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Lead to Win May-June Sessions

May 22, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

The 2009 Lead to Win program kicked-off this week.  The program was originally planned to support 30 participants per session.  Due to overwhelming demand from highly qualified candidates the program capacity was doubled and 61 participants were accepted into the May-June program.

The first three days of workshops went exceptionally well.  All participants were highly qualified, highly motivated and highly committed.  The workshop was intense and there was a lot of interaction between the participants and the program leaders.  A breakdown of the participants company types, target markets, etc. is available: Lead to Win May 2009 Portfolio Snapshot

Photos from the first day of the program are available online -

Lead to Win (May 19, 2009)
Best practices, Business, business incubators, Canada, Commercialization, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, OCRI, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Talent First Network, Technology, The Code Factory, Trends, Unemployment, Venture Capital, Web 2.0
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US VC Investments Down 61% in 1Q09

May 22, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

Reports from Mercury Press highlight the continuing decline of Venture Capital in the US:

Nationally, VCs invested $3 billion into U.S. companies, down 61 percent from the $7.7 billion invested in the first quarter of 2008. It was smallest quarterly sum since 1997, and the sharpest decline on record.

In the Bay Area, the world’s leading hub of innovation, $1.2 billion was invested in 172 deals during the quarter. That was a 43 percent decrease in dollars and 26 percent decrease in “deal flow” from the previous quarter.

Business, Commercialization, depression 2.0, Economy, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Innovation, Jobs, Silicon Valley, Technology, Trends, Unemployment, United States, US, Venture Capital
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Sixth Sense Wearable Gesture Interface

May 15, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

‘SixthSense’ is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world with digital information and lets users use natural hand gestures to interact with that information.

It offers some interesting ideas for potential new applications.

Commercialization, Computing, Convergence, Creative Class, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, New Media, Technology, Trends, Universities
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Lead to Win Videos

May 6, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

Message from Dr Tony Bailetti for Prospective Lead to Win Participants

Testimonial from Jerry Everett, President of onconference

Want more information?

Visit the Lead to Win website at http://www.leadtowin.ca.

The program is free to qualified participants (no small print, no strings attached!).

ltwlogo

Best practices, Business, Canada, Commercialization, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, Ontario, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Talent First Network, Technology, The Code Factory, Trends, Unemployment, Universities
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Lead to Win Program Update – April 25th

April 26, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

ltwlogo

CTV Ottawa News Coverage This Sunday!

Tune-in to CTV Ottawa TECH NOW with Paul Brent on April 26th at 6PM for a special report on Lead to Win!

City of Ottawa, Carleton University and Business – United in Leadership for the Community

Recent press releases on the Lead to Win program:

Media Coverage

Visit the Lead to Win website to see all the latest media coverage on the Lead to Win program.

Free Re-use of Lead to Win Materials for Other Canadian Communities

All Lead to Win program materials (e.g. online tools, learning materials, processes, network) will be made freely available to other communities who would like to re-use, or adapt,  the materials, procedures and network for their own regional benefit. Contact us at lead@leadtowin.ca if you are interested.

Spread the Word!

Please spread the word on the Lead to Win program to prospective candidates, community organizations and sponsors.

Can you Help?

If you know politicians or government leaders in agencies who want to join the City of Ottawa, the Chamber of Commerce and Carleton University in taking a strong, visible leadership position to help make a difference – please make them aware of Lead to Win and ask them to contact Dr Bailetti at 613 829 8885, bailetti@sce.carleton.ca

Best practices, Business, Canada, Canadian Politics, Commercialization, Creative Class, depression 2.0, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Talent First Network, Technology, The Code Factory, Trends, Unemployment, Universities
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Ottawa Tech Jobs Melting Away

April 25, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

The Ottawa-Gatineau unemployment rate took a sharp jump recently and currently sits at 5.2%.

Under the surface, the situation for tech jobs is increasingly serious.

In Ottawa-Gatineau technology jobs have been evaporating at an alarming rate -  in just the last 12 months,  the region has lost 8,800 tech jobs.  This represents greater then a 14% loss. Further, Ottawa-Gatineau has lost almost 30% of its regional tech jobs compared to 2000.   Ottawa-Gatineau tech jobs peaked at 74,000 in 2000 and are now down to 53, 800 as of March 2009.

Stats Canada has published that during the 2002 bubble burst – 4 out of 5 laid off tech workers did not find work in high tech, and 2 of 5 left the City of Ottawa.

