Kauffman Foundation News (12/21/10): “The Decade of the Woman Entrepreneur” -Kauffman Foundation Ideas at Work

Ideas and Insights
This edition of Ideas at Work features an interview conducted by Lesa Mitchell of the Kauffman Foundation with Shaherose Charania and Sharon Vosmek. They discuss the needs of women entrepreneurs in the decade ahead.

The Decade of the Woman Entrepreneur

An Interview with
Shaherose Charania and Sharon Vosmek

Although success stories abound, women still face societal and personal pressures-perceived and real-when they consider becoming entrepreneurs. While women hold 51.4 percent of managerial and professional jobs, only 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are female. A recent survey of one of the world’s larger entrepreneur organizations found that just 7 percent of members are women.

So, while the numbers of highly educated women who have the potential to start scalable ventures have reached record levels, these women are not pursuing entrepreneurship or being exposed to entrepreneurial possibilities through networking.

To discuss the needs of women entrepreneurs in the decade ahead, Lesa Mitchell of the Kauffman Foundation talked with Shaherose Charania and Sharon Vosmek. Both lead organizations focused on providing entrepreneurial education and support for women who have the potential to become high-growth entrepreneurs. Read more…>> http://www.kauffman.org/entrepreneurship/the-decade-of-the-woman-entrepreneur.aspx?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Opticast&utm_campaign=Ideas_At_Work_12_2010

More news from the Foundation:
New High-Growth Firms Needed to Drive Lasting Economic Growth
According to a new study by the Kauffman Foundation it would take between 30 and 60 new billion-dollar firms to permanently increase the U.S. GDP by one percentage point. Collectively, the impact from high-growth firms that are able to realize $1 billion in revenue could significantly accelerate the U.S. economic recovery, and over time greatly increase income and wealth of the average American household. Read more…>> http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/new-kauffman-study-finds-as-few-as-30-new-billion-dollar-firms-can-significantly-accelerate-gdp-growth.aspx?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Opticast&utm_campaign=Ideas_At_Work_12_2010

Kauffman Seeks Bright Ideas from Women Scientists and Engineers
Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation is looking for women scientists and engineers in the United States who have ideas that could change the world. Kauffman Labs’ Women in Science and Engineering Business Idea Competition is designed to tap a growing pool of highly educated women who have the potential to start scalable science- and engineering-related ventures. Read more…>> http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/kauffman-labs-launches-challenge-to-illuminate-breakthrough-ideas-from-female-scientists-and-entrepreneurs.aspx?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Opticast&utm_campaign=Ideas_At_Work_12_2010

Infectious Talk Podcast Series Features Fresh Episodes
Bill Stensrud, investor and entrepreneur, and Dean Kamen, inventor and entrepreneur, join Paul Kedrosky for the latest episodes of Infectious Talk. Stensrud discusses the need for a technology breakthrough to ignite explosive growth while Kamen explores the conflicted relationship between entrepreneurship and education. Read more…>> http://www.kauffman.org/infectioustalk/blog.aspx?Page=1

Paper Outlines New Model for Drug Discovery and Development
Five leaders in the medical innovation field have released a white paper outlining how government, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions can work with the private sector to enhance drug development efforts. Recommendations for bringing safer, more effective drugs to the market more efficiently are based on expert panel discussions held during the town hall meeting in Kansas City hosted by the Friends of Cancer Research, Kansas Bioscience Authority, University of Kansas Cancer Center, Kauffman Foundation, and Council for American Medical Innovation. Read more…>> http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/white-paper-on-new-models-for-accelerated-drug-discovery-and-development-is-released.aspx?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Opticast&utm_campaign=Ideas_At_Work_12_2010

Policy Brief Explores Opportunities in Afghanistan
Despite ongoing security challenges, the Afghan private sector has enormous opportunity for development and growth and will be a significant determinant to long-term stability in the country, according to the policy brief “Afghanistan’s Willing Entrepreneurs: Supporting Private-Sector Growth in the Afghan Economy,” which was funded by the Kauffman Foundation. Read more…>> http://cnas.org/node/5346