Henry pays $38M for Globe HQ

John Henry paid $38.4 million for The Boston Globe's headquarters on Morrissey Boulevard as part of the 
$70 million deal last month to acquire the New England Media Group from The New York Times, according to newly filed records at the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds.

"That's interesting as a metric because as I talk to newspaper brokers over the years what they've said is on average, the price of newspaper properties is half-covered by real estate," said analyst Ken Doctor of Newsonomics. "That would fit that principle really well. The brand, the good will, the cash flow ... amounts to only half the sales price, the other half is the hard real estate."

Experts have speculated the sprawling Dorchester property — with its proximity to the Southeast Expressway and UMass Boston — could be a hot commercial property if redeveloped, even though parts of it are contaminated.

Henry also paid $7.8 million for the property containing the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's printing presses in Millbury and $277,400 for the Clinton office of Coulter Press, which publishes The Item and The Banner, according to Worcester County Registry of Deeds documents.

Secretary of State William Galvin officially certified Henry's corporation papers for the newly created The Boston Globe Newspaper Co. LLC Thursday night, according to state records.

Henry and Globe controller Karen Bray are the only names listed in the corporation filings — Henry organized the Globe LLC in Delaware. Henry declined to comment through a spokesman yesterday.

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Kia’s luxury Cadenza sings

Kia, the Korean car company better known for its dancing hamster commercials, has expanded into the luxury family sedan segment with the 2014 Cadenza.

The automaker's flagship sedan has a $35,100 base price and is well-equipped with a handful of standard features, including dual-zone climate control, an 8-inch display screen combined with a rear camera, and leather seats.

Kia offers two versions of the Cadenza, premium and limited. Our test model arrived decked out with the limited trim package that steps Cadenza's sticker up to $42,400, which had me asking, wait a minute, this is a Kia? But the Cadenza's top-shelf features such as blind-spot warning system, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning system make the sedan appealing, especially when one considers that it usually takes another $20,000 to find these features on other cars.

The sleek and refined limited edition had Nappa leather-trimmed seats that were ventilated up front and heated throughout. A panoramic sunroof and a power rear window sunshade rounded out the Cadenza's list of over-the-top features.

Both Cadenza offerings share the same powertrain — a 3.3 liter, V6 engine that produces 293 horsepower combined with a 6-speed automatic transmission that gave the sedan a performance edge. The Cadenza provided a smooth ride over the rough stuff while staying sharp through the corners. The sedan returns 22 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. While not great fuel economy numbers, they balance out when considering the Cadenza's roominess.

The sedan was comfortable to drive, with a telescoping steering column and 10-way power adjustable seat. I really enjoyed the extendable seat cushion. The section of seat moved forward to provide additional thigh support that prevented my legs from falling asleep on long commutes home. Sitting in the back seats was equally comfortable with plenty of foot and headroom.

Both Cadenza models share an Infinity 550 watt surround sound audio system with no fewer than 12 speakers. The system was controlled via an easy-to-reach center console or with steering wheel-mounted buttons. An analog clock mounted in the middle of the center stack was a nice touch.

I enjoyed driving the well-built Cadenza and I was impressed with the luxury details throughout the cabin. I consider the Kia Cadenza Limited edition a bit underpriced at $42,000, but I also understand that people might have a hard time writing a check to Kia and its dancing hamsters for that amount. However, I sense that Kia's market share and prominence will increase as the carmaker continues to expand its lineup.

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Here’s why homes don’t sell

If your house isn't selling, don't despair — try jazzing it up online.

Inventory in the Metro Boston region is down 
62 percent from a year ago while prices are up 9 percent, so there's hope. But buyers are first turning to real estate websites before they head out the door. That's where your attention should be, at least at first.

Let's look at the most common reasons why your home is still on the market:

PRICE: This is by far the top reason why properties languish. Remember, pricing properties isn't an exact science. Some agents will overprice listings during the initial bidding process in hopes of winning the listing. Others will over-price simply due to ignorance. Regardless, the market will dictate your price. If your home isn't getting showings by other real estate agents and you've had no offers within the first 14 days, particularly in a hot market, then the price should be adjusted.

