entrepreneurs and the things that they need. The Research Triangle Park was filled with recruited research companies that created lots of jobs. So, people focused their attention on those large companies. As the economy continued to strengthen, the attitude held by many was “why bother with entrepreneurship”?
Netscape Co-Founder's Tips on Building a Startup
Marc Andreesen, an Internet legend who co-founded Netscape and several other companies, is writing a multi-part series on his blog about building a start-up. In his first post in the series, he lists some pros and cons of growing a company from the ground up.
State of the Research Triangle Region
North Carolina's 13-county Research Triangle region added 86,000 new jobs in the past three years -- midway into a five-year effort to improve the region's competitive position and create 100,000 new jobs.
The news was announced to more than 800 people at RTRP's fourth annual State of the Research Triangle Region event on Thursday morning.
The slides from the event are available online in PDF format.
On the Menu Episode 2: Integrian's Pete Durand
CED has posted the latest interview in its Internet TV show, “On the Menu: Out to Lunch with Innovators and Entrepreneurs."
Watch the conversation with Pete Durand, CEO of Morrisville-based Integrian:
Job Board & Job Fair
CED has launched a Job Board to connect CED member companies with positions to fill to candidates seeking employment in the region’s fast growing entrepreneurial sector.
The CED Job Board offers CED members the opportunity to upload an unlimited number of positions free of charge as a member benefit. All visitors to the CED Web site can browse available jobs and sort postings by company, job title, location and other categories.
CED will publicly unveil its Job Board during the Triangle Technology Job Fair on Wednesday, May 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Broadwick's corporate headquarters on 2635 Meridian Parkway in Durham, NC.
The Secret to Hiring a Star Executive
With today’s globally competitive economy and growing pressure to produce results in the shortest period, companies need to hire executives with the highest probability of initial success. Businesses must consider which hiring practices should be in place to secure the best candidate, and what are the key competencies that person should have.
Cary-based consulting firm Unlocked Potential has examined this important human capital issue in a newly released white paper: “The Secret to Hiring a Star Executive” (PDF).
RTP 2.0 Social
RTP 2.0 and CED are presenting the first RTP 2.0 Social on Wednesday, April 4, from 7-9 p.m. at Tyler’s Taproom in the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, NC.
This event is free and open to anyone interested in meeting other technologists, innovators and entrepreneurs in the area. Drinks and appetizers will be provided.
Survey of Emerging Life Science Companies
The availability of trained technical and scientific workers, pro-business government and low costs of doing business are among the most important factors affecting company operations, according to North Carolina life science executives participating in a survey of Emerging Companies conducted by NCBIO.
The report (PDF) shows that companies are very satisfied with the state’s technical and scientific labor pool, and generally satisfied with the state’s cost structure and government’s approach to business.
Final Call for Food Drive
CED is challenging the region’s entrepreneurial community to contribute 500,000 pounds of food to the 20th Annual Heart of Carolina Food Drive.
The 2006 food drive has been extended through Friday, December 22.
Tech 2006 Un-Conference Kick-off
CED will kick off Tech 2006 with an "Un-Conference," starting at 3 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in RTP.
The idea behind an Un-Conference is that all program content is fluid, interactive and made by and for attendees.
Getting Connected in Asheville - Part 2
CED President Monica Doss blogs again from the recent "Connect" conference Asheville:
BREC and Asheville are becoming a magnet for the pockets of innovation that are spread throughout western NC and eastern Tennessee.
We’ve all talked about our sense that pockets of serious innovation are erupting far outside of the traditional technology hot beds and that is validated here.
Getting Connected in Asheville
From CED President Monica Doss:
I'm writing from Asheville, NC, at the 4th BREC Carolina Connect Conference in the company of about 300 entrepreneurs, investors, students and local business leaders.
BREC (Blue Ridge Entrepreneurcial Council) and BRAIN (Blue Ridge Angel Investor Network) were created by Advantage West, the economic development regional partnership that serves 20+/- western North Carolina counties, and is supported also by the Appalachian Regional Comission.
The main and breakout sessions have been enthusiastic and packed, and lots of laughter and applause everywhere.
