ATLANTA—Although the effects of the current recession are likely to be severe and worldwide, Arcapita, the Atlanta investment firm, is a bit optimistic about some sectors, says Executive Director John Huntz. “Nothing is immune, but we are more optimistic about health care services and medical devices,” he says.

Due to economic conditions, a sort of “Business Darwinism” is taking over in most organizations – survival of the fittest – as excess is trimmed and only the necessary survive.

CARY, NC—Trana Discovery, a biotech startup out of North Carolina State University and the Technical University of Lodz, Poland, has developed a new patented technology that may help defeat a wide range of infectious diseases, including antibiotic resistant staph and the wily AIDS virus.

When it comes to marketing, everyone has an opinion – right or wrong. Ask any business owner in this industry about what is the best way to market your business, and everyone will have a different answer. Problem is, many of those opinions are just that – opinions.

ARLINGTON, VA - Positive Energy, which sells software and analytics for utility smart meter services, has raised a $14 million round from New Enterprise Associates.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - Small business expert Neile King, VP of RTP-based Smart Online, says barter will make a big comeback in 2009, and "keep your customers" will become a nearly universal mantra.

NEW YORK (AP)- Internet stocks mostly sank in 2008, as Web heavyweights Google and Yahoo were wounded by slowdowns in retail sales and online advertising growth - issues that also dragged down the sector.

I wanted to start off this column with some sort of overly smarmy type of sales pitch. You know, the kind of snake oil lines that Billy Mays would be shouting at you in a desperate plea to amplify your respect for the obvious fantasticness of fabric glue or the tiny little hamburger. Anyway, I thought something like that would be a funny and poignant way to kick off my column about sales, but then I realized it was neither.

MIAMI — Can’t put a name to that face when you’re networking? Find yourself multi-tasking then forgetting where you put your keys? Leave someone off your holiday shopping list?

ATLANTA—Some time ago, Paul L.H. Olson’s wife renewed her driver's license using a Visa card, and three months later received a $4,000 bill from a Dallas, Texas rental car company, even though neither he nor his wife had been there. “Someone breached that state’s system,” says Olson, CEO of nuBridges. That sort of security lapse is what nuBridges’ software and services are designed to prevent, he says.

While everyone is still hesitant to use the “R” word, the writing is on the wall. Not only do your clients have less money to spend on your products and services, you have less to spend on marketing.

ATLANTA—Staying valuable to your employer when layoffs are rampant is really no different than when times are good, but in slow economic times it is critical, says Bruce Culbert, CEO of iSymmetry and myCRMcareer. Culbert offers these tips for making yourself more layoff-proof.

RALEIGH, NC - British software firm Patersons HR and Payroll Solutions, which has U.S. headquarters in Raleigh, has raised a $30 million first round led by Rho Ventures.

Is the slumping economy taking its toll on your bottom line? Here’s what you can do now to turn things around fast…

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC –Sales and a revenue stream give startups two advantages: first, they are not as dependent on acquiring outside funding, and second, they are more attractive to venture capitalists if they seek funds to grow. Yet, building a sales team is often beyond a startup’s means, which is where Group 19 comes in.

ATLANTA - In these challenging economic times, many entrepreneurs are struggling to find the path to success. In the Southeast, this is even more challenging given our lack of available sources of venture capital.

POTOMAC, MD—Offered tickets to a Washington Redskins game on the 50-yard line several years ago, Cliff Mark discovered that no Internet source for comparison shopping event tickets existed. So, Mark, 24, and his partner, Dan Marsh, 23, founded Ninja Tickets when they left college to fill that niche.

BETHESDA, MD - Overture Technologies, which sells software to help mortgage and education lenders make decisions, has raised a $6 million C round led by Capital Trust Ventures.

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Venture Capitalists forecast a rugged 2009 with a marked slowdown in investments, but say companies that weather the perfect economic storm will emerge strongly in 2010, according to the National Venture Capital Association Predictions Survey.

CHARLESTON, SC—BeliefNetworks, which provides semantic intelligence and predictive analytics to Web publishers and advertising companies, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from Palmetto Investments and Exchange Group, a Charleston-based investment firm.

