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Week of April 14 - 20, 2008 |
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2007: A Steady Year for Angel Investors
2007 proved to be a pretty
good year for the angel investment field according to the latest data
compiled the by the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Venture
Research. The Center’s annual research report finds that angel investing
held steady in 2007, when compared to the industry’s performance in
2006. Total 2007 investments reached $26.0 billion, a slight 1.8%
increase from the previous year. While dollar values did not grow
rapidly, the industry continues to expand. In 2007, 258,200 individual
angels (up 10.8% from 2006) invested in 57,120 entrepreneurial ventures
(up 12%). Angel investors continue to be the US’s leading source of
financing for early stage ventures. Thirty nine percent of all angel
investments support firms in the seed or start-up stage. |
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New Bill to Simplify R&D Tax Credit
Many of America’s leading innovative
companies utilize the popular research and development tax credit, but
unfortunately, the process for using the credits has become much too
complicated and cumbersome. A new legislative plan from Congressman
Jerry McNerney (D-CA) seeks to remedy this situation. His bill, the
Innovation Tax Credit Act (H.R. 5681) would address these challenges by
making the R&D tax credit permanent. At present, the credit is temporary
and requires regular renewal by Congress. This process has the effect of
increasing uncertainty about the credit’s future existence. Computing
the credit is also quite complicated. HR 5681 would simplify the process
by consolidating the current batch of five related credits into one
simplified tax credit that will ultimately provide a credit for up to
twenty percent of the cost of qualified R&D expenditures. |
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High Tech Sectors Show Continued Growth
The latest edition of the AeA’s Cyberstates
analysis of high tech employment shows that high technology jobs
continued to grow—albeit slowly in 2008. According to Cyberstates 2008,
employment in key high tech sectors grew by 1.6% in 2007, accounting for
a total of 5.9 million jobs. This growth rate was the lowest in three
years, and was adversely affected by major job losses in high tech
manufacturing and communications services. California, Texas, New York,
Florida, and Virginia continue to lead the US in total high tech
employment. Meanwhile, Virginia has the highest concentration of high
tech employment levels when measured in relation to its total workforce.
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National Small Business Week is on the
horizon, and will be recognized with events and activities during the
week of April 21-25, 2008. Small Business Week has traditionally served
as an opportunity for the US Small Business Administration and its
partners to engage policymakers in new thinking about issues facing
America’s small business owners. Small Business Week 2008, co-sponsored
by the Kauffman Foundation, will be celebrated with a series of public
conversations about key issues (such as rising health care costs and
meeting new energy challenges), as well as a series of events to honor
leading entrepreneurs. |
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Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Challenge
If you’re a Wisconsin-based college student,
you might want to consider getting ready for a fun and interesting event
set to take place this week on April 17th. The Wisconsin
Entrepreneurship Challenge starts on that date. Every student enrolled
in a University of Wisconsin institution is entitled to a $10 voucher to
be redeemed for purchase of materials at the University’s SWAP (Surplus
with a Purpose) shop. The students then have 100 hours (until April 21)
to do something entrepreneurial with that object. The winners receive
cash prizes. Winning projects in last year’s challenge included a
hand-powered generator, a water sanitation system, new types of lab
equipment, and lots of fun new consumer products. We can expect lots of
other cool and off-the-wall ideas this year. |
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Small Firms and the Aging Workforce
As the American workforce continues to age,
firms that plan effectively for these new older workers may have special
competitive advantages. A new survey of small business owners from the
National Association of Professional Employer Associations (NAPEO)
indicates that some small firms may be well suited for this role. The
survey of 404 small business owners asked them to describe their current
plans and programs for the upcoming demographic transition. Twenty eight
percent of surveyed business owners have already established plans to
formally transfer knowledge from older workers to newer employees. These
firms were also more likely to employ older workers (ages 60-64) and
also planned to retain these workers (if they chose to do so) beyond the
official retirement age of 65. |
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The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship is an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving entrepreneurship around the world. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. |
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National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship
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All
stories © 2008 The Public Forum Institute
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