BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Alliance for SoCal Innovation - ECPv6.15.17//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Alliance for SoCal Innovation X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://alliancesocal.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Alliance for SoCal Innovation REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20180311T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20181104T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20190310T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20191103T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20200308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20201101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20210314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20211107T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20220313T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20221106T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20230312T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20231105T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20190430T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20190430T160000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220318T154656Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220408T171132Z UID:844-1556614800-1556640000@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Diversity Fuels Innovation Forum 2019 DESCRIPTION:View Photo Gallery\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJoin us for a discussion on how diversity of ideas\, talent\, and perspectives fuels innovation. We will explore the key areas where diversity and inclusion are crucial for a vibrant innovation ecosystem including: \n\n\n\nPriming the STEM talent pipeline with diverse perspectives and underrepresented minoritiesInvesting in diverse founders and advancing diversity at VCsDiversity at the top — diversity at the board and executive levelCreating an inclusive corporate culture to unlock innovation\n\n\n\nYou will hear from leaders implementing successful diversity and inclusion programs as well as discover resources and programs that address opportunities to improve D&I representation in your organizations and communities. \n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n\n\nTimeEvent9:15 AMCheck-in + Coffee Networking10:00 AMWelcome10:10 AMKeynote: Dr. Aaron Bruce10:35 AMPanel: Priming Diversity in the STEM Talent Pipeline11:25 AMJessica Powell: Avoiding a Monoculture of thought 12:00 PMLunch Break12:35 PMTherese Tucker + Susan Otto: Leadership in Diversity1:20 PMPanel: Maximizing Innovation Through Inclusive Clutures2:10 PMBreak2:20 PMWarner Bros. Stage 13: Reaching Multi-Dimensional Audiences2:40 PMPanel: Funding Diverse Leaders and Ideas3:20 PMWrap Up\n\n\n\nWhy You Should Attend\n\n\n\nLearn how to make your company and/or community more inclusive by incorporating best practices from other leaders implementing successful programs within their organizations \n\n\n\nConnect with peers facing similar challenges and opportunities to benefit from an inclusive culture \n\n\n\nFind resources and programs available to improve diversity & inclusion in your company and/or community \n\n\n\nTHANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKEYNOTE ADDRESS\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Aaron Bruce\n Chief Diversity Officer\n Art Center College of Design\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Aaron Bruce\n Chief Diversity Officer\n Art Center College of Design\n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Aaron Bruce\, serves as the Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President at ArtCenter College of Design where he focuses on campus-wide multicultural understanding\, social justice\, and strategies related to diversity\, equity and inclusion. In addition to developing ways of improving campus climate\, Dr. Bruce helps strengthen the college’s connection to diverse local and global communities and organizations. His experience in the advertising and marketing affords him with the creative energy to promote diversity and inclusion in a variety of ways. He presently is a member of the National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE)\, and former President of the Southern California Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (SCADOHE). He is an International Multicultural Institute certified diversity trainer and consultant who has facilitated numerous professional development seminars in the U.S. and abroad. \nPrior to joining ArtCenter Dr. Bruce served as the CDO at San Diego State University for over a decade. Helped the university earn the ranking of one of the nation’s top 5 campuses for study abroad. His strategic leadership efforts helped SDSU to significantly close the achievement gap for historically underrepresented students. \nDr. Bruce has held management positions in Latin America and Africa. His passion for global understanding has afforded him with opportunities to conduct research on management strategies\, public health and education in Cuba\, Mexico\, and Kenya. As an advocate for inclusive curriculum design Dr. Bruce created an annual faculty led study abroad course in the Dominican Republic that made global education accessible to numerous first generation college students. \nOriginally from Princeton\, New Jersey Dr. Bruce holds a BA degree from Michigan State University\, where he majored in Economics and Political Science\, and earned a certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. He holds a Master’s degree in International Business Administration from U.S. International University. Dr. Bruce completed his Ph.D. in Education from the joint Rhode Island College and University of Rhode Island Doctoral Program in Education. He is the first African American male to hold such a distinction. He is a former participant in Global Education “Think Tank” at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He volunteers for numerous organizations and serves on several boards. He is a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity\, Inc. He lives by the motto “Awaken the sleep\, empower the weak\, and guide the strong.” \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPANEL: PRIMING DIVERSITY IN THE STEM TALENT PIPELINE\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Maria Klawe\n President\n Harvey Mudd College\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Maria Klawe\n President\n Harvey Mudd College\n \n \n \n \n \n Maria Klawe began her tenure as Harvey Mudd College’s fifth president in 2006. Prior to joining HMC\, she served as dean of engineering and professor of computer science at Princeton University. Klawe joined Princeton from the University of British Columbia where she served in various roles from 1988 to 2002. Prior to UBC\, Klawe spent eight years with IBM Research in California and two years at the University of Toronto. She received her Ph.D. (1977) and B.Sc. (1973) in mathematics from the University of Alberta. Klawe is a board member of the Alliance for Southern California Innovation\, the nonprofit Math for America\, the chair of the board of the nonprofit EdReports.org\, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences\, and a trustee for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley. She is the recipient of the 2014 Women of Vision ABIE Award for Leadership and the 2017 Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ingrid Ellerbe\n Executive Director\n Base 11\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ingrid Ellerbe\n Executive Director\n Base 11\n \n \n \n \n \n Ingrid serves as the Executive Director of Base 11. She previously held the position of Senior Vice President of Programs & Partnerships for the organization from 2016 to 2019. A longtime education advocate\, Ingrid’s experience includes 30 years in the K-16 education market in key roles ranging from business development to operations\, marketing to strategic planning\, and management to leadership development. Prior to joining Base 11\, she served as a C-suite executive at successful and innovative education and education technology firms in the public\, private and non-profit sectors including start-ups\, mid sized\, and large for-profit corporations. Her guiding principle has always been to provide equity and access to quality programs to ensure that all students can achieve high standards. Ingrid serves on the National Board of the NAACP Foundation and the Orange Country Excellent Public Schools Advisory Board. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Colleen Lewis\n McGregor-Girand Associate Professor of Computer Science\n Harvey Mudd College\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Colleen Lewis\n McGregor-Girand Associate Professor of Computer Science\n Harvey Mudd College\n \n \n \n \n \n Colleen Lewis is the McGregor-Girand Associate Professor of computer science at Harvey Mudd College. At UC Berkeley\, Lewis completed a PhD in science and mathematics education\, an MS in computer science\, and a BS in electrical engineering and computer science. Her research seeks to identify effective teaching practices for creating equitable learning spaces where all students have the opportunity to learn. Lewis curates CSTeachingTips.org\, a NSF-sponsored project for disseminating effective computer science teaching practices. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sathya Narayanan\n Professor of Computer Science\n Cal State Monterey Bay\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sathya Narayanan\n Professor of Computer Science\n Cal State Monterey Bay\n \n \n \n \n \n Computer Science Professor Sathya Narayanan is passionate about building actionable pathways that enable students from low-income communities to earn a quality computer science education and compete for opportunities in the tech industry. This passion has led him to develop a cohort-based model at his home institutions of Cal State Monterey Bay and Hartnell College\, which has resulted in significant increases in retention\, transfer\, graduation\, and job placement for URM students. \nThis work has been recognized with a $5M award for innovation in higher education from the state of CA\, as well as multiple National Science Foundation grants including a $5M award to replicate the model at Cal State Dominguez Hills and El Camino College in LA. A paper describing the model\, “Upward Mobility for Underrepresented Students: A Model for a Cohort-Based Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science” won a best paper award at SIGCSE 2018 and has been nominated for the SIGCSE Top Ten Symposium Papers of All Time award. \nSathya received his Master’s in Computer Applications from the College of Engineering\, Guindy\, India\, in 1994\, his M.S. in Computer Science from Temple University\, Philadelphia\, in 1998\, and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from NYU-Polytechnic University\, Brooklyn\, NY\, in 2006. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Linda J. Sax\, Ph.D.\n Professor of Higher Education\n UCLA\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Linda J. Sax\, Ph.D.\n Professor of Higher Education\n UCLA\n \n \n \n \n \n Linda J. Sax is Professor of Higher Education in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at UCLA. She received her B.A. degree (1990) in political economy from UC Berkeley\, and her M.A. (1991) and Ph.D. (1994) degrees in higher education from UCLA. For over a decade\, Dr. Sax served as director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and Associate Director of the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA\, where she oversaw nationwide surveys of college students and faculty. \nDr. Sax’s research focuses on gender differences in college student development\, with an emphasis on women in STEM fields. Dr. Sax has generated over $5 million in research funding and is currently Principal Investigator for BRAID Research\, a national\, longitudinal study of gender and racial/ethnic diversity in undergraduate computer science that has received funding from the National Science Foundation\, AnitaB.org\, the Computing Research Association\, Facebook\, Google\, Microsoft\, Intel\, Qualcomm\, and Pivotal Ventures\, Executive Office of Melinda Gates. \nDr. Sax was selected as a 2007-2008 Fellow for the Sudikoff Family Institute for Education & New Media. She is also the recipient of the 2005 Scholar-in-Residence Award from the American Association of University Women and the 1999 Early Career Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education. \nDr. Sax has authored over 100 publications including The Gender Gap in College: Maximizing the Developmental Potential of Women and Men\, as well as several book chapters\, monographs\, and articles in journals such as Research in Higher Education\, The Review of Higher Education\, The Journal of Higher Education\, The Journal of College Student Development\, and The Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. She has served on the Editorial Boards for The Review of Higher Education and Research in Higher Education and is a Trustee of Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAVOIDING A MONOCULTURE OF THOUGHT\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Jessica Powell\n Author and Former VP\n Communications at Google\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jessica Powell\n Author and Former VP\n Communications at Google\n \n \n \n \n \n Jessica Powell is the author of The Big Disruption: A Totally Fictional but Essentially True Silicon Valley Story. The first novel ever published by the digital platform Medium\, The Big Disruption has surpassed over 100\,000 readers and was described by The New York Times as “a zany satire [whose] diagnosis of Silicon Valley’s cultural stagnancy is so spot on that it’s barely contestable.” \nUntil recently\, Jessica was Google’s Vice President of Communications and served on the company’s management team. She is the author of Literary Paris\, and her fiction and non-fiction has been published in The Guardian\, the New York Times\, Time\, WIRED\, and the Medium magazine. She is also the co-founder and CEO of an early-stage start-up that builds software for musicians. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCONVERSATION WITH THERESE TUCKER: LEADERSHIP IN DIVERSITY\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Therese Tucker\n Founder & Chief Executive Officer\n BlackLine\, Inc.\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Therese Tucker\n Founder & Chief Executive Officer\n BlackLine\, Inc.\n \n \n \n \n \n Therese founded BlackLine in 2001. She designed the first offerings of BlackLine’s products\, engineered its transition to the cloud in 2007\, and has led the organization in automating the financial close process via the company’s flagship Finance Controls and Automation Platform. Under her direction\, BlackLine has experienced strong growth since its inception. \nPreviously\, Therese served as Chief Technology Officer for SunGard Treasury Systems. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Illinois. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Susan Otto\n Chief People Officer\n BlackLine\, Inc.\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Susan Otto\n Chief People Officer\n BlackLine\, Inc.\n \n \n \n \n \n Susan is responsible for building\, scaling and elevating BlackLine’s global talent practices and programs as the company continues to expand and add employees around the world. \nSusan came to BlackLine with more than 20 years of experience building and leading successful human resources organizations at mid-size and large companies across multiple industries. She most recently was Chief Human Resources Officer at digital automotive marketplace TrueCar. Prior to that\, she spent four years as Chief People Officer at ModCloth\, a San Francisco-based online retailer of women’s apparel. Previously\, Susan held senior human resource leadership positions with Electronic Arts and Medtronic. \nShe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Management from Saint Mary’s University and a Master of Arts degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPANEL: MAXIMIZING INNOVATION THROUGH INCLUSIVE CULTURES\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Bonnie Oliva-Porter\n Global Director of Diversity\, Equity & Workplace Culture\n Tala.co\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bonnie Oliva-Porter\n Global Director of Diversity\, Equity & Workplace Culture\n Tala.co\n \n \n \n \n \n Bonnie is one of the founding team members at Tala\, and is currently the Global Director of Diversity\, Equity and Workplace Culture at Tala. In this role she acts as a strategic consultant to Tala’s business leaders and People team focused on attracting\, retaining and developing talent that reflects the company’s D&E values and promoting an inclusive environment where employees at all levels can perform their best. Previously\, as Global Operations Director she has worked on a variety of projects to ensure that the wheels are always turning at the company. From people operations and culture to finance\, compliance and investor relations\, her role continues to evolve as the company evolves. Prior to working at Tala\, Bonnie worked as a Bilingual Business Specialist for Empowerment Group\, an SBA Women’s Business Center in Philadelphia\, as a Program Manager for the NYC Department of Small Businesses Services and a Grants Manager at Good/Corps. Bonnie received a BA in Government from Wesleyan University and an MPA at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is a StartingBloc Fellow and an Echoing Green Fellow. She serves on the Board of Trustees at De La Salle Academy in New York City and is a member of the Equity and Inclusion committee on Alumni Council at Phillips Academy in Andover\, Massachusetts. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Arjen Mackaaij\n SVP of People\n FabFitFun\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Arjen Mackaaij\n SVP of People\n FabFitFun\n \n \n \n \n \n Originally from the Netherlands\, Arjen is a business leader\, people geek\, and strengths-based coach\, with 12+ years of experience in leading HR strategy and people functions. As the first SVP of People for FabFitFun\, a fast-growing lifestyle company based in LA\, Arjen oversees the end-to-end employee experience and people operations. As a member of their senior executive team\, his mission is to further develop a unique employee experience that engages people to be their best fab self as the company scales\, while retaining the foundational elements that have made the company so successful. In 2018 FabFitFun earned a Timmy Award for excellence in diversity. Prior to FabFitFun\, Arjen was the People and Operations Director for BCG Digital Ventures\, a corporate investment and incubation firm in Manhattan Beach\, overseeing the people operations for their North America region. At BCG DV Arjen helped to build their diversity initiatives\, inspired by their core company value to “Seek Difference”. Previous experience includes HR roles at LG Electronics and strategic advisory roles at the Boston Consulting Group. Arjen is driven by his passion for inclusion (his number one Clifton Strength is “Includer”) and empowering everyone to contribute to the best of their abilities. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Liji Thomas\, CPA\, CIA\, CRMA\, SHRM-CP\n Head of Diversity & Inclusion\n Southern California Edison\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Liji Thomas\, CPA\, CIA\, CRMA\, SHRM-CP\n Head of Diversity & Inclusion\n Southern California Edison\n \n \n \n \n \n Liji began her career lobbying on Capitol Hill for an increase in housing for low income women and children. In 2005\, Liji joined Countrywide as a Project Manager and quickly rose through the ranks to become Assistant Vice President of Compliance and Risk Management. In this role\, she oversaw compliance and risk assessment in Countrywide’s offshore operations and authored Countrywide’s Model for Offshore Compliance\, a cross functional\, global\, risk-based approach to the company’s compliance efforts. In 2008\, Liji joined the Internal Audit Department of Southwest Airlines. During her time in Internal Audit\, Liji led the company’s first Capitalization of Labor Audit and published an article advancing thought leadership in the space in the 2010 issue of Internal Auditor magazine. She then assumed a role as Manager of Business Strategy\, implementing new business initiatives impacting over 3\,600 individuals. These initiatives included strategies to increase revenue\, improve customer experience and realize process efficiencies. In the first six months of 2012\, Liji impacted revenue generation in excess of $40 million. In late 2012\, Liji Thomas was shoulder-tapped to help build diversity and inclusion efforts for Southwest Airlines. In this role\, she informed all aspects of diversity and inclusion for the nations’ largest domestic airline and helped align Southwest Airlines culture with an award-winning diversity and inclusion strategy. After consulting with several Fortune 500 clients\, Liji now leads the diversity and inclusion journey at Southern California Edison\, a Fortune 250 company at the forefront of creating the clean energy future. \nLiji is married and is the proud mom of two girls. In her spare time\, Liji contributes to various charitable and civic causes. She is a Former Jesuit Volunteer and a 1998 graduate of Vanderbilt University. She has an MBA in Finance\, a Master’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Information Technology Management and Consulting and holds CPA\, CIA\, CRMA and SHRMCP designations. She was chosen to deliver her graduate school commencement address and is a graduate of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2017. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Anthony Mays\n Software Engineer\n Google\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Anthony Mays\n Software Engineer\n Google\n \n \n \n \n \n Anthony is a software engineer at Google. Raised in Compton as a foster kid after suffering physical and sexual abuse\, he taught himself how to program computers at age 8 and started his career as an INROADS intern. \nPerhaps best known for the short BuzzFeed documentary about his journey from Compton to Google\, he is a frequent public speaker at schools and other student organizations. He was awarded the 2016 INROADS Trendsetter Award for his work promoting diversity in tech. \nAnthony graduated from the University of California\, Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. His GPA was horrible\, so don’t ask. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Danny Acosta\n Partner & Managing Director\, Diversity & Inclusion Lead & Moderator\n BCG\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Danny Acosta\n Partner & Managing Director\, Diversity & Inclusion Lead & Moderator\n BCG\n \n \n \n \n \n Danny Acosta\, currently Partner and Managing Director with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)\, has built a career that brings together global public and private sector experience\, working on policy and strategic growth initiatives\, and organizational transformations\, with corporate and government leaders across a range of industries. Now based in his hometown of Los Angeles\, Danny has worked heavily in industries ranging from Media & Entertainment to Infrastructure and Economic Development. Building on his background in international development – and having worked across the U.S.\, Latin America\, the Caribbean\, Europe\, Middle East\, and Southeast Asia – Danny also works with BCG’s Social Impact and Global Advantage Practices\, helping companies and governments bridge the gaps between developing and developed markets. \nBorn and raised in Southeast Los Angeles\, Danny was fortunate to be one of those “first in the family” to go to college\, building on the support and mentorship of many along the way. He carries that privilege forward by investing actively to create additional opportunity for an inclusive US community and economy. He is the co-lead of BCG’s Black+Latinx network\, which brings together both Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino colleagues; he has actively supported the activities and mission of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund\, where he serves as a Board Member; he is a Board member of the Univision Foundation and the Latino Donor Collaborative. \nPrior to his work with BCG\, Danny served as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State\, spending time as an Economics Officer in Washington\, D.C. and overseas. He earned his Juris Doctorate and Master’s in Business Administration\, both with honors\, from Georgetown University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science\, with honors\, at Yale\, and has participated in programs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and Oxford University. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWARNER BROS. STAGE 13: REACHING DIVERSE AUDIENCES\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Diana Mogollón\n Senior Vice President & General Manager\n Stage 13\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Diana Mogollón\n Senior Vice President & General Manager\n Stage 13\n \n \n \n \n \n Diana Mogollón is a senior entertainment executive who has impacted and fueled critically-acclaimed\, award-winning\, multi-platform content. A leader in creating cross-cultural\, tastemaker audiences for studios\, networks and talent\, she is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Stage 13\, a distinctive brand in the Warner Bros. Digital Networks Group. With a curated team of creative executives\, Stage 13 is the leader in creating award-winning premium scripted and unscripted programming for highly-coveted\, multi-dimensional audiences. \nFocusing on fearless original digital storytelling\, Stage 13 showcases a new generation of talent and fresh creative voices\, creating dynamic and unapologetic scripted and unscripted series\, features and short-form content. Mogollón helped develop and incubate the brand\, transitioning to Stage 13 after serving in Business Strategy and Development at the Warner Bros. Television Group\, where she led a core business team as part of broader strategic initiatives for Warner Bros. Entertainment. \nPreviously\, she served as a corporate executive at NBCUniversal as Executive Vice President and General Manager for the award-winning mun2 cable network\, the leading lifestyle entertainment cable network targeting Latino millenials. In this capacity\, she was responsible for developing and executing overall operational and P&L leadership for the business. She spearheaded the brand’s unparalleled growth strategy across all business units\, providing astute leadership within the Telemundo\, NBCUniversal\, and Comcast divisional portfolio\, yielding major achievements with all stakeholders. \nMogollón has been recognized as an one of the “Industry Leaders\, Top Women in Digital” by Cynopsis\, a “Woman of Impact” by Variety Magazine\, one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by CableFAX magazine\, a “Wonder Woman to Watch” by Multichannel News\, one of the “Most Influential Minorities in Cable” by CableFAX magazine\, one of the “Most Powerful and Influential Latinos in Entertainment” by the Imagen Foundation\, a “Top Woman in Music & Entertainment” by Billboard Magazine and a CableFAX Diversity Award nominee. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPANEL: FUNDING DIVERSE LEADERS AND IDEAS\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Eva Ho\n General Partner & Founding Member\n Fika Ventures and All Raise\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Eva Ho\n General Partner & Founding Member\n Fika Ventures and All Raise\n \n \n \n \n \n Eva is a General Partner at Fika Ventures\, an early stage technology fund investing in companies that leverage the power of data as a core component of their business model. Prior to Fika\, Eva was a founding GP at Susa Ventures. She is a serial entrepreneur and founder\, with a company experience portfolio including Applied Semantics (AdSense)\, Factual\, Google\, Youtube and Navigating Cancer. She also serves on the board of California Community Foundation and is a founding member of All Raise\, an organization committed to diversity in venture funders and founders. She was recently the Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the city of Los Angeles working with Mayor Eric Garcetti and his team. Eva holds an MBA from Cornell and a BA from Harvard. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Hamet Watt\n Board Partner\, Co-Founder & Former chairman\n Upfront Ventures and Co-founder MoviePass\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Hamet Watt\n Board Partner\, Co-Founder & Former chairman\n Upfront Ventures and Co-founder MoviePass\n \n \n \n \n \n Hamet Watt is a Board Partner at Upfront. He is also co-founder and former Chairman of MoviePass\, a subscription service for movies in theaters\, and co-founder and former Chairman of bLife\, a wellness innovation company acquired by Canary Health. \nPreviously\, Hamet was an EIR at True Ventures\, after exiting another company that he founded called NextMedium (acquired by Brand Affinity Technologies). Prior to NextMedium\, Hamet advised Nielsen Media Research in the development of the first product placement measurement service for network and cable TV. Hamet was also a General Partner in the New Africa Opportunity Fund\, the first US-backed venture fund investing in post-apartheid South Africa. Hamet received a BS from Florida A&M. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Renee LaBran\n Investor & Board Director\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Renee LaBran\n Investor & Board Director\n \n \n \n \n \n Renée LaBran is an active investor\, advisor and board director with more than 25 years of operating\, strategic and financial experience. She currently advises a number of early stage companies and serves on the boards of Sambazon\, Inc\, Idealab\, and TomboyX. Additionally\, she is Governor Brown’s appointee to the Board of the California State Bar as a non-attorney public member\, and a faculty member at UCLA Anderson School of Business. Renée is also a co-founder of Women Founders Network\, which provides access to capital\, visibility and mentorship to female entrepreneurs. Renée was a founding partner of Rustic Canyon Partners\, an early stage technology investment firm\, and RC / Fontis\, which focused on investments in businesses targeting underserved markets. Prior to the funds\, Renée was an operating executive at the Los Angeles Times\, where she was also co-founder and CEO of CareerPath (now CareerBuilder)\, and a management consultant with Monitor Company. Renée graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics from UC Berkeley\, and received her MBA with honors from the Harvard Business School. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tracy Gray\n Founder & Managing Partner\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tracy Gray\n Founder & Managing Partner\n \n \n \n \n \n Ms. Gray is the Founder & Managing Partner of The 22 Fund\, an impact\, growth firm with a mission to great the quality jobs of the future by increasing the export capacity of Southern California manufacturing companies\, targeting women- and minority-owned businesses. She is also an Executive in Residence at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and chairs LACI’s Diversity in Entrepreneurship Advisory Council. \nIn addition\, Ms. Gray is the founder of the non-profit We Are Enough (WAE). WAE’s only mission is to educate ALL women on how and why to invest in women-owned\, for-profit businesses or with a “gender lens.” WAE recently released the study Creating LAIA:The Feasibility of a Women-Focused Incubator and Accelerator in Los Angeles. Ms. Gray was named one of the 50 “Women of Influence” in business in Los Angeles and is featured in the recently released book “200 Hundred Women: Who Will Change the Way You See the World”. \nMs. Gray was formerly senior advisor for international business to the LA Mayor\, an investment professional at a venture capital fund and a systems engineer on the Space Shuttle program. Ms. Gray holds a B.S. in Mathematical Science with an aeronautics emphasis from the UC Santa Barbara and dual MBAs from Columbia University and UC\, Berkeley. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Darya Allen-Attar\n CEO & Co-Founder\n Women Founders Network\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Darya Allen-Attar\n CEO & Co-Founder\n Women Founders Network\n \n \n \n \n \n Darya is passionate about the advancement of women. In 2013\, she co-founded Women Founders Network (WFN)\, a virtual accelerator whose goal is to connect women founders not only with the required capital but also with the resources\, connections\, mentorship and sponsorship they need to grow scalable\, successful businesses. Since 2013\, WFN and its members have awarded and invested over $1.3M in cash and services to women founders and alumni have raised over $68M in funding. Subsequently\, Darya founded the nonprofit Women Founders Foundation (WFF) in 2017\, with a mission of educating women and girls about entrepreneurship to inspire the next generation of women founders and investors. In 2008\, Darya founded Broads Circle\, an executive level women’s networking group with a focus on money and power for women. Darya has been recognized for her community work and the advancement of women by the LABJ and California Women Lead. Darya serves on several nonprofit boards. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFAQ\n\n\n\nHow can I contact the organizer about Sponsorship or for exhibiting my organization at the event?Please contact Steve Gilison about sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities for this event. \n\n\n\nHow can I contact the organizer about speaking?We would love to hear your suggestions and nominations for speakers. Know that we cannot accommodate all requests. Please contact Steve Gilison. \n\n\n\nDo you offer group discounts?Yes\, we offer group rates for 3 or more attendees. Please contact Vicki about group rates. \n\n\n\nWhat’s the refund policy?Plans change\, we get it. If you can’t attend\, please try to transfer your ticket to a colleague who’d enjoy it (see instructions below). If all else fails\, you can get a full refund (minus transaction fee) up to the day before the event. Please notify info@alliancesocal.org to let us know. \n\n\n\nWhat is the parking situation?There is no fee to park at the Skirball however carpoolers get extra karma points. \n\n\n\nWhat about dietary restrictions?Please contact Vicki by April 22nd at 5:00pm PST with any dietary restrictions. Please note: there will be a vegetarian option for lunch. We will try our best to accommodate dietary requests. \n\n\n\nDo I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?No need. Proceed to the check-in desk and give us your name and company and/or show us your ticket on your mobile phone. \n\n\n\nIs my registration or ticket transferable?If you wish to transfer your ticket\, please notify Vicki no later than 5:00pm PST on April 25th. Please supply the first name\, last name\, email\, company\, title and cell phone number of the person you are transferring the ticket to. \n\n\n\nAre there any volunteer opportunities available?Yes. Please contact Vicki if you would like to volunteer for the event. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/diversity-fuels-innovation-forum-2019/ LOCATION:Skirball Cultural Center\, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90049\, United States CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SoCalAlliance-75-1.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20190619T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20190619T183000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220318T152649Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220408T165355Z UID:836-1560947400-1560969000@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:First Look SoCal Showcase 2019 DESCRIPTION:View Photo Gallery\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe premier annual conference celebrating the best early stage teams commercializing deep tech and life science breakthroughs from SoCal’s top research institutions. The program will feature quick-pitch presentations from the 30 teams split into three concurrent domain tracks. Each presentation is followed by audience Q&A. There will also be a private meet and greet space for investors and teams to connect during the event. An investor panel discussion and networking cocktail reception to follow presentations. \n\n\n\nYou’ll See…A showcase of the 30 best early stage startups emerging from SoCal’s top research institutions and Investors who represent the region’s diversity of STEM talent and ideas.\n\n\n\nWhy You Should Attend\n\n\n\nUnparalleled opportunities for SoCal startup teams to connect with investors\, mentors and other support resources crucial at the early seed stage.  \n\n\n\nDiscover a source of plentiful investment opportunities with companies on track to raise series a funding. \n\n\n\nNetwork with SoCal’s professional community focused on commercializing deep tech.  \n\n\n\nAGENDA\n\n\n\nCheck-in 12:30 PM | Welcome + Keynote 1:30 PM | Team Presentations 2:30 PM | Investor Panel + Cocktails 6:30 PM \n\n\n\nFull Event Schedule \n\n\n\nCheck-in & Welcome\n\n\n\nTimeEvent12:30pmAttendee Check-in1:30pmWelcomeGeneral Session\, Room 1071:40pmKeynoteBeth Seidenberg\, Funding Managing Director of Westlake Village BioPartnersGene Sykes\, Chairman\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation2:20pmTransition to Track Breakout RoomsLife Science – Therapeutics: Room 101Life Science – Diagnostics: Room 106Technology: Room 107 (General Session)2:30pmIntroductions by Track ModeratorsLife Science – Diagnostics: Matthew Bresnahan\, Partner\, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & RosatiLife Science – Therapeutics: Hallie Kuhn\, Principal\, Alexandria Venture InvestmentsTechnology: Richard Wolpert\, Author\, Investor\, Founder\, Executive Chairman at HelloTech\n\n\n\nStart Up Presentations Part 1\n\n\n\nTimeLife Science – Therapeutics (Room 101)Life Science – Diagnostics (Room 106)Intro Track 3: Technology (Room 107)Sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & RosatiSponsored by Alexandria Real Estate Equities2:35pmAngeles Therapeutics\, Inc – USCAbreos Biosciences – UC San DiegoClearbridge Biophonotics FPM – Caltach2:50pmBasilard BioTech – UC RiversideBrainleap Technologies – UC San DiegoETC Solar – Caltech3:05pmRadoptics – US RiversideHouseCalls Mobile – Cal PolyFreeGen Technologies – US San Deigo3:20pmBioVinc – CalState LAMilo Sensors – UC Santa BarbaraHelicoid Industries – UC Riverside3:35pmCarthroniX – USCNOWA Innovations – UC Irvine(No Presentation)3:50pmBreakBreakBreak\n\n\n\nStart Up Presentations Part 2\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTime\nLife Science – Therapeutics (Room 101)\nLife Science – Diagnostics (Room 106)\nIntro Track 3: Technology (Room 107)\n\n\n \nSponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\nSponsored by Alexandria Real Estate Equities\n \n\n\n4:10pm\nDiadem Biotherapeutics – CalState LA\nRedCare – UC San Diego\nMesh Candy – CalState LA\n\n\n4:25pm\nDTx Pharma – University of San Diego\nbioProtonics – UC Santa Barbara\nN3: Nanomechanical Neural Networks – Caltech\n\n\n4:40pm\nJeniVision – UC Irvine\nSoft Health Technologies – UC Irvine\nTastry – Col Poly\n\n\n4:55pm\nRNAceuticals – UC Irvine\nVantronics – Skysong Innovations\nThe Hurd Co – UC Santa Barbara\n\n\n5:10pm\n(No Presentations)\nVeocor Diagnostics – UC San Diego\n(No Presentation)\n\n\n5:25pm\nReturn to General Session (107)Venture Capital Panel: Successful Investing in SoCal Early TechAlex Andrianopoulos – Chief R&D Officer\, Kairos VenturesMinnie Ingersoll – Venture Partner\, TenOneTen VenturesHallie Kuhn – Principal\, Alexandria Ventures InvestmentsMolly Schmid – Advisor/Consultant\, UC Irvine + EIR\, Alfred Mann InstituteKevin Zhang – Partner\, Upfront VenturesSean Moriarty – CEO\, Leaf Group (Moderator)\n\n\n6:25pm\nEvent Wrap UpAndy Wilson – Executive Director\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n\n\n6:30pm\nNetworking ReceptionConference Centere Foyer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe First Look Showcase is presented by the Alliance for Southern California Innovation and the Los Angeles Venture Association (“LAVA”). \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKEYNOTE SPEAKERS\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Beth Seidenberg\n Founding Managing Director\n Westlake Village BioPartners\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Beth Seidenberg\n Founding Managing Director\n Westlake Village BioPartners\n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Beth Seidenberg has medicine in her blood. From standing on a stool as a child watching her father conducting heart surgery\, to her groundbreaking work developing new treatments for diseases as diverse as AIDS and arthritis\, Seidenberg has applied her medical expertise to the venture capital world. She helps entrepreneurs translate their scientific breakthroughs into new medicines to help patients. Along the way\, she has built 15 successful biotech companies. \nAs a founding managing director of Westlake Village BioPartners\, Seidenberg believes this is the Golden Age of Biotech. “The pace and quality of innovation has hit an inflection point\,” she explains. “With Westlake Village BioPartners we have the freedom and expertise to turn the next big technologies into products and companies that benefit human health.” \nPrior to life science investing\, Seidenberg’s career focused on developing new treatments for AIDS\, arthritis\, asthma\, cancer and psoriasis\, cardiovascular\, metabolic\, neurological and renal disorders for over 20 years. During that time\, she introduced 10 innovative products to market. \nSeidenberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and anthropology from Barnard College and attended medical school at the University of Miami School of Medicine. She completed her medical residency at Johns Hopkins University and George Washington University\, and Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gene Sykes\n Chairman & Moderator\n Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gene Sykes\n Chairman & Moderator\n Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n \n \n \n \n \n Gene Sykes is the Chairman of the Alliance for SoCal Innovation. A native Angeleno\, Sykes is a trustee of the California chapter of The Nature Conservancy\, a board member of Common Sense Media\, a member of the Advisory Council of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a member of the Stanford board of trustees. Sykes joined the Advisory Council for the Alliance for Southern California Innovation in 2017. \nSykes received a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He remains an employee of Goldman Sachs but has stepped down from his leadership positions. While at LA 2028\, he does not participate in Goldman Sachs’s day-to-day operations and serves the firm in a limited capacity as a Managing Director. His work with LA 2028 is unpaid. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVC PANEL\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Alex Andrianopoulos\n Chair Research & Development Officer\n Kairos Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Alex Andrianopoulos\n Chair Research & Development Officer\n Kairos Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Alex leads the team of investment analysts at Kairos that conducts research and due diligence on all the companies we consider to invest in\, either through incubation or Series-A funds. Alex joined Kairos with 20+ years of experience at high-tech companies specializing in enterprise software\, ranging in size from startups with a handful of employees to behemoths with tens of thousands of employees. In these companies\, Alex led global teams of dozens of employees responsible for product strategy\, intellectual property protection\, engineering\, professional services\, sales\, marketing\, and business development\, and actively participated in the efforts to close\, and successfully closed\, multiple rounds of financing by venture capital firms as well as the public markets. Moreover\, while at Oracle\, Alex led the research and strategic alignment efforts for numerous acquisitions ranging in value from a few tens of millions to billions of dollars. Alex has a degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Computer Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Marketing. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Minnie Ingersoll\n Venture Partner\n TenOneTen Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Minnie Ingersoll\n Venture Partner\n TenOneTen Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Gene Sykes is the Chairman of the Alliance for SoCal Innovation. A native Angeleno\, Sykes is a trustee of the California chapter of The Nature Conservancy\, a board member of Common Sense Media\, a member of the Advisory Council of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a member of the Stanford board of trustees. Sykes joined the Advisory Council for the Alliance for Southern California Innovation in 2017. \nSykes received a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He remains an employee of Goldman Sachs but has stepped down from his leadership positions. While at LA 2028\, he does not participate in Goldman Sachs’s day-to-day operations and serves the firm in a limited capacity as a Managing Director. His work with LA 2028 is unpaid. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Hallie Kuhn\n Principal\n Alexandria Venture Investments\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Hallie Kuhn\n Principal\n Alexandria Venture Investments\n \n \n \n \n \n Hallie Kuhn is a Principal at Alexandria Venture Investments\, where she focuses on life science investments in the LA region. Before joining Alexandria\, Hallie was a Principal at LS Polaris Innovation Fund in Boston\, MA\, specializing in seed and early-stage venture investments. Concurrently\, she served as Chief of Staff for Amy Schulman\, a partner at Polaris Partners\, supporting operations and business development for several Polaris portfolio companies. Prior to her work in venture capital she was a Senior Consultant at ClearView Healthcare partners. Hallie holds a Ph.D. in Systems Biology from Harvard University and was a Churchill Scholar at Cambridge University. She is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship\, National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship\, and Harvard Ashford Fellowship. She holds a B.S. from Harvey Mudd College. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Kevin Zhang\n Partner\n Upfront Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Kevin Zhang\n Partner\n Upfront Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Kevin looks for interdisciplinary entrepreneurs solving big problems in healthcare and the life sciences. He’s also a passionate gamer and invests in interactive media platforms\, tools and content. Prior to joining Upfront in 2012\, Kevin was at The Boston Consulting Group\, where he advised on strategy\, M&A and operations for technology\, healthcare\, and industrial goods clients in the US and Asia. Previously\, Kevin worked at Verscend Technologies\, a healthcare software startup in Boston\, focusing on data analytics product development selling into payers and providers. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Molly Schmid\n Advisor/Consultant\n UC Irvine + EIR\, Alfred Mann Institute\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Molly Schmid\n Advisor/Consultant\n UC Irvine + EIR\, Alfred Mann Institute\n \n \n \n \n \n Molly B. Schmid\, Ph.D. has had a career that spans from “bench to boardroom” in academia and the biotechnology industry. Her scientific research pioneered the development of tools to exploit microbial genomics for antibiotic drug discovery. In industry\, she progressed through positions of increasing leadership in small and medium sized biotechnology companies\, which raised money through venture investments\, corporate partnerships\, federal grants and public offerings. Dr. Schmid has served as an advisor\, reviewer and chair for numerous NIH and NSF proposal review panels. Currently\, she serves as an advisor and consultant with UC Irvine’s Small Business and Technology Development Center\, is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at USC\, is a faculty advisor and adjunct professor at UCLA Anderson and at USC Marshall’s Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. She is a member of the Inland Empire Tech Coast Angels\, a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sean Moriarty\n CEO & Moderator\n Leaf Group\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sean Moriarty\n CEO & Moderator\n Leaf Group\n \n \n \n \n \n Sean serves as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Leaf Group. Sean was previously the CEO of Saatchi Art\, which Leaf Group acquired in August 2014\, and the President and CEO of Ticketmaster\, where he also served on the board of directors. Sean held positions of increasing responsibility during his tenure at Ticketmaster\, including EVP\, Technology and Chief Operating Officer. Sean has also served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Mayfield Fund and he began his executive experience as EVP\, Technology at Citysearch. \nSean sits on several private company boards of directors\, including Eventbrite and TuneIn. Sean is also actively involved in non-profit work with CoachArt and the Pat Tillman Foundation. \nSean received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and attended graduate school at Boston University and the University of South Carolina. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMEET THE TEAMS\n\n\n\nLife Science – Therapeutics Track\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Preet Chaudhary\, FounderUSC \nAngeles Therapeutics\, Inc\nChimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) are synthetic immune-receptors\, which can redirect immune T cells to selectively kill tumor cells. Despite the recent FDA approval of Kymriah (Novartis) and Yescarta (Kite/Gilead)\, the CAR constructs in current use have several limitations which will severely limit the commercial success of this technology in blood cancers and prevent its success in solid tumors. These limitations include \nToxicities\nCAR-T cell exhaustion and lack of persistence\, which contribute to disease relapse in blood cancers and lack of efficacy in solid tumors\nPaucity of suitable targets for solid tumors\nHigh cost of manufacturing.\nA number of these limitations can be traced back to the design of current CAR constructs which is nearly 30 years old. To overcome the design limitations of the current generation CAR constructs\, we have developed a novel platform\, designated SIR (Synthetic Immune Receptor)\, which provides physiological signaling. In contrast to CAR constructs\, SIRs engage the full T cell receptor complex\, including all receptors and co-receptors\, resulting in strong signaling and effective destruction of tumor cells. Due to their physiological design\, SIRs are also expected to be safer as compared to the current generation CAR constructs. We have obtained convincing evidence of superior efficacy of our SIR platform against both blood cancers and solid tumors using in vitro and animal studies. Additionally\, we have generated over a thousand SIR constructs targeting more than 130 target antigens covering blood cancers\, solid tumors\, immune and infectious diseases\, making our CAR-T portfolio one of the largest in the world. We have produced the cGMP grade lentivirus vector for our first construct and expect to file IND in 4-8 months. IND-enabling studies are currently in process for another 5 constructs targeting distinct antigens expressed in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. \nUSC Website\n \n \n \n \n Masaru Rao\, Assoc. ProfessorUC Riverside \nBasilard BioTechBasilard BioTech – a transformative nanomechanical gene delivery platform to: \n\nUnlock the full potential of ex vivo cell & gene therapies\nImprove the lives of tens of millions worldwide\nEnable the expansion of billion-dollar markets already exploding with growth potential\n\nTHE PROBLEM – prevailing gene delivery limitations \nEx vivo cell and gene therapies show promise for curing a wide range of diseases and disorders afflicting tens of millions worldwide (e.g.\, cancer\, genetic disorders\, degenerative diseases\, etc.). However\, full realization of this promise is constrained by limitations inherent to the prevailing (current) gene delivery methods used to engineer cells for such therapies. Problems include safety concerns\, poor efficiency\, limited scalability and limited versatility. \nTHE SOLUTION – nanomechanical gene delivery from Basilard BioTech \nWe are developing a proprietary nanomechanical device platform to provide unprecendented accuracy while delivering virtually any gene to the nucleus of cells\, en masse\, without compromising their viability. \nOur innovation introduces opportunity to reduce cost and increase versatility relative to biological delivery methods (i.e.\, viral vectors)\, and to increase efficiency and safety compared to chemical and physical methods (e.g.\, liposomes\, electroporation\, & squeeze poration).\n \n \n \n \n Shuting Sun\, CEOCalState LA \nBioVincBioVinc (BV) has leveraged a Bisphosphonate Bone Targeting Platform Technology to identify Therapeutic and Diagnostic leads for use in several Unmet Medical Needs. In vivo Proof of Concept data and a significant proprietary position has been established for several opportunities for development. The company now seeks Series A Investment to develop one of these promising leads through clinical evaluation. \nOur current focus is a novel\, more effective bone-targeted antimicrobial lead. Our commercial goal is to bring to the market the first anti-infective bone graft substitute for use in dental and orthopedic surgery for the treatment and prevention of bone infections. This will be the first bone graft material (classifiable as a medical device) to possess powerful bone-binding properties which enables selective delivery of antibiotics to anatomic sites of osseous infection\, with sustained local release of the antibiotic. Our novel technology addresses the unmet need for a safe\, effective treatment of bone and implant infections in both dental and orthopedic applications. \nBV has also developed a pipeline of IP and future development products from its Platform Technology. BV has received impressive non-dilutive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) further validating the strength of its platform\, totaling nearly $4.7 million. BV is therefore uniquely positioned to quickly translate this high value asset to clinical development. \nBioVinc Website\n \n \n \n \n Amir Nobakht\, COOUSC \nCarthroniXPre-clinical stage biotech company developing small molecules for regenerative applications including modulating hair regeneration\, topical anti-inflammaging\, systemic anti-inflammaging\, anti-autoimmune and osteoarthritis applications. \nCathroniX Website\n \n \n \n \n Milad Riazifar\, CTOCalState LA \nDiadem BiotherapeuticsDiadem Biotherapeutics is developing first-in-class biologics for a world-leading cause of disability and death: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). \nCOPD is an inflammatory\, progressive\, life-threatening lung disease. It is the 4th leading cause of death globally but is projected to be 3rd by 2020. A global prevalence of 251 million cases was reported in 2016. A total of 3.17 million deaths were caused by the disease in 2015. Currently\, at least 16 million Americans are affected with COPD and direct medical costs in the U.S. are soaring to an estimated $49 billion annually. \nCOPD results in an irreversible and progressive airflow limitation. It is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways and lung parenchyma\, which is increased during acute exacerbations. Small-airway fibrosis in COPD is a result of chronic inflammation. There is also systemic inflammation\, which likely contributes to cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. The immunological features of COPD include lung infiltration of various immune cells including an increased number of alveolar macrophages\, infiltrating neutrophils\, T lymphocytes and innate lymphoid cells recruited from the circulation. \nBronchodilators\, developed for asthma\, provide some symptom relief but do not modify the underlying disease or halt disease progression. Broadly immunosuppressant corticosteroids can reduce the frequency of exacerbations but also increase susceptibility to dangerous infections. Only rofumilast\, a PDE-4 inhibitor\, is specifically indicated for COPD but has dose-limiting side effects. Fixed-dose combinations of bronchodilators and corticosteroids perform best in COPD\, indicating that multiple pathways must be targeted simultaneously to see a therapeutic effect. Indeed\, most new drugs with a single mechanism of action fail to provide much benefit. A case in point was the unexpected failure of anti-TNF\, Remicade. \nDiademio Website\n \n \n \n \n Artie Suckow\, CEOUniversity of San Diego \nDTx Pharmo \nRNAi medicines are unique in that they stop a faulty DNA message from creating a faulty protein\, stopping a previously undruggable target at its source. RNAi present a trillion-dollar opportunity\, much larger than the entire small-molecule and biologics therapeutics space combined. \nUnfortunately\, RNA medicines do not cross cell membranes and are quickly cleared from the blood by the kidney/liver. Delivery methods to date\, like lipid nanoparticles\, have proven toxic. Targeting ligand approaches\, like GalNAc conjugation\, are suitable for liver uptake but so far solutions to effectively AND safely enable delivery beyond liver are limited. Still\, the small number of currently approved RNAi drugs generate more than $1B in sales\, command very high prices (drug price of $300k or more per year) and allow children with degenerative disease to walk again. \nOur technology allows broad delivery throughout the body of all types of RNAi (bioactive siRNA\, ASO and exon skipping drugs). \nOur proprietary solution leverages fatty acids to facilitate cellular uptake\, promote distribution beyond the liver and minimize toxicity. There are 3 main business opportunities that we are pursuing: \n\nDevelop novel RNA medicines target orphan disease;\nPartner with Pharma to address identified targets for which small molecular or biologic approaches have not succeeded;\nPartner with RNA medicine company to improve delivery/bioactivity.\n\nDTx Pharmo \n\n \n \n \n \n Jenny Wang\, CEOUC Irvine \nJeniVision IncJeniVision Inc. have invented an extraordinarily powerful anti-glaucoma drug (JV-GL1) that lowers intraocular pressure to a level (<10mmHG) where further deterioration of vision is arrested. It is also very long-acting and a single drop is effective for 1-2 weeks. \nJeniVision have also invented the first drug (JV-DE1) to treat ocular surface pain and discomfort. This a well recognized unmet medical need. A single dose of JV-DE1 lasts 1-2 days. \nJeniVision\n\n \n \n \n \n Bahman Anvar\, Professor & FounderUC Riverside \nRadoptics LLC\nRadoptics LLC is interested in development and commercialization of cell-based technologies for image-guided treatment of cancers\, particularly ovarian. The company is developing optical probes derived from red blood cells that are doped with near infrared imaging agents for intraoperative visualization of small tumor nodules (< 1 mm) during surgery. \nAnvariBiophotonicsLab\n\n \n \n \n \n Frank Volvovitz\, PresidentUC Irvine \nRNAceuticals\, Inc.\nRNAceuticals is developing a disruptive category of medicines based on self-amplifying RNA or SAR that promises better medicines across the spectrum of human diseases. Acting as cellular software\, SAR medicines instruct a patient’s own cells to make proteins that prevent\, treat and cure disease. SAR medicines have the potential to be more effective\, longer lasting\, safer and more affordable than the protein-based medicines made by cell culture today. \nAlthough the idea of using RNA to function as a medicine is not new\, putting it into practice has required new technologies to effectively deliver RNA to cells\, and\, for some uses\, reduce anti-RNA defenses. The company calls its combination of SAR and delivery technologies “VECTORNA™”. Distinguishing features of VECTORNA compared to competing mRNA technologies include lower effective doses and longer therapeutic windows. \nWe are collaborating with University of California\, Irvine scientists who have developed proprietary\, synthetic nanoparticle formulations to effectively deliver SAR. Our product pipeline is focused on immunotherapeutic proteins\, which are the subjects of collaborations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Army (Army) and plan to deliver candidates for evaluation by the NIH and Army in the second quarter of 2019. \nSerial biotech entrepreneur Franklin Volvovitz and pharma industry veteran George Mark\, III\, Ph.D. lead RNAceuticals. Mr. Volvovitz previously founded Protein Sciences Corporation (PSC). Under his leadership the first and only FDA licensed\, recombinant influenza vaccine\, Flublok\, was invented and brought to clinical trials. Sanofi purchased PSC for $650 million plus milestone payments in late 2017. Dr. Mark has led research teams at Merck and Celldex\, which advanced a broad range of vaccine and antibody candidates including Merck’s Gardasil and RotaTeq vaccines from early development to clinical trials.\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLife Science – Diagnostics Track\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Bradley Messmer\, Doctor & CEOUC San Diego \nAbreos Biosciences \nAbreos Bioscience is a precision medicine company that wants patients to get the right drug AT THE RIGHT DOSE. \nFor most medications it is murky how much of an administered dose will show up in the patient’s blood stream or “target location”\, and how quickly this effective dose is then broken down over time. This is due to every individual showing markedly different reactions to any specific drug\, which can in some cases vary 100-fold from one patient to the next. As a consequence\, standard doses are calculated at a very high level\, with a huge proportion of patients in effect being overdosed. Especially in relation to “high impact” drugs like for cancer and auto-immune treatments\, this overdosing is known to result in serious and sometimes lethal side effect. \nAbreos Biosciences has developed the Veritope Precision Dosing platform for unparalleled measurements of these “pharmacokinetics” – the rate at which drugs are transported in the body. We are using this technology to enable precision dosing and novel indications for existing biologics (known as drug repositioning). Our lead program is a novel integrated therapeutic for treatment of multiple sclerosis\, a chronic disease. Our approach combines a significantly de-risked development pathway (since the biologic drug component is already being successfully used off-label) with full IP and regulatory exclusivity – creating a unique competitive entry into the quickly growing $5.9B MS biologic market. \nAbreos Biosciences \n\n \n \n \n \n Tim James\, CEOUC Santa Barbara \nbioProtonics\, Inc. \nThe µTexture technology is a paradigm change in how magnetic resonance scanner data is acquired\, a change that greatly increases diagnostic capability. µTexture enables extension of measurement resolution\, for assessing biologic tissue\, into the tens of microns range even in the presence of significant patient motion. This ability enables measurement and tracking of the pathological tissue changes that are the earliest indicators of disease. As such\, it has the potential to be a game changer in both disease treatment and in drug discovery\, for a range of debilitating diseases currently stymied by lack of a robust and sensitive diagnostic (liver disease\, lung disease\, prostate disease\, brain cancer\, breast cancer\, bone disease\, dementia…) This novel diagnostic technology has the ability to target patients for trial inclusion at an early stage of disease\, and sensitively measure their response to therapy\, enabling more-informed development of treatments. \nOur initial diagnostic validation targets are Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and prostate disease. Currently\, therapy development efforts in AD are stymied by inability to measure the relevant early-stage pathologic tissue changes—something our new diagnostic holds great potential to enable. Multi-parametric MRI is increasingly used in the prostate disease workup\, so addition of a high-information-content quantitative sequence has the potential to enable more informed treatment decisions. \nThe µTexture technology has the ability to replace highly invasive and error-prone biopsy-sampled pathology measures in a large range of disease diagnostic work-ups. The barrier to adoption is low\, as the diagnostic adds negligible time/effort to an MR exam. while greatly increasing diagnostic information. The diagnostic output data is direct\, quantitative\, and highly structured\, facilitating sensitive biomarker development through use of machine learning analytics. \nbioProtonics\n\n \n \n \n \n Jeff Coleman\, CEOUC San Diego \nBrainleap Technologies\, Inc.BrainLeap’s Attention Arcade trains attention in individuals with autism\, ADHD\, and other attention challenges. The games of the Attention Arcade harness the eye movement system to train attention using an eye tracker to play the games – where you look and where you plan to look is where you are putting your attention. Each of the games trains different aspects of attention\, including quickly and accurately orienting gaze\, fixation\, and inhibitory control. \nIn a research study at UC San Diego\, the attention training games increased orienting attention by 68% and reduced distractibility by 55%\, as well as improved focus by 30% in individuals with ADHD symptoms. These results were measured by independent attention assessments and have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Developmental Neurobiology. \nIncreasing attention skills provides a foundation for better executive function and improved academic success. \nBrainleap Technologies\n \n \n \n \n Courtney Farr\, Nurse PractitionerCal Poly \nHouseCalls MobileHouseCalls Mobile is a virtual medical house call that brings your medical provider to you using live video chat. By utilizing a special medical device\, your provider can make a remote diagnosis virtually anytime and anywhere. House Calls Mobile uses a first of its kind patent pending dual virtual Stethoscope/otoscope technology. \nHouseCalls Mobile\n\n \n \n \n \n Bop Lansdorp\, CTOUC Santa Barbara \nMilo Sensors \nOur company has created the ION™ Platform: our patented wearable alcohol sensor together with an app and a cloud platform. We have recently shipped our first units to paying customers: researchers and early adopters in the Alcohol Use Disorder treatment space. In the future\, we aim to leverage our customer base to help develop new treatment tools for Alcohol Use Disorder. \nMilo Sensors \n\n \n \n \n \n Nasam Chokr\, CEOUC Irvine \nNOWA Innovations \nAsthma affects 334 million people and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects 65 million people in the world. The leading cause of death from asthma and COPD is poor management. As much as 90% of patients do not take their inhaled medications correctly. Our solution to the problem is the Unaresp. \nThe Unaresp is a non-invasive and quick tool to measure adherence to medication and promote asthma and COPD management. This works by detecting biomarkers from the patient’s exhaled breath. It analyzes different molecules within the breath and records their concentrations over time. This results in important qualitative information about the patient’s status and progress with their disease. It can detect the concentration of the medication that is inhaled by asthma and COPD patients and know how long ago the patient has taken their inhaler. This information is crucial for physicians\, as they currently have no way to obtain real-time qualitative data about inhaled medication and oftentimes make treatment decisions based off of estimations. Over-prescribing inhaled corticosteroids is very common and often results in the overdosing of the drug\, which requires emergency medical attention. Additionally\, the Unaresp measures oxygen\, carbon dioxide\, and nitric oxide in the breath\, which are indicative of airway inflammation. \nNot only can the Unaresp assess adherence to medication\, but it can also establish patient-specific baselines and personal best\, optimizing asthma and COPD treatment. The Unaresp functions as both a diagnostic and educational tool as it provides the user with instant feedback about the quality of their inhalation. \nNOWA \n\n \n \n \n \n Chris Straka\, CEOUC San Diego \nRadCareRadiotherapy is a cornerstone of modern cancer care\, but most patients have minimal knowledge of this modality before starting treatment\, and many remain unsure of what side effects they might experience and do not understand the logistics of their treatment even after meeting with their doctor. This patient knowledge gap is not unique to radiotherapy\, rather it is seen across disciplines\, age groups and socio-economic demographics. A variety of existing educational tools try to address this problem. However\, these tools present their information “all at once\,” leaving the patient to sort through what they might or might not need to know at any given time. \nTo address the need for better patient support tools\, we have formed a digital health company\, RadCare Health\, Inc. We are building on the insights of several very successful apps supporting pregnant women\, which predict what patients will need to know and present “just in time” information updating throughout pregnancy. Initially we are focusing on apps supporting radiation oncology patients\, but later we plan to expand into general oncology and finally into general healthcare. We envision the creation of a digital health assistant that could be freestanding or integrated into existing virtual assistants such as Siri\, Google Assistant\, etc. \nWe have created an app called RadCare (developed at UCSD by company founder Chris Straka and licensed exclusively to RadCare Health\, Inc.)