Web Resources
Here are some links to useful resources on various topics.
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WSJ Web Watch
- Angelsoft
Looking for a way to tap into angel-investor networks? Angelsoft.net, from New York's Angelsoft LLC, offers an online venue where entrepreneurs and investors can meet and get to know each other. Entrepreneurs can fill out an application that works like the Common Application for college admissions: One application works for all groups, saving time and effort.
Entrepreneurs can search through more than 1,000 angel-group and venture-firm profiles on the site. Those profiles are sortable by a host of criteria: For example, would-be applicants can look at a group's average number of applications it receives per month and how much it invests. The site also ties into business-networking site LinkedIn, so entrepreneurs can check their networks to find connections they might have with potential investors. - The Funded
This online community of entrepreneurs offers reviews of more than 5,000 venture-capital investors, rating them on such criteria as track record and deal terms. The site's more than 12,000 members can also share the documents that spell out their venture deals and discuss how to find investors and run a new business. Founded by entrepreneur Adeo Ressi, The Funded Inc.'s site also offers venture-capital firms a voice, allowing them to post their own profiles. The site is free to company CEOs; other participants must pay a fee, ranging from $200 for six months to $1,000 for a lifetime membership. - Startable
For a peek into how venture capitalists work, and how company founders can navigate their world, check out this blog by former venture-capitalist associate Healy Jones and serial entrepreneur Prasad Thammineni. They write about pitching to VCs, how companies are valued by the industry and building a start-up team, among many other topics. - On Startups
This popular blog for entrepreneurs—by Cambridge, Mass., entrepreneur Dharmesh Shah—often sparks thoughtful and lively exchanges in reader comments. While written with software start-ups in mind, OnStartups has plenty to say to entrepreneurs of all stripes.
Social Entrepreneurship
Victoria Hale, an uncommon hero eradicating black fever (Social Entrepreneurship): Youtube video clip
Blaise Judja-Sato Delivering mediciine across the "last mile" (Social Entepreneurship): Youtube video clip
Amitabha Sadangi, an uncommon hero tackling poverty in India (Social Entrepreneurship): Youtube video clip
Martin Burt, an uncommon hero tackling starts micro-credit in Paraguay (Social Entrepreneurship): Youtube video clip
Innovation
Microsoft designs iPod package (Innovation): Youtube video clip
History of iPod (Part 1 of 5): Youtube video clip
History of iPod (Part 2 of 5): Youtube video clip
History of iPod (Part 3 of 5): Youtube video clip
History of iPod (Part 4 of 5): Youtube video clip
History of iPod (Part 5 of 5): Youtube video clip
E-Commerce Resources
Background Information:
- E-Business Forum.com: This rich Economist Intelligence Unit site provides electronic commerce news, best practices in many industries, market trends, business strategies, executive surveys, expert opinions, and how to do electronic commerce in many countries (under Doing EBusiness In).
- The Information Economy: The Information Economy homepage includes online information about "the economics of the internet, information goods, intellectual property and related issues."
Governmental Sources:
- U.S. E-Government Initiatives: This site coordinates, monitors and reports on federal government electronic commerce activities. Full text documents are available in the Library and News sections.
- Measuring the electronic economy: This U.S. Census Bureau site provides information on the current status and next steps in the Bureau's programs for measuring the electronic economy, with links to papers on this topic and to data on e-commerce sales.
News Sources:
- MagPortal E-Business: MagPortal is a periodical article aggregator, bringing together many dozens of fulltext articles on electronic commerce from a wide variety of sources (such as Forbes, Computer User, The Industry Standard, eCompany Now, CIO, Red Herring). There are subcategories for B2B and for B2C and a search box.
- E-Commerce Times: This free online publication is devoted to news and articles about electronic commerce, with daily news and features aimed at entrepreneurs and companies doing business on the internet. The site includes a search feature so that users can retrieve articles and news.
- Red Herring: This monthly technology magazine offers monthly insider news and analysis and maintains an online archive of all its issues since it started in 1993. Searching this site for the term Electronic Commerce retrieved over 2,000 articles; searching on the term Security retrieved nearly 1,000 articles.
Research Centers & Associations:
- The Center for Research on Electronic Commerce: The Center for Research on Electronic Commerce at the University of Texas, with support from Cisco Systems, conducts surveys and performs research on the Internet economy. The website provides data, analysis, case studies, and links to other resources. Also available from the Center is a link to their CREC Working Papers and Articles.
Other Sources:
- ClickZ Stats: Formerly called CyberAtlas, this site is devoted to Web marketing data and information, with up-to-date news briefs on subjects such as Traffic Patterns, Advertising, Geographics, Demographics, and Hardware, as well as archived articles on these subjects.