PHOTOGRAPHY: I've said it before, first impressions are very important. The way your home is presented could be the difference between having market buzz or fizzling out. Prices vary, but typically $150 to $300 is enough to hire a professional photographer to set you up with a few good photos.

CLUTTER: Remember the wagon-wheel scene in the movie "When Harry Met Sally"? Get rid of those things that you've held onto for years. I've always gone by the belief that if you lost everything in a fire, what are the things you would truly miss? Then start with those items and work backward. Less is always more.

MARKETING: Is your real estate agent promoting your property in the best light? This includes weekly print advertising, sphere of influence mailings, mailings to neighbors of the listed property, links to all national websites including realtor.com, trulia.com, zillow.com and others. Does your agent promote properties via social media?

INSPECTIONAL ISSUES: Does your home have a number of issues to be fixed? A coat of new paint? A professional cleaning? Light bulbs that need replacing? While these are relatively easy fixes ranging in price to practically nothing to quite a bit, in the end they can make the difference between your home being a consideration vs. a "pass." If you really want to know what a home inspection will uncover, then hire an inspector of your own and have your property "pre-inspected." This might run you a few hundred dollars on the low end to $500 to $600 depending on the size of your home.

It's all worth the trouble if you really want to make the next move.

Charlie Abrahams is a licensed real estate agent in Boston who works with buyers and sellers and can be reached for any additional information at: Bostonrealestate@charlieabrahams.com.

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Asia stocks muted on prospect Fed to trim stimulus

MUMBAI, India — Asian stocks markets were muted Friday as investors continued to fret that the U.S. Federal Reserve bank will begin cutting its stimulus as soon as January.

Japan's Nikkei 225, the regional heavyweight, fell 1.2 percent to 14,155.81, weighed down by Sony Corp. stocks losing 12 percent after the electronics and entertainment giant reported a 19.3 billion yen ($196 million) quarterly loss.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.1 percent at 23,190.05 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.2 percent to 5,418.10. Markets in Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia also fell. Seoul's Kospi added 0.3 percent to 2,035.95.

India's Sensex index reached an all-time high of 21,234.35, up 0.3 percent, led by information technology, auto and pharmaceutical stocks.

Worries about future moves in U.S. monetary policy tamped down most Asian stock markets Friday. The Fed's announcement this week that it would maintain its $85 billion monthly bond purchasing scheme was widely expected.

But the bank's economic outlook was rosier than anticipated and could indicate that it will begin to reduce those purchases soon, which have been aimed at keeping interest rates low to support economic recovery. The U.S. central bank's cheap money policy has underpinned stock markets worldwide for several years

The Fed no longer expressed concern, as it did in September, that higher mortgage rates could hold back hiring and economic growth. And its statement made no reference to the 16-day government shutdown, which economists say slowed growth this quarter. Some analysts said that suggests reduction of the stimulus could begin early next year.

On Wall Street, The Dow lost 73.01 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 15,545.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 6.77 points, 0.4 percent, to 1,756.54.

The Nasdaq composite dropped 10.91 points, or 0.3 percent, to 3,919.71.

Benchmark U.S. crude for December delivery was down 2 cents at $96.36 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped 39 cents to close $96.38 on Thursday.

In currency trading, the euro was down at $1.3555 from $1.3586 late Thursday. The dollar fell to 97.92 yen from 98.31 yen.

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The Ticker

U.S. adds only 130,000 jobs in October

The 16-day government shutdown hurt job growth in the private sector this month with only 130,000 jobs added, a drop of 15,000 from September, according to ADP's National Employment Report.

Service industries added the most jobs, but still fewer than last month at 107,000 compared with 130,000 in September. Trade, transportation, and utilities businesses had the biggest October job growth within the service sector.

El Pinto sues Ocean Spray

El Pinto Foods, an affiliate of a 50-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., restaurant, has brought a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging that Ocean Spray Cranberries breached a three-year contract under which El Pinto would manufacture Ocean Spray Cranberry Salsa and Cranberry Relish.

Facebook earnings beat expectations

Facebook's third quarter results highlighted how the company is increasingly monetizing its network better.

