A note from our editor, Elizabeth MacBride:
I’ve been watching the headlines about Ukraine. I’m horrified at the violence and death, I’m in awe of the courage, and I’m devastated for the mothers in bunkers underneath the city.
I hope Vladimir Putin has underestimated the world’s commitment to Ukraine. But I’m well aware all of my emotions could be used.
Back when I was writing about guns and the NRA, I was astonished – at the beginning – at how often I encountered Russian propaganda in my reporting. Eventually, I realized the Kremlin knew guns were an almost uniquely divisive issue, so they invested some time and propaganda to make us crazier. It was a strategy that suited the global military industrial complex just fine: They sold more weapons.
The realization led me to read some histories of the Soviet Union’s work in Eastern Europe to destroy people’s capacity to think critically, with a combination of physical and psychological torture. You can read a good summary of the way the Kremlin makes use of some features of our current media platforms here, in the Rand Corp.’s Firehose of Falsehoods.
We’re in a vulnerable moment. The war in Ukraine is a clear-cut good-guy-bad-guy narrative that is keeping us glued to the TV and the Internet. Anger can be addictive – and platforms like Facebook, for one, uses anger to keep us stuck to its platform, as Jim McKelvey recently reminded me.
I’m not turning away from a responsibility to understand the war in Ukraine. In the face of a brutal character like Putin, and clear aggression, it’s hard to see how to combine peace and justice. But I’m trying to remain aware that there are many players that will try to use the current state of affairs to weaken America further by division, and that would like to see a world dancing closer to a wider war.
Times of Entrepreneurship
Stories of the Week
A Washington, D.C. Florist Steps into her Father’s Shoes, With the Help of Georgetown Students
The Pandemic Shined a Light on Community Loan Funds And the Role Small Businesses Play in People’s Lives. Here’s How One Such Fund Affected Two Women.
Entrepreneurs are Tapping into Employees on a Booming Island Nation With 11% Growth
How the Pandemic’s E-Commerce Boom Drove Hire Horatio’s Success to 800 Employees.
In a System Without Much STEM Support for the Most Vulnerable, it’s Up to a Teacher Willing to go a Step Beyond
To Teach His Students, South Florida Teacher Mark Godinez Learned To Code Himself.
You may have missed
Editor’s Note: Is Venture Capital Really a Tool for Broad Economic Development? Elizabeth MacBride Shares Her Point of View on the Fundamentals of Venture Capital in the United States. Read it here.
A Historically Black Community in Miami Helped A New Small Business Survive the Pandemic The Founders, Two Chefs, Had to Pivot from their Plans, but They’re Emerging With a 10-Employee Restaurant Business Intact. Read it here.
Advice for Women Raising Money for their Social Ventures Plus: The Simple Step Venture Capitalists Can Take to Broaden Their Networks. Read it here.
A UVa Startup with Machine-Learning Inventory Management Aims to Reduce Medical Waste For our Startup Spotlights, Times of Entrepreneurship Scouted the Most Successful Startups That Spun out of Top University Competitions and Programs. Read it here.
Making the World Wild Again: A Quiet Story from Indigenous Lands Returning Land to First Peoples, the Wyss Foundation Is Quietly Reshaping the Conversation around Preservation and may Have an Impact on Climate Change. Read it here.
Problem Solved: A Lawsuit from Mattel Almost Killed a Board Game Dream, but the Founder Rebounded One of the few Black Men Making Strides in the Industry, Sherry Martin Learned the Value of Business Insurance. Read it here.
Living the dream 💭
Best Practices: In Rolling Stone, John Daugherty says collaboration begins with checking your ego at the door and listening. There is no way you can not listen to someone and hear what they’re saying. The next time you sit down with someone at the beginning of a collaborative project to talk about the process, talk about how both parties expect to listen to one another and fully understand what each is trying to achieve.