Resources for Entrepreneurship
The Alliance of Angels: This organization, a "program of the Technology Alliance, is a regionally-focused group of about 140 individual investors and representatives of investment corporations in the Pacific Northwest. Our organization acts as a "matchmaker" for young technology companies and interested investors." See their Startup Resources, Presentation Guidelines and Events.
Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 500: Deloitte Touche Tomatsu offers a website devoted to companies they consider to be the fastest growing technology companies in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific, a program initiated by their technology group in 1997. These lists can be searched by year, by region, by state, or by industry (Biotechnology, Communications/Networking, Computers/Peripherals, Internet, Life Sciences, Medical/Scientific/Technical/Manufacturing, Semiconductors/Components/Electronics, Software, and other). There is also a list of Rising Stars, companies on their way to joining the Fast 500 list. In addition, see their Highlights and Trends.
Entrepreneur Magazine: See their very long and complete list of Topics for information of interest to entrepreneurs as well as their list of How-To Guides, downloadable business Forms and much more.
Entrepreneurship Research Institute: This institute, based at Florida Atlantic University, aims to "to foster better understanding of the various aspects of the entrepreneurial venture's life cycle by using quantitative methods, tools, and techniques, as well as qualitative case studies that model, analyze, evaluate, and diagnose an entrepreneurial venture at various stages." See their Publications and, in particular, their Entrepreneurship in the U.S.: 2004 Assessment.
EntreWorld.Org: This Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation site provides resources for entrepreneurs. See their Resources for Entrepreneurship, information on Starting a Business, Growing a Business, and Hotlinks. See also their database of "abstracts of materials on entrepreneurship education at all levels."
Franchise Zone: Franchise information from Entrepreneur.com, with descriptions of businesses, costs and fees, number of units and corporate information. Also includes ranking of the top 500 franchises in the nation.
Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research: This site, from Babson College, provides access to a large number of papers on research into entrepreneurship, some in full text, some in summary form, presented at the annual Conference on Entrepreneurship. This list can be browsed by topic or by year presented.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: A joint effort by Babson College, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and the London Business School, this research program is an annual assessment of the national level of entrepreneurial activity, begun in 1999 with 10 countries, expanded now to over 30 countries.
Entrepreneurship White Papers: This archive of white papers, on Entrepreneurship, from the Coleman Council for Entrepreneurship Education, is a resource of about a dozen scholarly studies on aspects of entrepreneurship.
Inc Magazine: A magazine for growing companies, aimed somewhat at newer, smaller, private companies. Their website offers How-To Guides, Articles By Topic, and their Inc 500 List of the fastest growing private companies in America. There is also a search engine to their archive of articles.
Inside Entrepreneurship: This Seattle Post-Intelligencer series of columns offers locally-based information for entrepreneurs as well as an e-mail address for questions about startup business planning and financing.
National Business Incubation Association: The National Business Incubation Association "is the world's leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. It provides thousands of professionals with the information, education, advocacy and networking resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies worldwide." See their Resource Center.
National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship: The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship "was established to provide local, state, and national leaders with a roadmap of how to sustain and expand a flourishing entrepreneurial economy." "The Commission is funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation." See their Reports, Further Information on Entrepreneurship, and Statistics.
National Venture Capital Association: The National Venture Capital Association is "the trade association that represents the venture capital industry. It is a member-based organization. Its membership consists of venture capital firms and organizations who manage pools of risk equity capital designated to be invested in young, emerging companies. Currently, the NVCA represents 400+ member firms, representing the majority of venture capital invested in U.S. based companies." See their overview of the Venture Capital Industry and Resource Links.
Northwest Entrepreneur Network: The Northwest Entrepreneur Network is a locally-based organization, located at Bellevue Community College, formed in 1985, and with a membership of over 700, dedicated to bringing local entrepreneurs together to make connections, provide mentoring, and access entrepreneurship resources. It publishes a monthly newsletter, holds meetings, and hosts events.
Startup Journal (Center for Entrepreneurs): From the Wall Street Journal comes this online section for entrepreneurs, with new articles daily and links to franchising information and to trends in small business, a How-To section, and a Search engine.
State-By-State Guide to Doing Business: Prepared by Entrepreneur magazine, this site is based on the SBA 2000 State Small Business Economic Profiles, with overviews of the business environment in each state.
Street Smart Strategic Advice for Entrepreneurs: This site is a blog, hosted by successful entrepreneur Mark Powell, founder of HouseValues.Com, aimed at other entrepreneurs who would like to be as successful as Mark has been.
Venture Capital Notebook: This Seattle Post-Intelligencer section covers venture capital funding and provides a list of venture capital firms in the Northwest, with columns on venture capital each Friday.