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Several in the tech industry, including MaRS advisor Lance Laking, have gotten together to produce this book, "The Entrepreneurial Effect" with the foreword by Terry Matthews. It is a collection of practical lessons learned. The book is meant to be a knowledge source for those decisions we face as we start and grow our companies, for example, the real story behind risk and investment, how to pick resellers or strategic partners, selling in China, and the only reasons to consider M&As. It is also worth noting that all the authors have donated their knowledge. All proceeds of the book will go to support student technology entrepreneurship - via University of Ottawa grants and scholarships.

A Toronto green entrepreneur is project managing the retrofit of an old building in Toronto into North America's greenest hotel, called Planet Traveller. BNN interviews Tom Rand, investor and project manager, Planet Traveller and Practice Lead for Cleantech at the MaRS Discovery District. Sept 11, 2009

A Toronto green entrepreneur is project managing the retrofit of an old building in Toronto into North America's greenest hotel, called Planet Traveller. BNN interviews Tom Rand, investor and project manager, Planet Traveller. Sept 11, 2009

As stated in MaRS Press release "IDC Canada has featured MaRS client Mensante as one of its "Ten Canadian Health Companies to Watch" in 2009. Leading international psychiatrists, family physicians, psychologists, work place mental health experts and mental health economists developed an innovative web-based mental healthcare system called FeelingBetterNow(R).The College of Family Physicians of Canada has reviewed and approved FeelingBetterNow(R) as a practice management tool available to assist family physicians in patient care. The Ontario Medical Association approved the program for its members' personal use."

This article talks about how the recession's economic tightening is actually good for social enterprises as it forces the industry to be more innovative in order to survive. The author talks about asking for partnerships that are even more valuable than charitable donations. He also talks about why it's important for all companies to incorporate ethical business practices in order to stay viable in a generation of people who care deeply about where products come from. Times are better than ever for social entrepreneurs.

New global R&D management challenges, trends and emerging patterns are presented in smooth theoretical and practical flow. Management models, innovations in intellectual property management, technology listening posts, leading R&D centers (and more) are discussed and depicted through an array of excellent cases ranging from Xerox to Daimler to Roche.

Check out this podcast from Rabble.ca which covers a screening of the documentary, Us Now. The film talks about how technology enables community participation and MaRS Advisor Allyson Hewitt (and Director of the Social Innovation Generation program at MaRS) puts in her her two cents about the opportunities here for social change organizations as well as her encouragement to turn ideas and hype on this into actual practical change.

Consider the two faces of the global innovation movement. Company A, having grown through acquisition, produces multiple brands for multiple markets and operates a worldwide network of research and product development centers. Each of its R&D sites was initially responsible for its own brands and local market, but with globalization these distinctions have lost their importance. Company B, on the other hand, was built largely through internal growth and has two global brands. It operates one primary R&D center supported by a handful of special-purpose sites around the world. This comparatively sparse network has helped Company B win wide admiration for the efficiency of its engineering. Because expanding the number of nodes in a network exponentially increases its complexity, it is not surprising that Company A's R&D structure is more expensive to operate. Company A has considered closing some sites, but has resisted doing so because it fears losing capabilities and insights, and roiling local markets. Meanwhile, incremental budget cuts have chipped away at engineer and supplier morale. Having built its network to maximize the value associated with market access, it is now forced to manage the network for cost. Most global innovation networks look like Company A's - and suffer the same problems. Company B's R&D structure is clearly more productive, but it is not necessarily ideal either. Its network might be too compact, limiting access to knowledge that could maximize performance. Thus, to identify principles and practices for creating a truly well-designed innovation network, Booz Allen Hamilton and INSEAD, the international business school, surveyed R&D leaders in 186 companies from 17 industry sectors in 19 nations in 2005. The survey results, and our own experience, suggest one central truth: Organizations benefit when they configure their innovation networks for cost and manage them for value.

