In addition to the various types of entrepreneurs explored in the Pozen piece that we read a few weeks ago, this article touches on another interesting type of entrepreneurship, which might exist on its own or fit within the social entrepreneur category, and that is educational entrepreneurship.
Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/fotschcase/2016/02/02/the-open-book-college/#5cffa16f7ece
This article looks at how technology and crowdfunding are changing the real estate industry.
High School Dropout Raises $17 Million After Cold Emailing Mark Cuban
Interesting to see an entrepreneur take on the insurance industry that was previously thought to be impossible. He found a way to work with the insurance companies rather than trying to change them.
Twitter’s stagnation: An example of the difficulties companies can face to stay relevant over time & continue to grow after initial success.
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-end-of-twitter?intcid=mod-most-popular
Some of the observations that “Financial Samurai” makes have questionable merit. (For example, he sings the praises of Singapore, which has a record of fairly serious restrictions of human rights.) In addition, simply speaking from the standpoint of entrepreneurial thinking, institutions, associations and organizations that are closer to the problems tend to be better at solving them than very large institutions or organizations, which cannot quickly pivot in response to errors, changing circumstances or new information.
That said, here you go:
Again, these data are from 2014, but it breaks down the $358B in some interesting ways! (There is also a link to a chart that shows charitable giving by state – although this dates back to IRS data from 2011.)
http://nccs.urban.org/nccs/statistics/Charitable-Giving-in-America-Some-Facts-and-Figures.cfm
This really is an under-promoted aspect of civic life in the United States. I have had conversations with colleagues in other countries who have told me that there is no – or very little – culture of “giving back.” It is huge here, and not enough people know about it.
An interesting article about CropMobster, a California based company, which leverages social media to spread the word about local food excess from any supplier, which in turn gets healthy good to those in need, helps local businesses recover costs, and prevent food waste (currently, 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten every year.)
Female Founders Guide to Kickstarting Your First Business
Cool article on obstacles facing female entrepreneurs.
Elon Musk Identifies the City That Will Lead the Way with Electric Cars
Interesting article on where he sees the greatest opportunity for electric cars. Surprising it wasn’t in the United States.
