New Beginnings in Belarus

According to a recent private research survey, 54% of Belarusian entrepreneurs answered yes to the question “Have you ever thought about leaving Belarus?” It is not hard to imagine the reasons. Belarus suffers from systemic weaknesses, such as financial instability and corruption targeted toward business in the forms of threats of fines and confiscations. In an effort to avoid losing the next generation of entrepreneurs, authorities have been discussing some important policy steps.

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Small Biz Owners Optimistic?
As the White House fine tunes its messaging for the upcoming State of the Union Address, small business owners are starting to feel a bit more confident about the economic outlook, according to the latest survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. A commonly used phrase in the NFIB work last year was ‘stubbornly cautious’. However, the new numbers show continued growth in optimism--the December figures were positive for the fourth consecutive month. [More]

Winners of EDA’s i6 Challenge Visit Capitol Hill
The last we heard from the i6 Challenge, the Economic Development Administration was looking for comments on the "X Prize-style" competition designed to help additional cities develop economic blueprints for the future. Last week, four of the six winners of the competition were featured at a hearing on Capitol Hill to provide members of Congress with a look at how federal funds are impacting regional economic growth. [More]

This Week in Entrepreneurship Policy
Things are starting to pick up on Capitol Hill as the House of Representatives is set to reconvene tomorrow (Nov. 17). Relevant hearings are already scheduled for several committees, including Financial Services, Armed Services and Oversight & Government Reform. The Senate will reconvene next Monday, January 23. [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]