Google plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in breakthrough renewable energy projects, with the aim to produce cheap electricity on a globally-significant scale.

By proposing $77.2 billion in new 2010 funding for clean energy projects, the Departments of Energy and Interior can boost the U.S. renewable energy sector.

People often mock Super-Angels as being impure because they invest other people’s money. We also often get asked “What are VCs and Seed Funds doing on AngelList?” (They’re clearly marked, by the way, and you can choose who your pitch is visible to.)

I will propose, however, that whose money you’re investing is less relevant than on what terms it comes on. Venture Hacks was created to educate entrepreneurs when the Angel market was much less robust. At the time, if you wanted anything more than $250K, you basically had to go to Venture Capital.

Many years ago I was involved in a business targeting the shoe market. Through some connections I made, I was introduced to a potential investor. This investor was one of the original employees of L.A. Gear, a shoe company that at one point went public and was the third leading athletic shoe retailer behind Nike and Reebok.

Within 5 minutes of my conversation with him, one thing became extremely clear: this guy could give me a ton more value than just the dollars he could bring to the table.

He could tell me exactly how the industry worked. He could tell me what trade shows to attend and which to avoid. He could tell me which manufacturers to work with, and how to negotiate the best rates. He could introduce me to the best distributors to make sure my product reached as many retailers and customers as possible. And so on.

Seeking funding for your company? This webinar promises to show you what to say and do in order to get a serious look from lenders and investors.

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What makes places like Silicon Valley tick? Can we replicate that magic in other places? Despite enormous public investments globally, only a few regions like Silicon Valley have become enduring innovation ecosystems―human‖ networks‖ that‖ generate‖ extraordinary creativity and output on a sustainable basis. What is the nature of such innovation ecosystems, and how can we deliberately build them?

This white paper and a related book propose a radical “their of everything" to explain the workings of innovation ecosystems. My colleagues and I call this model for such a system the Rainforest. By weaving together our personal observations with what we know about human nature, evolutionary biology, economic cooperation, physical systems, and social systems, we can offer a new and more productive way of thinking about innovation. We argue that neoclassical economics fails to explain the real-world workings of Rainforests. Instead, the innovation process is intimately bound with the dynamics of human nature, the invisible transaction costs caused by human nature, and the development of social norms that help people in Rainforests overcome those transaction costs.

Therefore, while the neoclassical Chicago School does not easily explain the mystery of places such as Silicon Valley, “Chicago‖ Thinking” in general—as an interdisciplinary practice that blends social science, hard science, and empirical analysis—can meet that challenge.

Download the PDF of the White Paper.

Collaboration is a contact sport. “Regional collaboration” has long been a somewhat idyllic phrase within technology-based economic development circles. Beyond the websites and trade show booths, its rare to find “collaboration” expressed in an every day operating plan. Geography, municipal boundaries, political districts and competing organizations provide real challenges for regional initiatives to find and sustain common ground.

With the announcement of the Federal Regional Innovation Cluster (RICs) initiative in March of 2010, those barriers are becoming more transparent. That initiative defined RICs as “geographically-bounded and active networks of similar, synergistic or complementary organizations which leverage their region’s unique competitive strengths to create jobs and broader prosperity.”

Sen. Alberta Darling says the venture capital bill is dead.

That's hugely disappointing and hurts efforts to boost entrepreneurs and jobs.

Wisconsin is already getting beat by other states in attracting the private dollars that fuel new companies with innovative ideas. The latest failure will move Wisconsin further behind its peers.

That's too bad, because Wisconsin is a leader in academic research and patents. We're good at hatching strong ideas and technology.

But if the dollars to expand those products in the marketplace aren't available here, those startup companies and jobs will go elsewhere.