The company reported third quarter new income of $425 million, or 17 cents a share, on revenue of $2.02 billion, up 60 percent from $1.26 billion a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings for the third quarter were 25 cents a share. Wall Street was expecting Facebook to report non-GAAP third quarter earnings of 19 cents a share on revenue of $1.91 billion.

Starbucks profit up 34 percent

Starbucks says its profit rose 34 percent in the quarter, as the coffee chain used its loyalty program to get customers to visit more often and spend more on revamped sandwiches and other food.

The Seattle-based company said global sales rose 7 percent at cafes open at least a year, including an 8 percent rise in both the U.S. and Asia. In the region encompassing Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where the company has struggled, the figure rose 2 percent.

TODAY

• Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.
• Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.

TOMORROW

• Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for October.
• Automakers release vehicle sales for October.

THE SHUFFLE

• Boston law firm Murphy & King announced that Andrew M. Jacobs, left, has joined the firm as a litigation associate in the firm's business litigation practice. Jacobs concentrates his practice on commercial litigation matters.
• Goodwin Proctor announced that Mark J. Lochiatto has been made partner. Lochiatto advises real estate investment mana-
gers, real estate funds and other institutional investors.

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Asia stocks down on fears Fed may quicken tapering

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Asian stocks were mostly lower Thursday, spooked by concerns that the Federal Reserve may accelerate plans to ease its economic stimulus.

In its latest policy statement, the U.S. central bank said Wednesday it will continue buying $85 billion in bonds every month and keep its benchmark short-term interest rate near zero. The bond purchases are designed to keep borrowing costs low to encourage hiring and investment.

The Fed said it would "await more evidence" that the economy was improving before starting to pull back its stimulus program.

While the Fed's announcement was mostly expected by investors, its comments that there was "underlying strength in the broader economy" spooked markets and raised fears that tapering could be brought forward three to four months, said Evan Lucas, market strategist with IG in Melbourne, Australia.

"Expectations had been for tapering to start in March or April next year, today's call saw the street moving its predictions to January which saw hot money exiting," he said.

Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.2 percent at 14,471.80 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng was off 0.4 percent to 23,221.08.

China's Shanghai Composite shed 0.8 percent at 2,142.90 while Seoul's Kospi lost 0.7 percent at 2,045.76. Benchmarks in Jakarta, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia also fell.

The U.S. central bank's cheap money policy has underpinned stock markets worldwide for several years. Markets had been roiled by expectations that the Fed would begin reducing its stimulus this year but weaker U.S. hiring, housing and other economic indicators have built a case for "tapering" of the bond purchases to be delayed until next year.

DBS Vickers in Hong Kong said there was a possibility that tapering may not occur as U.S. growth momentum appeared fragile, with consumption growth slowing to a 3 ½- year low, weak employment trend and inflation drifting lower.

"The Fed wants to see sustained progress. It's seeing it but it's going the wrong way. If this progress is sustained, the Fed won't be tapering at all in 2014," it said in a market commentary.

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 61.59 points, or 0.4 percent, to 15,618.76. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 8.64 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,763.31. The Dow and S&P 500 closed at record highs Tuesday.

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Smartwatches abound. But who really wants one?

NEW YORK — Computerized wristwatches that display message alerts and weather updates are abound this holiday season: Consumer electronics companies are trying to persuade you to add these smartwatches to your shopping lists.

Samsung and Sony have devices out, and Qualcomm has one coming before the holidays. Apple is believed to be making one, and a new report says Google is developing one, too.

Why the big push for smartwatches? It's not coming from consumers, says Jonathan Gaw, a research manager at IDC. Rather, it's a product in search of a market — and an expensive one at that.

"We've had smartwatches for a while, and while the capabilities and technology have gotten better, this is still not something that people are clamoring for," Gaw says. "The idea that it would ramp up for the holidays was always kind of a stretch."

That hasn't stopped gadget makers from trying. Companies are under pressure to create a new source of buzz now that consumers are no longer wowed by the latest smartphones and tablet computers. Many people already have those devices, and the new ones out this year are evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Gaw says many gadget makers see an opportunity to jump in with a smartwatch, before a behemoth like Apple is able get its rumored iWatch ready.

