The future looks bright, friends. We’re improving diversity in cybersecurity, backing the good guys in finance and moving at a steady clip toward high-flying unicorns. What a wild ride!
Nice Guys Finish First
The financial industry gets a bad rap. From “The Big Short” and “Billions,” to “Flash Boys” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Americans are often persuaded that anyone who works with money must be a bad egg. The Wall Street Journal reports that Virtu Financial CEO Douglas Cifu is determined to rewrite the high-frequency-trading story by focusing on market-making, backing IEX and, um, coaching hockey. His PR push comes alongside his company’s efforts to acquire rival firm KCG, a move that would more than double Virtu’s U.S. trading volumes.
Personnel shortages in cybersecurity are extensive. More than one million jobs in management, legal, compliance, HR and communications that require little to no “tech” or “dev” experience remain unfilled. So what’s the problem? Forbescolumnist and Brown University Executive Master in Cybersecurity Deborah Hurley points out one culprit: D-I-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y. Less than 11 percent of cybersecurity pros are women, a trend that no one has felt pressed to change – yet. “To fill those one million cybersecurity jobs, the industry must look to cross-train professionals from other disciplines.” Challenge accepted.
Unicorns are hard to find, but maybe that’s because they’re flying high above us. TechCrunchreports that last month’s Uber Elevate Summit featured experts from the aerospace, aviation and energy storage sectors. The inaugural event honed in on catalyzing the future of on-demand, urban air transportation, which is about as complicated as you would expect, but also the sector that could produce the next “unicorn.” Long story short, Silicon Valley is betting that tomorrow’s taxi will be a flying car. So when searching for the next billion-dollar startup, keep your eyes to the sky.
Jeff Magson joins CNBC to explain why advisors should practice what they preach and offer fee diversification.
Noble Gold Investments has opened an IRA depository in Dallas, the first of its kind in this region of the country.Crain’s Dallas has the scoop.
DON’T MISS THIS
Prepare your company for the broad spectrum of ever-changing technology trends at The 5th Annual California Technology Summit. The Machon Corporation-sponsored event will explore topics that will “Expand the Frontiers of IT and Security.”
Date: May 17, 2017
Place: Orange County, CA
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE IT IN VC?
Depends on who you ask. Some venture capital firms are putting their money on cryptocurrency, while others are banking on something a bit more traditional: good ol’ leadership. What is the ratio of foresight to blind luck? The Bottom Line looks into it.