\, which is a minimum viable product (MVP) serving prostate cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. RadCare syncs with patients’ treatment timeline and presents timely\, pertinent information before\, during and after radiotherapy. We overcame several obstacles in bringing this MVP to the iOS app store\, including developing a system to track\, and re-calibrate if necessary\, patients’ treatment progress during radiotherapy\, a paradigm for deciding what content should be presented when during treatment\, and a framework to serve content appropriately and to enable “browsing” of knowledge modules if desired by the user. \nRadCare\n\n \n \n \n \n Thomas Berryman\, Co-FounderUC Irvine \nSoft Health Technologies LLC\nSoft Health is bringing new innovative solutions to the millions of women who experience a very common health/wellness condition and have had to put up with the same old solutions that were offered to their grandmothers. \nThe Finess Softpatch is a totally new approach to managing mild to moderate bladder leakage. As the first FDA-cleared over-the-counter (“OTC”) bladder leak product\, it’s placed over the urethral opening\, stopping leaks before they happen. It’s comprised of a foam body that fits comfortably and a gentle hydrogel adhesive that is easy to place and remove without pain or residue. With Finess there are no bulky pads\, no uncomfortable inserts\, no odor\, no discomfort\, no embarrassment … no leaks. \nSoft Health Technologies LLC\n\n \n \n \n \n Gary LauterbachSkysong Enterprises \nVantronics LLC\nOur disruptive technology – a swallowable\, digestible pH biosensor: Our innovation is to resolve the incompatibility of traditional semiconductor materials with the GI tract by building the entire pH sensor utilizing digestible and benign materials. The proposed swallowable\, digestible pH sensors have unprecedented merits that are lacking in the current ingestible electronics. The edible pH sensor can be used in many scenarios: this would be useful for monitoring response to therapy such as for patients on acid suppression therapy with proton pump inhibitors; this would allow for repeated administrations and measurements over time or even within the same day as gastric acid secretion is known to vary over the course of the day.\n \n \n \n \n Lorenzo Rossini\, Co-Founder & CEOUC San Diego \nVeocor Diagnostics\nVeocor has developed the first personalized tool to provide a quantitative assessment of the risk of cardiac blood clot formation and associated stroke. Veocor’s patent-pending technology analyzes standard ultrasound images to provide a quantitative measure of blood flow within the left ventricle\, identifying areas of blood stasis which are most susceptible to thrombus formation. It uses standard echocardiographic views\, does not require special hardware nor special operator training. The analysis is performed in the cloud via a web interface and takes less than 5 minutes. \nVeocor’s software can be transferred to the clinical setting to guide personalized decisions about the use of anticoagulation therapies. Veocor plans to pursue FDA regulatory clearance via the 510(K) route. The company will initially sell the technology directly to cardiovascular centers and hospitals as a cloud-based solution and use data generated through clinical use of the technology to ultimately obtain a reimbursement code\, enabling a pay-per-report model. \nVeocor Diagnostics\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTechnology Track\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Paul Sargeant\, CEOCaltech \nClearbridge Biophotonics FPM Inc\nMicroscopy has changed little in the prior 200 years using conventional optics and moving stages. We exploit a computational imaging IP estate from Caltech that overcomes current limitations in conventional microscopes and providing larger field of view\, better resolution\, more data per experiment and all in focus. Microscopy for the computational age. \nClearbridge Biophotonics FPM Inc\n\n \n \n \n \n Thomas RussellCaltech \nETC Solar Inc\nETC Solar\, Inc is commercializing world’s highest-performing front contact technology for solar cells: effectively transparent contacts (ETCs). ETCs are the first industrially viable approach to completely eliminate front-grid shading loss; the leading source of practical power loss for nearly all types of solar cells. By integrating ETCs with solar cells\, the power output is increased by up to 10% and manufacturing costs are dramatically reduced. \nETC Solar Inc\n\n \n \n \n \n Saakib Akbany\, Co-Founder & CEOUC San Diego \nFreeGen Technologies\nFreeGen Technologies is developing the SeaSkimmer\, a “Roomba” for the ocean. The SeaSkimmer is an autonomous marine drone that actively tracks and collects trash in ports and harbors. The vehicle utilizes machine learning algorithms to predict the locations of high-density trash hotspots correlated to oceanic data. The electrical systems are powered by solar energy\, and the devices can also be used to capture critical oceanic data for researchers and government agencies alike. \nOur drones will navigate autonomously using a GPS\, Lidar\, and graphical data from visual and infrared cameras. They will also utilize an API from the global Live Ship Tracker feed\, which maps out the real-time locations and speeds of boats across the world. This combination will allow us to avoid all obstacles and collect trash around these closed waterways. In closed water bodies\, trash accumulates in high-density locations known as hotspots. The locations of these hot-spots are linked to data points such as oceanic currents\, temperature\, and weather. However\, this data is rarely updated and not very accurate. Instead\, we plan to determine high-density trash locations in waterways tied to geospatial coordinates and use our machine learning algorithms to correlate that to oceanic data like currents\, weather\, and temperature. This will allow our drones to predict where those hotspots are moving\, thereby enabling each drone to plan efficient routes and collect more trash at a lower cost of operation. Once the drones have collected the trash\, they return to these centralized hubs. While there\, they drop off their trash\, have their batteries charged by solar systems\, and transmit the data they receive. \nFreeGen Technologies\n\n \n \n \n \n Chad Wasilenkoff\, CEOUC Riverside \nHelicoid Industries Inc.\nMillions of years ago\, the “smasher” mantis shrimp\, one of nature’s feistiest predators\, evolved to develop an internal structure to protect its hammer-like club it uses to pulverize prey with incredible speed and force. This unique structure that wraps around the mantis shrimp’s club protects it from self-inflicting damage as it crushes hard-shelled prey. The University California Riverside (UCR) has spent over 11 years and almost $9 million dollars reverse engineering the club and has determined that it is not the material\, but the structure that provides the strength and toughness. The material is organized in sheets of locally parallel fibers that are stacked upon each other such that each sheet is skewed by an angle from the sheet below it. This unique structure is called a helicoid and has now been broadly patented by UCR and licensed to Helicoid Industries to commercialize its use in composite materials. \nManufacturing ultra-strong composite materials and components using this helicoid structure will result in them being lighter\, stronger\, tougher\, and more impact resistant. The benefits of the helicoid structure has been demonstrated regardless of the materials used to create the composite material. By simply shifting to a helicoid structure when manufacturing these same composite components will result in achieving further enhancements and improvements to an already well-established composite industry. This helicoid structure is a platform technology that can easily be applied to numerous industries that are constantly searching for lighter and stronger components. \nHelicoid Industries Inc\n\n \n \n \n \n Brand Caso\, CEOCalState LA \nMesh Candy\nMesh Candy sells smart sensor data networks to hospitals\, surgery centers\, pharmacies\, laboratories\, veterinary clinics and physician offices nationwide. This IoT solution is used for environmental monitoring\, asset tracking\, people tracking and wayfinding. \nMesh Candy\n\n \n \n \n \n Warren Fon\, Research EngineerCaltech \nN3: Nanomechanical Neural Networks\nWe have successfully built a system consisting of an eight node analog network with nano-electro-mechanical-system (NEMS) oscillators (see on our published work in Science\, 08 Mar 2019: Vol. 363\, Issue 6431\, eaav7932). Our company is to relegate this technology to develop analog computational products used in optimization and neuromorphic data-intensive computations. Such calculations are in huge demand and actually form the backbone in machine learning and neural networks. Novel low-cost hardware providing energy efficient operations will have a huge impact on the market. Our business plan entails an initial network prototype of 1000 NEMS to be built in 1 year and a scaled-up network of NEMS to be completed in 4 years. The product can implement many network-centric computational paradigms\, including parallelized combinatorial optimization\, (classical) adiabatic annealing\, and neural networks with learning and reinforcement. The NEMS network can perform faster than their digital counterpart by 1000x improvement in speed. The extremely high dimensionality of the NEMS network is the key; it enables realization of complex neural networks. \nOur 4-year goal is to create systems of large network that is capable to cover large scale machine learning operations. In addition to hardware development\, the engineering team will develop both machine-level and high-level software through interactions with early adopters and technical partners. The technology is being developed in the research lab of Prof Roukes at Caltech and the company is only in the beginning stages. The company will be operational in the 2nd half of 2019 to transfer the technology from an academic to a commercial entity in development of the prototype. We envision a small team of 6 people (CEO + 4 engineers + admin) in the first year. The small team is capable to deliver the prototype as the hardware and software are designed in house while the manufacturing is outsourced. Later\, with support from investment and SBIR\, we will expand to ~20 team members. \nNanomechanical Neural Networks\n\n \n \n \n \n Katerina Axelsson\, CEO & FounderCal Poly \nTastry\nTastry is a software and insights company that combines analytical and flavor chemistry and machine learning algorithms to predict consumer preferences for sensory-based products. \nTastry was born because we saw an opportunity to create a more transparent way to connect consumers to products they will love. \nHere’s how it works: \nFirst we chemically analyze products at the Tastry lab\, then we feed the product data into our proprietary AI engine. This is where we process the data and the thousands of flavor compounds found in a bottle of wine\, a process that we refer to as “breaking down the flavor matrix.” We then have an AI-generated quiz\, with questions like “How much do you like coffee\, baking spices\, or cherries?” that can then identify the users palate preferences in 20 seconds. \nThe quiz and recommendations are based on the store where you are currently shopping. \nTastry\n\n \n \n \n \n Taylor Heisley-Cook\, Co-Founder & CEOUC Santa Barbara \nThe Hurd Co\nThe Hurd Co makes fabric from cannabis waste to conserve resources for the next generation. By 2050\, resource consumption by the apparel industry alone is projected to triple. This simply isn’t possible; we do not have the land and resources to keep up with this growing demand. The apparel industry is looking for alternative feedstocks to reduce their dependence on virgin raw materials. \nThere are 3 main kinds of fabric. The two we are most familiar with are natural fiber (like cotton\, linen\, or hemp)\, and polyester. The fastest growing market segment\, however\, are manmade cellulosics (MMCs). MMCs are “fibers extruded from wood pulp”; basically\, they’re fabric made from trees. MMCs are considered semi-synthetic because of the intensive chemical processing required to turn the wood into fiber. We know them as viscose/rayon\, lyocell\, or modal. 155 million trees were logged for viscose production last year. This annual number is expected to double by 2025. \nSo we set out to find a waste stream to offset this impact. We needed a waste stream that was (1) abundant enough to reasonably feed into the apparel supply chain\, (2) available to us here in California\, and (3) had a high enough cellulose content to be turned into apparel-grade pulp. \nThat brings us to cannabis. The Hurd Co works with both hemp and marijuana. Both crops are grown in the US for seed\, leaf\, and flower\, but the majority of the biomass — the stalk — is considered a waste. This stalk waste is sent to landfill or burned at a rate of about 1 million pounds per week in California. Fortunately\, some of that waste is starting to be sold to oil extractors. That’s where The Hurd Co comes in. \nThe Hurd Co collects waste from cannabis oil extraction facilities\, uses a low-impact pulping process to convert it to an apparel-grade pulp\, and then sells it into the apparel supply chain to be turned into fabric. \nThe Hurd Co\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/first-look-socal-showcase-2019/ LOCATION:The Pasadena Conference Center\, 300 E Green St.\, Pasadena\, California\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SocalFirstLookShowcase2019_by_Justin_Han1-1-1030x687-1.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20191114T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20191114T190000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220318T150901Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220408T155141Z UID:833-1573725600-1573758000@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:SoCal Ecosystem Leadership Forum 2019 DESCRIPTION:The SoCal Alliance will convene a select cross-section of leaders from across the region for a professionally facilitated workshop. \n\n\n\nWorkshop Overview\n\n\n\nIntroductionThere are common challenges and opportunities that unite the often fragmented\, geographically dispersed hubs of innovation throughout Southern California. The alliance for SoCal Innovation’s (“The Alliance) analysis of the region\, in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group\, has revealed that there is little coordination among these compelling pockets of innovation to address issues. However\, the Alliance believes aligning best practices\, external messaging\, and delivery of services and resources are necessary to harness the collective potential of the region’s innovation assets to make Southern California the next great innovation ecosystem. \n\n\n\nTo this end\, the Alliance will convene a diverse cross-section of leaders from across the region for a professionally facilitated one day intensive workshop to generate clarity of purpose\, goals\, and a coordinated strategy to tackle shared challenges and opportunities. This will likely be the first of an ongoing annual regional planning workshops focused on uniting and leveraging the diverse and compelling innovation nodes that define the SoCal innovation network. \n\n\n\nEvent Goals  \n\n\n\nConvene SoCal’s regional leaders to align best practices\, external messaging\, and delivery of services and resources to harness the collective potential of the region’s innovative assets to make SoCal the next great innovation ecosystem.Unify\, Connect and Engage the top leaders who represent the compelling innovation nodes that define the SoCal innovation network. Achieve a collective clarity of purpose\, goals\, and a coordinated strategy to tackle the shared challenges and opportunities across SoCal. Create and galvanize an ongoing innovation leadership group that can tackle current and future regional hurdles to innovation.\n\n\n\nLeadership WorkshopThe core of the engagement will be a daylong workshop at which approximately 50 key stakeholders from across the region – e.g. CEOs\, founders\, industry experts\, elected officials and other top policymakers\, economic development experts\, academics\, and regional planners – will discuss topics of mutual interest.  \n\n\n\nOur work with BCG revealed a core set of challenges and opportunities around themes such as geography\, diversity\, access to capital\, attracting and retaining talent\, and the importance of dismantling false narratives. \n\n\n\nThe workshop will include various components such as presentations\, panels\, breakout groups\, etc. \n\n\n\nWorkshop FacilitationThe Alliance has engaged Diana Joseph\, the Founder of the Corporate Accelerator Forum as well as a learning scientist and corporate innovation leader\, to facilitate the workshop. Her consulting company focuses on developing personal agency and initiative using cognitive science research and innovation techniques. She has expertise guiding organizations on initiating innovation programs and helping ecosystem builders figure out how to build their community such as the LA Innovation Forum focused on filling gaps in the Los Angeles biotech ecosystem. \n\n\n\nAction Plans and Final ReportThe goal of the workshop is to connect top regional leadership and develop a regional action plan\, or multiple plans\, to address topic-specific challenges and opportunities. Plans will include coordinated messaging as well as concrete steps to promote a unified approach to regional issues.  \n\n\n\nThe Alliance will document the plan(s) in a final report that will summarize the workshop and articulate the Alliance’s overarching objective to unite Southern California’s fragmented innovation hubs. The report will include a visualization/illustration of the workshop notes. Depending on timing\, we will include an implementation status update and/or any lessons learned so far. \n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n\n\n8:30 AM: Tour of the Cove @UCI + University Lab Partners \n\n\n\n5270 California Avenue\, Irvine\, CA\, 92617Informal sneak peek tour of the newly constructed facilities. \n\n\n\n9:30 AM: Getting Started \n\n\n\nConference Center: 5301 California Avenue\, Irvine\, CA\, 92617Informal breakfast and Check-inMeet leaders and attendees\, explore the space\, suggest additional burning topics. \n\n\n\n10:00 AM: Welcome \n\n\n\nGene Sykes: Chairman\, Alliance for SoCal InnovationDoug Holte: President\, Irvine Company Office PropertiesDr. Diana Joseph: Workshop Facilitator \n\n\n\nLearning the Landscape Introductions: Name\, Org\, what you want from the day Spectrum: Learn who is here and how you’re connected \n\n\n\nDiscussion Round One: Centers of Gravity Goal: Ground ourselves in the entrepreneur’s experience to reveal the financial\, physical and information resources we have in each center of gravity in SoCal. What surprising or unique resources we have in each area? What challenges and gaps can we address by working across all of SoCal? \n\n\n\n(All attendees will self-divide into three discussion groups) Breakout group discussion leaders: Alex Bates\, NeoCortex Ventures; Erin Beck\, Wana; Anderee Berengian\, Cie/RezVen \n\n\n\nLock in the learning Share group findings to the full meeting and make them stronger. Captured by graphic recorder Alece. \n\n\n\n12:45 PM: Lunch On Site \n\n\n\n1:45 PM: Discussion Round Two: Connective Tissue \n\n\n\n\nDiscussion Round Three: Thorny Challenges \n\n\n\nTopic 1: Talent Trouble\, We are hungry for seasoned business talent interested in startups\, both on the startup side and on the enterprise side. What’s causing this hunger? How might we address it? Discussion leader: Alex Maleji\, Idealab \n\n\n\nTopic 2: Money Trouble\, Certain stages of investment seem to call forth lots of dollars in SoCal\, others seem to be blocked. Certain types of funders seem to be abundant in SoCal\, others seem to be absent. What’s going on? How can we fix? Discussion Leader: Carmen Palafox\, MiLA Capital. \n\n\n\nTopic 3: Brand Trouble\, Limitation of SoCal brand – so heavily weighted to consumer internet and entertainment and doesn’t capture the full richness of the region? How do we construct an alternative narrative? Discussion leader: Susan Windham-Bannister\, BioLA \n\n\n\nLock in the learning: Share group findings to the full meeting and make them stronger\, Captured by graphic recorder Alece. \n\n\n\nWrap Up and Sign Up: Sign up for a task. Share your biggest takeaway. Closing comments: Andy Wilson\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation.  \n\n\n\n\n5:15 PM: Reception \n\n\n\nWait out the traffic! Eat and drink with you (new) colleagues before heading home. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nView Photo Gallery\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGraphic Recordings Captured During the Workshop \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAttendees \n\n\n\nDennis Abremski\, US San DiegoDave Adornetto\, UCSB Technology Management ProgramJim Andelman\, Bonfire VenturesPeter Asmuth\, Kaiser PermanenteAlex Bates\, NeoCortex VenturesKen Beall\, ULP (University Lab Partners)Erin Beck\, WanaAndereee Berengian\, Cie/RezVenBud Bishop\, Pasadena Bio Collaborative IncubatorMatt Bresnahan\, WSGRScott Brovsy\, UC RiversideJanelle Brunette\, OCTaNeJack Davidson\, GSMA MWC/4YFNAndre Doumitt\, Aerospace CorporationMichelle Drucker\, OC4 Venture StudioJennifer Dyer\, USC Stevens Center for InnovationFred Farina\, CaltechDaniel Feldman\, VerizonRuben Flores\, San Diego Innovation CouncilScott Fox\, OC Startup CouncilRob Freelen\, Silicon Valley BankNiles Friedman\, County of Los AngelesTad Funahashi\, Kaiser PermanenteIsabel Guzman\, Governor Gavin Newsom\, Office of Business and Economic DevelopmentJennifer Hiramoto\, City of GlendaleKeith Hoffman\, LA BiomedGreg Horowitt\, T2 VenturesDerek Hoyt\, Silicon Valley BankCarolyn Hull\, LAEDCJohn Keisler\, City of Long BeachTerang Kim\, Edison InternationalMike Krenn\, Connect w/SDVGJen Landress\, BioComLen Lanzi\, LAVAGary Livingston\, 805 StartupsAlex Maleki\, IdealabTommy Martindal\, San Deigo StateBob Musselman\, LACICarmen Palafox\, Make it in LA (MiLA)Mark Percy\, CEO Leadership Alliance – OCMiki Reynold\, Grid 110Paul Ruben\, UC San DiegoAria Safar\, LA Mayor’s OfficeCalvin Selth\, Annenberg FoundationRishabh Singh\, BCG DVRichard Sudek\, The Cove @UCIJamie Sullivan\, SoylentHovig Tchalian\, Drucker School of Management\, Claremont Graduate UniversityTodd Terrazas\, AI LATim Tiemann\, Cal State North RidgeJess Tirado\, Wells Fargo – Corporate Philanthropy and Community RelationsPaul Vasington\, VerizonGillian Wilson\, UC RiversideSusan Windham-Bannister\, BioLA/Biomedical Growth StrategiesJeff Wolf\, FinScale\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n\n\n\nThe Alliance for Southern California Innovation (The “Alliance”) is a not for profit formed in 2017 that has successfully brought together the heft of Southern California’s top research institutions\, local business leaders and world-class advisors to focus on bridging critical gaps in the SoCal innovation ecosystem. The goal of the Alliance is to engage and unify SoCal’s compelling diversity of talent\, ideas and perspectives in order to optimize the conditions for the region’s innovators to bring breakthroughs to the world.  \n\n\n\nThe Alliance will focus on developing and connecting SoCal’s diverse nodes of innovation excellence while attracting new capital to Southern California by identifying\, nurturing and matching high potential startups to leading venture investors. By working together with node leadership\, the Alliance will begin to tackle more regional issues including retaining top STEM talent and growing the base of local institutional capital. Our efforts have the potential to generate 200k direct jobs and more than 1M indirect jobs in Southern California. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSponsors URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/socal-ecosystem-leadership-forum-2019/ LOCATION:UC Irvine Research Park – Conference Center\, 5301 California Avenue\, Irvine\, California\, 92617\, United States CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Centers-of-Gravity_cf.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20200915T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20200916T150000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220316T162347Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220321T161656Z UID:826-1600158600-1600268400@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase 2020 DESCRIPTION:The First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase \n\n\n\nPresented by Alliance for SoCal Innovation and Los Angeles Venture Association \n\n\n\nTuesday Sept 15 + Wednesday Sept 169a – 3p PT (both days) \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nView Full Length Videos of the Program\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSponsors\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nThe First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase is an annual event that celebrates the best early-stage teams commercializing tech and life science breakthroughs from the top research institutions in Southern California. Startups will have an unparalleled opportunity to connect with top-tier investors and successful serial entrepreneurs. The day’s program will feature a lineup of quick-pitch presentations\, each followed by investor-led Q&A\, and panel discussions with key investors and industry leaders.  \n\n\n\nWhy You Should Attend \n\n\n\nGet a first look at emerging technology with high potential for market disruption and impactDiscover companies seeking early stage funding to commercialize big ideas with massive potentialSee 30 emerging startups do live quick pitch w/Q&A from notable investors PLUS 2 keynotes\, 2 VC panels\, and 2 workshops for startupsFree to attend including the webinar and startup workshops\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFull Event Schedule\n\n\n\n\n\nLIFE SCIENCE TRACK – Sept 15th\n\n\n\nModerator: Matt Bresnahan\, Partner\, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati \n\n\n\n9:00a Keynote Ajay Nirula\, VP Immunology at Lilly Research Laboratories “Lilly’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic”9:30a Startup Presentations Session 1: Therapeutics 1Alyra Therapeutics • Xiretsa • Palm Therapeutics • Visicell Medical • Cellaccura Biosciences10:30a Break11:00a Startup Presentations Session 2: Therapeutics 2AquaTeX Medical • BioJam Technologies • Amplifica • SPG Therapeutics • Syntr Health Technologies12:00p Workshop for Startups\, presented by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati “Legal Strategies for the Emerging Growth Life Science Company and Key Tech Transfer Considerations” | Matt Bresnahan (WSGR) + Keith Hoffman (Lundquist Institute)1:00p Startup Presentations Session 3: Diagnostics & DevicesAutism Diagnostics • De Oro Devices • SimplSeq • Epinoma • Makani Science • CERN2:00p VC Investor Panel “Which way is up? Investing in biotech during a global pandemic and a world turned upside down”Alex Andrianopolous Chief R&D Officer\, Kairos VenturesAlice Ly Principal\, Alexandria Venture InvestmentsSean Harper Founding Managing Director\, Westlake VenturesNancy Hong Managing Director\, RiverVestGladys Nunez Principal\, Amgen VenturesMory Gharib Professor & Entrepreneur\, Caltech (moderator) \n\n\n\n\n\nTECHNOLOGY  TRACK – Sept 16th\n\n\n\nModerator: Aaron Fyke\, Managing Partner\, Thin Line Capital9:00a Keynote Alan Jacobson\, Chief Data and Analytics Officer\, Alteryx9:30a Startup Presentations Session 1: Energy & MaterialsBioZen Batteries • FixingCO2 • SiLi-ion • Buoy Buddy • Beamlet10:30a Break11:00a Startup Presentations Session 2: Agriculture & EnvironmentDelphire • AquaTrax • Farmsense • Shamrock Greens • Spero Renewables12:00p Workshop for Startups\, presented by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati“Trends in Early Stage VC Investing for Emerging Growth Startups” | Zach Myers (WSGR)1:00p Startup Presentations Session 3: Computing & HardwareMicroscape • Tyme for Survivors • Optimal IC Technologies • memwris • Allthenticate2:00p VC Investor Panel: “Can we innovate our way out of it? Investing in early stage technology during unprecedented times.”Rick Smith Co-founder & Managing Partner\, Crosscut VenturesDavid Fleck Founder & Managing Partner\, FreeflowKrisztina ‘Z’ Holly Venture Partner\, Good Growth CapitalMinnie Ingersoll Venture Partner\, TenOneTenShahin Farshchi Partner\, Lux CapitalAndy Wilson Executive Director\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation (moderator)4:00p Virtual Tech Happy Hour Debrief with other attendees at L.A.’s largest startup networking meetup. All attendees are welcome to join for free by registering at http://happyhour.tech \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLife Science – Tuesday\, Sept 15\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Ajay Nirula\n Vice President of Immunology\n Lilly Research Laboratories\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ajay Nirula\n Vice President of Immunology\n Lilly Research Laboratories\n \n \n \n \n \n Ajay Nirula\, MD\, PhD\, is Vice President\, Immunology for Lilly Research Laboratories (LRL) based at the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego. Dr. Nirula joined Lilly in 2015 and is responsible for discovery research and early phase clinical development in immunology. Prior to joining Lilly\, Dr. Nirula held leadership positions at Amgen and Biogen Idec and was involved in several research programs and regulatory filings spanning diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis\, systemic lupus erythematosus\, multiple sclerosis\, psoriasis\, and vasculitis. \nDr. Nirula earned his undergraduate degree in molecular biology from UC Berkeley\, his MD from UCLA School of Medicine\, and his PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He subsequently joined the faculty in the Division of Rheumatology at UCSF Medical Center conducting research in T cell signal transduction. He has been a board member at the Vasculitis Foundation and continues to serve on the foundation’s research committee. He has published extensively in the scientific literature in journals such as New England Journal of Medicine\, Nature Immunology\, and Journal of Experimental Medicine. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Matt Bresnahan\n Parter\n Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Matt Bresnahan\n Parter\n Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\n \n \n \n \n \n Matt Bresnahan is a partner in the San Diego and Los Angeles offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\, where he has focused his practice over the past 10 years on all aspects of intellectual property\, including strategic patent counseling\, patent prosecution\, licensing\, and litigation. Matt is primary outside IP counsel to more than 50 life sciences companies within the biotechnology\, molecular biology\, pharmaceutical\, diagnostic\, and medical device fields in Southern California. Matt is an adjunct professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law\, where he has taught patent law for the past five years. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Keith Hoffman\n SVP\, Business Development and Technology Transfer\n The Lundquist Institute\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Keith Hoffman\n SVP\, Business Development and Technology Transfer\n The Lundquist Institute\n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Hoffman is responsible for the development of commercialization opportunities for The Lundquist Institute’s intellectual properties\, capabilities and expertise. \nPrior to The Lundquist Institute\, Dr. Hoffman held senior management roles (COO\, CBO\, VP) in business\, corporate\, science\, and intellectual property development for biotechnology\, healthcare data\, medical device\, and consumer product companies. As part of those efforts Dr. Hoffman drafted\, and assisted in the prosecution of\, over 70 patents. Most recently\, he was part of the founding team at Advera Health Analytics where he developed and helped monetize big data platforms that provide real world side effect data on all FDA approved drugs. \nDr. Hoffman is a native San Diegan who earned both his B.S. in Biology and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC Irvine in the laboratory of Dr. Gary Lynch. His research at Irvine focused on the molecular basis of learning and memory with an emphasis on how neural cell adhesion molecules may modulate synaptic architectures. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\nVC Investor Panel\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Alex Andrianopoulos\n Chief Research and Development Officer\n Kairos Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Alex Andrianopoulos\n Chief Research and Development Officer\n Kairos Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Alex leads the team of investment analysts at Kairos that conducts research and due diligence on all the companies we consider to invest in\, either through incubation or Series-A funds. Alex joined Kairos with 20+ years of experience at high-tech companies specializing in enterprise software\, ranging in size from startups with a handful of employees to behemoths with tens of thousands of employees. In these companies\, Alex led global teams of dozens of employees responsible for product strategy\, intellectual property protection\, engineering\, professional services\, sales\, marketing\, and business development\, and actively participated in the efforts to close\, and successfully closed\, multiple rounds of financing by venture capital firms as well as the public markets. Moreover\, while at Oracle\, Alex led the research and strategic alignment efforts for numerous acquisitions ranging in value from a few tens of millions to billions of dollars. \nAlex has a degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Computer Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Marketing. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Alice Ly\n Principal\n Alexandria Venture Investments\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Alice Ly\n Principal\n Alexandria Venture Investments\n \n \n \n \n \n As a Principal on Alexandria Venture Investments and Science & Tech teams\, Alice oversees Alexandria’s Seattle investment and tenant portfolios\, respectively. Additionally\, as the Head of Alexandria LaunchLabs – Seattle\, Alice collaborates with entrepreneurs and supports early-stage companies in the Seattle region. Ultimately\, these roles contribute to Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ efforts in fueling the growth and development of our life science innovation clusters. Prior to joining Alexandria\, Alice was the founding Program Director of the Life Sciences and Healthcare vertical at the Harvard Innovation Labs where she led the creation and expansion of the Harvard Life Lab\, co-managed the President’s Innovation Challenge\, and advised 100+ life science/healthcare startups\, which have raised $250M+. Before Harvard\, Alice created and developed programs to support PhDs and postdocs develop professional skills for a wide range of career paths in her role as Associate Director of Postdoctoral Affairs at Yale University. Alice completed her Ph.D. and M.S. in Developmental Neurobiology from Yale and holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from University of California – Irvine. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sean Harper\n Managing Partner\n Westlake Village BioPartners\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sean Harper\n Managing Partner\n Westlake Village BioPartners\n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Sean Harper’s career has been driven by one central mission\, which he gives as advice to entrepreneurs: “Focus on profound unmet medical needs\, rather than market projections. Fill those needs and the rest will follow.” \nNamed by Time as one of the 50 most influential people in healthcare in 2018\, Harper has helped bring well over a dozen novel therapies to patients during his career. In areas as diverse as oncology\, osteoporosis\, cardiovascular disease and migraine\, Harper’s passion for science and medicine has benefited millions of patients worldwide. \nHarper brings a rare breadth of experience to Westlake Village BioPartners. He has experience in both basic research and as a practicing physician. He has led a wide range of clinical research programs\, extending from early translational trials to global outcomes studies. As managing director\, Harper will use this breadth of experience to identify promising new therapies and technologies and launch life sciences companies to address significant unmet medical needs. \nFrom 2002 to 2018\, Harper worked for Amgen\, rising to become head of R&D in 2012. In that role\, he managed investments of more than $3.5 billion annually\, applying breakthroughs in science to address some of society’s biggest health challenges. \nHarper put Amgen on the leading edge of the industry in a number of notable areas\, including utilizing the increasing understanding of human genetics in drug target identification and validation and developing novel platforms and modalities to target some of the most difficult-to-treat diseases. Harper was involved in the strategic deployment of Amgen’s venture capital funds\, acquisitions of smaller biotech companies\, and licensing opportunities. \nEarlier in his time at Amgen\, Harper held a number of key leadership positions\, including establishing the translational medicine group focused on biomarker discovery\, development and integration into early-stage clinical studies. He also held positions as head of Global Regulatory Affairs and Safety\, and head of Global Development/Corporate Chief Medical Officer. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gladys Nunez\n Principal\n Amgen Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gladys Nunez\n Principal\n Amgen Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Gladys Nunez\, MS\, is an experienced early stage investor with two decades of experience supporting opportunities and alliances with health venture groups and organizations. \nMs. Nunez has been Principal of Amgen Ventures since 2014 where she currently leads diligence on new venture opportunities\, working closely with Amgen’s Digital Health Organization. Since joining Amgen in 1997 as a biochemist\, she has held various roles within the company including managing Amgen’s Academic Alliance Group\, an initiative to build bridges between academia and industry through the establishment of comprehensive academic alliances. In 2002\, she transferred into business development where she has completed numerous deals focused on discovery\, development\, and commercial applications in life sciences. She began her career as a biochemist for AstraZeneca. \nMs. Nunez holds a bachelor’s degree in biology/pre-med from Marist College and a master’s degree in biochemical pharmacology from the University of Southampton. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Nancy Hong\n Managing Director\n RiverVest\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Nancy Hong\n Managing Director\n RiverVest\n \n \n \n \n \n Nancy joined RiverVest in 2016 and focuses on both biopharmaceutical and medical device opportunities\, contributing to the formation\, development and strategic direction of RiverVest portfolio companies. Currently\, Nancy is a member of the Board of Directors at Scout Bio\, Inc. and Xilio Therapeutics\, Inc. \nPreviously\, Nancy was a principal with BioMed Ventures\, where she originated and managed successful investments in therapeutics\, diagnostics and medical devices. Prior to BioMed\, she was an investment professional at Forward Ventures and served as an advisor to biotech and pharmaceutical companies entering new areas of research. Nancy started her career as a scientist at Phenomix\, a venture-backed discovery biotech company in San Diego. \nTrained in the areas of immunology and oncology\, Nancy earned a B.S. with honors in Biology from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California\, Berkeley. She conducted postdoctoral training at the University of California\, San Francisco\, as a fellow of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. \nTwitter: @NancyAHong\nLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyahong/ \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mory Gharib\n Professor of Aeronautics and Bioinspired Engineering and Director of the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories\n Caltech\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mory Gharib\n Professor of Aeronautics and Bioinspired Engineering and Director of the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories\n Caltech\n \n \n \n \n \n Mory Gharib is Hans W. Liepmann Professor of Aeronautics and Bioinspired Engineering; Booth-Kresa Leadership Chair\, Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies; Director\, Graduate Aerospace Laboratories; Director\, Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tehran University (1975) and his M.S. 1978\, in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University and his Ph.D.1983\, in Aeronautics from Caltech. He joined the faculty of the Applied Mechanics and Engineering Sciences Department at UCSD in 1985. In 1993\, he joined Caltech as a professor of Aeronautics. Currently\, he is director of Graduate Aerospace Laboratory (GALCIT). \nProfessor Gharib’s current research interests in conventional fluid dynamics and aeronautics include: Vortex dynamics\, active and passive flow control\, nano/micro fluid dynamics\, autonomous flight and underwater systems\, as well as advanced flow-imaging diagnostics. \nHis bio-mechanics and medical engineering research activities can be categorized in two areas: \n\nfluid dynamics of physiological machines such as the human cardiovascular system and ophthalmology as well as aquatic-breathing/propulsion\ndevelopment of medical devices such as heart valves\, cardiovascular and human eye health monitoring and drug delivery systems.\n\nDr. Gharib’s honors and affiliations include: Member\, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Member\, National Academy of Engineering; Charter Fellow\, National Academy of Inventors; Fellow\, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Fellow\, American Physical Society; Fellow\, American Society of Mechanical Engineering; Fellow\, International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. He has received the G.I. Taylor Medal from the Society of Engineering Sciences\, The Fluid Dynamics Prize from the American Physical Society and five new technology recognition awards from NASA in the fields of advanced laser imaging and nanotechnology. In 2008 he received R&D Magazine’s “R&D 100 innovation award” for one of the best inventions of the year for his 3-D imaging camera system. Additionally\, Dr. Gharib has published more than 250 papers in refereed journal and has been issued 116 U.S. Patents. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\nMEET THE LIFE SCIENCE STARTUPS\n\n\n\nCheck team profiles for videos\, pitch decks\, and more information about each startup \n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Mark Benedyk\, CEOUC Irvine \nAlyra TherapeuticsAlyra is developing ALY101 for treatment of melanoma and other cancers\, representing a $3+ B TAM in oncology alone. Alyra is headquartered in San Diego and is raising a $0.25 M note prior to a $5 M equity round focused on filing of the ALY101 IND in Q4 2021. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Maksim Plikus\, CSOUC Irvine \nAmplificaAmplifica’s approach to hair regrowth is based on the discovery of naturally occurring signaling molecules that prominently stimulate new hair growth. The scientific studies leading to the discovery of these molecules are based on the unique molecular biology found in the naturally occurring hairy nevi (aka hairy moles) which has been extensively studied and uniquely understood by the companies’ scientific founder. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Ichiro Yuki\, CEOUC Irvine \nAquaTeX MedicalAquaTeX Medical is a medical device company. Our work is focused on the development of materials for the use of catheter-based treatment for neuro-vascular diseases. Our goal is to improve the safety and efficacy of the treatment by utilizing advanced polymer science and technology.\n \n \n \n \n James Adams\, CEOSkysong Innovations (ASU) \nAutism DiagnosticsAutism Diagnostics\, LLC\, is developing metabolomics-based tests for diagnosing autism\, and for evaluating metabolic disorders that can be used to guide medical treatment. Our pilot studies have revealed high sensitivity and specificity\, and larger studies are underway. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Shanglei Liu\, FounderUC San Diego \nBioJam TechnologiesBioJam Technologies is a San Diego based start up company that has created a universal retractor for Minimally Invasive Surgery using soft robotics jamming technology. The core founding members are a group of four surgeons and engineers who developed the technology from the ground up based on a clinical need of modern surgery. Our products are projected to make an impact in bariatric surgery\, robotics / laparoscopic surgery\, and surgical oncology to improve patient outcomes. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Helen Poldsam\, Co-Founder & CEOCaltech \nCellaccura BiosciencesCellaccura Biosciences\, Inc. develops gene therapies for neurological disorders through precision engineering of neural circuits at the cell type level. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Gregg Klang\, CEO Cal State LA \nCERNCERN Corporation addresses a significant unmet need for an effective\, science based\, non-drug therapy to mitigate fungal and bacterial vaginosis. Our technology leverages the microbicidal qualities of low level germicidal light so as to help over 30M women US\, who are either recurrent\, immuno-compromised or suffer adverse drug effects from conventional standards of care. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Sidney Collin\, FounderCal Poly\nDe Oro Devices | NexStrideDe Oro Device focuses on developing medical devices that improve lives and increase mobility. Our first device\, NexStride\, combines research-backed visual and auditory cues into a small\, portable accessory that can be attached onto any cane\, walker\, or walking pole to increase mobility and help people with Parkinson’s overcome freezing of gait\, one of the most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. \nVisit website \nWatch video \n \n \n \n \n Varun Govil\, CEOUC San Diego \nEpinomaEpinoma is an early-stage life sciences company focused on building better tools for oncologists in a post-therapeutic setting. We’re replacing traditional methods such as CT imaging and protein markers\, with a CRISPR-based liquid blood test to inform clinical decision-making for late-stage colorectal cancer patients. \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Francis Duhay\, CEOUC Irvine \nMakani ScienceThe Makani Science Respiratory Monitor is the world’s first wireless\, wearable sensor capable of monitoring a patient’s breathing rate and depth. It is an accurate early indication of respiratory distress and can help prevent cardiorespiratory complications or death\, protecting 27M Americans annually who undergo clinical procedures. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Andrew Rudd\, Co-FounderUC San Diego \nPalm TherapeuticsPalm Therapeutics is developing novel depalmitoylating drugs (DPALMs) to access previously undruggable targets in the oncology and rare disease spaces. Our initial drug discovery program is focused on advancing our first-in-class small molecule inhibitors of oncogenic NRas in melanoma and other cancers. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n John Powers\, CEOUC Riverside \nSimplSeqSimplSeq is dedicated to transforming the genomic sequencing industry by providing simplified SimplSeq has created an entirely new approach to extracting\, purifying\, replicating and preparing samples for genomic sequencing. This patent pending process will greatly reduce the times and cost of sample preparation and for the first time labs will be able to preserve the original DNA material for future testing.. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Zory Shaposhnik\, CEO & CSOCal State LA \nSPG TherapeuticsSPG Therapeutics develops drugs that target the androgen receptor to address unmet needs in dermatology. The androgen receptor is the driver of acne\, alopecia\, hirsutism and the orphan inflammatory disease hidradenitis suppurativa. We are in the process of executing a development plan consistent with filing an IND within 18 months. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Ahmed Zobi\, CEOUC Irvine \nSyntr Health Technologies\n \n \n \n \n Mya S Thu\, Founder and CEOUC Riverside & UC San Diego \nVisicell MedicalVisicell\, “GPS for cell therapy”\, provides non-invasive\, imaging-based cell tracking solutions to the multi-billion-dollar cell therapy industry. Our technology delivers the users rapid clinical information for accelerated cell therapy development and improved patient care. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Robert Postrozny\, FounderUC Santa Barbara \nXiretsaProfessor Bazan’s group\, in collaboration with the Army Research Lab\, spent years developing a class of compounds called Conjugated Oligoelectrolytes (COEs) which have the ability to harness electricity from living bacteria. Optimized derivatives\, known as Antiinfective Conjugated Electrolytes (ACEs)\, are effective against all drug-resistant bacteria tested thus far and have been shown to cure lethal infections in mice. Xiretsa was formed in 2019 to license the resulting IP from UCSB and develop ACEs into life-saving antibiotics. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\nLice Science Judges\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Alice LyPrincipal\nAlexandria Venture Investments \nView BioAs a Principal on Alexandria Venture Investments and Science & Tech teams\, Alice oversees Alexandria’s Seattle investment and tenant portfolios\, respectively. Additionally\, as the Head of Alexandria LaunchLabs – Seattle\, Alice collaborates with entrepreneurs and supports early-stage companies in the Seattle region. Ultimately\, these roles contribute to Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ efforts in fueling the growth and development of our life science innovation clusters. Prior to joining Alexandria\, Alice was the founding Program Director of the Life Sciences and Healthcare vertical at the Harvard Innovation Labs where she led the creation and expansion of the Harvard Life Lab\, co-managed the President’s Innovation Challenge\, and advised 100+ life science/healthcare startups\, which have raised $250M+. Before Harvard\, Alice created and developed programs to support PhDs and postdocs develop professional skills for a wide range of career paths in her role as Associate Director of Postdoctoral Affairs at Yale University. Alice completed her Ph.D. and M.S. in Developmental Neurobiology from Yale and holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from University of California – Irvine.\n \n \n \n \n Alice ChengPartner\nUpfront Ventures \nView BioAlice joined Upfront in 2018\, with a focus on biology and deep tech. Prior to joining Upfront\, Alice spent two years at the Boston Consulting Group in San Francisco\, where she advised enterprise technology and biopharma clients. Alice also supported business development and operations at the Rare Genomics Institute\, a nonprofit connecting families in the rare disease space. Alice received her PhD in biomedical engineering from a joint program between the Georgia Institute of Technology\, Emory University\, and Peking University.\n \n \n \n \n Gladys NunezPrincipal\nAmgen Ventures \nView BioGladys Nunez\, MS\, is an experienced early stage investor with two decades of experience supporting opportunities and alliances with health venture groups and organizations. \nMs. Nunez has been Principal of Amgen Ventures since 2014 where she currently leads diligence on new venture opportunities\, working closely with Amgen’s Digital Health Organization. Since joining Amgen in 1997 as a biochemist\, she has held various roles within the company including managing Amgen’s Academic Alliance Group\, an initiative to build bridges between academia and industry through the establishment of comprehensive academic alliances. In 2002\, she transferred into business development where she has completed numerous deals focused on discovery\, development\, and commercial applications in life sciences. She began her career as a biochemist for AstraZeneca. \nMs. Nunez holds a bachelor’s degree in biology/pre-med from Marist College and a master’s degree in biochemical pharmacology from the University of Southampton.\n \n \n \n \n Nancy HongManaging Director\nRiverVest \nView BioNancy joined RiverVest in 2016 and focuses on both biopharmaceutical and medical device opportunities\, contributing to the formation\, development and strategic direction of RiverVest portfolio companies. Currently\, Nancy is a member of the Board of Directors at Scout Bio\, Inc. and Xilio Therapeutics\, Inc. \nPreviously\, Nancy was a principal with BioMed Ventures\, where she originated and managed successful investments in therapeutics\, diagnostics and medical devices. Prior to BioMed\, she was an investment professional at Forward Ventures and served as an advisor to biotech and pharmaceutical companies entering new areas of research. Nancy started her career as a scientist at Phenomix\, a venture-backed discovery biotech company in San Diego. \nTrained in the areas of immunology and oncology\, Nancy earned a B.S. with honors in Biology from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California\, Berkeley. She conducted postdoctoral training at the University of California\, San Francisco\, as a fellow of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. \nTwitter: @NancyAHong\nLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyahong/ \n \n \n \n \n Zach MyersPartner\nWilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati \nView BioZach Myers is a partner in the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\, where he specializes in corporate and securities law\, including mergers and acquisitions\, venture capital financings\, and general corporate representation. Zach also has experience in technology licensing and has advised clients on numerous licensing and technology transfer agreements. \nZach was formerly an attorney with Sempra Energy and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in San Diego. Prior to law school\, Zach worked as an accountant in the audit department at Deloitte and Touche. Zach is a certified public accountant (inactive) licensed by the state of California.\n \n \n \n \n JJ RichaCEO\nPismo Ventures \nView BioJJ Richa is an accomplished serial entrepreneur\, executive and investor. JJ has successfully founded several companies\, where he served as President and CEO\, including a software company for the hospitality industry\, an online eCommerce portal for high-end made-to-order gifts\, and a custom software development company concentrating on the financial sector. JJ is a private equity investor\, a longtime member of Tech Coast Angels where he served as its vice president and a member of its executive committee. \nJJ has served on numerous board of directors\, started a private equity firm and served in senior executive restructuring and turnaround roles including interim CEO and fractional COO for businesses at various stages. \nJJ has BS and MS degrees from Cal State Long Beach.\n \n \n \n \n Suresh PaiPrincipal\nLamamed Solutions \nView BioSuresh Pai has over 20 years of development and general management experience in a variety of medical device segments spanning plastic surgery implantables (Mentor/Johnson & Johnson)\, vascular stents (Cordis/Johnson & Johnson and SquareOne)\, stent-grafts for thoracic aortic aneurysms (ProGraft Medical/W.L. Gore & Associates)\, devices for crossing chronic total vascular occlusions (LuMend/Cardinal Health)\, carotid artery stents and embolic filters (Embolic Protection Inc./Boston Scientific) and femoral closure device technologies (AccessClosure/Cardinal Health).  He co-founded Axiom Technology Partners\, a start-up company that leveraged a unique fast to market business model to rapidly develop and commercialize a new laparoscopic fascial closure system that was acquired by Teleflex Medical within two years of its inception.  Most recently he founded CogENT Therapeutics LLC that developed a novel hemostatic nasal/epistaxis packing technology that was acquired by Entellus Medical in 2016.  Suresh has numerous US and international patents covering a variety of technologies in the medical device field. Suresh holds a MS in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami and a BS in biomedical engineering from Tulane University.\n \n \n \n \n Amy SalzhauerManaging Partner\nGood Growth Capital \nView BioFounder & CEO of Ignition Ventures 1999-2014\, a venture creation firm focused on technology commercialization \nStarted multiple science-based startups out of MIT\, Harvard\, and Columbia University \nExperienced in raising multi-million dollar VC Series A rounds while starting Ember Corporation\, Lilliputian Systems\, and SiOnyx \nMBA\, M.I.T./Sloan; M.Phil. Cambridge University; AB\, magna cum laude\, Harvard University\n \n \n \n \n Pascal KroteeInvestment Associate\nKairos Ventures \nView BioPascal joins Kairos Ventures as an Investment Associate as part of our due diligence team based in our Pasadena office. Pascal was a PhD Candidate at the Laboratory of David Eisenberg at UCLA and a Team Leader and Instructor at the Nanoscience Outreach Program at UCLA where she led interactive lab activities for high school students. Pascal holds a Bachelor of Science in Developmental and Cell Biology from University of California at Irvine and a PhD in Molecular Biology from UCLA.\n \n \n \n \n Maryann VogelsangDirector of Strategic Scientific Initiatives\nEllison Institute at USC \nView BioMaryann is the Director of Strategic Scientific Initiatives at the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC. She brings with her over a decade of pre-clinical and clinical proteomics experience and diagnostic test development. Most recently\, Maryann led the research operations and assay development teams at NantOmics in Rockville\, MD. Prior to NantOmics\, Maryann established a CLIA compliant laboratory in Massachusetts that offered both ELISA- and MS-based clinical assays. She has over a decade of experience in protein biomarker discovery and validation\, as well as translational medicine utilizing the mass spectrometry platform. Long before that\, she was a member of the Trojan family at Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and is happy to be back. \nHer role at the Institute is to accelerate the clinical translation of our discoveries through the integration of external corporate\, academic and government partners in collaboration with our institute’s research programs. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UCLA. Outside of the office\, Maryann enjoys exploring nature and visiting museums with her family. She used to be an avid beach volleyball player and looks forward to introducing her girls to the sport now that they are back in Los Angeles.\n \n \n \n \n Catherine RheeInvestor\nLegendary Ventures \nView BioTechnologist\, Strategist\, Executive Trainer\, Diversity Equality & Inclusion Specialists and Advisor. Advisor to various companies\, special projects and pilot programs to the government\, corporate\, media\, entertainment studios\, emerging technology/trade industries\, associations\, nonprofits and startups. Committed and passionate about education\, environment\, healthy communities and service.\n \n \n \n \n Minnie IngersollPartner\nTenOneTen \nView BioMinnie Ingersoll is a partner at TenOneTen and host of the LA Venture podcast. TenOneTen is a venture fund based in LA investing in early stage software and data companies. \nPrior to TenOneTen\, Minnie was the COO and co-founder of Shift.com\, an online marketplace for used cars. Minnie started her career as an early product manager at Google where she co-founded the Access team to get more people online at faster speeds and lower prices. \nMinnie studied Computer Science at Stanford and has an MBA from HBS. In her spare time\, Minnie surfs baby waves and raises baby people.\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTechnology – Wednesday\, Sept 16\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Alan Jacobson\n Chief Data and Analytics Officer\n Alteryx\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Alan Jacobson\n Chief Data and Analytics Officer\n Alteryx\n \n \n \n \n \n Alan Jacobson is the chief data and analytics officer (CDAO) of Alteryx\, driving key data initiatives and accelerating digital business transformation for the Alteryx global customer base. As CDAO\, Jacobson leads the company’s data science practice as a best-in-class example of how a company can get maximum leverage out of its data and the insights it contains. He is responsible for data management and governance\, product and internal data\, and use of the Alteryx Platform to drive continued growth. \nPrior to joining Alteryx\, Alan held a variety of leadership roles at Ford Motor Company across engineering\, marketing\, sales and new business development; most recently leading a team of data scientists to drive digital transformation across the enterprise. As an Alteryx evangelist at Ford\, Alan spent many years leveraging the Alteryx Platform across the company and witnessed first-hand the impact a culture of analytics can have on the bottom line and what it takes to succeed as a data-driven enterprise. Alan will extend his role as an evangelist to customers\, helping data workers and business leaders alike foster a culture of analytics and deepen their investments in digital transformation strategies. \nAlan was recognized as a top leader in the global automotive industry as an Automotive Hall of Fame Leadership & Excellence award winner and an Outstanding Engineer of the Year by the Engineering Society of Detroit\, and works with the National Academy of Engineering and other organizations as an advisor on data science topics. \nAlan earned his bachelor’s degrees in engineering from the University of New Hampshire and received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zach Meyers\n Partner\n Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zach Meyers\n Partner\n Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\n \n \n \n \n \n Zach Myers is a partner in the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\, where he specializes in corporate and securities law\, including mergers and acquisitions\, venture capital financings\, and general corporate representation. Zach also has experience in technology licensing and has advised clients on numerous licensing and technology transfer agreements. \nZach was formerly an attorney with Sempra Energy and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in San Diego. Prior to law school\, Zach worked as an accountant in the audit department at Deloitte and Touche. Zach is a certified public accountant (inactive) licensed by the state of California. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Aaron Fyke\n Managing Partner\n Thin Line Capital\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Aaron Fyke\n Managing Partner\n Thin Line Capital\n \n \n \n \n \n Aaron Fyke has spent over twenty years as an entrepreneur\, having cofounded six companies in a number of technology areas including fuel cell\, ocean power\, concentrating solar\, and energy storage technologies. \nHe is currently Founder and Managing Partner of Thin Line Capital\, bringing investment capital to bear on some of the world’s toughest problems in energy\, water and food sustainability. \nWhile CEO of Edisun Heliostats\, he was committed to lowering the costs of solar thermal power. Prior to Edisun\, Aaron was the Founder and CEO of Energy Cache\, a low-cost grid scale energy storage technology company\, serving a multi-billion dollar energy market – backed by Idealab\, Bill Gates\, NRG\, and others. \nPreviously he headed up the development of a $10m X PRIZE in Energy for the X PRIZE Foundation. Prior to that he was a Partner at Starfish Ventures\, Australia’s largest venture capital firm\, where Aaron led the investment into the fund’s biggest investment and exit – Ausra\, a KPCB and Khosla Ventures backed solar thermal energy company. \nAaron is an adjunct lecturer on entrepreneurship at USC and has been a consultant and keynote speaker to utilities (e.g.\, TransAlta)\, corporations (e.g.\, Google)\, and a number of conference and media events (MIT Tech Review\, AlwaysOn Going Green and others). \nAaron earned his MBA and MSME as an LGO fellow at MIT\, and his BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria\, graduating at the top of his class. He is a Professional Engineer both in California and British Columbia. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\nVC Panel\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Rick Smith\n Co-founder & Managing Partner\n Crosscut Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rick Smith\n Co-founder & Managing Partner\n Crosscut Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Rick has been an early-stage venture capital investor for over two decades. He co-founded Crosscut Ventures in Los Angeles\, where he is focused on enterprise software\, fintech\, and consumer internet. He has invested in several successful companies\, including Narvar\, JustFab\, Ipsy\, GumGum\, Docstoc\, Inspire Energy\, Shoedazzle\, Fabletics\, Dermstore\, Magma Design\, Micromuse\, Maverick Networks\, Virtela\, Trivida\, TeamPay\, and Pulpo Media.  