Startup Teaches Kids How To Write, Invites Teachers and Students To Join

Most kids use technology for games and music. What about using technology to learn to write, an essential skill to master early in life?

With Cubert’s Cube, entrepreneur Melanie Kusmik is attempting to do just that – teaching kids how to write by harnessing the power of the social web. Years of experience in software development and product management at companies like Quantum, 3Com, Nortel Networks has helped Melanie learn to transform a concept into a business. >>>

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Small Companies Storm the Edutech Market; Teachers and Parents Needed To Accelerate Innovation

Why Entrepreneur Dreamers Fail to Launch

By guest author Jeff Weber from his book From Idea to Exit: The Entrepreneurial Journey

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many people with entrepreneurial ideas who have acted on their dreams and others who merely talk – failing to ever launch.  When I wrote From Idea to Exit: The Entrepreneurial Journey I challenged myself to answer one question.  Why do some people successfully act on their ideas and visions while most others fail to do so?  I’ve had the opportunity to test my thesis through mentoring and advising entrepreneurs over the years, and most recently, I’ve applied my theory to myself in launching two new digital startups.  I was pleased, and a bit ashamed, to find that the theory held up. >>>

March 3rd: Sramana Mitra At Berkeley Haas’ Women In Leadership Conference

Do you dream of starting a business? Have an idea but not sure what to do next?

Sramana Mitra will be moderating a panel, Entrepreneurship: The Real Stories of Getting Started, during the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business’ Women In Leadership Conference on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at 10:30 a.m.

This panel will share the real, honest stories of successful women entrepreneurs. Whether they got venture funding, participated in an incubator, or bootstrapped their venture, they’ve all had exciting successes and tough challenges. Hear about both, and learn how to find your own unique path to entrepreneurship. You can find more details and REGISTER HERE.

1M/1M Video: Girl Power In Silicon Valley

This comic strip raises the question of gender bias in Silicon Valley. Ironically, I AM a woman entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and in my experience, when I have been rejected by VCs, there was, often, good reason for it. Please view the comic strip, and weigh in with your thoughts.

You can subscribe to the YouTube Channel here.

Families: Nurture Entrepreneurs

Of late, graduating from college has been a source of anxiety rather than excitement for many families. Youth unemployment is at 17%. Parents are concerned about their children’s future. Here’s one way parents and families can help: support their children’s entrepreneurial ambitions. >>>

An Underused Tool For Job Recovery

As the U.S. economy continues to hiccup, large-scale entrepreneurship is a badly needed remedy. In transitioning hundreds of thousands of people to self-employment and job creation through entrepreneurship, incubators look like an extremely helpful tool. But we need to produce more of the most effective incubators. >>>

DeVry And Apollo Struggling, With A Few Bright Spots

According to research by Ambient Insight, the global market for online education at schools and businesses is projected to grow from $32.1 billion in 2010 to $50 billion by 2015. Despite rosy projections, tighter government regulations have slowed new student registrations at many for-profit companies. The government restrictions aim to control some of the ways in which for-profit educators have gotten students to sign up for courses. For-profit courses can be very expensive, and some have failed to deliver on their promise of better employment opportunities. Further, student loan default rates are an estimated three times higher for for-profit school loans compared with loans taken by students enrolling in nonprofit schools.

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Sramana Mitra’s Talk At TEDxHarkerSchool

Here is the recording of the speech Sramana Mitra gave to an audience of students interested in entrepreneurship at TEDxHarkerSchool in October:

Sramana Mitra Speaking At TEDxHarkerSchool In San Jose On October 22

TEDxHarkerSchool is an event for high school and college students arranged to help foster youth entrepreneurship through inspiration and learning from successful entrepreneurs. Sramana Mitra’s talk is entitled, “The World Is Your Oyster.” Other speakers include Guy Kawasaki, Kevin Surace, Karl Mehta, and Rahim Fazal. You can find more details and register today here.