2011's Welcome Spotlight on High-growth Women's Entrepreneurship

As we close out 2011, I did not want to forget to applaud the welcome attention this year brought to maximizing the entrepreneurial potential of women. A recent report, Overcoming the Gender Gap: Women Entrepreneurs as Economic Drivers, showed that despite the fact that about 46 percent of the workforce and more than 50 percent of college students are female, they represent only about 35 percent of startup business owners and tend to experience less growth and prosperity compared to firms started by men.

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Bills to Spur Startups
Last week, we highlighted a new piece of legislation introduced by Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Mark Warner (D-VA) that pulls a number of ideas from a collection of policy reforms suggested by the Kauffman Foundation. It wasn’t the only new bill aimed at reviving the sluggish economy through new and young firms. [More]

Deal Clears Way for ‘Long-Term’ SBIR/STTR Reauthorization
Following years of temporary extensions, it looks as though the SBIR and STTR programs are going to have a bit of stability. The U.S. House and Senate recently came to an agreement that would reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs for six years. [More]

A Look Back at Innovation Daily
Each day, Innovation Daily checks the pulse of global innovation-- courtesy of Innovation America. Here, we take a look at a handful of relevant stories it compiled last week. [More]

This Week in Entrepreneurship Policy
All eyes on Capitol Hill are focused on the struggle over the future of payroll tax cuts two weeks before they are set to expire. No committee hearings are scheduled for the week ahead. [More]