It seems eons ago when the first cattle rush for Minnesota's governor's office appeared on stage at the BIO forum in April. The results of that debate were abysmal for innovation. Eight months later, Tom Horner and Tom Emmer have substantially improved their grades.
I'll say this about the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) -- the union sure knows how to hold a grudge. Last week, the MNA blasted Tom Horner, calling the Independence Party candidate for governor and former public relations executive "disingenuous and borderline condescending."
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
After surveying the chaos otherwise known as Fall elections, I can confidently conclude one thing: I don't think Democrat gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton is scoring a lot of votes from the business community, especially the important lifescience industry. So that leaves GOP nominee Tom Emmer and Independence Party favorite Tom Horner vying for lifescience votes.
If Minnesota keeps this up, expanding the $60 million angel investment tax credit won't just be a nice idea, it will be a political necessity. Minnesota has awarded $1.5 million in credits to angels, up from $573,000 in late August -- a nearly three-fold increase in less than two months.
Strip away the politics, and we get a clearer picture. If government really wants to jump start job creation, then we really should look at helping startups, which account for 20 percent of total gross job creation.