The "singularity"--in which technological change becomes so rapid and so profound that our bodies and brains will merge with our machines.\n The Singularity Is Near portrays what life will be like after this event--a human-machine civilization where our experiences shift from real reality to virtual reality and where our intelligence becomes nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful than unaided human intelligence. In practical terms, this means that human aging and pollution will be reversed, world hunger will be solved and our bodies and environment transformed by nanotechnology to overcome the limitations of biology, including death. We will be able to create virtually any physical product just from information, resulting in radical wealth creation. In addition to outlining these fantastic changes, Kurzweil also considers their social and philosophical ramifications.

The New Atlantis attempts to clarify the nation's moral and political understanding of all areas of technology-from stem cells to hydrogen cells to weapons of mass destruction. They hope to make sense of the larger questions surrounding technology and human nature, and the practical questions of governing and regulating science. Challenging policymakers who know too little about science, and pushing scientists who often fail to think seriously or deeply about the ethical and social implications of their work.

This online chapter of Canadian Business provides established and up-and-coming Canadian entrepreneurs with current and newsworthy information. Focus is placed on finance, management, sales and marketing, technology, and exporting. In addition: * A 'Personal Development' section provides information on best practices, stress management, and more. * A 'How To' section provides information on dealing with various business problems. o From legal matters to corporate motivation. * A 'Startup Guide' section provides the reader with a report on 2008's best niches for start-ups. * Access to PROFIT Magazine is also given.

On April 1, 2010, The Sustainability Leadership Exchange (SLX) will take place at the MaRS Discovery District. The SLX will bring Canadian business leaders, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and investors together to explore what sustainable business means in practice.

"Ontario's lucrative Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy will mean the development of new and highly efficient energy technologies that will secure the Province's clean energy supply for generations. Tom Rand, head of the clean technology practice at MaRS Discovery District and co-organizer of the renewable energy financing conference held in Toronto last month, said that under the province's feed-in-tariff program, the investments are as safe as a 20-year government bond that pays 8 to 12 per cent per year, and guarantees quick connection to the grid.

The Sustainability Leadership Exchange will take place on April 1st in Toronto. This event will create an interactive exchange of ideas and practices between business leaders, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and investors. MaRS Discovery District will be presenting at the event along with Green Enterprise Ontario and InCourage.

Social Media Week will address concerns of social media and youth. MaRS facilitated events guide discussions to implementation and practicality.

As part of the lead-up to the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada (YSEC) conference, held in partnership with the social innovation practice at MaRS, speakers were invited to write about mentorship for the Globe and Mail. The result? Mentorship: the good, the bad, the "just-different".

Alfred Hambsch, founder of Global Electric Electronic Processing, says the e-waste recycling business is a trend that is about to explode into an industry. According to Tom Rand, MaRS Discovery District Clean Tech Practice Lead says, "Regulators in Canada and the United States are now heeding the calls of environmentalists and mandating the proper recycling of scrap electronics, paving the way for innovative clean tech outfits."

EndLoop Studios, Five Mobile Inc. and NuLayer Inc. are three Toronto tech companies at hub of iPad app revolution. According to Krista Jones, MaRS Discovery District ICT Practice Lead, says "Toronto is an app hub because we have deep roots in both the creative and design industries, and the technical industries."

The Globe and Mail profiles Seema Pabari of Tiffinday, a vegan-Indian lunchtime meal delivery service. Tiffinday is a Toronto start-up and a MaRS client in our social innovation practice.

Social innovation practice lead, Allyson Hewitt was on Metro Morning February 22, in a discussion on "social good in business". This segment was inspired by the Civic Action forum about a week ago, in which MaRS was mentioned many times. Fitting, as the forum's focus on building a prosperous and engaged city.

Bryan McBournie interviews MaRS cleantech practice lead, Tom Rand, about why investing in clean energy is so important. It ties directly into the overall mission of MaRS: creating jobs through innovation and entrepreneurship.