Startup 2009 started with more than 150 entries from startup companies. The startups were then trimmed to a Top 10. Those final ten startup companies each gave their pitch at the conference in an effort to win the grand prize. When the smoke cleared, Article One Partners was named the grand prize winner of Startup 2009.

Article One Partners (ArticleOnPartners.com Screen Shot)

Article One Partners is a company that pays top dollar for finding and submitting prior art evidence for specific patents. On their website, Article One Partners says that their mission is “Adding a crucial level of review to the U.S. patent system that can strengthen legitimate patents and reduce unjust patent monopolies”.

By winning Startup 2009, Article One Partners will receive a cash investment worth $25,000 from General Catalyst Partners. Additionally, they will receive $50,000 in business services that include PR, financial and legal services. Additionally, they will receive free office space in New York City for up to six months.

We’ll attempt to contact Cheryl Milone, the CEO of Article One Partners, to get her reaction to winning Startup 2009.

Microsoft has officially launched Bing, their latest search engine. For those in the startup world, it’s interesting to take a look at Bing with an eye investigating how Microsoft plans to separate Bing from Google.

The first thing you notice at Bing.com is its clean and aesthetically pleasing design. Compared to Google, its design definitely tries to catch your attention.

On Bing’s homepage, you have one-click access to everything from popular searches to a tour of Bing.

Once you input a search, Bing offers a variety of tools. On the left, it has related categories, related searches and a search history. In the middle, it has search results separated by categories. On the right, it has a “similar to this” section.

Along with a regular web search, you can search images, videos, news and maps. There’s also a helpful shopping section.

On the image search, I like that it lists all the results on one page. With Google, it can be tedious to go from page to page to find the picture you want.

The video search is also very impressive. All you have to do is hover over the video and a video preview begins. That is a big improvement over what Google offers.

The news section looks very similar to Google, as does the maps section.

Overall, Bing looks the part. What will make or break Bing will be its search engine results. If users can find what they are looking for easier with Bing, Microsoft’s latest startup search engine could be a hit.

Bing Features and Review (Image: Bing.com Screen Shot)

Attracting Start-Ups, Growing an Innovation Ecosystem – No Major Metro Region Required
Guest Post by Laura Butcher, Executive Director, Hershey Center for Applied Research

It may sound like the toughest of propositions, but an innovation ecosystem can be built in mostly rural central Pennsylvania. It just takes diligence, patience and focus. At the Hershey Center for Applied Research, where I am the Executive Director, we are committed to keeping our eye on the advantages of the leaner times, staying the course and keeping to our strategy during this downturn. The good news is that healthcare is a sector that is projected to grow, and the life sciences – where much of our energy has been focused — will benefit from that growth. Between 2006 and 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook, the health care and social assistance market is expected to grow by 25.4 percent and add 4 million new jobs nationally.

Along those same lines, the most recent PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree report revealed that the life sciences and medical devices sector saw a 10 percent increase in venture funding during the third quarter of 2008, but the professional services firm also acknowledged that a dip in venture investing can be expected for the next several quarters.

While downturns are uncertain times for everyone, there is a silver lining for start-ups, as recently outlined in a BusinessWeek article by Harvard Law fellow Vivek Wadhwa, who points out that a few benefits come out of downturns:

• Less competition and an easier time striking licensing deals with universities
• Lower costs on every negotiation, from real estate, equipment, materials and staff
• Easier time recruiting and keeping talented employees
• Less pressure to expand and so a better chance of quality output

We can’t forget that during the 2001 downturn, as Forbes magazine recently reported, Proctor & Gamble launched Crest WhiteStrips, Apple launched the first iPod, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare rolled out its Pocket-Packs product and a dozen more disruptive developments occurred in the U.S. alone.

Those start-ups that can create the most promising opportunities through their groundbreaking research, while keeping good control over their capital, are the ones that will be most likely to succeed. This is true in any economy, which is why the cost-effective benefits of a research park will continue to be attractive to them.

Research parks are the meeting grounds for collaborations between academia, industry, and government. As such, HCAR is home to several Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine research departments that work side-by-side with start-up biotechnology and medical device companies.

