The Small Business Watchdog

Over the past year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has been busily implementing provisions of the Leahy–Smith America Invents Act (AIA) in advance of the effective dates of the law’s most significant changes to the U.S. patent system. Several earlier proposed rules are now final and will be effective in September. Other proposed [...]

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The Office of Advocacy’s Seattle conference is being webcast live today, and participants everywhere are invited to participate via SuperChat. Small Business and Government: Maximizing Entrepreneurship, Driving Innovation is a day-long, participant-driven conversation about the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in our economy. It’s being co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, [...]

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You could be going to work as usual. You could be stuck in traffic. You could be studying law, learning the latest computer program, or working on an economics problem. You could be planning to participate in a “Startup Weekend”—or if you just attended one, you could be seeking out funding for the new business [...]

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The magic created by Harlem’s past has retained a local community vested in building upon the strong foundation of the neighborhood. In the spirit of continuous, sustainable improvement, Harlem Week began its 38th annual celebration on July 28th, proving that 155th Street to Washington Heights, from the East River to the Hudson, the streets are [...]

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Chief Counsel Winslow Sargeant will lead Advocacy’s conference in Seattle on September 19th in conjunction with the Next Fifty celebration of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. I spoke recently with Dr. Sargeant about his hopes for the conference:
Q: What made Advocacy decide to convene this conference?
Dr. Sargeant: One of the ways Advocacy stays informed is by [...]

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Q: What do these have in common?

A firm using polymer-based technology to improve the speed of clinical laboratory tests for infectious diseases, cancer, and metabolic disorders,
A company developing scalable simulation software for cloud environments, and
A startup that converts waste glass into versatile green building materials.

A: All three are new companies spun out of research conducted [...]

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“We fund passion, we fund potential, we fund people, we fund success stories,” says the website of Madrona Venture Group, where Greg Gottesman serves as managing director. The company provides seed and early-stage capital to innovative technology companies, primarily in the Northwest. “We fund not only with money, but with time, resources and unbridled enthusiasm [...]

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