If you haven't heard - and you will, because I will keep talking about it - citizen science is getting its own summit this weekend, when H+ sponsors "Rise of the Citizen-Scientist"(1) ... but that is not all that's been going on.   Citizen Science is (finally) catching on everywhere.   It's the new Prius!

The good news keeps on coming.   Soon-to-be-citizen-science-fave ScienceForCitizens.net has gotten some bootstrap help from GoodCompany Ventures, which helps newer ideas get access to some expert help and get in front of VCs to raise enough money.

It's a good idea that has finally gotten a commercial effort - the next step would be raising some money to promote it.  I tell anyone who asks me about raising money that the best way to know if you have a good idea is to ask strangers if they will invest.   Regardless of the economy - seriously - investors need to invest money.    But raising money is like being a baseball player in arbitration; there wouldn't be a discussion if you didn't already know what you were doing but the other side wants the best deal they can get, so they have to tell you they love you while telling you your company is not worth much.

An 'incubator' like ScienceForCitizens has can be a bit of a sounding board for that sort of negotiation.

Luck also helps but knowing what you are talking about makes all the difference and if you have met the folks behind it, Michael Gold and Darlene Cavalier, you know they mean well and have experience that can't be matched by anyone out there.   

So this is a terrific first step.   Ride the wave, citizen science!

NOTES:

(1) And we signed on as the official blog, so if you are attending or have a citizen science article, you can sign up and tell us what you think in less than 30 seconds by clicking here.