Last month, Samsung Electronics Co. started selling the $300 Galaxy Gear in the U.S. It works with selected Samsung smartphones to display email and text alerts. There's a camera on the strap for low-resolution photos and a speakerphone on the watch to make calls while leaving your phone in the pocket. You can install apps for additional functionality, such as tracking fitness activities and playing games, though there are only a handful of apps available for now.

Sony Corp.'s SmartWatch 2 is cheaper, at $200. Unlike the Gear, it works with a variety of Android phones, not just Sony's. But it doesn't let you make phone calls directly through the wristwatch. You can answer calls using the watch, but you need a Bluetooth wireless headset linked to the phone if you don't want to hold it to your ear.

Qualcomm Inc., meanwhile, plans to start selling Toq before the holidays. It, too, will work with several Android devices.

Another smartwatch getting attention is the Pebble, which comes from a startup that raised more than $10 million through the fundraising site Kickstarter. It notifies you of incoming calls, texts and emails.

Apple isn't likely to release its iWatch before next year, given that no mention was made of it at the company's product showcase last week.

As for Google, The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed people familiar with the matter on Tuesday in reporting that the Internet search company is in late-stage development on a smartwatch which could be ready for mass production within months.

Samsung and Sony executives say they've designed their watches to give people ready access to information they would normally check on their phones, reducing the need to constantly pull out the phones.

Only Qualcomm seems to be acknowledging that there's no real consumer demand for smartwatches yet. The company says it's trying to showcase what's possible, so other manufacturers will take the concept and build better products — using Qualcomm's display technology and other components.

In a September briefing with The Associated Press, Samsung executives said the company has a history of taking risks. Samsung notes that people were skeptical about its Note phones with big screens, too, but now several other manufacturers are making Android phones with bigger screens.

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Asia stocks rise on hopes Fed to maintain stimulus

MANILA, Philippines — Asian stocks rose Wednesday after the Dow Jones industrial average hit an all-time high on expectations the Federal Reserve will keep its economic stimulus fully in place until next year.

Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 1.1 percent at 14,477.57 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.8 percent to 23,037.05.

China's Shanghai Composite was up 0.8 percent at 2,144.84. Most other indexes in the region also recorded gains except for Malaysia and Indonesia, which reversed by midday.

The Fed is in the middle of a two-day policy meeting at which it's expected to maintain monthly bond purchases of $85 billion that are aimed at stimulating economic growth by keeping borrowing rates very low. The Fed will release its policy statement Wednesday afternoon.

The U.S. central bank's cheap money policy has underpinned stock markets worldwide for several years. Markets had been roiled by expectations that the Fed would begin reducing its stimulus this year but weaker U.S. hiring and other economic indicators have built a case for "tapering" of the bond purchases to be delayed until next year.

"The idea being priced in is that tapering might not come in December but possibly even in March next year so that is another issue that drives markets higher," said Herald van der Linde, Hong Kong -based head of Asia equity strategy at HSBC.

"And then there are more regional issues at play, in particular China's plenum coming up in the first part of November, so reform will be announced and that's something that could excite the Chinese market a little bit," he said.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 111.42 points, or 0.7 percent, to 15,680.35. The Dow also got a boost from IBM, which announced it would buy back $15 billion of its own stock.

The Standard and Poor's 500 index rose 9.84 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,771.95, its seventh record high this month.

About half the companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings for the third quarter. So far, most are doing better than investors expected. Companies in the index are forecast to log third-quarter earnings growth of 4.5 percent, according to data from S&P Capital IQ.

In energy trading, benchmark crude for December delivery was down 58 cents at $97.62 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped 48 cents to settle Tuesday at $98.20.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3740 from 1.3745 Tuesday. The dollar fell to 98.16 yen from 98.19 yen.

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New Microsoft center to be window on Mass. innovation

Microsoft New England is launching a technology policy center in Cambridge to increase the computing giant's involvement with industry and government in Massachusetts, the company said.

The Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Kendall Square will be announced at an event today, and will focus on moving innovation from research to real world use as well as influencing government policies to help innovation thrive in New England.

"We want to bring together the region's key stakeholders from the technology, broader business, academic and government communities to respond to important issues that are byproducts or unintended consequences of technological advancements," Annmarie Levins, associate general counsel for Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. Levins will lead the center.

