HIGHER EDUCATION

Innovation

Include innovation and entrepreneurship in tenure decisions

Invest in innovation infrastructure (networks, training, tools, business development, alignment, etc.)

Connectedness - bring university and business community together to solve problems

state branding campaign - "VA is for Lovers of Innovation"

STEM

Incorporate minimum requirement for the number of STEM courses for every degree

Implement aggressive recruitment of STEM students to bring them to or keep them in VA

R&D

Invest in talent and R&D pipeline ("Bucks for Brains")

Fund "Innovation Fellows" program

Invest in market-facing proof of concept research

Online Education

Require all professors to teach one online course per semester

Require students to complete at least one year online

Provide infrastructure and training for teachers and students

Create an all-online university across VA

Ensure high-speed internet access

Eliminate cost as access barrier

Dedicate a revenue stream to make community colleges free for Virginians

Evaluate cost drivers for degrees - make the goal $15,000/degree

More entrepreneurship training for STEM students

Accelerate workforce development

Create a 3 year bachelor’s degree

Require all high school students to compile one year of college courses before graduation

Require all high school students to apply for college and financial aid

Honors community college program

Align degrees with actual jobs available

Educate grads on available jobs

FINANCE

Government's role

Write off capital losses against ordinary income

"Commonwealth Entrepreneur Scholars" - highly competitive 1 or 3 year scholarships for graduates to get professional experience with startups, VC/PE, and corporates (in ops and deals)

Intern tax credit - Give corporate tax credit for cost of one intern chosen competitively from VA colleges and universities

Make tax credits transferable

Allow state pension to invest in private state-focused VC/PE

University's role

Improve technology transfer transparency

Reward business formation instead of IP income in technology transfer

Take equity in ventures

Reduce incubation capital at Universities

MENTORSHIP 

Identify mentors

Define what a mentor is

Mentoring programs

Mentor at all levels (horizontal and vertical)

Big brother and big sister programs in companies

Use "coaching forms" instead of personnel evaluations

Develop reward system

Mentorship ecosystem

Leverage existing groups and connect silos

Bring in diverse mentors at different levels and competencies

COMMUNITY BRANDING

Quality of Life

Create an educated workforce that will stay and is effective

Urban transit oriented development

Begin at an early age to foster creative ideas

Quality education in k-12 and higher ed

Leadership

Create and communicate a vision - anchor companies (whales) can lead

Encourage policies that incentivize employees to be creative/innovative/entrepreneurial

Leverage Regional Competencies

Realistic aspirations

Collaboration

Put an entrepreneurial infrastructure in place

ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING

Focus

Identify, understand, and gap fill to create ecosystem

Funding

Address the entire process not just pieces

Funding

Business planning and research

Business development process

Steps after startup

State funding sources need to fund people not companies

Emphasize service based business or other core competencies

Create online templates on "how to" of business planning

Curriculum

Incorporate entrepreneurship training into statewide curriculum

VA should create regional entrepreneurship centers to: educate, support and network

Center's staff should be well qualified and paid, not volunteers

Address the entire process not just pieces

Funding

Business planning and research

Business development process

Steps after startup

Put an entrepreneurial infrastructure in place

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

State Tech Transfer Board

Governor to designate a board to interact with tech transfer entities to expedite IP licensing

Board to research and develop best practices for licensing (i.e. Explore state-wide co-op)

Make process flexible with fast track option

Measure results of tech transfer in long term (i.e. jobs and economic growth)

Provide awards for excellence in tech transfer office

TAX & REGULATION

Starting companies

Streamline application process and make website clearer

Create one place to pay taxes

Incubators

Merge the Department of Business Assistance (DBA) and Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) into one entity reporting to the Governor

Do away with blue sky laws

Government structure

Governor's office should have more discretion with state surplus

6 year term for Governor

Consolidate regulatory agencies into one stop shops for environment, health, etc

Policies

Mirror Texas and Florida tax and regulatory environment

Increase incentives for: angel investment, R&D and capital gains

Create new incentives to keep graduates of VA schools in Virginia

Make it harder to add taxes and regulations

Regulations in excess of $100,000 fiscal impact require legislative approval

zero base budgeting for government agencies to switch burden of proof

Collaborate with and borrow from other states

State champion in key industries

Study wine industry for best practices in supporting niche industries

 K-12 EDUCATION

Prevent achievement gaps before they open

Align resources for the right students

Assess skills/needs/potential of students

Just like in sports, identify high achievers early and nurture their development

Accelerate learning for the gifted in addition to:

Instill critical thinking in all

Leverage applied learning opportunities

Develop innovative 21st century curriculum

leverage technology and online education

incorporate real-world experience

partner with higher ed

reach underserved rural/urban students

Create a Governor's school for Entrepreneurship

NETWORKS

Visibility/storytelling

Celebrate specific examples of what is working and why it works

Develop coherent storytelling strategy to showcase stories of people, startups and ecosystem

Create a portal to the networked resources required for entrepreneurial success

"born in VA" - Create an innovation/ideation social site with innovation tournaments, discussion forums, blogs

Capture the people

Give "scholarships" for young entrepreneurs to stay in the community with cool housing that is cost effective for startups

Grants to promote "idea cafes" across the state (ie $500 for a luncheon gathering)

Retain the human capital output from our innovation factories through quality of life improvements

Appoint an under 35 year old committee to advise on quality of life and help retain talent

Offer government funded incentives to recruit human capital and entrepreneurs (such as Vermont, Chile and Singapore)

Get in the game

Play in the Top 50 networks across the globe

Have the governor identify a real program to be solved and pull the network and data together to develop new analysis and ideas

Invite alumni of business in VA to meet and address state challenges

Have a call to action for the state's iconic and successful entrepreneurs to be visible and available (office hours, coffee shop time etc)

Foster symbiotic relationship between nascent entrepreneurs and existing companies

Invite existing recognized start up initiatives like startup weekend to come to VA, bringing their informal networks

 CULTURE

Spaces for mixing

Promote more spaces and events for mixing of civic leaders, businesses and entrepreneurs (such as coffee shops and others)

K to CEO Ed

Start early planting seeds for entrepreneurship and continue through all levels

Foster innovative educational approaches

Identity/branding

Find ways to create a reputation as a destination for innovation

Try linking our ideation spaces to international destinations like Paris and Barcelona

Policy

State should engage public and private sector to look outside VA for the best ideas in entrepreneurship

encourage more advocacy and the importance of government engagement

Open Structure

Encourage open B2B relationships among existing companies with perhaps a spinoff incentive or credit

Engage local leaders in developing regional capacity and identities

Pervasive arts - find way for the whole community to immerse itself in one idea each quarter (such as "color")

Institutionally incentivize a "yes" culture and create an aversion to "no"; help people be listeners that nourish

Communication & Role Models

Celebrate serial entrepreneurs and encourage them to mentor younger generation

All children are naturally artists so figure out how to put role models of creative innovation in front of them (and CEOs)

Make projects, ideas more public -- Celebrating dream power by networking it