He received a Finance degree from the University of Illinois\, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Minnie Ingersoll\n Venture Partner\n TenOneTen Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Minnie Ingersoll\n Venture Partner\n TenOneTen Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Minnie Ingersoll is a partner at TenOneTen and host of the LA Venture podcast.  TenOneTen is a venture fund based in LA investing in early stage software and data companies. \nPrior to TenOneTen\, Minnie was the COO and co-founder of Shift.com\, an online marketplace for used cars. Minnie started her career as an early product manager at Google where she co-founded the Access team to get more people online at faster speeds and lower prices. \nMinnie studied Computer Science at Stanford and has an MBA from HBS. In her spare time\, Minnie surfs baby waves and raises baby people. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Krisztina ‘Z’ Holly\n Venture Partner\n Good Growth Capital\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Krisztina ‘Z’ Holly\n Venture Partner\n Good Growth Capital\n \n \n \n \n \n Krisztina Holly (AKA ‘Z’) is an MIT-trained engineer and serial tech entrepreneur who has been scouting\, connecting and investing in early stage deep tech innovators for nearly two decades. She is a Venture Partner for Good Growth Capital and Chief Instigator at At Large and Dangerous. She’s best known as curator of the first-ever TEDx and the founder of pioneering centers at MIT and USC\, which invested more than $5M in early stage ideas and launched 39 venture-backed startups from university research. Z has deep technical roots and extensive operating experience (Stylus Innovation\, Direct Hit\, Jeeves Solutions) and has been advisor and board member to two dozen organizations globally\, including the Obama Administration and World Economic Forum. When she’s not scouting undiscovered innovators\, you’ll find her hosting The Art of Manufacturing podcast\, skiing the backcountry\, building airports in the desert\, and seeking adventure in her spare time. She’s based in Los Angeles. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Shahin Farshchi\n Partner\n Lux Capital\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Shahin Farshchi\n Partner\n Lux Capital\n \n \n \n \n \n Shahin empowers entrepreneurs aiming to accelerate humanity towards a brighter future through feats of engineering. He is passionate about artificial intelligence\, robots\, space\, cars\, and engines—pretty much anything you might find in an episode of Star Trek. \nHe led Lux’s investments in Silicon Clocks (acquired by Silicon Labs)\, which shrank electronics by baking bulky quartz crystals into silicon chips; SiBeam (acquired by Lattice Semiconductor)\, which aims to eliminate wires from living rooms by introducing full-HD wireless connectivity; Planet\, which is launching the world’s largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites; Nervana (acquired by Intel)\, the first full-stack platform for machine intelligence; Mythic\, bringing powerful AI to miniature\, inexpensive devices; Zoox (acquired by Amazon)\, which is reinventing the automobiles from the ground up towards offering robotaxis and autonomous mobility to all people and things; Astranis\, which is building low-cost telecommunications satellites; and Covariant.ai\, which empowers industrial machines to perceive and act like humans. \nShahin also led Lux’s role in the formation of several new companies including: Flex Logix\, which makes chips that can reprogram themselves; Aeva\, which brings perception to all machines; and Subspace\, which delivers a real-time\, latency-free internet. \nPreviously\, Shahin co-founded Vista Integrated Systems\, which built wireless vital sign monitors based on a neural interface technology he developed during his PhD at UCLA. Shahin also developed hybrid electric vehicles for GM in Detroit\, worked as a software developer in several Silicon Valley startups\, and researched new techniques for semiconductor manufacturing. He earned his Bachelor’s in EECS at UC Berkeley. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n David Fleck\n Founder & Managing Partner\n Freeflow\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n David Fleck\n Founder & Managing Partner\n Freeflow\n \n \n \n \n \n Deep roots in Silicon Valley with focus on Internet scale and big data ventures. Longstanding relationships across Caltech\, Global 500 corporations\, startups and VC communities. Passion for translating high-risk research into impactful technologies and businesses. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Wilson\n Executive Director\n Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Wilson\n Executive Director\n Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n \n \n \n \n \n Andy is a leader in the Southern Californian innovation ecosystem and has started\, led or invested in more than two dozen tech start-ups. In addition to leading the Alliance as Executive Director\, he serves on the City Council for the City of Pasadena and he is a founder of Innovate Pasadena (www.innovatepasadena.org)\, which is dedicated to advancing the Eastside of Los Angeles as a vibrant innovation center for deep tech. \nPreviously\, as founder of Momentum Ventures\, an early stage tech accelerator and venture fund\, he personally led more than a half dozen SoCal tech start-ups and invested in almost a dozen others. He previously held senior executive roles (President\, SVP Product\, CIO\, COO) at Overture Services/Yahoo!\, RiverOne\, Bowne & Co and RR Donnelley & Sons. He has extensive board experience in not-for-profit and community organizations such as Pacific Oaks College\, Pasadena Heritage and STEAMCODERS. He is a regular speaker at entrepreneurs’ events and business schools and was named one of the 50 Most Innovative Men in the San Gabriel Valley. Andy holds an engineering degree with honors from Dartmouth College and received his MBA with a concentration in operations and technology management from Harvard Business School. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\nMEET THE TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS\n\n\n\nCheck team profiles for videos\, pitch decks\, and more information about each startup \n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Chad SpenskyCEO\nUC Santa Barbara \nAllthenticateWe provide users with more security and less burden. Our product\, Single Device Authentication (SDA)\, is designed to enable seamless authentication in both the physical and digital worlds by using our smartphone app to replace keys and passwords\, while unifying the management of these credentials into one easy-to-use interface. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Amit SharmaFounder & CEO\nUC Irvine \nAquaTraxTrackle is a next-generation Cloud-based Water Loss Tracking Platform that helps water agencies and its customers to track water use effectively by lowering the non-revenue water and be compliant with legislation. It utilizes Smart Water Networks to Manage Pressure and Flow for Reduction of Water Loss\, Pipe Breaks\, and electricity savings. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Ivan S. GrudininCEO/CTO & Founder\nCaltech \nBeamletBeamlet leverages advanced algorithms to unlock high performance with low cost components\, enabling the first affordable\, reliable\, and long range coherent LiDAR for the auto and drone markets. We are building an automotive-grade metavision system for superhuman perception and interference-free object detection and tracking. The system relies on an event-based camera and a vector-scanning FMCW LiDAR to identify relevant objects with class\, depth and velocity in real time even in the most adverse scenarios. \nVisit website \nWatch Video\n \n \n \n \n Nate KirchhoferCEO\nUC Santa Barbara \nBioZen BatteriesBioZen develops organic electrolytes (OEs)\, the active materials in redox flow batteries. Our OEs are safe and truly sustainable—critical features of energy storage tech that genuinely aims to harness\, deploy\, and grow exponentially alongside renewable energy far into the future. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n William DrummyCo-Founder\nUC Santa Barbara \nBuoy BuddyBuoy Buddy is dedicated to encouraging marine research while protecting the world’s oceans. Typically\, at the end of an ocean floor research project\, an anchor is abandoned on the seabed. No longer – our team is developing an affordable\, integrated mooring retrieval system that leaves no trace\, preventing ecosystem disruption. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Matthew SmalleyCo-Founder\nCalState Northridge \nDelphireDelphire is dedicated to fighting wildfires by leveraging AI based sensor fusion and large scale data to protect people\, property\, and the environment. Our system remotely detects\, reports\, and tracks fires in real-time\, enabling safe and decisive action. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Eamonn KeoghCTO\nUC Riverside \nFarmSenseFarmSense has developed an insect monitoring platform to detect and classify insects. This information can be used to optimize interventions\, reducing the enormous costs (tens of billions plus per annum) associated with crop lost and the overuse of pesticides. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Almagul ZhanaidarovaFounder\nUC San Diego \nFixingCO2At FixingCO2 we are building a reactor that converts CO2 into fuels and chemicals. Our breakthrough patented electrocatalyst efficiently converts CO2 into carbon monoxide that is used as a feedstock for renewable fuels and chemicals. We help customers produce CO2 on-site while reducing their emissions and cutting transportation costs. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n John FrancisCTO\nUSC \nMicroscape is a solution for 3D data collaboration. Using Microscape\, users can upload 3D data to the cloud and simultaneously view and access the data remotely with researchers around the world. Collaboration and access is key to emerging applications in data processing\, healthcare\, and scanning\, and Microscape is the platform to enable it. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Charlotte MaumusCo-founder & CEO\nCal Poly \nmemwrismemwris is developing the first meaningful interface overhaul since the 80s. Their patent-pending UI uses a unique algorithm to unlock complex workflows on small touchscreens. To unequivocally prove the innovation\, memwris is targeting a task that’s currently completely impractical on a mobile device: computer programming. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Lewis HartleCEO\nUSC \nOptimal IC TechnologiesOptimal IC Technologies helps semiconductor manufacturers optimize integrated circuit power\, performance\, utilization and yield across the full spectrum of chips designed and manufactured by companies in the global semiconductor industry. We solve the billion dollar yield problem. We eliminate security concerns. We help realize the full potential of semiconductor designs. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Mark HatchCEO\nUC Riverside \nSiLi-ionThe SiLi-ion team has created an easy to manufacture\, nanoscale silicon additive with a carbon shell enabling immediate improvement in lithium-ion battery performance. Further\, the material can be used in existing battery manufacturing lines with no need for retooling or expensive modifications to the established battery production processes\, leveraging the existing industry infrastructure\, operations\, and channels into which to sell the SiLi-ion powder. A mere 10% replacement of graphite with the SiLi-ion nanoparticles in the anode increases the energy density of the anode by 6X and the total battery energy density by a full 10%. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Stan KaplitaCEO & Co-Founder\nCal Poly \nShamrock GreensShamrock is revolutionizing the economics of indoor vertical farming in a hot new category. Our automated farming system brings the garden to the grocer with higher yields and at a significantly lower capital investment. Shamrock’s leafy greens and herbs are sold alive\, providing the ultimate in freshness\, flavor\, and nutrition. \nVisit website\n \n \n \n \n Mahdi Abu-OmarFounder\nUC Santa Barbara \nSpero RenewablesSpero Renewables is a clean tech company that develops technologies for plant-based alternatives to products manufactured with petrochemicals. Spero utilizes its proprietary technology to unlock the resources of readily available biomass. Our initial applications are plant-based natural vanilla and recyclable plastics. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n \n Riese WismerCEO\nUC San Diego \nTyme For SurvivorsTyme is a web-based reporting platform that allows sexual assault and harassment survivors to store assault details until they are ready to file a Title IX report and a mobile advocate that connects survivors with their university officials. \nVisit website \nWatch video\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTechnology Judges\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Alex AndrianopolousChief Research and Development Officer\nKairos Ventures \nView BioAlex leads the team of investment analysts at Kairos that conducts research and due diligence on all the companies we consider to invest in\, either through incubation or Series-A funds. Alex joined Kairos with 20+ years of experience at high-tech companies specializing in enterprise software\, ranging in size from startups with a handful of employees to behemoths with tens of thousands of employees. In these companies\, Alex led global teams of dozens of employees responsible for product strategy\, intellectual property protection\, engineering\, professional services\, sales\, marketing\, and business development\, and actively participated in the efforts to close\, and successfully closed\, multiple rounds of financing by venture capital firms as well as the public markets. Moreover\, while at Oracle\, Alex led the research and strategic alignment efforts for numerous acquisitions ranging in value from a few tens of millions to billions of dollars. \nAlex has a degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Computer Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Marketing.\n \n \n \n \n Krisztina ‘Z’ HollyVenture Partner\nGood Growth Capital \nView BioKrisztina Holly (AKA ‘Z’) is an MIT-trained engineer and serial tech entrepreneur who has been scouting\, connecting and investing in early stage deep tech innovators for nearly two decades. She is a Venture Partner for Good Growth Capital and Chief Instigator at At Large and Dangerous. She’s best known as curator of the first-ever TEDx and the founder of pioneering centers at MIT and USC\, which invested more than $5M in early stage ideas and launched 39 venture-backed startups from university research. Z has deep technical roots and extensive operating experience (Stylus Innovation\, Direct Hit\, Jeeves Solutions) and has been advisor and board member to two dozen organizations globally\, including the Obama Administration and World Economic Forum. When she’s not scouting undiscovered innovators\, you’ll find her hosting The Art of Manufacturing podcast\, skiing the backcountry\, building airports in the desert\, and seeking adventure in her spare time. She’s based in Los Angeles.\n \n \n \n \n Rob PoorAdvisor\nGood Growth Capital \n \n \n \n \n Blake StevensPrincipal\nAlexandria Venture Investments \nView Bio \n\n\n\nBlake Stevens\, PhD\, is a Principal at Alexandria Venture Investments and the Head of Alexandria Launchlabs – AgTech\, the premier startup platform for agtech companies.  Dr. Stevens specializes in assisting early-stage companies accelerate their growth and has worked as both an entrepreneur and a venture investor. Dr. Stevens leads Alexandria’s agtech investment portfolio and venture investment activity in the Research Triangle region.  At LaunchLabs\, Dr. Stevens works closely with members on company-building activities. \nDr. Stevens formerly served as Vice President at Harris & Harris Group\, an early-stage venture capital firm. He also sat on the Board of TARA Biosystems\, Inc.; ProMuc\, Inc.; Interome\, Inc.; and SynGlyco\, Inc. Dr. Stevens was an early employee at HZO\, Inc.\, leading its R&D\, commercialization\, and technical business development efforts. \nHe holds degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University (BSc) and Northwestern University (PhD) and a Certificate in Management for Scientists and Engineers from the Kellogg Business School.\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n Maureen Stancik BoyceManaging Partner\nGood Growth Capital \nView BioMentor at MIT’s Sandbox Fund\, and lead on MIT alumni office task force \nCo-founder and COO of Ignition Ventures\, which helped start companies such as SiOnyx\, Zoragen\, Ember\, and Lilliputian Systems \nExtensive consulting experience both in the US and Asia \nAssociate Partner in IBM’s Business Strategy practice\, 10+ years leading the worldwide Thought Leadership Practice in Consumer Products\, Retail and Travel \nPhD\, MS\, and MBA from MIT; BS Civil Engineering\, Carnegie Mellon\n \n \n \n \n Shahin EnayatiManaging Director\nMade Noble Companies \nView BioI am passionate about building sustainable solutions and empowering excellence in work and life through business. Our work with the Made Noble Inc start-up studio and the investment vehicle\, Sustain Equity LLC\, advances values for impact-oriented and purpose-driven solutions for our planet and its people by supporting company building to better our future. \nMy experience ranges from biotech to food/ag-tech and from sales/negotiations to logistics. While working in these industries\, i acquired a wide range of experiences in project management\, business development\, marketing\, and business analysis. \nI have a Degree in Biology from Concordia University in Montreal\, Canada and Leadership and Management Training with a strong focus on International Business from Landegg University in Switzerland. \nMy deep involvement in these fields has afforded a sound understanding of running a business and how to effectively utilize marketing and innovation in various business models. My focus on sustainability with its 3 pillars being economics\, environment\, and social impact\, allows me to envision as well as contribute meaningfully to a better future. \nHappily married with 2 son’s and a daughter\, I hope to inspire others in finding the same harmony between purposeful work and family life. \nSpecialties: \n\nStartups & Investing\nInternational Trade & Development\nDeveloping New Business\nCreating Vision & Strategic Plans\nBuilding Marketing & Business Plans\nDigital Marketing & Social Media\nCapital Acquisition\nCreating Strategic Alliances\nLeading and Coaching Teams\nDesigning Business Processes\nBuilding Value\n\n\n \n \n \n \n Shahin FarshschiPartner\nLux Capital \nView Bio \nShahin empowers entrepreneurs aiming to accelerate humanity towards a brighter future through feats of engineering. He is passionate about artificial intelligence\, robots\, space\, cars\, and engines—pretty much anything you might find in an episode of Star Trek. \nHe led Lux’s investments in Silicon Clocks (acquired by Silicon Labs)\, which shrank electronics by baking bulky quartz crystals into silicon chips; SiBeam (acquired by Lattice Semiconductor)\, which aims to eliminate wires from living rooms by introducing full-HD wireless connectivity; Planet\, which is launching the world’s largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites; Nervana (acquired by Intel)\, the first full-stack platform for machine intelligence; Mythic\, bringing powerful AI to miniature\, inexpensive devices; Zoox (acquired by Amazon)\, which is reinventing the automobiles from the ground up towards offering robotaxis and autonomous mobility to all people and things; Astranis\, which is building low-cost telecommunications satellites; and Covariant.ai\, which empowers industrial machines to perceive and act like humans. \nShahin also led Lux’s role in the formation of several new companies including: Flex Logix\, which makes chips that can reprogram themselves; Aeva\, which brings perception to all machines; and Subspace\, which delivers a real-time\, latency-free internet. \nPreviously\, Shahin co-founded Vista Integrated Systems\, which built wireless vital sign monitors based on a neural interface technology he developed during his PhD at UCLA. Shahin also developed hybrid electric vehicles for GM in Detroit\, worked as a software developer in several Silicon Valley startups\, and researched new techniques for semiconductor manufacturing. He earned his Bachelor’s in EECS at UC Berkeley.\n \n \n \n \n Saurabh SuriManaging Partner\nCerraCap Ventures \nView BioSaurabh has over 15 years of experience in the technology industry. Most recently he serves as Vice President for Emerging Solutions\, Innovation and Investment at UST Global where he also conceived & led UST’s global tech investments fund and helped monetize the portfolio through UST’s large client base. Saurabh has significant experience in creating\, growing and sustaining technology products and solutions in a global operations environments; having lived and worked in 4 continents. Prior to joining UST\, he worked in the UK with various IT and Financial institutions and also ran a consultancy start up. \nSaurabh has a degree in Neuro-computation and a research background in High Performance Computing from the UK. Saurabh has help mentor & grow several successful tech startups & currently serves as an advisor\, observer or board member of several high growth technology companies such as Abzooba\, Third Eye\, 1-Page etc. He is also on the Advisory Board of a few early stage VCs.\n \n \n \n \n Phil SchwartzPrincipal\nCorazon Capital \nView Bio \nPhil Schwarz is a Principal at Corazon Capital\, investing in early stage technology companies. From 2014-2016\, Phil served as Chief Marketing Officer of Tinder\, overseeing the company’s brand\, growth and retention marketing efforts worldwide. Phil’s prior roles include Vice President of Growth Initiatives at Match Group\, a division of IAC\, as well as Executive Director at Kaplan and Kaplan Ventures (then part of the Washington Post Company)\, where Phil co-founded the Kaplan/Techstars EdTech Accelerator\, invested in early stage EdTech companies\, served on Boards of Directors for investment portfolio companies\, and executed a series of corporate acquisitions. Phil also previously served as an Associate Director at UBS Investment Bank\, and prior to that led numerous technology product development efforts for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association\, Vitria Technology and BP Amoco\, and served as Management Consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. \nPhil received his MBA with honors from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration\, cum laude\, from Ohio University’s College of Business.\n \n \n \n \n Ivan MarkmanCBO\nVerizon Media \nView BioIván Markman is the Chief Business Officer at Verizon Media. Previously\, he was Senior Advisor at Abundant Venture Partners and a Special Advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors of comScore\, Inc. Markman also served as General Manager of Marketing Services at Neustar\, a real-time provider of cloud-based information services\, following its acquisition of MarketShare where Markman served as Chief Operating Officer. Before joining MarketShare he was Global Head of Corporate Strategy at Yahoo!\, where he also served as Vice President of Operations Finance.\n \n \n \n \n David FleckFounder & Managing Partner\nFreeflow \nView BioDeep roots in Silicon Valley with focus on Internet scale and big data ventures. Longstanding relationships across Caltech\, Global 500 corporations\, startups and VC communities. Passion for translating high-risk research into impactful technologies and businesses.\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSupporting Partners\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nParticipating Institutions\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSELECTION COMMITTEE\n\n\n\nThe Selection Committee evaluated the team applications based on factors such as potential for disruption\, novelty of the innovation/discovery\, size of the commercial opportunity and/or overall potential for impact\,  viability\, and team composition. \n\n\n\nWe designed the final lineup with the committee’s input as well as ensure that it reflects the diversity of voices\, geographies\, and technologies that drive innovation in the SoCal ecosystem. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Arye LipmanGeneral Partner\, MarsBio \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Pascal KroteeInvestment Associate\, Kairos Ventures \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Dave WhelanCEO\, BioscienceLA \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Bud BishopPresident\, Pasadena Bio Collaborative Incubator \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Darren EngExecutive Director\, LAVA \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Suresh PaiPrincipal\, Lamamed Solutions \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Jay GossWavemaker 360 Health \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Asher Leids Venture Mentor\, LDR Ventures \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Brian VarnumChief Development Officer\, Armata Pharmaceuticals \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Hunter ReedSenior Associate\, Alexandria Real Estate Equities\, Inc. \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Matt BresnahanPartner\, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Steve GilisonHead of Programs and Operations\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation \nProfile URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/first-look-socal-innovation-showcase-2020/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FL2020IP.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20201210T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20201210T150000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220317T163518Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240112T194959Z UID:832-1607587200-1607612400@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:SoCal Ecosystem Leadership Forum 2020 DESCRIPTION:The SoCal Alliance will convene a select cross-section of leaders from across the region for a professionally facilitated workshop. \n\n\n\nWorkshop Overview\n\n\n\nIntroduction \n\n\n\nThis was the second annual regional planning workshop focused on uniting and catalyzing the leadership of Southern California’s diverse and compelling innovation nodes which define the SoCal innovation network. This year due to Covid-19\, the workshop was fully virtual utilizing a video conferencing platforms. \n\n\n\nWhy did we do this? \n\n\n\nThere are common challenges and opportunities that unite the often fragmented\, geographically dispersed hubs of innovation throughout Southern California. The Alliance for SoCal Innovation’s (“the Alliance”) analysis of the region\, in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group\, has revealed that there is little coordination among these compelling pockets of innovation to address common issues. However\, the Alliance believes aligning best practices\, external messaging\, and delivery of services and resources are necessary to harness the collective potential of the region’s innovation assets to make Southern California the next great innovation ecosystem. \n\n\n\nTo this end\, the Alliance convened a diverse cross section of leaders from across the region for a professionally facilitated one-day intensive workshop to generate clarity of purpose\, goals\, and a coordinated strategy to tackle shared challenges and opportunities. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n\n\n8:00 AM Coffee Talk \n\n\n\nInformal networking via self-selected zoom breakout rooms.Test your mic\, say hello to old friends or make new ones8:30 AM Welcome + Kickoff \n\n\n\nVal Wright: Workshop FacilitatorGene Sykes: Chairman\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation \n\n\n\nState of the Region Report: Assessing our progress and current landscapeAndy Wilson\, Executive Director of the Alliance for SoCal Innovation \n\n\n\nPlan for the day\, announcements\, share your “asks and gives”Val Wright: Workshop Facilitator9:15 AM  Conversation 1: Building & nurturing innovation communities amidst massive disruption (and what’s ahead) \n\n\n\nWe’ve experienced unprecedented disruption that has created unique opportunities and challenges for every element of the innovation ecosystem. How do we capitalize on the opportunities to emerge stronger? How do we support vital stakeholders facing existential challenges? \n\n\n\nDiscussion led by Brad Feld who is a renowned thought leader\, investor\, and author of “Startup Communities” and “The Startup Community Way”.9:55 AM  Further discussion within assigned breakout groups \n\n\n\nLock in the LearningShare group findings to the full meeting and make them stronger10:30 AM BREAK \n\n\n\nFinish conversations from the breakouts\, stretch your legs\, hydrate.10:45 AM Conversation 2: Beyond Diversity – Tapping Into Best Practices that Increase Opportunity for All \n\n\n\nDiversity is arguably the SoCal region’s greatest superpower; it’s engrained in our culture. While we can claim a leadership role\, more clearly needs to be done to fully unlock the potential of our ecosystem’s wealth of diverse voices and talent. \n\n\n\nDiscussion led by Annenberg Tech & PledgeLA representatives who will share insights of their programs\, challenges\, and community-based initiatives to address underrepresentation and inequality. \n\n\n\n11:25 AM Breakout Room Leaders and Topics: \n\n\n\n\nJasson Crockett (City of LA) – How Local Government Can Play a Role (Leadership)\n\n\n\nCalvin Selth (Annenberg Foundation) – Survey Says: PledgeLA’s Unique Approach to Data (Measurement)\n\n\n\nCarmen Palafox (2045 Fund) – Increasing Access to Capital to Founders (Measurement)\n\n\n\nAnna Barber (M13 / Techstars LA) – Busting the Pipeline Myth: How VCs Source Diverse Founders (Relationships)\n\n\n\nMiki Reynolds (Grid110) – How to Help Diverse Founders Thrive (Relationships)\n\n\n\nRick Smith – Why Crosscut Joined PledgeLA / Hosts VC Interns (Leadership)\n\n\n\nAmir Ganaba – (RENEW) RENEW’s Effort to Measure Racial Equity in the Private Sector (Leadership/Measurement)\n\n\n\n\nLock in the LearningShare group findings to the full meeting and make them stronger12:00 PM Lunch Break sponsored by Mach49 \n\n\n\nEnjoy your delivered lunch using the vouchers from GrubHub sent via email\, compliments of Mach49 \n\n\n\nLunch presentation by Linda Yates\, CEO Mach 49\, on “Managing disruption and leading the rebound” \n\n\n\nAfter Presentation\, partake in informal networking in self-selected breakout groups\, meet Linda Yates in the Mach49 Breakout Room (or catch up on email and recharge)1:00 PM Conversation 3: Integrating a regional brand platform with differentiated local and industry narratives \n\n\n\nAt last year’s leadership forum\, the Alliance was encouraged to drive the articulation and activation of the “SoCal Innovation Brand”. We accepted the challenge\, formed a consortium of regional stakeholders to collectively fund the project\, and re-engaged the brand design agency Bulldog Drummond to create a foundational communications toolkit that will establish the vibrancy of the SoCal region and depicts why we are a compelling destination for investment\, talent\, and economic growth. We’re mid-way through the project and want to share initial insights and get your input. \n\n\n\nPresentation and Discussion led by Megan Pilla\, Chief Content Officer of Bulldog Drummond \n\n\n\nShape the narrativeBring your perspective\, share your experiences and infuse the project with your collective insights.2:00 PM Wrap Up and Next Steps \n\n\n\nWe’ll take a moment to reflect on the learnings of the day and identify opportunities for action and further exploration. What have we learned? Who raised their hand to take action and who will support them?2:15 PM  Virtual Reception \n\n\n\nDebrief about the day\, continue an earlier conversation\, set up a plan with your new collaborators.3:00 PM Program Concludes \n\n\n\nThank you for donating your time and energy to support our thriving ecosystem. We hope you gained valuable insights\, ideas\, and connections. A report that summarizes the day will be distributed in January 2021.*all times after the 8:30 AM start time are subject to change slightly. \n\n\n\nSPONSORS URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/socal-ecosystem-leadership-forum-2020/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ecosystem-leadership-2020.