The tech sector is continuing to shed jobs in Ottawa-Gatineau.

Ottawa-Gatineau faces a significant loss of tech capability and associated economic impact/growth for the region.

Lead to Win is focused on launching new technology businesses in Ottawa-Gatineau to retain and create new tech jobs.   If you are concerned about the state of the technology sector in Ottawa-Gatineau or are interested in launching a new tech business in the region, you are encouraged to visit www.leadtowin.ca.

Business, Canada, Creative Class, depression 2.0, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, Ontario, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Stats Canada, Talent First Network, Technology, Trends, Unemployment
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A Cool Technology – “Sensitive Object”

April 19, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

This new technology from Sensitive Object presents some interesting potential for new applications.

Their technology can turn almost any object into a touch-sensitive interface!  

Best practices, Business, Computing, Creative Class, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, Opportunities, Regional Economic Development, Technology, Universities, Venture Capital
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Wii – a platform for innovative product development …a Cool Idea with Loads of Microbusiness Potential

April 19, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

The Nintendo Wii and it’s accessories represent a new platform with a lot of new opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop derivative products from.  

A case in point, Johny Lee at Carnegie Mellon University has developed and posted working designs and software for a low-cost interactive whiteboard based on the WiiRemote and a PC.   You have to see it to believe it -

Software for the Wiimote Whiteboard is freely available

Links to this and other Wii related projects he is working on is available at this location.


Best practices, Computing, Creative Class, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, How To's, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, New Media, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Talent First Network, Technology, Trends, Unemployment, Venture Capital, Web 2.0
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High Tech? Ensure You Know About the IRAP Small Project Accellerated Review Process

April 18, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

irapsmallproject

Best practices, Business, Canada, Commercialization, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, OCRI, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Trends, Unemployment
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More Beef, Less Bun!

April 18, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

We are in the midst of the worst economic downturn Ottawa has seen, and we are watching our high tech sector melt away.

I find it very disturbing that there are few organizations – other than the Talent First Network and NRC-IRAP – that are stepping up and taking visible, urgent and concrete steps to help out our community.

Talent First Network is aggressively pushing ahead with the Lead to Win program, which has garnered strong community support.

The IRAP team have ramped up their pace, they have streamlined processes to match the urgency of the situation, they are pursuing new programs, and they are on the frontline – engaging the entrepreneurs and high tech businesses who are working to expand existing businesses or build new businesses which will revitalize our high tech sector.

The big question is – Where is the leadership from the other tax-funded organizations? The City of Ottawa, the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation and Industry Canada have spent truckloads of money on the Ontario Centres of Excellence, Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and The Ottawa Partnership (TOP) – these organizations  should be front and center but are virtually invisible.

When it comes to getting results from our tax dollars and leadership from the organizations they fund – it’s time for “More Beef and Less Bun!“  -

In the current economic downturn,  I would rather see more of my tax dollars going to IRAP and the Talent First Network.  They have the right attitude and they are focused on helping our community.

It’s time for MORE BEEF!  LESS BUN!

Business, Canada, Canadian Politics, Creative Class, depression 2.0, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, OCRI, Ontario, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Talent First Network, Technology, Trends, Unemployment, Universities, Venture Capital, Web 2.0
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Forget Monorails! The New Snake Oil for Economic Development is Green Tech and Clean Energy!

April 18, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

Green tech and clean energy is the new snake oil – and is increasingly being pushed in Ottawa and other communities as “the future of technology” and the source for attracting venture capital,  private investment and driving  massive economic growth…  However the facts paint a different picture!

Venturesource reports steady declines in Venture investment in the green tech and clean energy sectors, with $189 million of Venture Capital invested in 15 deals during the first quarter, down 59 percent from the $457 million invested in 24 such deals last year.    This is in comparison to ICT investments, which even in the worst of times are still almost 10 times greater for the same period!

Clean Energy, Green Tech – it walks, talks and looks like a Monorail -

Business, Canada, Canadian Politics, Computing, Debacle, depression 2.0, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Local Start-ups, OCRI, Ontario, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Technology, Trends, Unemployment, Venture Capital
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Join Lead to Win: Drive Massive Innovation in Canada’s Capital Region

April 15, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

Join Lead to Win:

Drive Massive Innovation in Canada’s Capital Region

If you are serious about starting a profitable technology based business in the National Capital Region during the current economic situation, we invite you to apply to Lead to Win (LTW).

