The University of Virginia and other leading universities are making a concerted effort to build entrepreneurial ecosystems and programs that provide students and faculty the academic foundation, practical tools, and opportunities to cross-collaborate, with the understanding that great ideas are not created in isolation, and great businesses are inherently multi-disciplinary.

FORBES: The Next Silicon Valley? Small Town America.

Linaro will work with the growing number of Linux distributions to create regular releases of optimized tools and foundation software that can be used widely by the industry, increasing compatibility across semiconductors from multiple suppliers.

ENGADGET: ARM, Samsung, IBM, Freescale, TI and more join to form Linaro, speed rollout of Linux-based devices

The New Options Project, an investment of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is currently testing tools to break down barriers to employment among out-of-school, job-seeking young adults while meeting employer demands for qualified entry-level workers.

FORBES: The Qualified Job Applicant, Redefined

And with the help of the Nemours Foundation and NACCRRA, we have the tools and the information that can help parents and providers answer questions and implement the checklist either in their environments or in their homes.

WHITEHOUSE: First Lady Michelle Obama Unveils Lets Move! Child Care

By investing in companies like Grasslands, Fullterton and other impact investors are laying the foundation for new finance-based theories, tools, and metrics to serve the needs of a sustainable economic system.

FORBES: Impact Investing in Sustainable Agriculture for a New Economy

"Having Sony behind me and my MEB foundation has inspired me to continue to accomplish more and has given me the tools to continue to perform at my peak, " said Meb Keflezighi.

ENGADGET: Sony unveils Meb Keflezighi Edition Walkman W Series, fills it with the marathoner's coaching wisdom