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210616T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210617T150000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220321T142316Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221118T192657Z UID:856-1623834000-1623942000@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase 2021 [Virtual] DESCRIPTION:Sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati\, KPPB LP\, Alexandria Venture Investments\, and EastWest BankPresented by the Alliance for SoCal Innovation and LAVA \n\n\n\nWednesday June 16 + Thursday June 179a – 3p PT (both days) \n\n\n\n\nView Full Length Videos of the Program\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase is an annual event that celebrates the best early-stage teams commercializing tech and life science breakthroughs from the top research institutions in Southern California. Startups will have an unparalleled opportunity to connect with top-tier investors and successful serial entrepreneurs. The day’s program will feature a lineup of quick-pitch presentations\, each followed by investor-led Q&A\, and panel discussions with key investors and industry leaders. Why You Should Attend \n\n\n\nGet a first look at emerging technology with high potential for market disruption and impactDiscover companies seeking early stage funding to commercialize big ideas with massive potentialSee 27 emerging startups do live quick pitch w/Q&A from notable investors PLUS 2 keynotes\, 2  panels\, and 2 workshops for startupsFree to attend including the webinar and startup workshops\n\n\n\n#FirstLookSoCal2021 \n\n\n\nPlatinum Sponsor\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nTech Track Sponsor\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nGold Sponsors\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nFull Event Schedule\n\n\n\n\n\nLIFE SCIENCE TRACK – June 16th\n\n\n\nModerator: Matt Bresnahan\, Partner\, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati \n\n\n\n9:00a Welcome Remarks Gene Sykes\, Managing DIrector at Goldman Sachs\, and Andy Wilson\, Executive Director of the Alliance for SoCal Innovation9:10a Keynote Andy Slavitt\, Senior Advisor White House COVID-19 Response Team “Transformational opportunities in healthcare innovation”9:45a Startup Presentations Session 1: TherapeuticsAracari Biosciences • MyoGene Bio • OncoXome • Serpass Biologics • Tortuga Biosciences11:00a Startup Presentations Session 2: Medtech/SurgicalACatechol • Bio-Zipper • eLysis • SAAVI12:00p Workshop for StartupsZach Myers\, Partner\, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati “Financing Trends and Strategies: Early Stage Financings”12:45p Startup Presentations Session 3: Medtech/Device & DiagnosticsSayenza Biosciences • StyloSonic • Synova Life Sciences • Veriskin2:00p Corporate Innovation Panel “Beyond Licensing: How Life Science Corporations Tap Into and Commercialize Breakthrough University Research”An expert panel of leaders from SoCal’s top Life Science companies discuss how they partner with research institutions and primary investigators for commercialization activities and collaboration including Acquisition\, Funding/Investment\, Sponsored Research and Joint Ventures and other non-traditional collaborations. \n\n\n\n\n\nTECHNOLOGY  TRACK – June 17th\n\n\n\nModerator: Minnie Ingersoll\, Venture Partner\, TenOneTen Ventures \n\n\n\n9:00a Welcome Remarks Gene Sykes\, Managing DIrector at Goldman Sachs\, and Andy Wilson\, Executive Director of the Alliance for SoCal Innovation9:10a Keynote George Whitesides\, Chair and former CEO\, Virgin Galactic “Frontier tech innovation and the future of commercial space.” 9:45a Startup Presentations Session 1: Hardware & DevicesEDGE Sound Research • Force Impact Technologies • Milo Sensors • Zxerex Corporation10:45a Startup Presentations Session 2: Computing/SoftwareApsy • flashpub.io • SmartSpace AI • Tallyfor • Teuvonet Technologies12:00p Workshop for Startups Kenji Funahashi\, Partner\, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati “Startup and Financing Tips“12:45p Startup Presentations Session 3: Clean/Green TechCatapower • CurrentRF • Liquid8 • Mi Terro1:45p Founder Panel “How it’s done: getting from lab to market success”An unvarnished look at the ups and downs of the founder journey as told by the entrepreneurs who’ve taken the exhilarating challenge of commercializing frontier technology. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nParticipating Institutions\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\nSelection Committee\n\n\n\nThe Selection Committee evaluated the team applications based on factors such as potential for disruption\, novelty of the innovation/discovery\, size of the commercial opportunity and/or overall potential for impact\,  viability\, and team composition. \n\n\n\nWe designed the final lineup with the committee’s input as well as ensure that it reflects the diversity of voices\, geographies\, and technologies that drive innovation in the SoCal ecosystem. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Dave WhelanCEO\, BioscienceLA \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Bassil DahiyatCEO\, Xencor \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Brian VarnumChief Development Officer\, Armata Pharmaceuticals \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Darren EngExecutive Director\, LAVA \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Matt BresnahanPartner\, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati \nProfile \n \n \n \n \n Andy WilsonExecutive Director\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation \nProfile URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/first-look-socal-innovation-showcase-2021/ CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FL2021_webcover.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211111T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211111T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220321T150120Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220321T152049Z UID:861-1636624800-1636650000@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:SoCal Ecosystem Leadership Forum 2021 DESCRIPTION:View Photo Gallery\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIntroductionThis annual regional planning workshop is focused on uniting and catalyzing the leadership of Southern California’s diverse and compelling innovation nodes which define the SoCal innovation network. To accomplish this\, we convene a diverse cross section of leaders from across the region for a professionally facilitated one-day intensive workshop to generate clarity of purpose\, goals\, and a coordinated strategy to tackle shared challenges and opportunities. This year we convened in person at a single location which is a welcome return to the format we enjoyed in 2019 prior to the pandemic. \n\n\n\nWhy are we doing this?There are common challenges and opportunities that unite the often fragmented\, geographically dispersed innovation hubs throughout Southern California. The Alliance’s analysis of the region\, in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group\, has revealed that there is little coordination among these compelling pockets of innovation to address common issues. However\, the Alliance believes aligning best practices\, external messaging\, and delivery of services and resources are necessary to harness the collective potential of the region’s innovation assets to make Southern California the next great innovation ecosystem. \n\n\n\nThe WorkshopThe core of the event was a workshop where key stakeholders from across the region – e.g. CEOs\, founders\, investors\, local government\, economic development experts\, academics\, and regional planners — discuss critical regional challenges & opportunities. For a recap of the event\, check out our blog post. \n\n\n\nThe Alliance engaged leader\, author\, and facilitator Val Wright to help guide our discussions and was supported by graphic recorder Michelle Boos-Stone who captured the day’s output in dynamic hand-drawn tableaus pictured below. \n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n\n\n10:00a:   Welcome10:15a:   State of the Region Report: Assessing our progress and current landscapeFeaturing presentation by Andy Wilson\, Executive Director of Alliance for SoCal Innovation \n\n\n\n10:45a:  Warm up: Introductions\, expectations\, asks & givesGetting acquainted! An opening exercise where we introduce ourselves through a framework of what we can contribute (“gives”) and what we hope to accomplish and receive (“asks”). This grounds us in action and sets the table for making productive connections. \n\n\n\n11:15a: Conversation Round 1. Emerging from the Pandemic: what’s changed and what’s nextAll attendees participated in unstructured small conversations related to the seven ‘spectrum’ topics placed throughout the room.We are all uniquely adapting to rapid disruption and shifting landscapes including factors like reliance on geography/physical locations\, organization life cycle stage\, and needs of constituents within our communities. What does “going back to work” look like for you vs the region as a whole? \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n12:15p:  Lunch Break sponsored by Annenberg Tech | Annenberg Foundation \n\n\n\n1:15p: Conversation Round 2. Funding the next wave of SoCal startupsThere’s a flood of capital but where is it going\, will it continue\, and how is it getting allocated? How do the shifts in capital allocation impact our innovation economy and how do we ensure a more equitable process for the diversity of founders and communities looking to benefit in the rising tide?  \n\n\n\n1:30p: Discussion within breakout groups \n\n\n\nGroup 1: Alternative Paths to Growth Beyond ‘traditional’ VC funding e.g. Opportunity Zones\, SBIR/Non-dilutive grant funding\, Crowdfunding\, Debt Funding\, Corporate Partnerships. Discussion led by Stacy Cumberbatch\, Managing Director of Blended Impact.\n\n\n\nGroup 2: How a funder finds its fit: building a holistic and authentic approach to effectively expand the funding aperture. Discussion led by Natalie Charney\, Chief of Staff for Clocktower Ventures.\n\n\n\nGroup 3: Promoting Funding Equity and Access to Capital: Leveraging public data\, philanthropic partnerships\, and non-dilutive funding to create a more equitable innovation ecosystem. Discussion led by Calvin Selth\, Program Manager for Annenberg Tech\, Annenberg Foundation.\n\n\n\n2:20p: Lock in the Learning — report back from breakout groups\, capture feedback \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2:45p: Break \n\n\n\n3:00p: Conversation Round 3: Creating compelling innovation communities that attract talentThe challenge of retaining local STEM talent is not new but now there is an opportunity to change the narrative and shift the flows of talent in SoCal. \n\n\n\n3:15p: Discussion within breakout groups \n\n\n\nGroup 1: Engaging talent in Higher Education: best practices for connecting employment\, investment\, and IP creation at centers of higher education and research. Discussion led by Ron Blanchard Solutions Manager\, E2W & Marianna Holliday\, Global Lead of Academic to Workforce Solutions\, Amazon Web Services\n\n\n\nGroup 2: Community-based recruitment and retention of talent: engaging the broader ecosystem to attract top talent. Discussion led by Mark Percy\, President and Jasmine Pachnanda\, SVP at CLA – OC\n\n\n\nGroup 3: Improving representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the innovation ecosystem workforce and leadership roles. Discussion led by Donald Grant\, Executive Director at Mindful Training Solutions and DEI advisor to the Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n\n\n\n4:05p: Lock in the Learning — report back from breakout groups\, capture feedback \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4:25p: Wrap up & Next Steps \n\n\n\n5:00p: Reception provided by host sponsor The Irvine Company \n\n\n\nThank you to our sponsors\n\n\n\nHOST SPONSOR\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nTRACK SPONSORS\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nLUNCH SPONSOR URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/socal-ecosystem-leadership-forum-2021/ LOCATION:Spectrum Terrace Conference Center\, 17520 Laguna Canyon Road\, Irvine\, California\, 92618\, United States CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/01-A4SCIELF-Ledger-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211202T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211202T210000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220321T150519Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220404T202838Z UID:869-1638464400-1638478800@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Annual Allies in Innovation 2021 DESCRIPTION:Celebrating your support of the Alliance and the SoCal Innovation Ecosystem \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n\n\n5:00p – Cocktails \n\n\n\n6:20p – Welcome \n\n\n\nOpening remarks from Andy Wilson \n\n\n\n6:25p – Getting to Know You \n\n\n\nTable members introduce themselves \n\n\n\n6:40p – Panel Discussion + Q&A \n\n\n\nWhat’s Ahead for SoCal? \n\n\n\n7:35p – Dinner \n\n\n\nEvent Summary\n\n\n\nThe evening was well captured in Andy’s blog post but here are a few excerpts to give a sense for the evening: \n\n\n\nThe community of diverse stakeholder leaders who joined us for this celebration was truly amazing! We had strong representation from academia\, corporates\, VC’s\, and community leaders – each bringing important perspectives and expertise to the table. As an aligned community\, we can indeed make the SoCal region even more compelling as a center of innovation\, technology and entrepreneurship. \n\n\n\nWith such great leaders in the same room\, of course there was great conversation amongst the guests but we also had a terrific panel conversation moderated by our board chair\, Gene Sykes\, who ran a lively discussion about how Covid has transformed the SoCal innovation ecosystem and what challenges and opportunities are now before us. A big thank you to Gene and our amazing panelists: \n\n\n\nRyan Kuder runs Techstars Anywhere based in San Diego and is Board Chair of Startup San DiegoMaria Anguiano\, Executive Vice President Learning Enterprise at Arizona State University and UC Regent as well as an Alliance board of directors member (who lives in San Diego)Andrea White-Kjoss is Managing Director of the Long Beach AcceleratorTad Funahashi\, Chief Innovation & Transformation Officer at Kaiser Permanente\, and a practicing Orthopedic Surgeon lives in Orange County where Kaiser has its innovation labRosibel Ochoa\, Associate Vice Chancellor Technology Partnerships at UC Riverside and member of the Alliance’s Board of Directors\n\n\n\nThank you to our sponsors\n\n\n\nLead Sponsor\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nSponsor\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nSupporting Underwriters URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/annual-allies-in-innovation-2021/ LOCATION:The Cove @ UC Irvine CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/allies-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220406T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220406T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220408T201837Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220506T162813Z UID:1604-1649259000-1649273400@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Future of Work: People\, Places and Spaces 2022 DESCRIPTION:Co-Hosted by \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n\n\n3:30 PM Welcome Remarks. Andy Wilson\, Executive Director\, Alliance for SoCal Innovation \n\n\n\n3:40 PM Attendee Introductions \n\n\n\n3:55 PM Conversation 1: People \n\n\n\n4:50 PM Conversation 2: Places \n\n\n\n5:30 PM Conversation 3: Spaces \n\n\n\n6:20 PM Wrap Up \n\n\n\n6:30 PM Cocktails \n\n\n\n7:30 PM Program Concludes \n\n\n\nEvent Summary\n\n\n\nAs we pivot to a (hopefully) post-pandemic world there appears to be a common expectation of an impending shift in workplace norms\, but what that shift will look like is still unclear. There is a window of opportunity to lean in with new ideas\, new evidence\, and out of the box thinking on the Future of the Workplace. \n\n\n\nDesigned as a roundtable conversation of industry leaders\, the discussion will cover three main topics: \n\n\n\nPeople – Worker expectations today\, mental health\, commutes\, work/life supportPlaces – Evolution of Workplace needs\, culture and environmentSpaces – Physical as well as virtual spaces & tools \n\n\n\nThe format of the meeting is collaborative. All participants will have a voice and should bring their assumptions\, ideas and perspectives. In addition\, you will hear from others who will offer their unique points of view. \n\n\n\nThese events are invitation-only and feature dynamic exchanges with executive peers. The participants include: \n\n\n\nBusiness leaders with real world experience in managing workforce productivity.Forward-thinking real estate professionals and property owners and office space designers. Research consultants / Social Science looking at the human aspects of workplace collaboration\, innovation and mental health.\n\n\n\nEvent Output\n\n\n\nThe content of the event will be captured as illustrations in real time by graphic recorder Michelle Boos-Stone which will supplement the written summary report we will publish in several weeks. \n\n\n\nThank you to our sponsors\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nPANELISTS\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Jared Baker\n SVP\, Human Resources & Administration\n Mitsubishi Electric US\, Inc.\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jared Baker\n SVP\, Human Resources & Administration\n Mitsubishi Electric US\, Inc.\n \n \n \n \n \n Jared Baker has more than 20 years of experience as a leader in the area of Human Capital Management. Since joining Mitsubishi Electric US\, Inc. in 2011\, Jared has helped establish the company as a recognized leader in producing quality products\, creating a diverse work culture\, and strengthening business innovation across the Americas. His technical background and interest in people provide a unique skillset to drive efficient growth and development across the organization. His recent focus has been in oversight of various merger and acquisition activities along with the design of leadership training and development initiatives. Currently\, Jared serves as a member of the National Elevator Industry\, Inc. (NEII) Trust Committee and as a member of the Mitsubishi Electric America’s Foundation (MEAF) Board\, which invests in innovative strategies empowering youth with disabilities to lead productive lives. Prior to joining Mitsubishi Electric US\, Inc.\, Jared was with Mindspeed Technologies (MSPD) located in Newport Beach\, where he served in various positions within both IT and HR. Prior to his tenure at MSPD\, he worked at The Boeing Company and as an SAP HR consultant for various companies. As a presenter\, he has spoken at several SAP Tech\, Sapphire/ASUG and Employee Benefits events. He holds an MS in Human Resources Management from Chapman University and resides in Huntington Beach\, California. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Simon Bamberger\n Managing Director & Partner\n Boston Consulting Group\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Simon Bamberger\n Managing Director & Partner\n Boston Consulting Group\n \n \n \n \n \n Simon Bamberger is a Managing Director and Partner with the Boston Consulting Group based in Los Angeles. He is a core member of BCG’s Technology\, Media\, and Telecommunications Practice. In his 14 years with BCG\, he has been advising senior leaders in the technology industry on critical strategic topics. Simon has advised his clients in tech on the Future of Work\, helping companies hire and retain the best talent and ultimately deliver a best-in-class customer experience. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Peter Belisle\n President\, Southwest Region\n JLL\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Peter Belisle\n President\, Southwest Region\n JLL\n \n \n \n \n \n As President of the Southwest Region\, Peter Belisle has direct oversight over JLL’s regional operations which include ten offices and nearly 2\,600 employees throughout Southern California\, Arizona\, Nevada and Hawaii. Business lines under Mr. Belisle’s direction include tenant representation\, agency leasing\, project and development services\, capital markets\, public institutions\, and a property and facilities management portfolio of 144 million square feet. \nWith nearly 24 years of commercial real estate experience\, Mr. Belisle has worked and lived in Southern California for most of his career\, and understands the needs of both occupiers and investors. Mr. Belisle joined Jones Lang LaSalle in 2000 from The Walt Disney Company where he served as the Director of Development and Program Management with responsibility for more than $230 million of international development. Most recently\, he served as the President of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Energy and Sustainability Services overseeing more than 90 professionals in the U.S. Prior to that\, he served as the President of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Project and Development Services group overseeing more than 1\,200 project managers responsible for assignments with an aggregate construction value of more than $20 billion. Education and affiliations Peter’s professional path includes an M.B.A. in real estate and finance from The Anderson School at the University of California\, Los Angeles (UCLA)\, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from UCLA. He is registered as an Engineer in Training\, is a Council Member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI)\, an active member of the real estate alumni group of UCLA Anderson Business School and CoreNet Global. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bryan Berthold\n Global Lead of Workplace Experience and Senior Managing Director\n Cushman & Wakefield\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bryan Berthold\n Global Lead of Workplace Experience and Senior Managing Director\n Cushman & Wakefield\n \n \n \n \n \n Bryan Berthold is the Global Lead of Workplace Experience within Cushman and Wakefield’s Total Workplace practice. This practice includes all aspects of developing and supporting new ways of working in a more virtual and distribute world. \nBryan’s architectural\, workplace and change expertise builds holistic solutions that integrate experiences for clients and employees including the trademarked Experience per Square Foot™ (XSF) diagnostic. Mr. Berthold works to lead and inspire teams to improve a client’s brand experience with solutions that drive culture and integrate people\, place and technology. \nBryan is a thought leader in the workplace experience arena and\, through XSF\, brings data and insight to the impacts the pandemic has had on human behaviour across the globe. He has extensive knowledge on future trends and brings insights on what the impacts have on the future of work with both remote work and the state of the future office to support an ever- changing workplace and how to build return to office plans that will inspire the workforce. Mr. Berthold is a licensed architect and has over 15 years on the client side developing real estate and workplace strategies for companies. Bryan is an industry leader in workplace strategy and is Top Faculty at Corenet Global where he teaches how to align business and real estate strategies. He has been active in workplace\, services and portfolio strategies for more than 20 years with Truist Bank\, TD Financial Group\, Washington Mutual\, Capital One and Bank of America. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Marty Borko\n Executive Director\n Urban Land Institute\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Marty Borko\n Executive Director\n Urban Land Institute\n \n \n \n \n \n Marty Borko is the Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles. Borko left his post as Principal at Gensler in Los Angeles to command the day-to-day workings and long-range planning of one of ULI’s largest and most active regional chapters. As Executive Director Borko pilots the organization as it confronts the most critical land-use challenges in the city\, including the homeless and housing affordability crisis\, as well as city planning\, infrastructure\, transportation\, open-space and historic districts. In his tenure at Gensler’s Los Angeles office\, Borko grew the firm’s Planning and Urban Design\, Entertainment\, and Mixed Use practices and had been principal-in-charge on numerous international and Los Angeles projects. In addition to being a Sustaining Member of ULI’s Entertainment Development Council and member of the USC Price School Planning Program Advisory Board\, Borko is: Associate Member\, American Institute of Architects (AIA); Member\, American Planning Association (APA); Member\, International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); Member\, International Association of Amusement Parks (IAAPA); Dean’s Council\, University of Oregon College of Design; Board Member\, Los Angeles Downtown Breakfast Club; Member\, Southern California Development Forum; and Member\, Central City Association. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Cohen\n Co-CEO\n Gensler\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Cohen\n Co-CEO\n Gensler\n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Cohen is one of two co-CEOs of Gensler\, the world’s top architecture and design firm. He just celebrated his 40th anniversary with Gensler. Since 2005\, Andy and Co-CEO Diane Hoskins have exemplified collaborative leadership\, overseeing both the long-term strategy and day-to-day operations of the global practice known for its award-winning design innovation and research. Under their guidance\, Gensler has organically grown to become the largest in the field\, with some 6\,000 people networked across 50 offices\, serving clients in more than 120 countries. \nAs co-CEO and former board chair\, Andy is a key creator of what is acknowledged by its peers as the most admired and preeminent architecture and design firm in the world\, pioneering project types and design innovation strategies that are shaping the built environment of the next century and beyond. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rick Cole\n Executive Director\n Congress for the New Urbanism\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rick Cole\n Executive Director\n Congress for the New Urbanism\n \n \n \n \n \n Rick Cole is the Executive Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism which advocates for the architecture of community in America’s cities and towns. He also teaches urban policy at Occidental College and Pepperdine University. He spent thirty years in public service\, including stints as Deputy Mayor for the City of Los Angeles and City Manager in three California communities\, Santa Monica\, Ventura and Azusa. Prior to that he spent twelve years on the Pasadena City Council\, including a term as Mayor. The Los Angeles Times called him “one of Southern California’s most visionary planning thinkers.” Rick has been recognized as one of “America’s Public Officials of the Year” by Governing Magazine and one of the “Top 25 Doers\, Dreamers and Drivers” by Government Technology Magazine. He has won numerous awards for municipal management excellence and urban planning leadership. He co-chairs ULI-LA’s Homelessness Initiative Council as well as the Poverty and Homelessness Task Force at St. Monica’s Catholic Church and serves as the pro bono Housing Advisor to the Mayor of Pasadena. He previously served as Housing and Homelessness Advisor to the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. He also writes a biweekly column on public policy issues for the Southern California News Group\, which includes the Los Angeles Daily News and the Orange County Register. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Brian Elliott\n Executive Leader\, Future Forum and SVP\n Slack Future Forum\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Brian Elliott\n Executive Leader\, Future Forum and SVP\n Slack Future Forum\n \n \n \n \n \n Brian is the Executive Leader of Future Forum\, a new consortium launched by Slack to help companies reimagine work in the new digital-first world. Future Forum equips leaders to drive transformation at work\, helping them reimagine how people\, process and tools come together to make work better for people as well as companies. Brian has spent three decades leading teams and building companies as a startup CEO\, as a product leader at Google\, and now at Slack where he is a Senior VP. Prior to Future Forum\, Brian was the General Manager of Platform at Slack. Brian received a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard’s Graduate School of Business. His work has been published and cited in Harvard Business Review\, Fortune\, The Economist\, and The New York Times. Brian is also co-author of How The Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do the Best Work of Their Lives\, and the proud father of two young men. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Kian Gohar\n Bestselling Author\, Keynote Speaker\, and Futurist and CEO\n GEOLAB\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Kian Gohar\n Bestselling Author\, Keynote Speaker\, and Futurist and CEO\n GEOLAB\n \n \n \n \n \n Kian Gohar is a bestselling author\, keynote speaker\, and futurist\, and inspires organizations to harness innovation and “moonshots” to solve complex problems. He is Founder & CEO of Geolab\, an innovation research and leadership development firm. He’s co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book “Competing in the New World of Work” published by Harvard Business Review in 2022. A former executive director of the XPRIZE Foundation and Singularity University\, Kian has coached the leadership teams of dozens of Fortune 500 companies on innovation\, leadership and the future of work. Kian has been featured widely in global media\, and is a sought-after keynote speaker for marquee events globally. He’s a graduate of the Harvard Business School\, and can be found on social media @fromthekgb. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Nick Griffin\n Executive Director\n Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID)\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Nick Griffin\n Executive Director\n Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID)\n \n \n \n \n \n As the Downtown Center Business Improvement District’s Executive Director\, Nick Griffin spearheads the organization’s marketing\, economic development and strategic initiatives\, to attract companies\, retailers\, investors and residents to Downtown Los Angeles\, one of the nation’s most dynamic urban centers. Prior to the DCBID\, Nick spent more than 25 years in business development in the real estate\, media and technology industries. Nick is a graduate of UCLA and holds an MBA from Ohio State University. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Laurent Grill\n Partner\n JLL Spark Global Ventures\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Laurent Grill\n Partner\n JLL Spark Global Ventures\n \n \n \n \n \n Laurent is an entrepreneur turned venture capitalist. He works with start-up founders to successfully build scalable teams\, strong company cultures\, and disruptive products. He has founded\, expanded\, and managed multiple start-ups prior to his venture career. Previous to JLL Spark\, he led Luma Launch’s early-stage venture fund\, investing in over 30 companies across a variety of sectors in the software space. As a Partner at JLL Spark he hopes to drive the technology revolution forward in the real estate space. He is looking to identify and back the companies leading the way during this shift. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Suzanne Holley\n President & CEO\n Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID)\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Suzanne Holley\n President & CEO\n Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID)\n \n \n \n \n \n Suzanne Holley is President & CEO of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID)\, a coalition of nearly 2\,000 property owners in the central business district of Downtown Los Angeles whose mission is to make Downtown safe and clean and bring investment into the city center. Suzanne joined the DCBID in 2013 as its Chief Operating Officer and assumed her current role as head of the organization in 2018. Prior to joining the DCBID\, Suzanne worked in commercial real estate management for over 20 years\, most recently as Vice President\, Property Management for MPG Office Trust\, a public REIT\, and the largest owner and operator of Class A office properties in Downtown Los Angeles. During her tenure at MPG\, Holley was responsible for overseeing the management of 14 million square feet of office and retail mixed-use assets in Southern California and Colorado. Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Polytechnic State University\, San Luis Obispo\, and serves on the Board of Directors of Film LA and the California Downtown Association. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Doug Holte\n Founder & CEO\n Agile Workweek Investments\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Doug Holte\n Founder & CEO\n Agile Workweek Investments\n \n \n \n \n \n Doug Holte is the Founder and CEO of Agile Workweek Investments\, his startup that is investing in disruptive technologies and modernized properties for a more efficient and agile workweek. Doug’s inspiration for AWI was not Covid\, but rather accelerated by it; the changes he began to see in how people want to live and work started several years ago. Doug has had an illustrious career in commercial real estate\, most recently as President of Irvine Company for over 10 years\, and a longtime senior partner and West Coast leader at Hines. He’s also currently a senior advisor to a new proptech venture capital fund\, and on the board of important Orange County organizations such as UCI Beall Applied Innovation and CEO Leadership Alliance. He is a visionary with a huge heart for an inclusive\, collaborative and supportive community that works for everyone\, and he leads by example in his efforts there. I’m always inspired by our conversations and appreciate his friendship. Doug is also a great storyteller\, which you’ll experience in our conversation. It is so exciting to see him building on the vision he has\, and to have him on the podcast. Hear about the inception of AWI\, Doug’s amazing journey into the entrepreneurial realm\, and how everything has now changed in how most of us will design and live our (work) weeks moving forward. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rob Jernigan\n Senior Vice President\n Clayco\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rob Jernigan\n Senior Vice President\n Clayco\n \n \n \n \n \n Rob Jernigan’s years of experience have been driven by his deep understanding of the science of architecture and his desire to continually improve upon it. Rob possesses an instinctive ability to bring together diverse teams on behalf of a common goal\, whether that goal is a high-rise office tower or a community outreach program. From pioneering fast-track methods for expediting delivery in the public and private sectors to redefining the state-of-the-art investment-grade commercial building through the integration of sustainable design\, Rob has remained in the vanguard. Rob’s work includes multiple award-winning and highly complex projects. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Laura Johnson\n VP\, Delivery System Strategy & Innovation\n Kaiser Permanente\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Laura Johnson\n VP\, Delivery System Strategy & Innovation\n Kaiser Permanente\n \n \n \n \n \n Laura Johnson is the Vice President of Kaiser Permanente’s Delivery System Strategy & Innovation\, responsible for the strategic planning and execution of the Southern California and Hawaii’s capital plan and facilities development. Prior to her current position\, she served as Managing Director of Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California regional internal consulting function. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente in October of 2003\, Laura worked nine years as a senior manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Los Angeles office with an emphasis in health plan strategy and operations. Laura received her MBA from UCLA Anderson and her undergraduate business degree in Finance & Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She loves living in Hermosa Beach with her husband and 18 year old son. She enjoys all outdoor activities (especially skiing\, hiking\, biking)\, traveling\, and playing piano. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jessica Ku Kim\n VP\, Economic and Workforce Development\n LAEDC\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jessica Ku Kim\n VP\, Economic and Workforce Development\n LAEDC\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nIn her role as Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development\, Jessica Ku Kim provides strategic direction and leads LAEDC’s collaborative efforts with business\, education\, and the workforce ecosystem to support a growing\, equitable\, sustainable and resilient economy. Leveraging her expertise in convening and engaging businesses leaders to understand and meet their operations and labor needs\, Jessica leads one of the most effective small business assistance programs in the nation that has attracted\, retained or helped create more than 250\,000 direct jobs for LA County residents in firms directly assisted by LAEDC. Aligned with her passion for and experience in providing direct community services for over 15 years\, she also directs LAEDC’s Together for LA Small Business Program including an online information and referral resource and technical assistance team created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and dedicated to aggressively outreach to small businesses\, nonprofits\, and micro-enterprises and provide resources and assistance. Jessica also leads LAEDC’s strategic initiatives that includes industry cluster development in aerospace\, advanced transportation\, digital media and entertainment and bioscience. Lastly\, Jessica oversees LAEDC’s workforce initiatives\, including the Center for a Competitive Workforce partnership with our region’s 19 community colleges\, to strengthen the alignment of LA County’s workforce and education ecosystem to meet our changing labor market demands and strengthen pathways for all communities into family-sustaining and in-demand careers. Jessica has intimate knowledge of programs funded on state and national levels including WIOA\, California State Workforce Development Board\, U.S. Department of Labor\, and California Employment Training Panel. \nShe has demonstrated success in developing\, implementing\, and managing workforce development programs for target populations including incumbent workers\, new hires\, disadvantaged youth\, veterans\, homeless\, individuals with disabilities\, and re-entry. In addition\, she is experienced in developing innovative job training programs\, pre-apprenticeships\, and/or apprenticeships in partnership with businesses in the construction trades\, aerospace\, advanced manufacturing\, utility and other in-demand industries. Jessica is a proud Angeleno and honored to be a Commissioner on the Los Angeles City Workforce Development Board and Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board. Prior to LAEDC\, Jessica served as the Special Projects Manager at the South Bay Workforce Investment Board. In this capacity\, she provided sound\, innovative and strategic leadership through program development and administration for one of the most innovative workforce development boards in the nation. Jessica has also served as the Director of Operations for ACCORD Community First that provided workforce development services across seven counties in Southern California where she led the Green Skills=Green Jobs initiative in partnership with the Utility Workers Union of America\, AFL-CIO. She received her Master of Public Administration from California State University\, Dominguez Hills and her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology\, Law and Society from the University of California\, Irvine. \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ariel Maidansky\n General Manager of Suites and Access Products\n Industrious\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ariel Maidansky\n General Manager of Suites and Access Products\n Industrious\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nAriel Maidansky is the General Manager for Industrious’ Suites and Access products\, responsible for the strategic direction\, vision\, growth\, and performance of Industrious’ enterprise offerings. Ariel is an experienced entrepreneur and forward-thinking executive with over a decade of experience in developing and launching new products and marketer strategies. He is known for unlocking new revenue opportunities and leading end to end innovation within organizations. \nPrior to joining Industrious\, Ariel served as SVP and Head of Innovation at Foundry55\, the innovation arm of The Aaron’s Company\, Inc.\, which he joined after Aaron’s acquired his company Envizzo in 2020. Envizzo changed the way real estate is furnished by enabling property managers and developers to design\, furnish\, and stage their properties. In addition to being GM for Industrious\, Ariel is an investor in Doorsey and serves as an advisor for Biome\, an award-winning and fast-growing startup that helps people track and improve the health of their indoor spaces. \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Michael Maltzen\n Principal Architect\n Michael Maltzan Architecture\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Michael Maltzen\n Principal Architect\n Michael Maltzan Architecture\n \n \n \n \n \n Michael Maltzan founded Michael Maltzan Architecture\, Inc. in 1995. His projects cross a wide range of typologies\, from cultural institutions to city infrastructure. Michael’s notable projects include the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University\, MoMA QNS\, Star Apartments\, the Pittman Dowell Residence\, the new Sixth Street Viaduct\, MIT Vassar Street Residential Hall\, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery Inuit Art Centre. \nMichael received an M.Arch from the Graduate School of Design\, Harvard University\, and BFA and B.Arch degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and received the 2016 AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal. He is a recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award and was elected to the National Academy of Design in 2020. In 2021 the Society of Architectural Historians presented him with its Change Agent Award. \nHe currently serves on the Deans leadership council at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Visiting Committee to the GSD. He was featured in the Canadian Centre for Architecture’s 2019 film\, What It Takes to Make a Home\, delivered the 20th Annual John T. Dunlop Lecture for the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and his work was named One of the 25 Best Inventions of 2015 by Time Magazine. Michael’s work has gained international acclaim for innovation in both design and construction. It has been recognized with five Progressive Architecture awards\, 47 citations from local\, state and national chapters of the American Institute of Architects\, the Rudy Bruner Foundation’s Gold Medal for Urban Excellence\, the Zumtobel Group Award for Innovations for Sustainability & Humanity in the Built Environment\, and a 2020 Best of the Millennium AIA LA Honor Award. The firm and its projects have been widely featured in national and international publications and have been exhibited in museums worldwide\, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles\, Museum of Modern Art New York\, the Heinz Architectural Center\, the Canadian Center for Architecture\, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. The firm’s work was selected for the 2006\, 2018\, and 2020 La Biennale di Venezia. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Duane Mataczynski\n General Manager of Modern Work\n Microsoft\, Enterprise Commercial West Region\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Duane Mataczynski\n General Manager of Modern Work\n Microsoft\, Enterprise Commercial West Region\n \n \n \n \n \n Duane Mataczynski is General Manager of Modern Work for Microsoft’s Enterprise Commercial West Region with $1.0B + in revenue\, responsible for directing Modern Work and Security solutions sales across Northern and Southern California\, CO\, AZ\, UT\, NV\, OR and WA. A twenty-year Microsoft veteran\, Duane has a proven track record for delivering strategic initiatives and sales programs to drive overall growth. Before his current role\, Duane held the position of Director of Modern Work Sales West region\, and previously the Director of Modern Workplace sales Southwest region. He also has held the position of Solution Specialist over the years covering national as well as regional territories. Duane’s 19 years at Microsoft\, he had sales roles at PlaceWare Inc\, Merant\, Force 4 and Lanier Worldwide. Duane Mataczynski holds a Bachelor of Science from Southern Oregon University with a major in Business Administration. Mataczynski currently lives in Carlsbad\, CA with his family\, wife Shannon and son Connor who attends University of Colorado Boulder. He is passionate about reading across many genres\, golf\, and travel. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jim McCarthy\n CEO & Co-Founder\n Stellar Live\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jim McCarthy\n CEO & Co-Founder\n Stellar Live\n \n \n \n \n \n Jim McCarthy is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Stellar. For nearly 20 years\, Jim served as CEO of Goldstar\, revered as an essential marketing tool for 5\,000 live entertainment organizers looking to find new audiences\, increase revenue and sell out shows. When the COVID-19 crisis shut down the live entertainment industry in March 2020\, Jim led the charge to develop Stellar\, the first-ever Total Show Management System (TSM) to help producers create and sell high quality live streaming events. In October 2020\, Stellar officially launched. In January of 2022\, Goldstar was acquired and Stellar became its own company. An e-commerce veteran\, Jim has spent his entire career in high-growth businesses and freely shares his knowledge and insight with others. He’s the curator and co-founder of TEDxBroadway\, the sold-out annual event dedicated to the question: What’s the Best Broadway Can Be? He’s spoken at conferences all over the world\, including TED\, SXSW\, INTIX and more. He’s the organizer of the Pasadena Entrepreneurs’ MasterMind Meetup. His articles have been in Forbes\, Fast Company and Business Insider. About Jim\, Bob Lefsetz has said\, “Jim McCarthy is smart\, he’d win in any world\, not only via his brain\, but his hard work and dedication.” Jim is a very active member on the Board of Directors of the Pasadena Playhouse. He studied English at Harvard University and received an MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Jim has a black belt in Northern Eagle Claw Kung Fu. And\, he hosts a very popular podcast dedicated to his pursuit of great whiskey. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Liz Moule\n Co-Founder\n Moule & Polyzoides\, Architects and Urbanists\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Liz Moule\n Co-Founder\n Moule & Polyzoides\, Architects and Urbanists\n \n \n \n \n \n Ms. Moule’s career includes architecture\, urbanism\, real estate development and education. A native of California\, she holds a M.Arch. from Princeton University\, a B.A. from Smith College in Art History and Government\, and attended the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City. \nShe is a cofounder of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)\, a national organization aimed at integrating aesthetic\, social\, environmental\, economic and policy aspects of urbanism\, and is an emeritus member of its Board of Directors. A founding partner of Moule & Polyzoides\, Architects and Urbanists\, she is a national leader in environmental sustainability and designed one of the greenest buildings in the world\, the Robert Redford Building for the Natural Resources Defense Council in Santa Monica\, California. She recently coauthored the CNU’s Canons of Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism\, companion to the Charter of the New Urbanism. Ms. Moule’s experience ranges from the design of educational\, institutional\, commercial and civic buildings to historic rehabilitation\, housing\, campus planning and large urban design projects at all scales. \nA frequently invited public speaker\, she has been published in The Los Angeles Times\, the New York Times\, Dwell and Residential Architect and has contributed articles to many books and periodicals\, including The Nikkei Shimbun\, The Los Angeles Forum\, The Charter for the New Urbanism and The Seaside Tapes. \nLiz has taught on an invited guest teaching basis at several universities including the University of Miami\, University of Washington\, USC and KTH in Stockholm among others. She has also been appointed the Robert A. M. Stern Visting Professor in Classical Architecture at Yale University. \nMoule & Polyzoides is the winner of twelve Congress for the New Urbanism Charter Design Awards. Their project for Lancaster Blvd won the EPA’s highest award\, the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement: Overall Excellence in Smart Growth. They are the recipients of the Seaside Prize (1998) and the Institute of Art & Architecture 2015 Arthur Ross Award for Community and Civic Design. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Hilary Norton\n Co-Founder & Managing Partner\n FASTLinkDTLA\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Hilary Norton\n Co-Founder & Managing Partner\n FASTLinkDTLA\n \n \n \n \n \n Hilary Norton is the Chairwoman Emeritus of the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of FASTLinkDTLA\, the Transportation Management Organization for Downtown Los Angeles. Hilary was appointed to the CTC by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2019\, and elected Chair of the CTC in August 2020. Hilary concluded her second term as Chair on February 28 th \, 2022. She brings over 30 years of experience in transportation and community development to her Commission role.  Ms. Norton’s primary goals as CTC Chair include investing over $5 billion in annual SB1 gas tax and other funds into California’s transportation infrastructure system in order to improve outcomes in equity\, mobility across numerous modes\, safety\, environment/climate change resilience\, and economic growth. As the Executive Director of FASTLinkDTLA – a new Transportation Management Organization (TMO) for Downtown LA (DTLA)– with a goal of reducing single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips in DTLA by 75% by 2030. To achieve this goal\, FASTLinkDTLA TMO connects employers and residents to transit\, micro-transit and on-demand shuttles\, AVP parking\, walking and biking options and advocates for new mobility options to be funded to travel to and within DTLA. Through FASTLinkDTLA\, Ms. Norton launched one of the first ever in LA County micro-transit systems\, connecting travelers through the flexLA multi-mobility app\, and connecting new on-demand wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV)\, transit\, vanpools\, carpools\, scooters\, bike share\, biking and walking. FASTLinkDTLA enthusiastically supports the proposed LA Streetcar for DTLA\, as well as new Metro rail and bus service planned for DTLA such as the Regional Connector\, West Santa Ana Branch and Sixth Street/Arts District Station on the Metro Red/Purple Line. As Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic (FAST)’s founding Executive Director since 2008\, Ms. Norton mobilized a diverse coalition of business\, labor\, civic groups\, educational institutions and transit organizations to support policy and infrastructure improvements to LA’s mobility\, livability and economic prosperity. FAST’s primary focuses: 1) Mobility Hubs – carshare\, bikeshare\, bike parking\, EV charging and traveler services at transit stations\, job and education centers; 2) comprehensive arterial improvements to improve travel time\, encourage mode shift\, and promote safety and transit connectivity; 3) Metro ExpressLanes expansion throughout LA County\, creating the Metro ExpressLanes Business Roundtable to support the I-110/I-10 pilot corridors; 4) Expanding LA County’s bus rapid transit (BRT) network\, especially in her neighborhood of Eagle Rock; and 5) Revitalizing the Arts District in DTLA with new mobility options: the Sixth Street/ Arts District Metro Station\, and Sixth Street Viaduct / Sixth Street Park — the largest bridge reconstruction project in LA’s history\, adding bicycle and pedestrian lanes\, and connections to the LA River and the Metro Red/Purple Line. Ms. Norton is President and Managing Partner of Effect Strategies\, a full-service strategic communications firm\, with clients ranging from biotech/life sciences to innovations in service delivery\, clean buildings\, and mobility. Ms. Norton served as 2018 Chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed)\, and is on the Board of Directors of the Central City Association. She co-chairs the Transportation Committees for BizFed\, the LA Chamber of Commerce\, and the LA Business Council (LABC). Ms. Norton is a member of the UCLA Institute for Transportation Studies (ITS) Advisory Board and a member of SCAG’s GLUE Council and its TDM Working Group. Ms. Norton holds a BA from Wellesley College and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is the mother of two adults\, Xavier and Eva Orozco. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Katharine Perez\n Los Angeles Cities Leader and Associate Principal\n Arup\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Katharine Perez\n Los Angeles Cities Leader and Associate Principal\n Arup\n \n \n \n \n \n Katherine Perez is the Los Angeles Cities Leader and Associate Principal with Arup. She is an expert in urban planning\, transportation\, and oversees the alternative procurement delivery team in Los Angeles. With her background in economic development\, real estate development\, transport and urban planning policy\, she is recognized as a leader in the planning and development fields. Katherine managed numerous complex projects\, utilizing her 22 years of experience in planning and development to help public and private sector clients develop\, optimize\, and manage their assets. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thomas Ricci\n Managing Principal Development & Construction\n Coretrust\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thomas Ricci\n Managing Principal Development & Construction\n Coretrust\n \n \n \n \n \n Mr. Ricci is a founding and managing principal of Coretrust\, and sits on the Management and Investment Committees. He is responsible for planning\, architecture\, construction\, community and government relations\, development and marketing. He has over 30 million SF of development\, entitlement\, and redevelopment experience. Prior to co-founding Coretrust\, Mr. Ricci was Executive Vice President at TPGI\, and was responsible for planning\, architecture\, construction\, community and government relations\, development and marketing. While at TPGI\, Mr. Ricci oversaw several large mixed-use developments\, including Wilshire Grand in downtown Los Angeles\, NBC/Universal Studios Back Lot Vision Plan and MetroStudios@Lankershim Master Plan in Los Angeles\, Four Points Centre in Austin\, CityWestPlace in Houston\, and Campus El Segundo in El Segundo. From 1992 until mid-1998\, Mr. Ricci was Vice President of Planning and Entitlements at Maguire Thomas Partners. Prior to 1987\, Mr. Ricci was an active-duty U.S. Air Force Captain in the Facilities Division charged with planning\, programming\, designing and constructing hospitals\, clinics\, and medical support facilities at various military locations in-country and abroad. Mr. Ricci holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Architecture with honors from the New York Institute of Technology. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Maria Salinas\n President & CEO\n LA Chamber of Commerce\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Maria Salinas\n President & CEO\n LA Chamber of Commerce\n \n \n \n \n \n Maria S. Salinas is the President & CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce\, the largest business association in Los Angeles County representing member companies and serving the interests of more than 235\,000 businesses across the Los Angeles region. Ms. Salinas took the helm of the organization in August of 2018 and became the first woman and Latina to lead the Chamber in its 132-year history. An accomplished business woman\, entrepreneur and a determined community leader\, Ms. Salinas’ business acumen and financial expertise provides her with the right experience to lead the L.A. Area Chamber. \nMs. Salinas\, a steward of the Chamber’s new vision\, “A Thriving Region for All\,” has re-imagined the role of the Chamber. The Chamber looks to the future with a vision to build an inclusive economy and lead in three pillar areas of focus: advocacy work\, global engagement and through community collaboration for economic growth and mobility. The Los Angeles region\, which is the 14th largest economy in the world\, and the Chamber membership represents a broad spectrum of industries\, small businesses\, corporations\, academic institutions and nonprofits\, which are all examples that the Los Angeles economy is diverse\, dynamic and that business is a force for good. \nMs. Salinas is an appointee to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Commission on the Future of Work and named to his Business and Jobs Recovery Task Force. She was appointed to the US Chamber of Commerce’s Committee of 100\, a distinction reserved for the top 100 Chambers across the country. She represents the Los Angeles business community in state- wide policy initiatives with the Coalition of Regional Economic Association Leaders (R.E.A.L.)\, she is a member of the Board of Directors of Mobility 21\, a regional transportation effort\, and an appointee of Mayor Eric Garcetti to the MEXLA Commission\, a foreign policy initiative between Mexico and Los Angeles. \nShe serves on the Board of Directors of The Music Center\, Pacific Council\, UnidosUS and Southern California Leadership Network among others. Ms. Salinas lives in Pasadena\, California\, with her husband and their four sons. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Natalie Schilling\n SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer\n Edison International and Southern California Edison\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Natalie Schilling\n SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer\n Edison International and Southern California Edison\n \n \n \n \n \n Natalie Schilling is Senior Vice President and hief human resources officer for Edison International and Southern California Edison. She is responsible for all aspects of the companies’ human resources function including people strategy\, culture\, diversity\, equity and inclusion\, talent management\, staffing\, learning and development and succession planning. Additionally\, she oversees labor and employee relations\, Total Rewards\, workforce analytics and planning\, human resources information systems (HRIS)\, business partners organization effectiveness and HR operations. In her Edison International role\, she is responsible for oversight of human resources activities at the company’s nonregulated subsidiary Edison Energy. Previously\, Schilling was vice president of Human Resources at SCE. She was responsible for people\, culture and strategy that included business partners\, organizational effectiveness\, labor and employee relations\, diversity\, equity and inclusion\, workforce strategy\, planning and analytics and HR operations. Before joining SCE\, Schilling was the chief human resources officer at Aerojet Rocketdyne\, Inc.\, an aerospace\, and defense firm. Her experience also includes extended tenures at Alcoa\, Inc.\, and at Unocal Corporation in all areas of human resources. Schilling serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Schilling earned her bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix and her master’s degree in human resources from Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n David White\n Venture Partner\, Ulu Ventures\n Deputy Chair\, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco \n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n David White\n Venture Partner\, Ulu Ventures\n Deputy Chair\, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco \n \n \n \n \n \n David is a Venture Partner at Ulu Ventures and serves as the Deputy Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco\, the nation’s largest Fed Bank by area and population. \nDavid is the immediate past CEO and Chief Negotiator of Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA)\, and continues to serve as a strategic advisor to the world’s largest entertainment and media union\, with 165\,000 members worldwide. He is a Strategy Advisor to USC’s influential Center for the Digital Future\, and is an independent Board Member of the global consulting firm\, RGP. David recently served as a Commissioner for the Industry Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace\, and is a Member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is a Board Member of the entertainment industry charitable organizations\, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Actors Fund. He was co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Entertainment Strategies Group LLC\, providing consulting services to the entertainment industry. He was a labor and employment attorney at O’Melveny & Myers LLP and\, prior to law school\, was the Executive Director of an innovative youth services organization\, Youth Opportunities Unlimited. \nA Rhodes Scholar\, David is a graduate of Stanford Law School\, Oxford University (Queens College) and Grinnell College. He previously served as board Chair and Trustee of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan\, board Chair and Trustee of the SAG-Producers Pension Plan\, board Chair and Trustee of Grinnell College\, Vice Chair of the Entertainment Industry Advancement and Cooperative Fund\, Trustee of the AFTRA Retirement Fund\, and a Board Member of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. He was also appointed by the Mayor to serve as a Los Angeles area Commissioner for Urban planning and Development. \nHe has been a contributing writer for the Los Angeles Lawyer\, has been featured in various publications including Los Angeles Magazine\, and has served as a commentator on national and industry publications\, and television and radio shows. He has received numerous awards throughout his career\, including the John M. Langston Bar Association’s Attorney of the Year (2014)\, the National Bar Association’s Entertainment\, Sports & Art Law Section Attorney of the Year (2010)\, and the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel’s Labor and Personal Representation Counsel of the Year (2009). \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Spike Whitney\n SVP\, Asset Management\n Coretrust Capital Partners\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Spike Whitney\n SVP\, Asset Management\n Coretrust Capital Partners\n \n \n \n \n \n As Senior Vice President of Asset Management\, Mr. Whitney is responsible for the execution of property-level business plans\, financing matters\, disposition activities and owner/investor communications. He is also responsible for implementing financial\, business and management strategies to maximize the value of the firm’s assets in its Coretrust Value Funds. Prior to joining Coretrust\, Mr. Whitney worked in the investments group at CommonWealth Partners\, where he most recently led the firm’s West Los Angeles and San Diego office investments. He was responsible for the portfolio’s strategic investment plans\, overseeing capital improvement projects\, negotiating leases\, and coordinating marketing decisions. He was involved in firm acquisitions and served in an investment fiduciary capacity including acquisition underwriting\, due diligence\, and disposition execution. Mr. Whitney started his career at Deloitte & Touche in its real estate group working with both public and private companies in the industry. Mr. Whitney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California\, Leventhal School of Accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant (active). \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Wilson\n Executive Director\n Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Wilson\n Executive Director\n Alliance for SoCal Innovation\n \n \n \n \n \n Andy is a leader in the Southern Californian innovation ecosystem and has started\, led or invested in more than two dozen tech start-ups. In addition to leading the Alliance as Executive Director\, he serves on the City Council for the City of Pasadena and he is a founder of Innovate Pasadena (www.innovatepasadena.org)\, which is dedicated to advancing the Eastside of Los Angeles as a vibrant innovation center for deep tech. \nPreviously\, as founder of Momentum Ventures\, an early stage tech accelerator and venture fund\, he personally led more than a half dozen SoCal tech start-ups and invested in almost a dozen others. He previously held senior executive roles (President\, SVP Product\, CIO\, COO) at Overture Services/Yahoo!\, RiverOne\, Bowne & Co and RR Donnelley & Sons. He has extensive board experience in not-for-profit and community organizations such as Pacific Oaks College\, Pasadena Heritage and STEAMCODERS. He is a regular speaker at entrepreneurs’ events and business schools and was named one of the 50 Most Innovative Men in the San Gabriel Valley. Andy holds an engineering degree with honors from Dartmouth College and received his MBA with a concentration in operations and technology management from Harvard Business School. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/future-of-work-people-places-and-spaces-2022/ LOCATION:Four Forty Four South Flower\, 444 Flower St.\, Los Angeles\, California\, 90071\, United States CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Buisness-Wire-Image.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220509T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220509T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220509T220001Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220509T220002Z UID:1790-1652083200-1652115600@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY: DESCRIPTION:Andy Wilson\n Executive Director\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Andy Wilson\n Executive Director\n \nAndy is a leader in the Southern Californian innovation ecosystem and has started\, led or invested in more than two dozen tech start-ups. In addition to leading the Alliance as its Executive Director\, he served on the City Council for the City of Pasadena for almost 8 years (2 years as vice mayor) and he is a founder of Innovate Pasadena (www.innovatepasadena.org)\, which is dedicated to advancing the Eastside of Los Angeles as a vibrant innovation center for deep tech. \n\n\n\nPreviously\, as founder of Momentum Ventures\, an early stage tech accelerator and venture fund\, he personally led more than a half dozen SoCal tech start-ups and invested in almost a dozen others. He previously held senior executive roles (President\, SVP Product\, CIO\, COO) at Overture Services/Yahoo!\, RiverOne\, Bowne & Co and RR Donnelley & Sons. He has extensive board experience in not-for-profit and community organizations such as Pacific Oaks College\, Pasadena Heritage\, STEAMCODERS\, and currently serves on the Hollywood-Burbank Airport Authority. He has a deep track record of community service including the Pasadena Design Commission\, the Pasadena Planning Commission\, Pasadena Operating Company and the Burbank Airport. \n\n\n\nHe is a regular speaker at entrepreneurs’ events and business schools and was named one of the 50 Most Innovative Men in the San Gabriel Valley. Andy holds an engineering degree with honors from Dartmouth College and received his MBA with a concentration in operations and technology management from Harvard Business School. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donald Grant\n Special Advisor\, Diversity and Equity\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donald Grant\n Special Advisor\, Diversity and Equity\n \nDr. Donald E. Grant Jr is an equity\, diversity\, inclusion and impact practitioner and Executive Director of Mindful Training Solutions. Dr Grant has a long history of direct mental health service delivery and administrative oversight for foster care systems\, child welfare programs\, education systems and homeless mental wellness services. He is an international speaker and workshop facilitator\, film and TV consultant and published author. