A recent study from the Kauffman Foundation found that the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity is not found within the 20-34 age bracket, where the media tends to focus when highlighting the face of entrepreneurship. Instead, it’s that group’s parents—the 55-64 age group—who is leading the charge.

Still, that younger demographic is worth keeping an eye on—and helping to foster. They may not be producing the highest volume of entrepreneurial endeavors, but what they are producing has potential for high impact.

What makes their potential so strong? For one, this generation has a natural affinity for the notion of figuring out better ways of doing things. (They were the ones leading the “Yes We Can!” chants.) They also have an innate understanding of new media and technology. As such networks and innovations increase their impact on entrepreneurial success, the playing field is effectively leveled with the older generation. And the baby boomers seem to understand this point, as they offer more and more merit to the ideas and opinions of young people—in everything from policy debates to how to start a Facebook account. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a woman who wants to help other women, you want to check out the Hot Mommas Project.

Based out of the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence at The George Washington University, the Project seeks to increase self-efficacy in women and girls by providing free, online access to role models. All of this takes place on their Web site, which mixes social media, curriculum and case studeis in a real-time, interactive learning community.

More than just providing stories of successful women, site viewers can interact with those telling their stories, via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The case studies come off more like blogs, with writers sharing personal accounts and mentoring on everything from how women achieved entrepreneurial success, to how they maintain a healthy work-life balance.

The idea is working, proven by the traffic on the site.

Outside of the warm fuzzies received by helping someone else, there’s also a concrete incentive for women to share their thoughts–last October a contest was held, with winners having their story published in a leading entrepreneurial textbook and PINK magazine.

Visit their site today to nominate a case study subject or write your own. And stay tuned for an exciting event planned with the Hot Mommas Project during Global Entrepreneurship Week/USA this November.

What does it take for a city to attract young professionals? Next Generation Consulting asked just this, using seven criteria:  Earning, Learning, Vitality, Around Town, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle and Social Capital.

“The next generation is very savvy about choosing where they’ll live,” said Rebecca Ryan, Next Generaion Consulting founder. “They look carefully at quality of life factors like how much time they’re going to spend in traffic commuting, if they can live near a park or hike-and-bike trail, and whether a city’s downtown stays awake after five.”

Not surprisingly, California, Colorado, Virginia and the Carolinas had multiple appearances on the list, with San Francisco take top accolades for cities over 500,000. Also not surprising–my home state of Indiana failed to make the cut. Maybe next year.

The Higher Colleges of Technology will serve as Host in the United Arab Emirates for Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009. An MOU was signed on June 9 in Abu Dhabi, by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, and Jonathan Ortmans, President of Global Entrepreneurship Week and Senior Fellow, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The Higher Colleges of Technology is one of the largest, most progressive and innovative places of higher learning in the United Arab Emirates. They are also one of the few organizations established in all seven emirates.

Several events are being planned in the UAE during the Week, with one event scheduled in Dubai, in conjunction with The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment.

The American journalist is not doing well.

They’re being asked to provide a volume of writing previously delegated to two, or three, or more reporters. They’re shooting video to go along with their articles, and Twittering and blogging through the whole process. That is, those who haven’t been laid off.

There’s a tendency for newsroom staff to lash out against the new media that is overhauling their industry. And then there’s people like Lewis Dvorkin and the 100 or so journalists who have joined him on his new media site, trueslant.com.

The model of True Slant brings an entrepreneurial edge to journalism. Journalists serve as a mini-publisher of sorts, creating their own subpages on the site, where they blog and engage with readers through the comments section. They receive a small compensation and are also offered a share of advertising and sponsorship revenues for their individual pages.
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Who says business owners have to wait until they have a degree to start their endeavors? Or even be able to celebrate their first sale with a cocktail? Reuters recently profiled seven tech savvy entrepreneurs who turned their ideas into  businesses before turning 21.

Kayvon Beykpor, one of the young entrepreneurs who is a sophomore at Standford University, started a company called MobilEdu that customizes iPhone apps for universities.  Beykpor’s company made over a million dollars in revenue last year— likely leaving him without the burden of student loans when he graduates, or the need to stockpile his dorm with Ramen noodles to make it until his parents visit town.

Beykpor and countless others are proof that young entrepreneurship isn’t limited to lemonade anymore. Want some inspiration? Check out the full story here.

The U.S. government is fighting to protect the country from what they see as an impending cyberwarfare. In this mission, they’re offering billions of dollars in defense contracts to large military companies like Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

And these companies are outsourcing even further–to a growing number of 20-something computer geeks who could just as easily take up careers as computer hackers. Instead, they’re getting security clearances, and using their skills to block cyber attacks and design countermeasures.

In this recession, it’s a welcome respite for recent college graduates.

“They have been buying smaller firms, financing academic research and running advertisements for ‘cyberninjas’ at a time when other industries are shedding workers,” a New York Times article said.

Some estimate as many as 88,000 individuals could be recruited for this army of “ninjas,” including 3,000 to 5,000 information specialists in the military and 50,000 to 70,000 in general computer operations. President Obama plans to appoint a senior White House official to oversee these cybersecurity strategies.

However, just because these 20-somethings are working for “the man”, that doesn’t mean they’re forced to lose their entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, this new generation seems to be transforming the idea of government contracts. Who would have guessed a Raytheon facility in Melbourne, Florida, once a proper hub of innovation, would be just as successful filled with rock music and cans of Mountain Dew?

When it comes to fostering entrepreneurship and talent, it seems all states are not created equal.  According to the Kauffman Foundation’s recently released Index of Entrepreneurial activity, Georgia ranked number one for small-business creation in 2008.  In each month of 2008, 0.59 percent of adults in the Peach state started a small business endeavor, far more than the national average of 0.32 percent, or Georgia’s 2007 score of 0.4 percent. Read the full report here.

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The MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. is all about building networks. They connect valuable resources with technology entrepreneurs, and in turn link these entrepreneurs with the communities where they reside. With 24 worldwide chapters, and over 200 corporate and education organizations, the network gets pretty large.

The idea works, catalyzing job growth around the world. In fact, there are currently 25,800 active companies funded by MIT alumni, who employ an estimated 3.3 million people and generate annual global sales of $2 trillion. That means if they were their own economy, they’d be the 11th largest in the world.

That’s an economic impact Global Entrepreneurship Week is happy to join forces with, to say the least. This year, they’ll be serving as one of our Global Partners. There are a number of events in the works, to take place in various countries during the Week, November 16-22.

Top 10 lists tend  to highlight those at the top of their game, which often means the more “experienced” individuals. But when it comes to picking the most creative minds in the business world, fastcompany.com included individuals from all kinds of backgrounds, and all ages.

“We looked for dazzling new thinkers, rising stars, and boldface names who couldn’t be ignored,” the Web site said. “We emphasized those whose creativity addresses a larger issue — from the future of our energy infrastructure to the evolution of philanthropy to next-generation media.”

A lot of these names fit right in with Global Entrepreneurship Week–Twitter CEO Evan WIlliams, Google Maps and Google Earth manager Stephen Chau, Mashup artist Greg Gillis and fashion designer Stella McCartney. Weigh in on all 100.