LTW is a proven program for talented technology individuals who wish to establish and grow successful businesses in Canada’s Capital Region.  Past program participants have come from a wide range of backgrounds, including – sales, business development, product managers, design engineers, systems analysts, and management.  LTW previously ran during the 2002 economic downturn.  Out of the 29 participants in 2002 – over half launched a new business.  Collectively those businesses created over 300 new jobs and attracted over $90M in investment.

The first 2009 LTW training session starts May 19, 2009. If you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply immediately.  Applications are now being accepted online at www.leadtowin.ca.

The LTW program is free to qualified applicants – no strings attached, no small print, no surprises.  Our region is investing to make LTW participants successful for the benefit of the individual and the community.

LTW has three phases. In the first phase, you apply online.  Qualified applicants will then be invited to meet with LTW leadership.  Participants will be selected based on their experience, commitment, and opportunity profile. In the second phase, you participate in an intense six day training program where you will learn how to lever business ecosystems, profitably serve attractive vertical markets, and the key factors that contribute to the ultimate success of a fledgling technology company. Upon completion of this second phase, you will be well equipped, and encouraged, to launch your new technology businesses in the National Capital Region.  In the third phase, LTW connects you to strategic customers, revenue opportunities, and individuals, companies and organizations that can provide requisite resources, including capital.

LTW is supported by The City of Ottawa, The Talent First Network, alumni from the 2002 Lead to Win program, community expertise, and faculty members and graduate students of Carleton University’s Technology Innovation Management program (www.carleton.ca/tim).

To apply to LTW, please contact: Press and program, please contact:
Ottawa Tony Bailetti:

Bailetti@sce.carleton.ca

613 829 8885
Tony Bailetti Bailetti@sce.carleton.ca

613-829-8885
Rowland Few rfew@sce.carleton.ca

613-222-4394
Ian Graham Ian@thecodefactory.com

613-321.3831
Gatineau
Serge Lafontaine slafontaine@arrow.com

613-884-8965
Best practices, Business, Commercialization, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, Nortel, Ontario, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Talent First Network, Technology, The Code Factory, Trends, Unemployment, Universities, Venture Capital, Web 2.0
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Lead-to-Win Turns Economic Downturn into Opportunity for Laid-Off Technology Workers in Canada’s Capital Region

April 15, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

April 16, 2009 – Press Release

Ottawa, Ontario

Lead-to-Win Turns Economic Downturn into Opportunity for Laid-Off Technology Workers in Canada’s Capital Region

In the tech meltdown of 2002, four out of five laid-off tech workers did not find work in high tech, and in Ottawa-Gatineau two out of five laid-off tech workers left the region.   In 2009, Canada’s Capital Region high tech sector faces a significantly greater challenge.

Today, Ontario’s Talent First Network is pleased to announce the launch of the Lead To Win  program for laid-off tech workers.  The program is based upon a program of the same name that was delivered during the last economic downturn in 2002. Over half of the participants in the 2002 Lead to Win program created a new business in Canada’s Capital Region.  These new businesses collectively created over 300 jobs and attracted over $90M in investment.

“Lead to Win is a great initiative for our region and we are pleased to support the program,” stated Larry O’Brien, Mayor of the City of Ottawa.  There is a proven recipe here. This is precisely the sort of innovative action that takes the current economic situation and turns it into a compelling opportunity for growth.”

Professor Tony Bailetti of Carleton University stated “We have a real opportunity to drive massive innovation in Canada’s Capital Region. Lead to Win will equip the next wave of technology entrepreneurs to launch new businesses that target the right market spaces. We did this in 2002 and we are going to do it again.”

David Vicary, founder of Weyeseyes and previously President and founder of Nakina Systems was also a 2002 Lead to Win participant. Vicary stated “The Lead to Win program was developed to help entrepreneurs in tough times. The lessons learned in Lead to Win were critical to my success in founding and growing Nakina Systems.”

The program is intended for talented individuals who want to launch a new technology business.  The program is free to qualified applicants.  Applications are currently being solicited for the program.  Space is limited and interested individuals are encouraged to apply online at www.leadtowin.ca.

Lead to Win is sponsored by the City of Ottawa, Talent First Network and Carleton University.  Lead to Win associates include alumni from the 2002 Lead To Win program, local businesses, and faculty members and graduate students of Carleton University’s Technology Innovation Management program (http://www.carleton.ca/tim).