Buzzworthy: In her new book, Kelly Roach dives into what Conviction Marketing means to her. Instead of teaching you to chase social media marketing trends that change week by week, this book will teach you a unique approach to building thought-leadership in your marketing, even in the most saturated online markets.
Rathskeller 🍻
The 4.5 hour workweek: A productivity hack
The concept of time blocking is simple: The more time you reserve, the greater your productivity returns. Whether it be 15-minute blocks or maybe an hour or two. Now, what if you took that to the extreme and blocked out an entire day? As Nate Klemp writes in Inc., once a week he would reserve one massive day for his highest and best, uninterrupted, work. Starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m. No phone calls, no emails, no distractions. Klemp says the results were astonishing. You will get more done in a day than you do in a normal week.
Wanderlust : a restaurant or activity from our Top Ecosystems list
If you plan on visiting Dallas during March, you can find plenty of wonderful women-owned businesses to support and visit. March is Women’s History Month and the city is highlighting some of its best women-owned businesses.
Over the years, charcuterie boards have grown in popularity. In Dallas, Oliva Genthe is not only dishing out amazing boards – she’s creating breathtaking grazing tables. Her business, Fount Board & Table is a cafe and event space in Uptown where folks can also flock to for coffee, sandwiches and more.
Made in the USA
A mother’s intuition led to a successful business in Seattle. Launched in 2011, Swoop Bags are a re-imagined, modern toy bag for kids. Owner Sarah Kirk says Swoop Bags are designed to make cleanup time easy and simple for your kids. Small bags start at $32.00 and are made right in Seattle.
Upcoming Opportunities ⭐
To list an opportunity in our newsletter, check out our rates here. We cover the emerging economy of diverse founders:
🔗Link: https://bit.ly/TimesofEOpportunities
1. A Course To Reach the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
In this free course developed by entrepreneurship professor John Lynn, professors and other entrepreneurship educators get a curriculum and supporting materials based on the influential book, The New Builders.
📅 Date: N/A
🏢 Location: N/A
🔗Link: https://docsend.com/view/s/4gah7gde5yrguz8j
2. Bursary Benefits Available for AI Week 2022
Amii has announced plans to award $100,000 in talent bursaries to empower AI technical professionals to attend AI Week 2022. Apply now to have your travel expenses covered – awards are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
📅 Date: May 24-27, 2022
🏢 Location: Edmonton, AB
🔗Link: https://www.ai-week.ca/talent-bursaries
3. Comcast Accepting Applications for Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator
Open to global startups in connectivity, media, and entertainment, Comcast is now accepting applications for the fifth class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator. Comcast writes that they are “looking to mentor and invest in startups developing world-class technologies and products in the program’s core focus areas: Connected Living; Immersive and Inclusive Experiences; and Smart, Sustainable Enterprise.”
📅 Application Deadline: May 11, 2022
🏢 Location: Philadelphia, PA
🔗 Link: https://lift.comcast.com/accelerator
4. Render Launches Second Iteration of Reconstruct Challenge worth $750,000
Render has announced a new partnership with Access Ventures to award a second national prize focusing on addressing barriers to employment in the United States. Five winning innovations will receive $100,000 each, with one innovation receiving an additional $250,000 to scale further. The challenge is open to anyone in the United States as long as the beta test of the innovation takes place in Jefferson County, KY, or Floyd and Clark County, IN.
📅 Registration Deadline: April 29, 2022
📅 Application Deadline: May 27, 2022
🏢 Location: N/A
🔗 Link: https://www.reconstructchallenge.com/initiatives/employment
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADDING US TO YOUR EMAILS
For Gmail users (desktop instructions)
Move us to the Primary Tab:
Click into the Inbox Tab where our email shows (possibly “Promotions”)
Drag and drop our email into the “Primary” tab
OR add our email address to your Google Contacts
Hover over our sender name on the email
Click “Add to Contacts”
Mail for iPhone users – add us to VIP
1. Open the email
2. Click our email address at the top of this email
3. Click “Add to VIP”
For other email users, add us to your contact list.
This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.
