Entrepreneurs take note — here are some of the week’s top stories pertaining to entrepreneurship.

• The myth of the 20-something entrepreneur is just that, a myth, according to a new study.  In reality, the people with the most entrepreneurial activity are between the ages of 55 and 64.  The 20-34 age bracket, those people we normally identify as being risk-taking innovators, like the founders of Facebook or Google, has the lowest rate of entrepreneurial activity.  (Business Week)
• The Tesla lawsuit highlights the importance of being called a founder. Martin Eberhard, the founder of Tesla motors, is suing Tesla and its current CEO, Elon Musk in order to make it known to the world that he, not Musk, was the founder of Tesla.  This article has a great discussion on why the title of “founder” is so important to entrepreneurs.  (Reuters).
  
• Barter is booming. Is your small business strapped for cash? Consider bartering for what you need.  Bartering is gaining in popularity.  Small business owners are bartering for millions of dollars worth of goods and services — everything from computer monitors to health care. (CNN Money).
• Two major federal funding programs for small businesses, the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR)  are set to expire at the end of July if Congress doesn’t reauthorize them.  One debate centers around the section of the bill that considers whether venture-capital backed companies can participate in the programs.  On Thursday, a Senate committee unanimously passed a bill that would allow venture-backed companies some access to federal funding for innovation for the first time in eight years — but the amount is small enough to have the venture capital trade group “very disappointed.” (WSJ)

Tags: Entrepreneurship in the News, Government

Posted in News & Current Events