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The news is filled with stories of 20-something, hoodie-wearing, Mark Zuckerberg wannabes. But in fact, a study conducted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation found that twice as many tech entrepreneurs started their ventures in their 50s as did those in their early 20s. What's more, over the last decade, the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity in general has been among those 55 to 64 years old, according to another Kauffman report.
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Helping actors get the part
Five years ago, David H. Lawrence XVII was in a panic. In the middle of Los Angeles' rush hour traffic, the actor was attempting to memorize lines he had recorded on his smartphone for a last-minute audition. But, because the only way to rewind was to start the scene over again, he found himself desperately trying to find the right "play" icon with one sweaty hand, while gripping the steering wheel with his other. "I nearly got killed many times," says Lawrence. That's when it hit him: He should develop an app that would help actors easily learn their lines in a hurry—anywhere.
It was a natural fit for Lawrence, now 57, a lifelong techie. He had spent much of his professional life mixing entertainment and technology—as a radio DJ in New York and an early producer at AOL in Washington, before deciding at age 45 to move to LA and start anew as an actor. After a few years, he had some success, appearing on three seasons of the show Heroes. His acting work inspired him to create an app, which he named Rehearsal, into which a script can be loaded, and which contains features to help the memorization process. Lawrence designed the basic look and capabilities, partnered with a developer to do the finished coding and formed Sotto Voce Filmworks to sell the product. "This was a perfect blending of my interests in technology and entertainment," he says. Much to his surprise, it was a huge hit.
A new way to deliver the goods
Except for a stint in the Army in the 1950s, 82-year-old Richard Merians has always been his own boss. The son of a successful small-business owner, "I always knew I would work for myself," he said. And he's still at it, as a cofounder of Deliveright Logistics, a company in Bayonne, N.J., that uses technology to make furniture delivery faster and more efficient.
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