The Proof Is In the Start-Ups

By way of example, HCAR has attracted several innovative companies, including Apeliotus Vision Science, Glycotek, Apogee Biotechnology Corp., and Better Bowls. Apeliotus Vision Science has recently secured $200,000 in Ben Franklin Technology Partners funding. This important investment will allow the company to build upon its momentum in developing a diagnostic for the early detection of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of adult blindness.

Better Bowls was a recent presenter at the 2009 Angel Venture Fair in Philadelphia on April 7th. Chosen from an initial pool of over 140 applicants, Better Bowls was one of 25 presenters at this meeting which typically attracts more than 100 angel investors from across the region. Launched by food innovation expert Malathy Nair, PhD, Better Bowls is focused on snack products products that use natural ingredients, healthier formulations and convenient packaging to help consumers prevent or manage health issues like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Glycotek, another promising tenant, is developing an alternative to heparin, a drug used in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and other blood clot conditions, and also cancer. Currently, heparin must be administered through injection in a hospital setting; Glycotek is working on an oral alternative that can be purchased as a prescription from a pharmacy.

And Apogee, which was HCAR’s first non-academic tenant, is developing chemical compounds that will inhibit the activities of sphingosine kinase, an enzyme known to drive cell proliferation and inflammation. Sphingosine kinase is overactive in several diseases such as cancer, diabetic retinopathy, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and atherosclerosis.

Focus, With an Eye on Growth

Our next challenge is to attract companies in somewhat later stages than the start-up. In order to do that, we have been looking at what our strengths are, and promoting those to companies — things like the strengths of the Penn State College of Medicine, including their leadership in diabetic retinopathy treatment, their new cancer institute, and other advantages. Our being only an hour and a half away from Philadelphia, and an hour and a half from Baltimore, help provide a real value proposition for those later stage companies. We believe that attracting later stage companies to our research park will help our start-ups feel more grounded, helping them gain insights into the challenges that companies face as they grow.

Also to our benefit: Pennsylvania is quite competitive in the life sciences industry. In fact, Business Facilities magazine within the last six months named Pennsylvania the number-one state for the biosciences. It also is because of our commonwealth’s commitment to the life sciences industry, a $2.8 billion commitment, and new funding coming online through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Our proximity to Philadelphia together with our relationship to Penn State College of Medicine; our proximity to Washington, DC, the regulatory capital; New York City, the financial capital; access to international markets, proximity to big pharma: these are all adding up to a strong value proposition. And also, the cost is just a bit more attractive here than you’ll find in some of those metro markets.

While we stick closely to our life sciences focus, we are open to branching out to other areas, like green technologies, to help drive innovation. A real ecosystem has diversity of types of companies. This kind of environment is beneficial to a range of innovators, from start-up to later stage companies.

We have had success in attracting start-ups. We look forward to attracting others, while diversifying our environment. We know it can be done. And who doesn’t appreciate a challenge?

Hershey Center for Applied Research

The United States economy seemingly gets worse and worse each and every day. Open up the daily newspaper and you will see bad business news all over the headlines. (In fact, your daily newspaper may be forced to close like many have around the country.)

Recession Chart - Source: Flickr

Despite all that bad news, starting a business now is actually very good timing. It may sound odd but a recession is the perfect climate to be able to get your foot in the door. Here are five reasons why a recession opens doors of opportunity for startup businesses and startup business owners:

5. Supply chains not set in stone. When everything is going well and the money is flowing in, businesses tend to stay in their same patterns. But when things get rocky, businesses will evaluate their supply chains and are much more open to the idea of trying something new.

4. Other businesses are dying off. Many businesses that aren’t built on financially stable ground will simply die during a recession. Although one business dies, that niche remains and a startup company will be able to maneuver quickly to fill the void.

3. Better employees are available. It may seem harsh but the honest truth is that when more people are out of a job, it’s easier to find quality employees. Additionally, it’s easier to not have to pay an arm and a leg for quality employees.

2. Tax breaks. With the local, state and federal government looking to create jobs, they will bend over backwards during a recession for companies that can employ. Bending over backwards can come in many forms, with tax breaks being one of the most common.

1. Everything costs less. With businesses not able to spend as much as usual, the prices of business related items will naturally decline. That means that the needed money to fund a startup is less during a recession, which is notable because funding is oftentimes one of the main stumbling blocks of a startup business.