An uproar in the state's technology industry recently helped force the Legislature to revisit a controversial tech tax, and the tech community has begun organizing in the wake of the episode. Microsoft officials were not available to discuss the tech tax issue yesterday.

Similar Microsoft policy centers exist in places including Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley.

Microsoft will also award a three-year, $350,000 grant to the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council's Education Foundation to help with its mission of increasing computer science in schools.

"This is going to really help us to start mobilizing industry even more," said MassTLC Education Foundation executive director Heather Carey. "I can't even tell you what this means to the education foundation."

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Liz channels Ted on NIH $$

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren took a step into the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's shoes yesterday, calling for a "nonpartisan" effort to double the funding of the National Institute of Health that could pay huge dividends for Massachusetts.

"I'm calling to double the funding for the National Institutes of Health and to give them more assurance long-term in their funding so they don't get caught up in this crazy budget process," the Bay State's senior senator said at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

"Research creates economic growth. It reduces health care costs. It creates a better life for our people," she said in her speech to Boston business leaders. "Refusing to invest in the NIH is the budgetary equivalent of cutting off your feet to save money on shoes. We are the world leader in this work only so long as we are willing to commit the resources."

In 2011 and 2012, NIH funding nationwide dropped two years in a row for the first time since at least 2000.

Robert K. Coughlin of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council said increased NIH funding will add jobs and other economic benefits here.

"There's a huge local economy benefit," Coughlin said. Of Kennedy, he said, "His leadership many decades ago has led to this industry that exists in Massachusetts today. The members of Congress are trying to continue to build off of that."

Harry Orf, senior vice president for research at Massachusetts General Hospital — which receives the most NIH funding in the country — said bioscience innovation is crucial.

"Whatever nation is at the forefront of that will be leading innovation and will be the leading economy," Orf said. "It's a worthwhile endeavor."

Massachusetts receives the most NIH funding per capita by a wide margin, and of the six hospitals and organizations with the more NIH funding, five are in Massachusetts. In fiscal year 2012, Massachusetts received $2.56 billion in NIH funds.

Sue Windham-Bannister of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center said "NIH funding has a tremendous impact here."

While Warren billed the NIH funding effort as something both sides of the aisle could get behind, that may not be the case.

"It has to be part of a larger discussion about the priorities of spending in our country at large," said Joshua Archembault, director of health care policy at the Pioneer Institute. "I don't think you can get bi-partisan agreement for anything unless you talk about financing."

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Kindle’s Fire HDX a strong iPad alternative

Kindle Fire HDX (starting at $229, Amazon.com)

Amazon's 7-inch powerhouse tablet features a powerful quad-core processor, up to 11 hours of battery life, a front-facing camera, tons of videos and apps, and a "mayday" button that connects you to a tech support specialist via video chat. Those specialists gain remote access to your tablet to help you with any features.

The good: This user-friendly device is an excellent value for Amazon Prime members. The interface is set apart by a smoothness that extends to the Kindle web browser, Silk. And the mayday button makes this an excellent option for tablet newbies.

The bad: The app ecosystem is still a far cry from what you'll find with iOS. Yet the new Kindle is superior to the iPad Mini, and happens to cost $60 less.

The verdict: This is an excellent tablet for leisure travelers and anyone looking for a budget alternative to the iPad. But if you're willing to pony up for a top-of-the line tablet, you might want to wait until the reviews are in for the upcoming iPad Air, which debuts Friday.

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Apple sweetens suite of apps

Apple's newly upgraded suite of productivity and lifestyle apps makes the iPad feel much more like a full-fledged computer. Many consumers can now grab one of those keyboard accessories for the iPad and forget about their laptop.

Simply put: It's a game-changer.

Last week Apple released upgraded versions of its six lifestyle and productivity apps — iMovie, iPhoto, GarageBand, Keynote, Pages and Numbers. Apple's photo and movie editing apps have long given it a leg up on Microsoft, Google and Amazon, but now they're even better, and the productivity apps are a serious blow to the competition.

