Startups 101

Free online personal finance service, Mint.com aims to make managing and saving money online easy and secure. So Mint CEO Aaron Patzer, knows what he's talking about. Recently, Patzer gave a 45 minute presentation on building startups from the ground up, with his own candid disclosures and advice. Watch the video, and see the presentation deck, here.

I Choose You

In starting a business, one very crucial decision lies in who you decide to make a co-founder. Whatever decision you make will change the very DNA of your business: so how do you choose? TechCrunch recently featured guest author and Meebo CEO Seth Sternberg, and his advice is don't look to people who are just like you. Find out more here.

2009 Collegiate Entrepreneur's Organization Conference

The Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization provides young entrepreneurs with networking opportunities, chapter activities, and the national conference to help them start their own businesses.

The 2009 National CEO Conference will be held on October 22 – October 24 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Over 80 outstanding entrepreneurs and business leaders share their ideas and expertise with students on how they launched their businesses, the lessons they've learned, and where they are today. Go here to learn more and register.

America's Best Young Entrepreneurs: 2009

BusinessWeek recently named their 25 finalists for the top U.S. entrepreneurs ages 25 and under. These 25 most promising young businesses range from specialty mushroom growers to renewable energy consulting to an online advertising buying platform Invite Media, a Wharton alumni company. Check out the other finalists here, place a vote for the most promising and on November 9th, BusinessWeek will be announcing these top vote-getters.

Innovational Food for Thought

Harvard Business Blog recently discussed the age-old dilemma of predicting the next big idea - but with twist. Authors of Innovation Tournaments: Creating and Selecting Exceptional Opportunities, Wharton professors Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich, say that instead of attempting to predict the success of early ideas, make sure there are enough of them and the pool is diverse. Check out the four guidelines to consider when launching your next innovation initiative or considering who to hire in your research department here.