About the Talent First Network

The Talent First Network is a successful Ontario-wide initiative funded by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation and Carleton University.  The Talent First Network enables the commercialization of market offers that rely on open source projects and global ecosystems for their revenue.

Contact: Tony Bailetti, Bailetti@sce.carleton.ca, 613 829 8885

Best practices, Business, Canada, Commercialization, Computing, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Microbusiness, OCRI, Ontario, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Stats Canada, Talent First Network, Technology, The Code Factory, Trends, Unemployment, Universities, Venture Capital, Web 2.0
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Wireless M2M – Machine to Machine Networking …a Cool Idea with Loads of Microbusiness Potential

April 12, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

Wireless M2M networking enables the monitoring and control of devices that have historically been difficult to access and were previously un-managed.   Standards are becoming more common and stable.  Further, the implementation and production cost of wirelessly enabling and managing devices continues to drop.  This opens up a broad range of potential new applications and business opportunies.

Some examples of companies that provide development platforms and system building blocks for Wireless M2M include:

Business, Commercialization, Computing, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Microbusiness, Networking, Open Source, Opportunities, Regional Economic Development, Technology, Trends
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MagCloud – Do It Yourself Magazine Publishing …a Cool Idea with Loads of Microbusiness Potential

March 31, 2009 by Brian Hurley 1 Comment

HP is currently running a beta of a new online service called “MagCloud“.  The service allows anyone to produce a magazine and print it – on demand – for $0.20 a page.  The service also offers an online store to allow publishers to sell their magazines.  The service will take care of printing, mailing, subscription management, and more.

HP’s longer-term plan is to sell their specialized printers and inks to businesses who will offer regional on-demand printing services.

This ability to do on-demand printing of magazines can allow smaller operations and professional service organizations to offer new services to businesses which need to quickly and cheaply produce magazines.  One of the benefits offered by the service is the ability to do tweaks to the magazine master document much more quickly and with less cost then traditional methods of producing magazines.

Best practices, Business, Canada, Commercialization, Computing, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, HP, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Microbusiness, New Media, Ontario, Opportunities, Regional Economic Development, Trends, Unemployment, United States, US, Web 2.0
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Technology Rates Adoption from 1900 to Present

March 29, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

history-of-productsThis interesting chart is from the New York Times, it highlights the speed of adoption of new technologies over the years.  The general conclusion is that adoption/consumption of new technology occurs much faster today then in the past.

Best practices, Business, Commercialization, Computing, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Technology, Trends, United States, US
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Mars Rovers Still Going After Five Years

March 26, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

It’s been almost five years and the Mars Rovers, originally intended to operate for 3 months, are still driving around on the surface of Mars.  NASA has produced a short video on the achievement.

060104_mars_rover2

General Interest, Innovation, Trends, United States, US
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Carleton University Poster Session – Innovation, Talent, Commercialization

March 24, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

I attended the Carleton University engineering poster session on Mar 20th.  89 engineering students  displayed the results of 36 4th year projects (http://www.sce.carleton.ca/courses/sysc-4907/webforms/posterLocations.php).

The projects ranged from the abstract to the commercially viable, and from simple to complex.  The one thing that stood out in general was the high quality of the students.   The projects I found  most interesting were the ones which struck me as being commercially viable with further development – examples from the poster session included:

  • An application which linked exercise equipment (in this case a treadmill) into a virtual reality world where the treadmill user could “run” through the virtual reality world and potentially interact with other users around the world
  • An inexpensive and compact wireless sensors technology that automatically create a wireless mesh communication network to allow easy deployment of sensors (e.g., smoke detector) without the cost of dedicated wires (or even electrical outlet)
  • An iPhone-based geo-tagged photo blogging application
  • A Nintendo Wii technology-based interactive projection “whiteboard’

Poster sessions like this can be a great way to help advance commercialization of university work and link local investors/entrepreneurs to ideas and talent.

Best practices, Business, business incubators, Canada, Commercialization, Computing, Convergence, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Innovation Hub, Jobs, Local Start-ups, Ontario, Open Source, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Talent First Network, Technology, Trends, Unemployment, Venture Capital, Web 2.0
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McGuinty Government Announces $250M Fund

March 18, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

McGuinty’s government announced a new fund today oriented towards helping keep Ontario start-ups moving forward in the face of a non-existant venture capital market.  The fund will match private investments dollar for dollar.   It is said to be based upon a similar model implemented in Scotland.