Two of the lifestyle apps, iMovie and iPhoto, are $4.99 for iOS 7 users and free with a new device. The third, GarageBand — which lets you compose music and plunk around on a virtual keyboard, set of drums or guitar — is now totally free. My favorite is iMovie. It doesn't require the remotest bit of creativity or artistic prowess to make a respectable film. Particularly fun are the templates for trailers. Just pick one of the pre-made templates and add your own video clips and text. It took me 20 minutes to make a funny and poignant trailer documenting my son's first six months.

Each of Apple's productivity apps — Pages (a word processor), Numbers (a spreadsheet) and Keynote (for presentations) — follows a similar formula, with Apple having done much of the work for you. Pre-designed themes and templates abound, each one sleeker than the next. Buttons are unobtrusive and features are intuitive. Basically, it's simpler than ever to make things prettier than ever. Each is $9.99 for existing iOS 7 users, and free for those who purchase a new iPad, iPhone or fifth-generation iPad touch.

The move to make these apps free with the purchase of a new Apple device was a clear assault on Google and Microsoft, who have been luring consumers with free stuff, whether it's free music through the Xbox mobile app, free storage with SkyDrive or Google Docs.

For consumers considering the Apple ecosystem, these newly updated apps may be reason enough to take the plunge. Though the productivity apps aren't going to replace Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint for heavy users, they're just fine for a small business owner or someone who sends out a weekly newsletter or writes the occasional resume, note or essay.

For that reason, the upcoming iPad Air, which hits stores Friday, could be the hottest selling device this holiday season.

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Accelerating growth

MassChallenge, the Bay State's groundbreaking global startup accelerator and competition, is planning an extensive expansion that will include manufacturing facilities and outposts in Israel as well as potentially Europe, Asia and South America, according to its executives.

"We might launch a new office in London or Bogota toward the end of next year," said John Harthorne, MassChallenge's founder and CEO, "and it would launch its first competition in 2015."

The 4-year-old organization offers free incubator space, mentors and grants to innovative startups.

When it moves to the Innovation District's Boston Design Center next summer, its new digs will include for the first time space for manufacturing materials that its startups will be able to use to build prototypes, said Harthorne.

"One of our goals will be to add lots of equipment and tools," he said.

Lightspeed MFG President Richard Breault, who already has helped several startups build prototypes for free, will be donating the materials and expertise, Harthorne said.

MassChallenge, which saw more than 1,200 applicants this year, also will continue its international expansion by hiring a full-time executive director to head up the program it launched in Israel this year with the support of The Kraft Group and EMC Corp., he said.

It also will look to identify locations for new offices internationally and possibly in the U.S., Harthorne said.

Some options abroad include the United Kingdom, Colombia, Taiwan, Korea and Germany.

The organization, which will give its 2013 awards on Wednesday, is building on a startlingly successful track record.

The 361 finalists who completed its annual, four-month accelerator program from 2010 to 2012 raised a total of $362.5 million in funding, created 2,912 jobs and generated $96.1 million in revenue. Of those 361 finalists, 88 percent are still active, 3 percent were acquired, and 265 are based in Massachusetts.

The 78 winners raised a total of about $157 million, created 850 jobs and generated $35 million in revenue. Ninety-four percent of them are still active, 5 percent were acquired, and 59 are headquartered in Massachusetts.

Harthorne attributes these results partly to the expertise of MassChallenge's army of more than 300 mentors and judges, who include entrepreneurs, lawyers, investors, marketers, finance professionals and other executives.

"What we look for is how big is the idea and its impact on humanity, and how likely are you to achieve that," Harthorne said.

Jordan Fliegel won $50,000 in last year's competition for CoachUp, an online marketplace connecting young athletes with private coaches.

Today, the Boston company has nearly 20 employees, recently launched native IOS and Android apps, and has registered more than 12,000 coaches and 40,000 athletes.

"MassChallenge was super helpful for us," Fliegel said. "It really helped us raise money, develop our connections in Boston and in the great local startup ecosystem, and get us to where we are today."

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GOP hopes 'Obamacare' woes have staying power

WASHINGTON — For nearly five years, Republicans have struggled to make a scandal stick to President Barack Obama's White House. One by one, the controversies — with shorthand names such as Solyndra, Benghazi, and Fast and Furious — hit a fever pitch, then faded away.

