iCarbonX, Anki, CARMAT, Arago, CloudMinds, Zero Zero Robotics, Preferred Networks, Inc., CustomerMatrix, Ozlo, and Scaled Inference are the top 10 Artifical Intelligence startups based on an analysis of CrunchBase data today. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most diverse startup categories in CrunchBase, with 256 startups distributed across 225 categories and subcategories.

For states looking to land on the positive end of this annual ranking, the lessons are simple: Offer healthy wages, manageable taxes, a low cost of living, and safe working environments. “Employment conditions in the U.S. have improved dramatically in recent years but not all job markets are created equally,” said Richard Barrington, senior financial analyst for MoneyRates.com and author of this study.

In the arena of social media for business, few are better versed than Dr. Gary Sharpe, UK-based digital marketing expert and author of the Digital Sherpa books on Amazon that include “The Truth About Social Media Marketing: What Every Business Needs to Know.” I own this book and began this post as a chance to share some of his thoughts on social media for business such as the following: Remember, social media is “rented space.

Professional networking is no longer confined to meeting rooms and attending events. There are more opportunities than ever before to create a globally impactful career by growing your professional circle – and you can make it happen without leaving your desk. We are all global citizens in some way, thanks largely to social media.

Negotiation skills are a creative super power. Any time we are able to bring ideas, people and resources together in a unique way, we are harnessing the creative power of possibility. This week, here’s what Wendy Davis has to say on the topic: Wendy Davis has inspired women in Texas for years.  She also inspired women across the country and the world in 2013, when she led a historic 13-hour filibuster for women’s rights.

Kristen Von Tersch, a 28-year-old college dropout with a pierced nose, owns five Dutch Bros. drive-through coffee franchises in the sleepy southern Oregon town of Klamath Falls. A year ago she was making $35,000 as a regional manager. Now her stores are on track to gross nearly $4 million, leaving her $230,000 in profit. But she says she doesn’t care about the money. “I would work for Trav for free,” she says of Travis Boersma, 45, Dutch Bros.’ CEO and cofounder.

Shutterstock In the good old days, well before the internet era, businesses moved at a glacial pace.  It took decades for the most successful companies to reach $1 million in sales (Proctor & Gamble took 22 years), or receive a billion dollar valuation. (Ford Motor Company was deemed a billion dollar company after 21 years.) But thanks to the impact of the World Wide Web, we’ve witnessed unprecedented business growth, especially in Silicon Valley.

Dear Liz, I lost my job around Valentines Day and it took me a month to get my job search going. Part of my problem was that I didn’t know exactly what kind of job to apply for. Finally I got that straightened out and I updated my Human-Voiced Resume. Once I got my job search in gear I got two interviews within a month and I was excited. The first interview was fine. The people were nice but the job doesn’t seem all that exciting and it pays less than my old job did by a wide margin.

(Courtesy of Shutterstock) Fund raising is not something most entrepreneurs look forward to doing and that may be the understatement of the year.  Some fear the rejection, some are concerned about the time suck and the impact it will have on their business, and others are simply nervous because they have never done it before.  Some entrepreneurs get their capital quickly and easily while others struggle for many months.

Dear Liz, I am a new HR Manager in a 190-person professional services firm. We have a mix of senior-level, staff-level and clerical employees and a fun atmosphere in general, but there are pockets of discontent and bad energy in the company, too. I’ve been the HR Manager here for eleven months. I am the first HR Manager they’ve had, because the company is growing. In my two ‘problem areas,’ the supervisors are less experienced than in our other departments and it shows.