Starting Block

Vegan entrepreneur turns passion project into meatless mission

September 5, 2019

Ex-con finds rehabilitation in healthy ramen brand for prisoners

Chef Ron Freeman’s time in prison led to to recovery and entrepreneurship in the instant noodle business.

August 6, 2019

Brazilian artist creates app that turns trash into cash

Poverty is one important reason behind the large number of waste-pickers here in Brazil.

June 6, 2019

Startup helps connect inmates with their loved ones

Critics say the U.S. prison system makes money from keeping people incarcerated. That’s why a new startup making money by focusing on rehabilitation is drawing attention.

April 4, 2019

Drone startups fly plans to reshape rural Africa

Excited drone entrepreneurs are pitching their businesses in hopes of connecting with new partners and funding sources. Their businesses could help revolutionize business in rural Africa.

March 7, 2019

Startups find beauty in Indonesia’s halal economy

Jakarta is expected to see a $1.6 billion boost from the Halal economy. That’s after a new labeling law goes into effect for Indonesia later this year. That’s also why some cosmetic companies are looking forward to a beautiful bottom line.

October 4, 2018

Tech startup brings wellbeing to the workplace

An injury that ended his collegiate swimming career and the stress of attending the competitive Johns Hopkins University, led Ed Pagano to seek therapy. But when he later moved to San Francisco for a job at a tech company, he had no idea where to turn for help.

August 2, 2018

Teen’s alzheimer’s app sparks “Timeless” memories

Emma Yang decided to use her coding skills to help her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

July 5, 2018

China food startup becomes tech unicorn

You’ve probably never heard of this three-billion-dollar Chinese tech startup, but if you’ve dined in a Chinese restaurant then it probably helped put the food on your table.

June 7, 2018

Returning migrants find future in Mexico’s Silicon Valley

U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is displacing Mexican-born migrants, who are finding new opportunities in Mexico’s Silicon Valley.

May 3, 2018

Venezuelan fintech startups find opportunity amid hyperinflation

Venezuela’s economic woes are providing an unlikely opportunity for startups. Massive hyperinflation made the Latin American country’s currency almost worthless. Now, a new trend in fintech startups is helping bring about a cashless revolution.

March 1, 2018

Billionaire funds free school to fill tech skills gap

France is in the grip of a start-up boom and there’s also a focus on teaching people to code. The free programming school Ecole 42 is gaining a reputation for filling the skills gap.

February 2, 2018

Food science startups cook up clean meat flavors

Food scientists and chefs have long been looking for ways to replicate the taste of meat without actually using meat. Now, a new wave of startups is pushing the idea much further, by going to the “cellular level.”

February 2, 2018

Hi-tech scientists look to lab-grown meat to feed the future

For people who like the taste of meat but dislike the association with animal or environmental cruelty there’s a new option. It’s called clean meat.

December 7, 2017

US startup feeds businesses with food waste

Well in the US more than 200 billion dollars’ worth of surplus food is wasted every year. One startup in the state of Colorado is trying to do something about that, by selling excess food at a steep discount.

October 5, 2017

Social entrepreneur teaches street hustlers to be businessmen

In the UK, a new project is helping reintegrate drug dealers back into business. Social entrepreneur Clayton Planter says skills learned on the street can be easily transferred to the corporate world.

August 3, 2017

Bright future: Solar energy industry expects rapid growth, profits

With solar panel system prices falling nearly 20-percent last year, the industry is expected to almost triple in size within the next five years. That’s why in Oakland, California, an accelerator program is hoping to cash in on the boom by developing innovative products to usher in an intelligent energy era.

July 7, 2017

Startup seeks to improve diversity in tech

Statistics show the percentages of men, women and minorities working in the tech sector haven’t changed much. One company believes intelligent machines can help eliminate gender bias in the workplace.

March 2, 2017

Sleep deprived workers costs global economies billions says new study

Less productive workers due to sleep deprivation cost the U.K. economy $49 billion every year. Tired employees in Japan cut economic growth by $138 billion. And sleepy staff in the US eliminates a whopping $411 billion from the economy.

January 5, 2017

Challenges start-ups face in emerging markets

Some of the most promising emerging markets to launch a startup include Bangalore, Nairobi, Lima, Hong Kong, Manila and Tel Aviv.

December 20, 2016

Australia accelerator helps disabled people with assistive tech

19-years of age Marusha Pride has learned to live with Cerebral Palsy and couldn’t work with the technology available to use a computer and control her wheelchair. But new technology, a simple piece of plastic made from a 3D printer changed her life.

December 1, 2016

Starting Block: Mined vs. lab-grown diamonds

Startups are leading the way in disrupting the unmined diamond industry. How much do you care about where your diamonds come from?

November 4, 2016

Starting Block: Raising children for entrepreneurship

To understand what common factors set children on the path of success, CCTV America’s Rachelle Akuffo spoke with Margot Machol Bisnow, author of “Raising an Entrepreneur: 10 rules for nurturing risk takers, problem solvers and changemakers”.

