NewsFeed 10.19.09

Serial entrepreneur enjoys investing in others’ ventures (Times-Dispatch)
Karen Booth Adams never intended to own a piece of nine companies. It simply evolved that way over the years. At age 23, she started the Richmond branch of Computer Professionals Inc., an information-technology company, in partnership with founder Thomas Hoshko. Two years later, they sold it and she became a millionaire.

Investors skittish about commercial real estate (Inside Business)
Enthusiasm for commercial real estate has waned, according to a report from research firm Preqin. Private investors are putting their money elsewhere or hoarding it until the returns get better, based on figures from Preqin.

Top aides to Obama upbraid Wall St. (Washington Post)
Top Obama administration officials sharply criticized Wall Street firms planning to pay big bonuses, pointedly contrasting the soaring profits some financial companies have recorded in recent days with continuing high jobless rates across the country.

Jay Leno’s new time slot wreaks havoc for NBC affiliates (LA Times)
NBC’s decision to move the talk show king to 10 p.m. is undermining viewership of local late-night newscasts, which are a crucial source of revenue for the network’s affiliates.

Three Best Ways to Win a Government Contract (WSJ)
More small businesses are looking to make the federal government a client, since it’s a smart way to diversify sources of revenue when regular clients aren’t biting. The U.S. government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world, spending $500 billion last year.

7 Tips to Score VC Cash (Entrepreneur)
Venture capitalists tell us what it takes to win funding in this environment.