By Robert Mullins
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal

Queen Isabela I of Spain originally rejected Christopher Columbus’ pitch for venture capital to fund his three-ship expedition in 1492. But after her accountant told her the amount requested was no more than what the kingdom would spend to entertain a visiting dignitary for a week, Isabela relented and gave Columbus 2,000 maravedis in A round funding.

Columbus’ trip lead to the discovery of the New World, generating an incalculable rate of return on Isabela’s original investment.

“Yes, the first venture capitalist was a Latina,” said Marcela Davison Aviles, of San Jose, founder of the Isabela Project, a program to give today’s Latino entrepreneurs a better chance at landing venture capital in Silicon Valley.

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By Kendal Madden
Stanford Report

“When the relief workers arrive after a disaster, what is the first thing they need?” asked Dipak Basu, a Reuters Fellow at Stanford’s Digital Vision Program, at a campus forum on disaster relief on April 22. “Communications,” he answered. “They need a way to talk with the rest of the world, to request supplies and to let the world know what is going on.”

Basu and two other engineers participated in a panel discussion on the technological responses and challenges that followed the December 2004 tsunami disaster in Asia. All three men have extensive background working with international development organizations to bring crucial technology to the developing world. The discussion was moderated by Leonard Ortolano, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and the director of the Haas Center for Public Service. The event, held at the Haas Center, was the third in a series of panels on post-tsunami reconstruction called “After the Waves.” The series is hosted by the Haas Center, Engineers for a Sustainable World and Stanford Student Relief.

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04/29/05: Howard Rheingold, Writer and Consultant, talked about “Toward a New Literacy of Cooperation.” Read the rest of this entry »