“The third billion”
Globally, there are 380 million entrepreneurs today. For every 19 people you meet – one will be an entrepreneur. What are the other 18 doing? What are they doing that makes money without them creating/inventing opportunities? One might think they all have jobs, but they don’t – only 61% of world’s population have any sort of a job.
Continue reading… “By 2020 a billion entrepreneurs will be women”
Top 18 fastest growing cities are in China.
The top 50 fastest-growing cities, by GDP per capita, are practically all in the developing Asian world. The top 18 are in China. The rest are in China, Indonesia (Jakarta), India (Chennai), and Australia (Perth).
Continue reading… “The world’s fastest growing (and shrinking) cities of 2012”
The number of offshore banks where savers can keep their money and receive good rates is dwindling.
People trying to save are having a tough time at the moment. It is very difficult to get a real return on savings because of low interest rates and relatively high inflation. And there’s still the question of safety: the banking crisis which left millions of savers worrying about the security of their banks was only a few years ago.
William Sahlman, professor of entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School
The U.S. economy is in a tough state, with mile-high deficits and slow growth in jobs. There are other countries that are pulling ahead, but some cling to the hope that startups and the spirit of entrepreneurship embodied in Silicon Valley could save the country. That’s one of the conclusions reached by a team of Harvard Business School professors who toured the valley this fall.
Continue reading… “Will entrepreneurship save the country?”
Young, urban African consumer generation on the rise.
There is tremendous potential in Africa and most investors and businesses know this by now. Africa is the world’s second fastest growing region, second to Asia. And it may come as a surprise to most that Africa’s single-largest business opportunity is the rising consumer market.
Continue reading… “The rising consumer markets in Africa”
Airbnb is a social website that connects people who have space to spare with those who are looking for a place to stay.
We have gotten pretty used to the disruption that the rise of the social web has created in the media industry, where it has upended traditional business models and allowed creators of content to connect directly with their audience. But that same wave of socially-driven disruption is now moving through the rest of the economy too — particularly in services that can be easily socialized, such as the hotel business, the taxi industry or the education market. As that wave progresses, we’re seeing companies like Airbnb and Uber and Coursera run into more and more regulatory hurdles, but the writing is already on the wall: service businesses that don’t use social features to lower barriers and increase efficiency will likely not survive long.
The point of a “capitalist” economy is to minimize the trade-off between meaning and money.
Why is an average investment banker worth much more than an average teacher? And why does a top hedge fund manager “earn” enough to pay for thousands of teachers? Is there a trade-off between meaning and money? And if there is, how does one master — and perhaps — resolve it? Can it be resolved?
Continue reading… “The trade-off between meaning and money in today’s economy”
Mike Farmer is C.E.O. of the start-up Leap2. He has one employee: himself, aided by seven contractors.
Mike Farmer had a staff of ten when he started a digital search company in 2004. He is now on his third start-up and he has one employee: himself, aided by seven contractors working more or less part time. His budget, like his head count, is smaller, and by his account the new model is much more sustainable.
Continue reading… “When businesses become power players with much less manpower”
22.4 million households, or 19 percent, had college debt in 2010.
College enrollment is growing but student debt has stretched to a record number of U.S. households — nearly 1 in 5 — with the biggest burdens falling on the young and poor.
Continue reading… “1 in 5 U.S. households hit with student debt”
Obama signs the JOBS Act
Poyan Rajamand faced a choice when he completed his degree from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2008. Would he look for work in the United States or relocate abroad? Rajamand explained in a report written by the Partnership for a New America Economy and the Partnership for New York City, that he and his fiancé arrived at their decision easil. They would move to Singapore, where obtaining a visa was simpler for high-skilled immigrants than here in the United States. In his new home, Rajamand has founded a startup called Barghest Partners that invests in new businesses.
Continue reading… “If you want more jobs in America, you need more immigrants”
There are other ways to generate a return on capital—and help move the economic recovery.
Over the past 24 months It is well known that America’s largest companies have been stockpiling cash over at alarming rates. It has been estimated from $1.5 trillion to $2.8 trillion. And at first blush, who can blame them? With interest rates at historic lows, market volatility, political uncertainty, the European crisis, severe commodity price fluctuations, and other unpredictable market conditions, corporate brands and executives have been understandably inclined to sit on the sidelines.
Continue reading… “Putting sidelined cash to work to help move the economic recovery”
Republicans and Democrats will agree on little during this years elections, including how to get the U.S. economy growing. Will it take higher taxes or smaller government to get the economy growing again? One path to growth that is widely agreed upon is technological innovation, which has historically been closely associated with the American venture-capital-backed startup company.
Continue reading… “The limitations of venture capital on true innovation”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.