PUDDLE HOPS: Rubber from sunflowers; Steve Case and the Rust Belt

Developing rubber from sunflowers

With the world’s supply of natural rubber at risk, Edison Agrosciences in St. Louis is working to develop alternative rubber crops. The product it believes can become homegrown rubber? Sunflowers.

Steve Case and the Rust Belt

Steve Case talks about his investing hypothesis: Rust Belt cities and corporate towns in the Midwest are a value play—you get a better deal on a startup in Cleveland than in Cupertino, because there’s less competition.

CMU Venture Competition 

Mach9 Robotics and Moonpy took the top spots for the graduate and undergraduate tracks in this year’s Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center McGinnis Venture Competition.