Pasadena Star News
By: Cynthia Kurtz
Posted: 10/22/2014
If you live or work in the
San Gabriel Valley you already know that there is a lot on cutting edge
research and entrepreneurship. Space exploration, robotics, business
technology, and personalized medicine are just a few of the research areas that
the San Gabriel Valley excels in and now there is a summit planned to
"inform, inspire and connect" the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley
innovation community.
ENVISION 2014 kicks off tonight at
5:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center sponsored by Innovate Pasadena - an
organization dedicated to sustainable economic growth through technology and
design innovation. It is the first of what will become an annual event about
innovation. This year's summit focuses on technology, entrepreneurship and
design. In a nutshell - it is about the future of our economy.
On Wednesday night the keynote
speaker will be Scott Painter, founder and CEO of TrueCar, a company that has
been disrupting the retail auto business by using big data and transparent
pricing. TrueCar is just one of several technology based companies Painter has
founded. He was also an early adviser to Tesla.
Thursday morning, October 23 ushers
in a full day of fabulous speakers and interactive displays. The sessions get
underway at 8:30 a.m. with a conversation about Business Innovation.
Sharon Vosmek, CEO of Astia is the
day's kick-off speaker. The mission of Astia is "to create an inclusive
community that provides the precise support women entrepreneurs need to thrive
in their enterprises and ultimately impact today's global economy." Under
Ms. Vosmek's leadership, Astia has grown from 20 to 5,000 investors,
entrepreneurs and industry leaders from around the world.
Next up is Prof. Frances Arnold,
The Dick and Barbra Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering
and Biochemistry at Caltech. Prof. Arnold's Caltech research focuses on green
chemistry and alternative energy. She has numerous patents and is co-founder of
Gevo, Inc. a leading renewable chemical and advanced bio-fuels company.
At 10:30 a.m. the Technology
Innovation session begins with Patricia Moore, President of Moore Design
Associates. Ms. Moore is an industrial designer and gerontologist. Gerontology
is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging. Her
company specializes in developing new products and services for consumers of
all ages and abilities.
Dr. Jack Kreindler MD is a leading
expert in health optimization and is internationally recognized in the field of
risk management with a particular interest in high altitude physiology and
human performance. He has founded several healthcare businesses that use
technology to better serve patients.
The afternoon session on Design
Innovation begins with Mark Meadows, Co-Founder and Creator of Geppetto
Avatars, a company dedicated to artificial intelligence and the use of avatars.
Mr. Meadows is an author, artist, entrepreneur and accomplished concertina
player.
Andra Keay, Managing Director
of Silicon Valley Robotics - a group supporting innovation and
commercialization of robotic technology - will wrap up the afternoon session.
Ms. Keay is a dynamic evangelist on behalf of robotic start-ups.
This is definitely a world class
line-up and forum entrepreneurs should not miss. It is all conveniently
happening at the Pasadena Convention Center. It is not too late to register at www.innovatepasadenasummit.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment