Small Business
These startups are heading to Richard Branson’s private island
Founders of Bloom Technologies, Giroptic and Sphero will pitch directly to Richard Branson. What's it like to pitch to Richard Branson? Soon, three startups will know firsthand. As part of the Extreme Tech Challenge, entrepreneurs from three companies will travel to...
Take a weed break at work. It’s allowed!
Isaac Dietrich [center], co-founder of MassRoots, at his startup's weekly rooftop Cannibis smoking session. At most offices in America, smoking a joint during your lunch break or eating cannabis-laced brownies at your desk would land you in HR. But in some states, not...
You get $500K. But first you have to move to Ohio.
Women entrepreneurs meet with JumpStart staff at a networking event in October 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. Ohio has a message for women- and minority-led startups: Move to the Buckeye State and you have a real shot at getting funding. Leading the charge is...
How Shark Tank star made his billions
Daymond John, best known as an investor on ABC's reality series Shark Tank, grew up the only child of a single mother living in Queens, New York. He would often stare out onto the Manhattan skyline at one of the city's primary symbols of success and ambition: The...
SafiChoo toilet could save lives in developing world communities
Jasmine Burton helped design an inexpensive, portable plastic toilet to address the lack of basic sanitation around the world. Everybody poops. But not everyone has access to a toilet. "It's shocking that this basic necessity is unavailable to nearly half of the...
Say goodbye to plastic sandwich bags
Kat Nouri with her Stasher silicone sandwich bag. Kat Nouri has a love-hate relationship with plastic. As an artist and product designer, she's enamored with its transparency and the endless creative uses for it. But as a mother, and an environmentally-conscious...
Death Wish Coffee scores a free 30 second Super Bowl ad
Touchdown for Death Wish Coffee Company! The startup just scored a free 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl on February 7. The Super Bowl is the most watched event of the year and is notoriously expensive for advertisers. A 30-second ad during this year's game...
Women are reshaping the gun industry
Women are buying handguns in record numbers -- especially weapons that are small enough to conceal. But they are frustrated by the lack of firearm accessories catering to them. So some are starting companies of their own to tailor products to women. "I thought to...
Jane West – The women of marijuana
Jane West cofounded Women Grow, a professional networking group for female cannabis entrepreneurs, in 2014. The group's first event had 70 attendees. Today, Women Grow has chapters in 44 cities, 21,000 newsletter subscribers and 30,000 followers on Instagram. Related:...
Women cash in on the marijuana boom
Giadha DeCarcer, a former investment banker, is founder and CEO of New Frontier, a data analysis provider for the cannabis industry. The cannabis industry is quickly becoming a magnet for female entrepreneurs. Medical or recreational marijuana is legal in 23 states...
Lehman Brothers brand is reborn as a Scotch whiskey
Lehman Brothers is synonymous with financial catastrophe, but one entrepreneur hopes the brand will make him a fortune -- as a range of Scotch whiskey. James Green, 34, is launching three whiskies with Lehman Brothers on the label. The most popular of the range,...
How this STEM school is shattering stereotypes
Dr. Ellis Crasnow (center) with students on the first day of school. At STEM3 Academy, sticking to the norm doesn't work. In fact, the school was launched to do just the opposite. "Our emphasis is on learning versus teaching," said Dr. Ellis Crasnow, the school's...
Meet the money managers who keep celebrities rich
Celebrities usually have one person who doesn't sugarcoat things for them: their business manager. A-list celebrities are used to getting what they want. A prime table at a full restaurant? No problem. Shopping after hours in an exclusive department store? But of...
Tech tackles the refugee crisis
There are nearly 1 million displaced Syrian children. Techfugees wants to use tech to improve things like education. Solving the refugee crisis should be a collaborative effort. That's the message of a global grassroots nonprofit called Techfugees. Techfugees held its...
Richard Branson picks Extreme Tech Challenge startup winner
Eric Dy, co-founder and CEO of Bloom Technologies, accepting his award from Richard Branson after winning the Extreme Tech Challenge contest. Eric Dy is reeling from one of his most memorable experiences as an entrepreneur. Late Wednesday, Dy stood before Richard...
Recycling carbon dioxide? Liquid Light cofounder Emily Cole has pioneered technology that recycles CO2
Carbon dioxide gets a bad rap. Out of all the waste gases produced by human activity -- manufacturing, agriculture, electricity production, transportation -- carbon dioxide is the biggest byproduct and is fingered as the leading culprit behind global warming. In fact,...
You’re not making my doll
Hillary Clinton is there. Ted Cruz is there. So are Bernie Sanders and Marco Rubio. Who's not there in Bleacher Creatures' newest lineup of plush dolls inspired by the 2016 presidential candidates? Donald Trump. Bleacher Creatures is best known for its 10-inch plush...
Robotic blocks – Drones, robots, DIY toys shine at Toy Fair 2016
Kids don't need to know how to code to construct robots with Cubelets. The blocks have embedded magnets that let them snap together to form robots of any shape. Each block has a tiny computer inside it and can communicate with its neighboring block. "This makes...
Want to clean up India? Turn trash into free Wi-Fi
ThinkScream's smart trash can rewards users with 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi for throwing things away. Trash belongs in the garbage bin. It's a simple civic lesson that has frustrated two Mumbai entrepreneurs for years. "India is a country where people love to break the...
South Africa’s first black female winemaker ready to go it alone
"What is wine? Is it a cider or something? I hated the first sip." That was Ntsiki Biyela's first reaction after she won a scholarship to study winemaking in 1998. Now she's an international award winning vintner and resident winemaker at the Stellekaya winery in...
