A note from our editor, Elizabeth MacBride:
Today I dropped in on the Rock Creek Climate summit, where there were many leading foundation heads and others talking about finance for climate change.
One of the biggest questions is why, if there is so much money at the table for innovations to address climate change, there isn’t more innovation happening. I think it’s like pouring a waterfall into a gallon jug for a thousand thirsty people. You fill up the jug, but most of the people don’t get a drink. I was struck by the lack of conversation – which probably reflects a lack of awareness — about the decline in entrepreneurship and innovation, especially in the United States, where it has been falling for 40 years. Yet, when it comes to innovation, finance and entrepreneurship are inextricable. We need a water supply – and we need to support the people who can craft water containers of all shapes and sizes and help them reach the water.
Foundations that have their areas of interest, such as climate, health or food insecurity, may need to consider a broader approach aimed at helping innovators, who often work across sectors and who may come from anywhere. After two years of looking deeply at early-stage entrepreneurship and finance, I’m convinced that there is so much more innovation to be had by creating a fertile landscape for a broad swathe of people, not by crafting formulas or outcomes that, at their best, can only reflect the narrow world of today, and at their worst, reflect only the needs of the institutions that create them.
Science is inseparable from its process. So is journalism. And so, when it works, is finance.
Speaking of environment, the best advice I’ve seen for restoring yourself after the stress of the pandemic is to get outside. You might find yourself somewhere unexpected, as John Muir said. “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
Times of Entrepreneurship Stories of the Week
Thinking Of Quitting Your Job To Launch A Startup?
“Seven years ago, an event occurred in my life that, statistically speaking, was likely to lead to a life of declining earnings and perhaps even poverty as I aged. I got a divorce … “
A story and advice for women from our editor, Elizabeth MacBride.
Will Altruism Fade As The Pandemic Wanes?
Signups for Ice Cream for Change lagged this year, as makers went back to normal.
THE HUB: Tribal Food Entrepreneurs, Stanford Loses A Leader To UC Boulder, And $10M For Neurodivergent Innovation
A California museum and culture center plans to incubate Native American-owned food businesses. Kathyrn Wendell takes the helm of the University of Colorado, Boulder Leeds School of Business Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, and a new fund plans to invest mainly in entrepreneurs working on neurodivergent solutions.
The Secret To Miss Mona’s Growing Ice Cream Brand
Mona Lipson still wonders: Am I crazy to start a business at the age of 40?
You may have missed: Commentary: . A Bakery In Evanston Emerged From the Pandemic Stronger and More Bonded To Its Town This North Shore bread bakery persevered the Pandemic, but now it faces a new challenge: The national worker shortage
The HUB: Google Launches Second Fund For Startups, A Climate Watchdog, And $1 Million For Birmingham Entrepreneurship
You may have missed: Are Hospitals Such A Great Idea After All? The pandemic pushed us back toward health care at home, and Baby Boomers are embracing the trend. Read it here.
You may have missed: Harold Alfond Started A Chain Of Giving That Leads To The Good Crust, A New Company That’s Exploding In Maine How a foundation plugs the holes in Maine’s financial and education infrastructure. Read it here.
Living the Dream
Best practices: With many employees burned out and fed up, taking time to listen to what your team is trying to tell you is not optional. A group of Burger King employees just made their dissatisfaction with their jobs (and management) known by posting a sign outside that said, “We all quit. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Experts suggest a daily stand-up meeting that will help you understand the issues and how people are feeling.
Buzzworthy: In The Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination, New York Times reporters Sheera Frankel and Cecilia Kang take on the tech giant, tackling fake news, user data mishandling and hate speech.
Giveaway: The first reader to respond to this email will win a free, signed copy of the updated paperback edition of The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt. Make great money, work the way you like, have the life you want.
Rathskeller
The 4.5 hour workweek : A productivity hack
You may not be able to squeeze your workweek into four hours but you may want to think about reducing it to four days. Iceland just tried an experiment that found reducing hours upped workers’ wellbeing and life/work balance. Today, 86% of the country’s workers have cut their hours or have won the right to that option.
Made in the U.S.A.
Casper, Wyo.-based Wild Gear is getting set to manufacture its “Freedom Series: of coolers – “built to survive in the toughest conditions” – domestically. They start at about $190.
Wanderlust : a restaurant or activity from our Top Ecosystems list
Next time you head to San Antonio, check out The Moon’s Daughters, at the Thompson Hotel downtown that Business Jet Traveler just listed in the state’s top five restaurants. The restaurant serve this summer’s soulful invertebrate: hazelnut and lemon butter octopus is on the menu.
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