CHEVY CHASE, MD - JackBe, which sells enterprise mashup software, has closed a $5 million round from existing investors, including Harbert Venture Partners, Core Capital Partners, Blue Chip Venture Company, Intel Capital, and Darby Technology Ventures.

ATLANTA (AP) - What if the humble old landline phone could be as interactive as the flashy iPhone?

CARY, NC – So you always wanted to be in the pop music business? SongVest, an online auction site, lets music fans bid for a percent of songwriter ownership in tunes such as the Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville,” or the theme to the TV soap opera, “Days of Our Lives.”

As a leader, it does not matter what product or service your company offers or what specific responsibility your team has; your job is to motivate and develop your employees. While most leaders believe motivation is the key to any organization’s success, many struggle to keep their people motivated on daily basis.

GREENSBORO, WINSTON SALEM, HIGH POINT, NC - The Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurial Network (PTEN), which invested small amounts in 30 companies since 2004 and conducted business plan competitions and a venture conference, is closing its doors.

WASHINGTON (AP) - For the past three years, a startup called M2Z Networks has been figuring out a way to blanket the nation with a free wireless broadband network to ensure all Americans have access to basic high-speed Internet connections.

BETHESDA, MD—The much touted mobile business revolution may actually be finally on the way, largely because carriers are switching to unlimited data plans that make it really possible. So says Mike Hodge, CEO and founder of Mytalk, which is developing a Web-based mobile application that combines location awareness with social networking.

ATLANTA - Oversight Systems, which sells automated transaction auditing software, has raised a $10 million round.

The Angel Capital Association (ACA) has reported a 10 percent decrease in angel investments in 2008 versus 2007. In their recent report, we are seeing the direct evidence and implications of the slowing of angel investment that started in the early fall of 2008, along with a forecast that it will continue through 2009.

ATLANTA—The down economy has not hurt email marketer Silverpop’s business. “Our revenue broke records in the fourth quarter,” says Silverpop CEO Bill Nussey.

KANSAS CITY, MO - Angel group leaders report in a recent survey by the Angel Capital Association (ACA) that investments have decreased this year and will decline as well in 2009 compared to 2007 due to the current recession.

BALTIMORE, MD - Listening to your favorite music may be good for your cardiovascular system. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown that the emotions aroused by joyful music have a healthy effect on blood vessel function.

MIAMI, FL—Most of the video offered online straddles two extremes. Those with the low production values and quality control on a site such as YouTube, or the Hollywood dominated content of a site such as Hulu. Miami-based Openfilm sees a market for high quality user-generated videos, appealing to filmmakers and advertisers alike.

BOWIE, MD – LogicTree, which sells speech-enabled systems for travel and interactive voice response (IVR) transit information for state and local governments, has secured a $2 million venture loan from Toronto-based MMV Financial.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC - For grant recipients (both first time and experienced) understanding the scope of requirements associated with awards can be time consuming, complex, and confusing.

WASHINGTON, DC—A discussion that dominated one Web-focused panel at TechJournal South’s Internet Summit in November concluded that companies must monitor and manage their online reputations. One way to do that is to hire a firm such as DC-based RepEquity, which CEO Tripp Donnelly says uses “a marriage of art and science” to help companies balance their online reputations.

ATLANTA - 2080 Media has raised $3 million in a round led by Imlay Investments with Noro-Mosely Partners, both Atlanta-based, participating, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

When running any type of online pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign, most business professionals spend a lot of time planning their keywords. They know what phrases customers use to find them, and they make sure their site is findable with those specific search terms.

COLUMBIA, SC—SCRA CEO William T. (“Bill”) Mahoney, 56, one of TechJournal South’s 25 Most Influential people in the Southeast selections in 2008, says that prior to taking the helm at SCRA, he was helping a Boston software company patch up an application. “It occurred to me that a great final step in my 30-year career would be to running an organization like SCRA."

DURHAM, NC - Oncoscope Inc. has closed a Series A funding in an undisclosed amount, according to NCIDEA, which awarded the company a grant two years ago. IDEA Fund Partners led the funding with participation from Southeast Techinventures and angel investors.

ATLANTA -- Quantum dots, tiny luminescent particles made of semiconductors, hold promise for detecting and treating cancer earlier.