This is a great step towards supporting innovation and start-ups.

Best practices, Business, Canada, Canadian Politics, Commercialization, Creative Class, Economy, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, OCRI, Ontario, Opportunities, Ottawa, Ottawa Start-ups, Regional Economic Development, Technology, Trends, Unemployment, Venture Capital
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Jeffrey Dale Has Left the Building

March 15, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

Jeffrey Dale stepped down as OCRI CEO last week.   

Over the years, I used the OCRI services for the launch and ramp of both Liquid Computing and Purple Forge.  Liquid Computing and myself were both honored to receive OCRI Awards and recognition.   Moreover, I have benefited from Jeffrey’s personal help and support.

As a result of my belief in the good work that OCRI was doing for our community and my positive personal experiences with the OCRI team and Jeffrey, I joined the OCRI board of directors two years ago.   

With Jeffrey’s departure, I spent some time this weekend reflecting on what I will remember the most about OCRI under Jeffrey’s leadership.   There are a long list of things I will remember, but the three things that will stand out the most in my memory about Jeffrey are that  - 

  • Jeffrey was a very active and very visible cheerleader for Ottawa and the tech community.  He was also an articulate spokesman –  he put a face on the local tech community and was a visible advocate of its interests;  
  • Jeffrey worked tirelessly on behalf of the community in general – the job was definitely not a 9 to 5 type of job;
  • Jeffrey established a team at OCRI that was very much focused on the entreprenuer – in my direct experience – the OCRI team is responsive, knowledgeable and sincerely interested in making a difference, and that reflects on its leadership.

Thanks Jeffrey!

Jobs, Venture Capital, Entreprenuerism, Ottawa, Regional Economic Development, Canada, Economy, Opportunities, Commercialization, General Interest, Trends, Business, Microbusiness, Innovation Hub, Unemployment, Innovation, business incubators, Universities, Government, Ottawa Start-ups
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Trigence Becomes AppZero

March 15, 2009 by Brian Hurley 1 Comment

Local start-up Trigence has quietly changed it’s name to AppZero as well as quietly ejecting the last founder from the team.   Trigence had a great product but has not appeared to make any significant sales or progress since CEO Chuck Colford departed.  Unfortunately Trigence/AppZero’s new direction does not appear very compelling in an already crowded virtualization market that is dominated by VMWare, XEN and soon Microsoft.

The main industry news on Trigence appears to be on the ongoing churn in senior leadership.

Trigence’s new logo and name are both very close to NetZero (I did a double-take myself since NetZero is a well-known brand), so it won’t be surprising if they end up having to change their name -

netzeroappzero1

Business, Canada, Computing, Entreprenuerism, Information Technology, Innovation, Local Start-ups, Ottawa Start-ups
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Canada is Potential Leader in Global Technology Revolution

March 15, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

A recent Rand report , “The Global Technology Revolution 2020″, looks at 16 upcoming key technologies and the ability of 29 countries to acquire and to implement.  The following chart identified the key technology applications -

screenshot_63

Only three of the 29 countries examined by Rand were identified as being able to acquire and implement all 16 key technology applications  – the United States and Canada in North America and Germany in Western Europe.

screenshot_62

Business, Canada, Commercialization, Computing, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, Europe, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Manufacturing, Ontario, Opportunities, Ottawa, Regional Economic Development, Trends, United States, Universities, US, US Politics
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Ontario Commercialization Network to be Reformed?

March 14, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

The Ontario Commercialization Network Steering Committee Report was delivered to the Minister late February.  PWC produced a report on OCN prior to the Steering Committee Report but it was not made public.

ocnmap

The report makes some blunt assessments of serious problems with  Ontario’s current approach to economic development and commercialization.  Some key findings include:

  • Lack of co-ordination and sharing across many fragmented organizations
  • Lack of overall governance
  • Lack of clear entry-point for clients/entrepreneurs
  • Lack of metrics and performance targets
  • Need for better co-ordination between Provincial and Federal governments
  • Economic conditions demand quick action

Key recommendations include specifics related to:

  • Fixing the governance model
  • Fixing the delivery model
  • Reducing overlaps of products and services within the Province and between the Province and Federal programs

The report was one of the best i’ve seen so far – it cuts directly to the issues and provides some very rational recommendations.

