Startup Revolution?

BusinessWeek Viewpoint features the idea of giving visas to startup founders. As the writer argues, "instead of encouraging the first brain drain in U.S. history, the country should create a program to welcome funded startup entrepreneurs." Read more here.

Abu Dhabi Invests in Learning

Gulf News quoted an entrepreneurship expert who stated that sharing a clear vision for the future by bringing different ideas together and learning from different countries is the recipe for economic and social prosperity and peace across the world.

Abu Dhabi is doing just that, having recently hosted the Festival of Thinkers as well as beginning a partnership between the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training, a private education provider based in Abu Dhabi, and the Wharton School. MORE

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.

The New Business School Stats

BusinessWeek reported some recent findings of the annual applicant study of QS World MBA Tour, a group that holds global MBA fairs. Women now make up 46% of worldwide MBA candidates and there have been shifts in preferred program length (more opt for one-year programs) and post-MBA career plans (the No.1 goal is to start a business), as explained by Wharton MBA alumnus Quacquarelli. Read more here.

Wharton Business Plan Competition Winners Ring the NASDAQ Closing Bell

Lumina Diagnostics, winner of the 2009 Wharton Business Plan Competition, visited the New York City NASDAQ MarketSite accompanied by the Wharton School. In celebration, representatives of Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs and Lumina Diagnostics rang the NASDAQ closing bell. Find out more here.

Best Dressed

VIP alumni company Henry Davidsen dressed the Phillie Phanatic for the cover of Philadelphia for the 2009 Best of Philly issue. Looking sharp!

Vor-x Success

Wharton alumni start-up Vorbeck Materials, a technology company that manufactures and develops applications utilizing Vor-x, a graphene material of great thermal conductivity, recently received $5.1 million in Series 2 financing. Read more here.

Looking for a Productivity Booster?

iCyte, an online tool that aids in web content organization, was featured in an article on smallbiztechnology.com, a site which provides small to medium sized businesses with information on how to use technology to grow their business.You can read the article online here. 

What Makes An Entrepreneur

The Kauffman Foundation recently released a new study entitled "The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur" that aims to discover the family backgrounds and motivations of American entrepreneurs. The study found that unlike the Bill Gates genius high-school dropout entrepreneur, most company founders tend to be middle-aged and well-educated from middle-class or upper-lower-class backgrounds. Read more findings here.

Next Up: Brazil

Is Brazil venture capital's next hotbed? BusinessWeek asks in a recent article, for "investments in Brazilian startups are surging, but high taxes and strict labor laws could hamper returns." Among those investments include foreign investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley firm which, along with Brazilian venture capital firm FIR Capital Partners, launched a $170 million fund. MBA alum and co-founder of FIR Capital Partners Marcus Regueira is further quoted about the fund here.

Finding the Balance

Knowledge@Wharton asked Wharton professor and author Stewart Friedman how to integrate a personal life and a professional life for a comfortable balance. Friedman responded with three steps: describe your legacy, learn what people expect of you, and talk with trusted friends. Read more here.

Look to the Web

Looking to start your own business? First step: the Web. As stated in The Philadelphia Inquirer column "Web Wealth: Starting your own business," the Web is "full of oportunities to learn how to develop a business idea, how to get funding..." and much more. Check out the column, which links to several of those opportunities, here.

JibJab Meets President Obama

Alumni company JibJab recently created an original satire video of President Obama as a superhero that was shown at the RTCA dinner to President Obama and the many attendants. Check out this video on Facebook that shows Obama laughing at the JibJab Obama video, folllowed by a brief CBS interview with Gregg and Evan. To read about their experience meeting the President, click here.

Nurturing NYC VC

As Scott Denne reports for Wall Street Journal blog Venture Capital Dispatch,
"With fewer firms and no particular geographic nexus[in NYC], entrepreneurs rarely have the kinds of chance encounters that can jump-start a start-up." Enter First Growth Venture Network.

First Growth has launched a networking and mentoring program, providing advisors and opportunities, for New York City entrepreneurs. Also participating in the program are several venture firms. Find out more here.

What to Know about Merchant Cash Advances

Knowledge@Wharton discusses the advantages and disadvantages of merchant cash advances, also known as business cash advances, for small-business owners on OPEN Forum. Featuring quotes from Wharton School lecturer and former entrepreneur Lawrence Gelburd, the post claims that such advances can "ease the crunch, but are costly and can be risky." Read more here.

Get It Started!

This month's stories focus on starting ventures under adverse conditions. Don't miss our story on the unexpected advantages of initiating a new venture in the summer. We also profile Joseph Ansenelli who sold three businesses to Fortune 500 companies and was driven to a start a new venture even with a broken back. Want to hear more from Joseph? We’ve got a new Alumni Impact Interview. Check out the newsletter here.