SOTU 2015: 5 Big Takeaways about Tech and Innovation

TechRepublic | Lyndsey Gilpin | Jan. 21

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/sotu-2015-5-big-takeaways-about-tech-and-innovation/

“President Obama gave his 2015 State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and technology and innovation were key themes…Cybersecurity was mentioned in light of the recent Sony hacks; Net neutrality, which Obama has never mentioned in a SOTU before, was given a few moments; Tesla, Google, Instagram and eBay all got shoutouts; and he either mentioned or alluded to breakthrough innovations in clean energy, space exploration, 3D printing, and healthcare. Here are the five biggest takeaways:

1. Solar power is the future.
2. Pay attention to net neutrality and the open internet debate.
3. We have to fix the gender pay gap 4. We need to talk more about cybersecurity.
4. The conversation about surveillance will continue.”

 

Congress and Lack of Immigration Reform: A Study on How to Undermine the U.S. Economy and America’s Place in the World

Huffington Post | Edward Goldberg | Jan. 20

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-goldberg/congress–lack-of-immigra_b_6507582.html

“Today, a nation’s wealth and potential are as likely to be measured by the innovative power of that country — by the percentage of the economy that is involved in high-tech industries — as it is by the amount of steel mills or the presence of other traditional fixed assets. Unlike auto factories and steel mills, the key assets of knowledge-based industries are not fixed; they consist of highly educated engineers and entrepreneurs, people who, if the political climate in the country becomes too arduous, or if the rule of law a sham, can easily get on an elevator in their building, go to the ground floor and walk out. Economists and business executives call moveable assets such as this ‘elevator assets’…Ironically, the United States has a problem with elevator assets. The United States is the destination of choice for skilled engineers and technology entrepreneurs — but they are not necessarily welcomed with open arms…While the United States allows unrestricted flows of capital into the country, known as foreign direct investment, Congress has limited the flow of modern-day capital — skilled engineers and tech workers — by capping H-1B visas at a level that American technology companies know is far too low.”

 

Intel’s Diversity Drive Should Focus on Internal Changes, Advocates Say

Reuters | Sarah McBride & Noel Randewich | Jan. 20

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/20/us-intel-diversity-idUSKBN0KT1A320150120

“When Intel Corp said this month it would spend $300 million on increasing diversity in its workforce, Silicon Valley lauded its plan to improve the “pipeline” of candidates by helping more women and minorities study computer science and engineering. But focusing too hard on the pipeline, a frequent tactic of technology firms seeking to change their workforce, will benefit the chipmaker less than working on what happens inside Intel, diversity advocates say…‘They are blaming the pipeline for their own faults,’ said Vivek Wadhwa, author of ‘Innovating Women’…He and others say technology companies should look inward, working on making themselves attractive to qualified women and minority candidates who avoid or abandon technology careers. Of all science and engineering graduates, only about 31 percent of males and 15 percent of females work in related occupations, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Just 17 percent of African Americans with science and engineering degrees go on to work in related jobs.”

 

Program Teaches Low-Income Kids to Code

USA Today | Jessica Guynn | Jan. 20

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/19/van-jones-yes-we-code-diversity-technology/21889543/

“Computer science is one of the fastest-growing and best-paying career paths in the USA. Yet most computer science students are white men, and too few African Americans and Hispanics even consider it. Yes We Code is helping dozens of organizations around the country that are trying to address high-tech’s racial and gender gap, from Black Girls Code to Hack the Hood. It connects those groups with the resources they need, Van Jones [Founding president of Rebuild the Dream] said…Tech companies are mainly staffed by white and Asian men. African Americans and Hispanics make up 5% of the companies’ workforces, compared with 14% nationally…Jones is trying to get communities to redirect young people’s talents. And he says the tech industry needs to tap talent from new places: community colleges, coding boot camps, tribal colleges, historically black colleges and universities. Young people from different backgrounds and perspectives come up with new ideas that target new markets, he said.”

 

SpaceX Announces $1 Billion Investment from Google, Fidelity

Puget Sound Business Journal | Sarah Aitchison | Jan. 20

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2015/01/is-google-investing-1-billion-in-spacexs-redmond.html?ana=e_tf&s=newsletter&ed=2015-01-20&u=Pi0GNVM5s1C14e3W0P8mrA0103d930&t=1421877318

“SpaceX’s Seattle footprint may have just gotten $1 billion bigger after the company announced a funding round from brokerage firm Fidelity and Google, Tuesday. The deal means Google and Fidelity will together own a little under 10 percent of the company. Google is closing an investment deal worth nearly $1 billion on Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to help fund the company’s goal of delivering internet across the globe from satellites in space, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal. Musk said in an interview with Bloomberg News last week that the Redmond office could employ up to 1,000 people and would be primarily focused on improving and expanding satellite technology…The investment makes sense. Google and SpaceX have their sights on the same goal: Use orbiting technology to provide everyone in the world with internet access all the time.”