Top Tech Hubs
For the second year in a row, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) has ranked the Research Triangle as the country's top region for technology companies.
According to the News & Observer's report, the Triangle scored well in its vibrant job market, affordable housing and manageable traffic.
Sparking Innovation
How do you spark innovation?
UNC's Ted Zoller has an answer in this guest column: "So You’ve Never Had An Original Idea In Your Life - Go Start A Business Anyway."
Rankings suggest that entrepreneurs across the region are taking Zoller's advice. For example, Entrepreneur Magazine's 2006 list of the best cities for entrepreneurs has two North Carolina metro areas -- Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham -- ranked 2nd and 3rd on the national list.
The Power of Entrepreneurial Networks
Successful entrepreneurs need innovative ideas, but they also need a thriving network of mentors, clients, investors and partners to help them start and grow their business.
Toby Stuart, a professor at the Harvard Business School, has closely studied the importance of social networks in entrepreneurial success. Based on his research, Stuart was recently awarded the 2007 Ewing Marion Kauffman Prize Medal for Distinguished Research in Entrepreneurship.
Best Business Climate?
Forbes has just come out with its ranking of "The Best States for Business". Southern states had a solid showing, with the top three spots going to Virginia, Texas and North Carolina.
To compile its "Best States" listing, Forbes ranked all 50 states on 30 metrics in six main categories: business costs, economic climate, growth prospects, labor, quality of life and regulatory environment.
Interview with Digg CEO Jay Adelson
Venture Voice is a unique Web site that posts audio podcasts with entrepreneurs, investors and other innovators on a regular basis from across the country.
The site's most recent interview is with Digg's CEO Jay Adelson. Digg is a news website that uses its own readers rather than editors to decide what stories are most important.
Is There an Engineering Gap?
Vivek Wadhwa, Executive-in-Residence/Adjunct Professor at Duke University, is making headlines with his recent BusinessWeek online column on the debatable "engineering gap" in the United States.
Most of the recent conversation stems from a Duke study that compares the number of U.S. engineering graduates to those in developing nations, particularly India and China.
World-Changing Trends
Wired magazine examines “Six Trends that are Changing the World” in its July 2006 issue.
The six trends include peer production, unlimited video, personalization, clean technology, open standards, and technology mergers and acquisitions.
Building a "Bulletproof" Startup
Business 2.0 magazine reports in its June 2006 issue that "there's never been a better time to start your own company."
While barriers to entry might be lower than before, the magazine warns that "succeeding is as difficult as ever." To help navigate the dangerous startup waters, Business 2.0 has developed a 16-step guide (PDF) to help entrepreneurs succeed.
Innovation with a Southern Accent
The Southern Growth Policies Board has released a new report, Innovation with a Southern Accent (PDF).
The report, released at the Southern Innovation Summit in New Orleans, focuses on creating a Southern culture of knowledge, where learning and innovation are primary social values, and essential to the region’s global competitiveness.
Negotiation Strategies
Kauffman eVenturing, a Web site for growth-oriented entrepreneurs, has posted a series of articles on negotiation.
Kauffman notes that negotiation skills are especially valuable to entrepreneurs starting or growing their business.
Measuring Entrepreneurial Activity
eVenturing has several links on the latest Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity.
This detailed report (PDF) shows monthly startup rates among individual adults in America. Some of the key findings:
Rebecca Merrill of Merrill Leadership has some advice for founders of technology companies. Should technology founders lead their companies once they have gotten them up and running? #
State of the Region
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership hosted its 3rd annual "State of the Region" event this morning. A packed house of 800 people came out to the RTP Sheraton Imperial to hear the latest on the region's economic health and competitive position.
Among the highlights:
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Recent Entries
- Another Entrepreneurial Benchmark - the Inc. 500 is Now 5000
- Q&A with Monica Doss
- Netscape Co-Founder's Tips on Building a Startup
- State of the Research Triangle Region
- On the Menu Episode 2: Integrian's Pete Durand
- Job Board & Job Fair
- The Secret to Hiring a Star Executive
- RTP 2.0 Social
- Survey of Emerging Life Science Companies
- Final Call for Food Drive