I don’t know about you, but when I am up in the wee hours of the night, I am seeing a lot of infomercials telling people now is the best time to start a business.

I’m seeing such statements on many blogs and social media sites. But I wonder, is it really true? Or just some hype?

It’s easy to point to the latter. Times are tough and people are scared that their jobs may disappear (if they haven’t already). So having a plan B is always a good idea. But should that be starting a business?

Perhaps. If you are willing to do the work.

The many get rich with your own business ads are schemes: multi-level marketing/pyramid, or the how-tos offered often give you a taste of what you SHOULD be doing, but never the REAL secret sauce: how to make it really profitable.

Here’s why: ads and promotions like this tell you it’s easy. It’s not.

It takes a lot of hard work - probably more work than your typical job. And you MUST be willing to work long hours, including learning things like marketing, bookkeeping etc, that you may have never had to do before.

So is it possible to start a business in a recession? Sure, thousands have done it. But ask them how, and they won’t tell you it was easy.

Image credit: munny_makin, on Flickr

With a recession in full swing, I’m getting a TON of spam about how easy it is to start a busy and make tons of money.

Perhaps you are getting more than a few too?

It makes sense, as jobs dwindle and people become fearful, many preditors are jumping on board saying how easy it is to make money as a small business owner.

I’m here to tell you, it’s not.

I lnow people will say that you can get a loan or even an angel investor.  But most people get their initial nest egg from F & F, that is, friends and family. Then, and only then, do a few angel investors step up.

But unlike most F & Fs, they will want to see the goods: you need to have a strong profile, show that your company is viable - and have an exit strategy all in place. (Read: you need to start your startup before an angel will take a look!)

If you are looking for a job, the best place to look isn’t the big corporations, who are laying of thousands.

It’s small businesses and startups. That’s according to  a recent poll by SurePayroll, small businesses are hiring.

But don’t hold your breath for all the perks that big companies have.According to the same survey, salaries are declining, as well as bonus perks.  Salaries declined by .51%, the largest one-month drop in the national average small-business salary since the study began in 2004. The average annualized small-business salary for a U.S. employee now stands at $32,182.

But hey. It’s better than no  job at all!

I’m going to start a new series soon about cool tools that can help small business owners and startups with their businesses.

Got something you’d like me to review? Drop me a line at the email address (over on the right) and tell me about it. If I like your pitch, you may be featured here as a cool tool review!

It’s seems starting s small business became one of the highlights of last’s night’s final presidential debate.

Joe the Plumber, a man who wants to start his own plumbing business, wanted some answers on how his taxes would be affected with the candidates’ economic plans.

Regardless of politics, Joe the Plumber represents all of us: people who are in or want to start a small business. So I was listening intently.

I was hoping for answers too. But it seems things got muddy quickly and both McCain and Obama really didn;t outline how they would be helping small businesses and startups as president.

So I am not sure what the plans mean for startups. Did you really hear any answers last night?

In this economy, every dollar counts. We need to tighten out belts and make plans for the future based on it. But if you’re cutting back you marketing efforts, you’ll find you will be leaving money on the table at the end of the day.Statistics show that ‘downsizing’ your marketing during tough times inevitably weakens your brand and your market position - and that’s exactly the WRONG position to take when in a down market.

While on the surface, cutting marketing costs may look good on the balance sheet, you should look at marketing as an investment in your business - not a cost. In many cases, long-term damage can result, leading to problem down the road.

And if you do cut back and hunker down to wait until things get better, you may be missing out on one of the best public relations (PR) opportunities in years! In difficult times, editors and journalists are searching for ‘good news’ - so even the smallest positive story can receive much acclaim - and bring more clients and customers to your door.

PR is also one of the most cost efficient tools available, which can be a blessing when finances are tight. Advertising, although it can be highly effective and should be a part of every business’s arsenal, can get very expensive, very quickly. The same is true for most traditional marketing campaigns.

PR, on the other hand, can achieve great things, even if the allocated budget is quite small. Online public relations can be extremely good value and is something that a business owner can do a lot of themselves, without having to refer to a PR professional.

I am sharing a ton of low-cost tips on do it yourself publicity at my other blog: The Power Publicist. Check it out today.