October 6, 2016

Startups revolutionizing fate of used and donated clothing

Leftover auction items get resold in the U.S. or shipped overseas by textile recyclers. Remaining items are processed and shredded for industrial use, like insulation or filler for cushions and couches.

September 8, 2016

Prison encourages convicts to cultivate entrepreneurship

With high walls and barbed wire, Uruguay’s Punta de Rieles prison looks like any other penitentiary. Inside, it’s a different story. Inmates here are encouraged to explore their creative side through music, working and setting up their own companies.

August 4, 2016

Low cost, high quality eye care for low income patients in Mexico

Sala Uno is a Mexican eye care company with a business model that aims to help society and still make a profit.

July 1, 2016

Facial profiling technology used to fight crime, terrorism in Israel

Faceology is negotiating deals with global security linked firms and recently signed a contract with a major homeland security agency.

June 4, 2016

NASA’s growing impact on the private sector

NASA opened up a catalog of 1200 of its patented technologies to commercial startups.

June 3, 2016

One More Question for Jane Chen: What would you tell your younger self?

CCTV America’s Shraysi Tandon interviewed Jane Chen, CEO and co-founder of Embrace Innovations at Forbes Women’s Summit in New York about the challenges of starting a business and she asked her one more question about what she would tell her younger self, given what she […]

May 6, 2016

DC’s Union Kitchen helps food entrepenuers collaborate

Union Kitchen, a shared kitchen space in Washington D.C., allows new chefs to collaborate – and learn from seasoned professionals.

April 29, 2016

Gifts for Mothers Day offered by online start-ups

More and more female entrepreneurs are starting up businesses with women in mind. CCTV’s Shraysi Tandon reports on one company hoping to cash in big just in time for Mother’s Day.

April 15, 2016

Tech transforms lives of people with disabilities in Australia

An Australian startup accelerator is trying to bridge the gap between technology and the people who truly need it.

March 25, 2016

Starting Block: Innovators in Women’s Health

Starting Block looks at startups disrupting business as usual. This segment explores startups that only cater to half the population – women and girls.

March 11, 2016

African entrepreneur makes portable charger for phones and more

Among the scores of African entrepreneurs in New York City, one man is creating huge waves with a device born from the chaos of Hurricane Sandy.

February 26, 2016

Mexico’s online furniture revolution

Until recently, shoppers looking to buy furniture in Mexico have had only two choices: expensive imports or low-end furnishings made of pine.

January 29, 2016

SafeBeyond app stores messages for loved ones after you die

Imagine being able to be a part of your loved ones lives even after you die.

January 8, 2016

Iran’s young seek opportunities in hi-tech startups

Western trade sanctions imposed on Iran may have put a stranglehold on the Iranian economy, but they have also opened the door to local start-ups to come up with their own successful hi-tech companies.

December 11, 2015

The potentially billion dollar hair extensions market

Hair extensions are a huge market. A hair weave can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars and the total market is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions, and potentially billions.

November 6, 2015

Tech startup provides accessible, affordable education

In Brazil, students are required to take standardized tests to attend college. But prep courses are so expensive that only wealthy students generally take them. Now a tech startup is making them more accessible and affordable.

September 25, 2015

Israel’s Silicon Valley grooms next wave of unicorn startups

In the tech world, Israel is known as the “Startup Nation”. After China and the United States, it has more Nasdaq listed companies than any country in the world.

September 11, 2015

Adventure Project empowers poor entrepreneurs to thrive

One U.S.- based charity has come up with a different way to tackle extreme poverty. The Adventure Project uses entrepreneurial spirit and skilled workers to help local communities overseas.

June 26, 2015

Technology is helping respond to disasters

For more on disaster technology, CCTV America’s Rachelle Akuffo spoke with Evert Bopp. He is the Founder and CEO of Disaster Tech Lab which is a company that helps local organizations around the world when disaster strikes.

May 23, 2015

Entrepreneurs were more likely than the general population to have mental health conditions

Starting a business comes with its own special stress, indeed. In an environment where nine out of ten startup companies will fail, it’s perhaps not surprising that researchers are now looking at a link between entrepreneurs and depression.

May 8, 2015

Virtual reality startups take users to another dimension

Virtual reality has taken a leap forward this year with major companies and numerous startups offering technologies that take users to another dimension. It’s actually part of a growing field called neurogaming – where all the sensations of mind and body meet for an immersive […]

April 24, 2015

Startups in Mexico get more investment cash

Mexico’s business climate is undergoing a profound transformation as financial backing for small start ups and entrepreneurs is increasingly available.

April 10, 2015

Mobile app to help doctors diagnose unusual cases

Millions of us use photo-sharing apps like Instagram or even Weibo, but think about this: how would you feel about the world seeing your medical issues at the click of a button? Doctors are starting to use a new smartphone app that lets the medical community […]

April 10, 2015

One more question for Bertalan Mesko: What is a medical futurist?

CCTV America’s Rachelle Akuffo interviewed physician Bertalan Mesko and author of “The Guide to the Future of Medicine” about new advances in technology and medicine and patient-doctor interactions and asked him one more question about what it means to be a medical futurist.