But some Republicans see the disastrous rollout of Obama's health law as a problem with the kind of staying power they have sought.

The health care failures are tangible for millions of Americans and can be experienced by anyone with Internet access. The law itself is more closely associated with Obama personally and long has been unpopular with the majority of the American people.

The longer the technical problems persist, the more likely they are to affect the delicate balance of enrollees needed in the insurance marketplace in order to keep costs down.

"There's no question the issue has legs, in part because it affects so many Americans very directly and in part because the glitches with the website are simply one of many fundamental problems with this law," GOP pollster Whit Ayres said.

The cascade of computer problems began Oct. 1, when sign-ups opened for the marketplaces at the center of the law. Administration officials blamed the problems on high volume, but have since acknowledged more systemic issues with HealthCare.gov.

White House officials contend the website is just one piece of the broader law offering an array of benefits. They say that when the online issues are fixed — the latest estimate is the site will be working normally for most users by the end of November — few people will remember the problems that have marred the opening weeks of the six-month enrollment window.

"It says a lot about Republicans that their focus here is not on helping Americans get insured, but on making political hay of this mess," said Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's senior adviser.

There's another mess the White House is dealing with that could have long-lasting implications, too: U.S. government spying on foreign leaders. The scope of the surveillance programs was first made public in June and the revelations keep coming. The latest concern the alleged monitoring of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone communications.

But unlike with the health law, many Republicans support the government surveillance policies, making it more difficult for the party to create a political furor over the revelations.

For GOP lawmakers, the White House's stumbles on the Affordable Care Act have come at an optimal time, just one week after their strategy to shut down the government in exchange for concessions on health care imploded.

The health care debacle has overshadowed some of the Republican missteps and the GOP appears more than happy to keep the spotlight where it is.

Republicans have scheduled a series of congressional hearings on the program's shortcomings, and have called for officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, to be fired. She is set to testify this coming week before a House committee.

Kevin Madden, a GOP strategist, said Republicans should be wary of overreach, and he urged the party to "focus on the basics" in the hearings. If they do, he said, "they can really align themselves with a lot of public anxiety about what's wrong with Washington."

Anxiety about the website's problems also appears to be on the rise among members of the president's own party, a worrisome sign for the White House.

Ten Democratic senators urged Sebelius in a letter to extend the insurance enrollment window beyond the March 31 deadline; White House officials say they don't believe that will be necessary. Also, Democratic leaders have been critical about the seeming lack of preparedness for the sign-up rollout.

"As far as I'm concerned there is no excuse for that," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told Las Vegas radio station KNPR. "I think the administration should have known how difficult it was going to be to have 35 million or 40 million people to suddenly hook up to a place to go on the Internet."

The health care law has been unpopular with large swaths of the American public ever since Obama signed it into law in 2010. A CBS News survey taken last week found that 43 percent of Americans approve of the law, compared with 35 percent in May.

Crisis management expert Eric Dezenhall said that if the White House wants to prevent the current troubles from being a long-term problem, it will have to do some basic damage control.

"There has to be a component of hand-holding, clarity and bedside manner with the early stages of Obamacare," he said.

The White House appeared to start taking a page from that playbook this past week.

On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began holding daily briefings to address technical problems with the website, though the many of the issues still remain shrouded from the public.

Republicans are turning to a familiar tactic, congressional hearings. It's the same tactic they took as they looked to connect Obama to wrongdoing in the deaths of Americans in Benghazi, Libya, the bankruptcy of the solar energy company Solyndra, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' failed gun-smuggling sting operation known as "Fast and Furious," and a number of other problems that have arisen since the president took office.

"This is more than a website problem. We are also concerned about what happens next," GOP Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, chairman of the House committee that will hear from Sebelius on Wednesday, said in the Republicans' weekly radio and Internet address.

Dezenhall said that while investigations may help Republicans do some damage to the health care law, "there's a difference between roughing up your enemy and defeating them."

"They can certainly put some points on the board but I don't see a great Republican coup anytime soon," he said.

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AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

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Online:

Health care site: https://www.healthcare.gov

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Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Nancy Benac at http://twitter.com/nbenac

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