Best practices, Business, business incubators, Canada, Canadian Politics, Clusters, Commercialization, Creative Class, depression 2.0, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Innovation, Jobs, OCRI, Ontario, Regional Economic Development, Trends, Unemployment, Universities, Venture Capital
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Foreign VC Investment in Canada Down More Than 50% in 2008

March 12, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

Industry Canada reports that foreign VC investment in Canada is down 53% in 3Q08 compared to 3Q07.

vcforeign1

The bulk of investment is going towards ICT and Life Sciences deals.

sectoractivity

Ontario, Quebec and BC account for the majority of deals, with only Quebec showing growth in number of deals. where

The good news is that BDC investments of tax payer money continue to get good leverage -

bdc

Jobs, OCRI, Venture Capital, Entreprenuerism, Ottawa, Regional Economic Development, Ontario, Canada, Canadian Politics, Economy, Opportunities, Commercialization, Silicon Valley, General Interest, Trends, Business, Information Technology, Microbusiness, Creative Class, Government Policy, Unemployment, Innovation, US, business incubators, Government
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Corporate Blogging Applications and Guidelines

March 4, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

I came across the following set of blogging guidelines that companies have published for their employees -

Some common uses for social media/blogging inside corporations include:

  • Process information and training
  • Frequently asked questions (FAQ) and support information
  • Commonly used resources, URL’s to applications, documentation, contact information
  • Corporate new-hire training and indoctrination
  • Online reference
  • Product information and training
  • Support communities of practice
  • For professional consulting
  • Peer to Peer knowledge transfer,  e.g. across divisions
  • Membership interest groups
  • Leveraging professional team to learn from each other
  • New results distribution
  • Performance support, e.g. reminders
  • Share best practices and to poll other members
  • To teach staff tools they need for success in the workplace and world
Best practices, Business, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, How To's, Innovation, New Media, Trends, Web 2.0
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Nortel US Patents Granted 2007 – Ranked 68th

March 4, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

From the US Patent Office -Nortel was ranked 68th overall relative to US patent filings in 2007, details are shown in the table below.

McKinsey recently published an article summarizing their analysis of US patent filings as a proxy to predict/identify centers/clusters of innovation.   Volume of patents is reflected by the size of the bubble, growth in patents and diversity of patent filing companies are the two axis.

screenshot_49

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Ranked List of Organizations with 40 or More Patents, as Distributed by  the Year of Patent Grant and/or the Year Of Patent Application Filing Granted: 01/01/2007 – 12/31/2007
2007 All Years
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 3125 3125
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 2723 2723
CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA Patents By Year of Grant: 1983 1983
MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 1910 1910
INTEL CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 1864 1864
MICROSOFT CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 1637 1637
TOSHIBA CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 1519 1519
MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 1476 1476
HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. Patents By Year of Grant: 1466 1466
SONY CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 1454 1454
HITACHI, LTD Patents By Year of Grant: 1381 1381
FUJITSU LIMITED Patents By Year of Grant: 1293 1293
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 1205 1205
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY Patents By Year of Grant: 911 911
INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG Patents By Year of Grant: 847 847
DENSO CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 753 753
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, INCORPORATED Patents By Year of Grant: 749 749
RICOH COMPANY, LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 727 727
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT Patents By Year of Grant: 698 698
LG ELECTRONICS INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 682 682
NOKIA CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 679 679
HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA (HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.) Patents By Year of Grant: 677 677
Fujifilm Corporation Patents By Year of Grant: 660 660
SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA (SHARP CORPORATION) Patents By Year of Grant: 646 646
SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 610 610
NEC CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 600 600
CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 580 580
ROBERT BOSCH GMBH Patents By Year of Grant: 568 568
KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V. Patents By Year of Grant: 547 547
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 538 538
BROADCOM CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 533 533
SILVERBROOK RESEARCH PTY. LTD Patents By Year of Grant: 533 533
XEROX CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 514 514
RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 505 505
EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY Patents By Year of Grant: 492 492
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 467 467
3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY Patents By Year of Grant: 459 459
MITSUBISHI DENKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA Patents By Year of Grant: 459 459
SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 454 454
LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 432 432
BOEING COMPANY Patents By Year of Grant: 428 428
LG. PHILIPS LCD CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 418 418
SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 413 413
MOTOROLA, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 411 411
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 405 405
E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY Patents By Year of Grant: 369 369
DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 356 356
TOYOTA JIDOSHA K.K. Patents By Year of Grant: 351 351
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 343 343
TDK CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 338 338
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE REGENTS OF Patents By Year of Grant: 333 333
BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA Patents By Year of Grant: 325 325
FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 322 322
HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES NETHERLANDS B.V. Patents By Year of Grant: 322 322
HON HAI PRECISION IND. CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 321 321
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, L.L.C. Patents By Year of Grant: 315 315
SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 315 315
FUJI XEROX CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 313 313
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 304 304
FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD Patents By Year of Grant: 294 294
APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 285 285
HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 284 284
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 282 282
GENENTECH, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 281 281
OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD. Patents By Year of Grant: 279 279
QUALCOMM, INC. Patents By Year of Grant: 278 278
AT&T CORP. Patents By Year of Grant: 273 273
NORTEL NETWORKS LIMITED Patents By Year of Grant: 272 272
ALTERA CORPORATION Patents By Year of Grant: 268 268
Jobs, Nortel, Entreprenuerism, Ottawa, Regional Economic Development, Ontario, Canada, Economy, United States, Opportunities, Commercialization, Trends, Business, Ecosystems, Innovation Hub, Creative Class, Unemployment, Innovation, US
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The Death of Canadian R&D Spending