 

Boeing, UW Open Research Lab on Seattle Campus

UW Today | Michelle Ma | Jan. 19

http://www.washington.edu/news/2015/01/19/boeing-uw-open-research-lab-on-seattle-campus/

“Boeing engineers and scientists have brought their projects to the University of Washington, opening a new research center on campus that will initially focus on advanced assembly and manufacturing technologies. The Boeing Advanced Research Center, located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering on the UW campus, will let students and faculty members work collaboratively with Boeing engineers on aircraft and spacecraft assembly and manufacturing. Four initial projects are underway at the UW, led by Boeing-employed affiliate instructors and UW engineering professors…Under the initial two-year contract, Boeing will fund four projects that focus on automation, robotics, and aircraft assembly. The plan is to seek more funding to continue the center indefinitely and bring on more projects…The center’s leaders plan to grow the number of projects housed at the UW and involve more students and faculty members from across campus, particularly in composites research.”

 

Sen. Maria Cantwell Meets with Seattle Tech Leaders on Net Neutrality Ahead of Key Hearing

GeekWire | Taylor Soper | Jan. 19

http://www.geekwire.com/2015/sen-maria-cantwell-meets-seattle-tech-leaders-discuss-importance-net-neutrality/

Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state and former RealNetworks vice president, convened a roundtable discussion at the Moz offices in downtown Seattle on Monday morning as she prepares to speak at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing this week on net neutrality. Participants included Moz CEO Sarah Bird; Cheezburger co-founder Ben Huh; WTIA CEO Michael Schutzler; UW law professor Ryan Calo; Porch COO Asha Sharma; Strange Loop Games Executive Producer John Krajewski; and Drew Atkins, the Policy and Communications Director for the Washington Tech Alliance. The 30-minute talk was designed to help Cantwell gain more insight from leaders within the local tech community and learn why they think an open Internet is beneficial…“We need to get people really going in the Northwest about what a two-tiered Internet means for us, and what we want to see as far as ways to protect this innovation economy,” Cantwell told GeekWire after the panel discussion. The FCC is slated to hold a critical vote on net neutrality next month. One of the proposals on the agenda will be whether to reclassify broadband Internet as a utility, a major change that would give the FCC the regulatory power to ensure equal access to broadband.

 

Microsoft Ventures Accelerator: Diversity in Seattle

Tech Cocktail | Ann Diab | Jan. 19

http://tech.co/microsoft-ventures-accelerator-diversity-seattle-2015-01

“Microsoft Ventures is looking to reinvent the way Microsoft works with top entrepreneurs and startups. The Microsoft Ventures Digital Work Accelerator is accepting applications for its second cohort, which will take place on the Microsoft campus in Redmond from March 16 until Demo Day on July 16…Seattle was ranked as the third best city for female entrepreneurs  in a 2014 study conducted by Nerd Wallet, preceded by Washington D.C. and San Francisco. The study also found that Seattle’s population is the most educated of the cities studied, with 58% of adults over the age of 25 possessing a bachelor’s degree or higher…The City of Seattle has demonstrated myriad forward-thinking methods for bringing STEM, tech, and startup opportunity to its diverse population. Proving a startup during the accelerator phase in a city setting such as Seattle gives entrepreneurs a diverse, educated population for testing and market feedback.”

 

VCs Poured $1.2 Billion into Seattle-area Companies in 2014

Puget Sound Business Journal | Jacob Demmitt | Jan. 16

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2015/01/vcs-poured-1-2-billion-into-seattle-area-companies.html?ana=e_tf&s=newsletter&ed=2015-01-16&u=Pi0GNVM5s1C14e3W0P8mrA0103d930&t=1421877371

“Venture capitalists invested a total of $1.2 billion in Seattle-area companies in 2014, the most the region has seen since 2007, according to a MoneyTree report released today. That represents the 36 percent increase over 2013 totals, compared to a 61 percent increase nationally…The average investment size was up from $7.3 million to $11 million…The growth was at least in part fueled by high-profile successful local initial public offerings that encouraged investors to keep the checks coming, according to Stephen Sommerville, Pacific Northwest Emerging Company Services Leader for PwC. Seattle software companies have historically attracted the lion’s share of local VC investment, and that trend continued in 2014.”