I’ve spent the last few days in Boulder immersed in the world of the Unreasonable Institute. As I’ve been listening to some promising social ventures give their pitches, there have been a number of great articles about the changing nature of the venture space, innovation in global mobile money, some good news about conflict minerals, and more.
Obama Signs Legislation to Label Conflict Minerals: There is a growing awareness of the fact that many of our modern electronics include minerals mined in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. New legislation passed recently means that companies are now obligated to provide information about whether they’re using parts derived from minerals that come from these places, and if so, what they’re doing to ensure that they obtained legal and with regard to human rights.
A Mobile Payment Trifecta in Kenya: Erik Hersman is one of the leading voices in the story of Africa’s mobile tech renaissance. In this piece , Hersman talks about three mobile payment companies showing how Kenya is actually arguably getting out ahead of many startups coming out of America and Europe that are working on these high-potential areas.
Idiocy and brilliance of American policy toward entrepreneurs: A nice simple piece about the irony of our immigration policy by tech blogger Robert Scoble. He points out how, on the one hand, the US creates a space safe for failure — the necessary prerequisite for an entrepreneurial culture. Yet on the other, we make it immensely hard for talented people from around the world to settle and work here.
Why Every Social Entrepreneur Should Be Paying Attention to SKS & Unitus: I haven’t spent as much time with the Unitus shut down and the SKS (microfinance) IPO as I should, in large part because I’m still wrapping my head around what I think they mean. This post does a nice job connecting many of the dots, however, and links to a follow up, as well.
Are Most VCs Dinosaurs Who Need to Hurry Up and Die?: The venture capital space is in the midst of a rationalization period, in which the model is trying to adjust to the reality that startups are starting for less, and exiting earlier through buyouts. This week, leading angel investor Dave McClure launched his own seed fund “500 Startups,” and launched a shot across the bow of the traditional VCs. This post looks at both sides.
Photo credit: Scott Kinmartin
Budget crises rarely result in productive policy reforms, but criminal justice may be the exception that proves the rule. Pennsylvania is now jumping on the 