March 3, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

The 2008 report on Canadian R&D spending from Research Infosource identifies the following top 10 R&D spenders -

Nortel $1.851B
BCE $1.26B
Magna $.725B
Pratt and Whitney $.444B
IBM $.377B
Atomic Energy of Canada $.228B
RIM $.253B
Alcatel-Lucent $.236B
Sanofi-Aventis Group $.207B
Apotex Inc $.181B

Nortel currently accounts for 32% of the R&D spend in the top 10 spenders in Canada, and Magna (automotive parts) currently accounts for 13%.   Over 45% of the R&D spend of the top 10 spenders in Canada is in decline and at risk of evaporating to nothing.

Unfortunately – RIM which is always held up as the shining tech light for Canada – isn’t even in the same league as Nortel and never will be.   It could be argued that RIM is likely to rapidly diminish in size/scope over the coming years as technologies such as the iPhone and Android continue to see rapid adoption.

Business, Canada, Canadian Politics, Computing, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Manufacturing, Nortel, Ontario, Opportunities, Ottawa, Regional Economic Development, Trends, Unemployment
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California Hits 10.1% Unemployment in January

March 1, 2009 by Brian Hurley 1 Comment

California is into double digit unemployment.


Best practices, Business, Economy, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Innovation, Jobs, Silicon Valley, Trends, Unemployment, United States, US
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Pink Slips 2.0 – Dismantling the Workforce One Layoff at a Time

March 1, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

There are an increasing number of articles cronicling the human toll that the job losses are having the United States.

The New York Times and Mercury News have both published articles recently that reflects the significant impacts the the downturn continues to have on families and individuals.

The Silicon  Beat has a regular feature Pink Slip 2.o which chronicles layoffs in Silicon Valley.

There are also a number of sites that have started to tally the layoffs and associated carnage, including: Layoff Blog,  Fucked Startups, Techcrunch Layoffs, Pinks Slips on Wallstreet and Screwdd.

In Canada, Stats Canada has published data on the impact of past tech layoffs that are good predictors for the present.

Business, Creative Class, Economy, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Silicon Valley, Trends, Unemployment, United States, US, Venture Capital, Web 2.0
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Making Technology Happen

February 28, 2009 by Brian Hurley 0 Comments

I have the first and second edition of this book on my bookshelf.  It is concise, practical advice for starting and running a technology/knowledge-based company… and it is written by a local tech leader – Denzil Doyle!   For those trying to figure out where to start and what to do I recommend this book as a good place to start reading.

Making Technology Happen describes in detail the techniques used to identify and exploit technology and how to build and manage a technology-intensive company around that technology. It covers such activities as ‘go-to market’ strategy development, general management, investment analysis, organizational development, and competitive market analysis – all from the perspective of a technology-intensive enterprise. It is used by governments and technology transfer professionals across North America, as well as by entrepreneurs and business executives


Best practices, Business, business incubators, Canada, Commercialization, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, General Interest, How To's, Innovation, Jobs, Microbusiness, OCRI, Ontario, Opportunities, Ottawa, Trends, Unemployment
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