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Eric Eide\n Managing Director\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Eric Eide\n Managing Director\n \nEric is a seasoned economic development professional with experience spanning the private sector\, federal and municipal government\, and academia. He currently serves as the Managing Director at the Alliance for Southern California Innovation where he leads the Alliance’s Capital Access programs with VCs and founders as well as innovation community building efforts with startup communities\, local government\, and community partners. \n\n\n\nBefore joining the Alliance\, Eric grew the Government Relations team at startup electric scooter rental company Bird and expanded operations domestically and internationally. Previously\, Eric served as Director of International Trade for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In this role\, Eric worked to increase international business activity\, facilitate the import and export of goods\, and attract investment to Los Angeles. Eric also served in the U.S. federal government as an Advisor for Strategic Partnerships at the U.S. Department of State\, where he collaborated with U.S.-based entrepreneurs\, firms\, and universities with interests in South and Central Asia. In a prior role\, Eric represented the U.S. Small Business Administration with the startup community and improved the overall performance of a $2.6 billion federal program that funds early stage technology companies. \n\n\n\nEric holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California\, Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan\, where his research focused on innovation ecosystems\, industrial policy\, and globalization. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gandalf\n Chief Inspiration Officer\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gandalf\n Chief Inspiration Officer\n \nSince being rescued by the Wilson family many moons ago\, Gandalf has been dedicated to marking his territory in the SoCal innovation ecosystem. His first assignment as the Manager of Food Inspection at Rexter earned him an immediate promotion to Director of Food Consumption. Just a few years later\, he pursued a career in politics as a volunteer canvasser\, and once successfully winning the contentious campaign\, was asked to serve as the Head of Security for Pasadena’s renowned councilman for District 7. \n\n\n\nCurrently\, Gandalf is the Chief Inspiration Officer for the Alliance for SoCal Innovation where he devotes his time to keeping the Executive Director healthy with daily walks. But his most fetching contribution to the Alliance team was the obedience seminar he held only once. The entire staff has been fully trained to provide snacks before entering the office. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gene Sykes\n Chairman Emeritus\n View Bio \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gene Sykes\n Chairman Emeritus\n \nGene is co-chairman of Global Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and co-chairman of the Global Technology\, Media and Telecom Group at Goldman Sachs. He joined the M&A department in New York in 1984 and moved back to Los Angeles in 1987. He became a partner in 1992. \n\n\n\nGene is chair for the Alliance for Southern California Innovation. He serves on the boards of the Pacific Council on International Policy\, the Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee and Common Sense Media. Between 2015 and 2018\, Gene served as the CEO of Los Angeles 2024 and then Los Angeles 2028\, the organization responsible for bidding for and organizing the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. Gene is a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees and a member of the Advisory Council of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. \n\n\n\nGene earned an MBA from Stanford University in 1984 and an AB from Harvard University in 1980. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/1790/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220512T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220512T173000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220508T233248Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220509T182048Z UID:1777-1652371200-1652376600@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:A First-Ever Homecoming for Innovators in the Inland Empire DESCRIPTION:The Inland Empire is a fast-growing region that is teeming with innovation\, and muchof that innovation centers around the people who were born and raised in the region. Some of ourinnovators have made a name for themselves in the region\, while many others have distinguishedthemselves in other parts of the state or across the country. \nWhat if we had an alumni reception for our innovators\, not for any particular high school or university\,but for the entire two-county region?This is the idea behind the first ever Inland Empire Innovation Homecoming. On Thursday\, May 12 wewill be welcoming back and celebrating our alumni entrepreneurs and innovators via a virtual awardsevent. \nThe awards will be presented by Devorah Lieberman\, President of University of La Verne\, andKarthick Ramakrishnan\, Director of the Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside.Honorees include: Zubin Carvalho & Tenzing Carvalho\, middle school students in Hemet; ShailendraSingh & Leslie Hickle\, co-founders of FarmSense\, Scott Agajanian\, Murrieta Innovation Center\, CoreyJackson\, Sigma Beta Xi\, Gabe Maldonado\, TruEvolution\, Erica Beal\, CEO of AVIVV\, Jesus “Chuy”Flores\, Estolano Advisors\, Suzie Gomez\, Inland Empire Community Collaborative\, Rakayla Simpson &Dar’rell Jones\, BLU Educational Foundation\, Ashley Hill\, Magdalena’s Daughters\, Mohammed Kuko\,Pantri\, and Joshua Morales\, StarNav LLC. \nPlease join us for this virtual event as we welcome back our alumni and lift up the work of these greatinnovators and entrepreneurs. If you have any questions or would like to learn more\, please contact us.You can RSVP to the event via this link: https://ie-innovation-homecoming.eventbrite.com URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/a-first-ever-homecoming-for-innovators-in-the-inland-empire/ CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220601T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220601T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050717 CREATED:20220510T001426Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220510T001813Z UID:1795-1654099200-1654102800@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Turn Your Passion Into Profit DESCRIPTION:During this workshop\, entrepreneur Tyler Rinaldi will discuss how to create a business around your passion. Whether you have a side hustle\, are kicking around some ideas\, or are just curious about the topic\, come join us! \nThis workshop is part of This Week at Hub101 (TWAH)\, a series of free\, weekly\, interactive workshops open to students\, Hub101 members\, and the broader community to learn\, collaborate\, and create. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/turn-your-passion-into-profit/ LOCATION:Virtual via Zoom CATEGORIES:Community Events,Ventura County ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TWAH-SoCal-Alliance-Event-4.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220601T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220601T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220529T144106Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220529T144107Z UID:1834-1654106400-1654113600@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:MedTech Minds | June 2022 DESCRIPTION:Come with your “How to” and “What if” questions about the industry. Together with seasoned professionals\, we will have an open conversation to address any questions and concerns to help take your career or business in MedTech to the next level. Also\, this is an interactive event. So please… \nSUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY\, YOUR STARTUP\, OR YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU PURCHASE YOUR TICKET. IF YOUR QUESTION IS ONE OF 4 CHOSEN FOR THE BRAINSTORMING EVENT\, YOU WILL RECEIVE A FULL REFUND FOR YOUR TICKET AND FREE ADMISSION! \nAn open bar with complimentary wine and beer and Food will be available for all in-person attendees. \n—————————————————–\nSpecial guest & moderator: \nArdelle St. George \nPresident & CEO of NAUTILUS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LLC. \nArdelle has held positions as General Counsel\, Corporate Secretary as well as holding various senior executive legal and business management positions\, with Med Tech companies\, government agencies\, associations and other health care entities. Ardelle has also held Of Counsel positions at a large international Law Firm (Bryan Cave)\, Division and Corporate Counsel at international companies as well as currently serving as Managing Partner of her Intellectual Property and Corporate Law Firm\, ST.GEORGE & CARNEGIE and President & CEO of her Solutions & Licensing Company\, NAUTILUS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LLC. \nShe is an advocate for valuing people/patients\, sustainability and experiential transformation through digitization on a global basis. She promotes the experiential and digital transformation in healthcare as she collaborates with prominent physicians\, MedTech companies\, healthcare institutions and others in the healthcare industry to stimulate\, foster\, develop and bring innovation to the marketplace through her International Legal Practice and Solutions & Licensing company. \nArdelle’s education includes discipline in the areas of law\, business and public policy. She earned JD and MBA degrees\, augmented by Executive Certifications from Harvard Business\, Law\, Engineering & Applied Computer Sciences and Kennedy Schools in Advanced Technology (e.g.\, Augmented\, Virtual and Mixed Reality\,) Artificial Intelligence\, Digital Transformation\, Cybersecurity and Sustainability. \n—————————————————– \nSchedule:\n6:00-6:30 – Meet and Mingle \n6:30-6:45 – Introduction \n6:45-6:45 – 1st Round of Mastermind \n6:45-7:00 – Break \n7:00-7:45 – 2nd Round of Mastermind \n7:45-8:00 – Closing and mingling \n—————————————————– \nEvent Powered By: \nUniversity Lab Partners \nUniversity Lab Partners is an independent\, non-profit program of Beall Family Foundation. An open innovation platform enables bioscience & MedTech companies to access unique research capabilities and a network of technical\, business\, and talent resources at an economical cost. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/medtech-minds-june-2022/ LOCATION:ULP\, 5270 California Avenue\, Irvine Ave\, 92617 CATEGORIES:Community Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MedTech-Minds-2022-Infographics-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Medical Innovation Exchange":MAILTO:info@medinnovationexchange.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220607T133000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220607T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220408T194655Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230704T005031Z UID:1596-1654608600-1654630200@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:First Look SoCal 2022 DESCRIPTION:First Look SoCal 2022\n\n\n\nPresented by \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase is an annual conference celebrating the best very early-stage startups commercializing deep tech and life science breakthroughs from SoCal’s top research institutions.  \n\n\n\nThe primary goal is to connect founders with investors\, mentors\, and executives with invaluable subject matter expertise to provide credible guidance and pre-seed/seed stage funding crucial to making the often-perilous journey from lab to market. \n\n\n\nThank you for attending First Look SoCal 2022!!!\n\n\n\nIn case you missed it or just couldn’t get enough\, here are some videos of the keynote and presenters plus a photo gallery. Enjoy\, and hope to see you next year. \n\n\n\nEVENT VIDEO GALLERY\n\n\n\n\nhttps://youtu.be/ISnkdX9fCe8\nBioscienceLA posted this amazing event sizzle reel about First Look SoCal\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Keynote: Dr. Gary K. Michelson\, spinal surgeon\, inventor\, Founder & Co-Chair of Michelson Philanthropies in conversation with David Bailey\, Managing Partner at KPPB\, LLP\n\n\n\nStartup Pitch Videos\n\n\n\nAll 24 startup pitch videos are available on our YouTube Channel\, check out the incredible Life Science and Technology innovations. \n\n\n\nPhoto Gallery\n\n\n\nTo see photos from the day\, check out the photo gallery. \n\n\n\nMEDIA COVERAGE\n\n\n\nEquity\, Education\, and Perseverance are the Keys to a Successful Intellectual Property Ecosystem — MICHELSON INSTITUTE FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY \n\n\n\nFrom Stem Cells to Biosensors: 3 Trends to Watch at This Year’s First Look Startup Showcase — DOT.LA \n\n\n\nSTARTUPS PRESENTING\n\n\n\nCongratulations to the startups presenting at the showcase \n\n\n\nTeams were selected based on factors such as: potential for disruption\, novelty of the innovation/discovery\, size of the commercial opportunity\, and overall potential for impact. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Bios can be found here: https://hopin.com/events/first-look-socal-innovation-showcase-2022/registration \n\n\n\nLIFE SCIENCE TRACKTECHNOLOGY TRACKMedtech/DiagnosticsAiroSolveCellecho BiotechnologiesElecular Technology LLCSage Cerebrovascular DiagnosticsTherapeuticsChimera Therapeutics LLCD-10 therapeutics\, Inc.Endure BiotherapeuticsLymphagenReBreathe BioSimurx\, Inc.SNJ Pharma IncSymphony BiosciencesCleantech/GreentechBluefin FoodsEDEN Concept Fill IncGELF Energy CorpSiLi-ion Inc.Materials/HardwareArtifex ToolsCraitorLineCutViBo HealthSoftwareAvi.AI Inc.nevron.aiStylebotZoetic Motion\n\n\n\n\n\nLead Sponsors \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTechnology Track Sponsor \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nGold Sponsor \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nCleantech Sponsor \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nLook forward to…\n\n\n\nConnect with investors\, peers\, and mentors\n\n\n\nUnparalleled opportunities to connect with investors\, mentors and other support resources crucial for early stage startups. Past years attracted over 300 attendees including over 130 investors. Free livestream option available including virtual networking using the Hopin platform. \n\n\n\nStartup Presentations\n\n\n\nTwo concurrent tracks: Life Science and Technology. Each track will have 12 company presentations (24 total) doing 3 minutes quick pitch presentations followed by 9 minutes of moderated Q&A led by a panel of investors and subject matter experts. \n\n\n\nKeynote fireside chat with Dr. Gary Michelson\n\n\n\nDr. Gary K. Michelson\, M.D. is a board certified orthopedic spinal surgeon\, an inventor who holds nearly 1\,000 patents throughout the world\, and the founder and co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies. Follow his journey and the big bets he’s placing on helping future inventors protect their IP. \n\n\n\nThe largest showcase of university-based deep tech and life science startups\n\n\n\nThis is SoCal’s premiere gathering of the best startups emerging from the region’s top research institutions so it attracts the region’s community in a rare concentrated program that celebrates the entrepreneur’s journey from lab to market. \n\n\n\nWorkshops for founders (limited seats available)\n\n\n\nLearn directly from legal experts\, investors\, and licensing professionals about best practices for protecting and monetizing intellectual property as well as early stage startup commercialization of deep tech and life science innovations. Featuring experts from Wilson Sonsini\, Michelson Foundation\, and USC. \n\n\n\nNetworking Reception\n\n\n\nEnjoy cocktails and small bites for attendees and speakers to network and reconnect in person. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/first-look-socal-2022/ LOCATION:Skirball Cultural Center\, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90049\, United States CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FLSIS_EventPage_Banner.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220607T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220607T180000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220529T144158Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220614T174843Z UID:1838-1654617600-1654624800@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Demo Day (hybrid) DESCRIPTION:Demo Day is a showcase of the startups from Hub101’s IdeaToDo program. \nMeet the founders\, learn about their startups\, view product demos\, and network with the startup community. \nThe event will take place in a hybrid format.\nCome in person at Hub101\, or join us virtually through event platform\, Airmeet. \nSCHEDULE \n4:00 PM – Welcome & Intro \n4:10 – 5:10 PM – Startup Showcase Pitches \n5:10 – 6:00 PM – Startup Exhibitions & Networking \nTHE STARTUPS \n– Splitcoin: Offline\, self-custody solution for crypto users\n– Dutch: Social connection platform focused on removing implicit bias\n– GLUKI: Gamified edtech for children with Type 1 Diabetes\n– Frendii: Wellness and social platform for women over 50\n– Zavally: Smart\, safety ring consumer product URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/demo-day-hybrid/ CATEGORIES:Community Events,Ventura County ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Private-Launch-Demo-Event-1400-×-700-px-1536-×-1040-px-6.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220713T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220713T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220723T031053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220725T222503Z UID:1926-1657702800-1657740600@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Air Mobility Symposium DESCRIPTION:The Alliance for SoCal Innovation and Mitsubishi Electric Innovation Center (MELIC) presented a symposium on Air Mobility at the UC Irvine. It was a unique opportunity to collaborate with leaders in the field of air mobility. Participants came from varied backgrounds – corporate leaders\, VCs\, startups\, universities and organizational leaders – providing a one-of-a-kind brainstorming opportunity. The diverse perspectives presented allowed guests to test their own assumptions\, debate ideas\, and consider factors they may have overlooked. \nKyle Hermans\, CEO and Co-Founder of Be Courageous\, facilitated the day at the Cove at UC Irvine – UCI Beall Applied Innovation. \nThis was an invitation-only event. \nSee photos of event here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xtNtRdK5mryEhMK87 URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/air-mobility-symposium/ LOCATION:The Cove @ UC Irvine CATEGORIES:Alliance Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/First_Air_Mobility_Symposium_by_Justin_Han-93.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220718T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220722T235959 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220719T191932Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220719T192206Z UID:1905-1658102400-1658534399@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:American Seed Fund Week - SBIR DESCRIPTION:Calling all innovators\, inventors\, and entrepreneurs who want to see your research change the world! \n2022 America’s Seed Fund Week is a virtual\, collaborative outreach effort connecting entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies and the organizations that support them to the country’s largest source of early-stage funding – the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs\, which provide over $4 billion in funding to small businesses each year in a wide variety of technology areas. \n2022 America’s Seed Fund Week will provide attendees with an opportunity to hear directly from the participating federal agency program managers that administer over 7\,000 new awards annually and to engage with program decision-makers. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/american-seed-fund-week-sbir/ LOCATION:Virtual via Zoom CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220727T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220727T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220719T190945Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220719T190946Z UID:1903-1658934000-1658939400@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Sustainability and Innovation: Startups Tackling Global Issues DESCRIPTION:Glendale Tech’s monthly Virtual Tech on Tap Series as we explore opportunities in tech for advancing a sustainable world. Learn about the growing need for innovators and startups to tackle global sustainability issues and the local resources available to founders in this field. \nGuest speaker: \nJudy Hsieh\, Program Director – LARTA URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/sustainability-and-innovation-startups-tackling-global-issues/ LOCATION:Virtual via Zoom CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220727T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220727T183000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220723T161726Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220725T182612Z UID:1931-1658934000-1658946600@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Crypto at the Clocktower DESCRIPTION:This event is an invitation-only\, intimate gathering of SoCal leaders and is the most recent of the Alliance’s on-going LEAD series which engages and leverages the collective wisdom of SoCal’s most innovative and forward-looking leaders. \n3:00-5:30 Panel discussion moderated by Greg Smith\, SVP Digital Channels and Innovation for City National Bank. Joining him will be Heidi Pease\, Head of Investment Products at Wave Financial and Co-Founder of LA Blockchain Lab; and Stephanie Hurder\, Founding Partner of Prysm Group; along with Ben Savage who will engage in a discussion on a variety of topics from simple perspectives on the market\, to institutional challenges\, to the metaverse.5:30-6:30 – Beer\, wine and appetizers \nNote: This will not be a seminar nor investment advice\, but moreover a candid leadership discussion with your peers in an informal setting followed by a happy hour reception. All guests are encouraged to participate openly in the conversation. \nTo attend\, please email info@alliancesocal.org. Location information will be sent upon confirmation. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/crypto-at-the-clocktower/ LOCATION:Clocktower Ventures\, 225 Santa Monica Blvd\, Floor 10\, Santa Monica\, 90401 CATEGORIES:Alliance Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220727T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220727T190000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220723T024629Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220725T182122Z UID:1921-1658941200-1658948400@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Long Beach Accelerator Tech Ecosystem Mixer DESCRIPTION:Join the Long Beach Accelerator for a Tech Ecosystem Mixer bringing togther our community. Attend for the opportunity to engage with our current and previous cohort members\, LBA staff\, Board of Director\, Advisory Team\, investors\, and ecosystem partners. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/long-beach-accelerator-tech-ecosystem-mixer/ LOCATION:Long Beach Accelerator\, 245 E 3rd St\, Long Beach\, 90802 CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220804T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220804T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220723T010312Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220725T223000Z UID:1918-1659621600-1659632400@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Care in Space DESCRIPTION:Care in Space is the first of its kind program leveraging the extreme conditions of space to not only drive innovation but also to build viable businesses at the intersection of commercial space and biomedical science. A collaborative effort between Boryung\, Axiom Space\, and Starburst Aerospace\, the challenge will provide winning entrepreneurs and their startups an equity investment of $100\,000 and admission into Starburst’s 13-week accelerator program to help bring their ideas to fruition. \nLive and Virtual \nVirtual Login: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LothqIIySReJDx5yJZ2e4wParking Address: Parking Structure 8 (see parking info) 405 Hilgard Ave Los Angeles\, CA 90095 (see walking directions from parking to venue) URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/care-in-space/ LOCATION:UCLA Luskin Conference Center\, 425 Westwood Plaza\, Los Angeles\, 90095 CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220808T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220810T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220804T053541Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220804T053714Z UID:1970-1659945600-1660150800@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Bioengineering Research Symposium and Biotechnology Industry Showcase DESCRIPTION:UC Santa Barbara will host this 3-day\, in-person symposium featuring a Biotechnology Industry Showcase on 8 August and Bioengineering Research Focus. The Showcase will connect industry representatives with students and faculty for professional development and opportunities for careers and collaborations with industry. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/bioengineering-research-symposium-and-biotechnology-industry-showcase/ LOCATION:UC Santa Barbara\, Corwin Pavilion\, Santa Barbara\, 93106 CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220810T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220810T210000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220804T050254Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220804T220343Z UID:1960-1660152600-1660165200@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Startup World Cup -Southern California DESCRIPTION:Partnered event between Pepperdine Graziadio Business School\, Startup World Cup & Los Angeles Venture Association. Startup World Cup offers innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities for startup ecosystems around the world. This platform consists of a global series of startup conferences and competitions that bring together phenomenal startups\, VCs\, and world-class tech CEOs. Startups worldwide will first compete at regional events\, and the regional finalists will showcase themselves at the Grand Finale event in San Francisco and compete for a $1\,000\,000 investment prize URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/startup-world-cup-southern-california/ LOCATION:Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine\, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway\, Malibu\, CA\, 90263\, United States CATEGORIES:Community Events ORGANIZER;CN="LAVA":MAILTO:info@lava.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220815T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220821T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220719T183552Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220725T222728Z UID:1900-1660550400-1661101200@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:LA Tech Week DESCRIPTION:A Week of events hosted by VCs and startups to celebrate the growing LA ecosystem! Register your email with LA Tech Week’s organizers for event updates and more information. Check out a sampling of the events below. \n\n\n\n\n \nTue Evening (08/16) @Santa Monica\n\nThe Founder’s Guide to LA by dotLA\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\n\n\nSpencer Rascoff\n\nCofounder of Zillow\, Hotwire\, Pacaso\, dot.LA. GP at 75 & Sunny\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n\n\n\nWed Night (08/17) @Santa Monica\n\nThe Official LA Tech Week Welcome Party by a16z\, Greycroft & MaC VC\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\nFri Morning (08/19) @Santa Monica\n\nDoorDash Founding Story by Pear VC\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\n\n\nStanley Tang\n\nCofounder & CPO\, Doordash\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\nPejman Nozad\n\nGP\, Pear VC\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\nFri Afternoon/Evening (08/19) @Santa Monica\n\nTime to Build: Los Angeles by a16z\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\n\n\nSPECIAL GUEST\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\nGrant Lafontaine\n\nCEO & Cofounder\, Whatnot\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\nChris Power\n\nCEO & Founder\, Hadrian\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\nConnie Chan\n\nGP\, a16z\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\nAndrew Chen\n\nGP\, a16z\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\nTurner Novak\n\nGP\, Banana Capital\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPEAKER\n\n\nDana Settle\n\nCofounder & GP\, Greycroft\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\nSat Night (08/20) @Santa Monica\n\nThe Official Closeout Party by Mantis VC & Chapter One\n\n \n\n\n\n\nHOST\n\n\nAlex Pall\n\nCofounder & GP\, Mantis & The Chainsmokers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHOST\n\n\nDrew Taggart\n\nCofounder & GP\, Mantis & The Chainsmokers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHOST\n\n\nJeff Morris Jr.\n\nCofounder & GP\, Chapter One\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHOST\n\n\nJeffrey Evans\n\nCofounder & GP\, Mantis\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHOST\n\n\nMilan Koch\n\nCofounder & GP\, Mantis URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/la-tech-week/ CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220816T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220816T210000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220723T153559Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220725T223029Z UID:1929-1660672800-1660683600@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:#LATechWeek: The Founder's Guide to LA with dot.LA DESCRIPTION:​Join dot.LA for a relaxed evening of food\, drinks\, and friends – featuring a special presentation of “The Founder’s Guide to Los Angeles” with dot.LA Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Spencer Rascoff (also of Zillow\, Pacaso\, 75 & Sunny\, and more). \nSince its launch in January 2020\, dot.LA is the definitive source of news and community for and about the LA tech and startup ecosystem. Make sure you’re signed up for dot.LA’s indispensable daily newsletter here. \n​The event will be held at a private residence to be announced later in Brentwood. \n​This event is a part of #LATechWeek – a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to celebrate the growing LA ecosystem!” URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/latechweek-the-founders-guide-to-la-with-dot-la/ CATEGORIES:Community Events ORGANIZER;CN="LA Tech Week":MAILTO:Katia@la-techweek.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220817T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220817T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220723T010242Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220725T175720Z UID:1920-1660744800-1660755600@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:NASA Minority Serving Institutions Space Accelerator Demo Day DESCRIPTION:NASA MSI Space Accelerator is an inaugural NASA innovation program that brings together diverse scholars to advance the agency’s goals for improving its future science missions. The program is run in partnership between the Agency’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD)\, its Minority University Research Education Project (MUREP)\, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)\, and Starburst. \nHybrid FormatPhysical Location: Starburst Offices – Cross Campus 840 Apollo St\, Suite #100\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Virtual Login: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xekkVnP-SzC1VVEjnrrC5Q \nParking: Visitor parking in the garage attached URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/nasa-minority-serving-institutions-space-accelerator-demo-day/ LOCATION:Cross Campus South Bay\, 840 Apollo St.\, El Segundo\, 90245 CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220818T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220818T220000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220719T194001Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220719T194002Z UID:1909-1660842000-1660860000@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:AILA Fun for Funds Festival DESCRIPTION:The “Fun for Funds Festival” is a chance for you to meet and play with the other participants in this ecosystem. Join us to help raise funds for AI responsibility and literacy programs in the Greater Los Angeles area while making meaningful industry connections. \nWhether you are an AI practitioner or just AI-curious\, we are excited for this chance to bring our community together for a very human meeting of minds on the largest rooftop in North America. \nJoin us at the PLUG AND PLAY TECH CENTER IN DOWNTOWN LA for an exciting evening including:🌟 professional networking supercharged by AI🌟 tacos🌟 tequila + other libations🌟 maybe a dance competition?🌟 generative AI art🌟 silent auction🌟 + more surprises we can’t wait to share with you! \nYour ticket gets you an open bar and all the tacos you can eat! URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/aila-fun-for-funds-festival/ LOCATION:Plug and Play\, 1027 Wilshire Blvd\, Los Angeles\, 90017 CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220823T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220823T190000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220812T170317Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220812T215211Z UID:1998-1661274000-1661281200@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Cleantech Happy Hour – Los Angeles DESCRIPTION:A great opportunity to network with the Cleantech Ecosystem in Los Angeles. Meet with Cleantech Open staff\, volunteers\, mentors and entrepreneurs from our accelerator program. Find out more about our upcoming annual showcase and awards event\, the Global Forum\, and opportunities to get involved. \nWhether you’re into growing your own startup\, learning about evolving cleantech markets\, interested in cleantech and sustainability\, or just want to meet like-minded folks\, there’s something here for you! URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/cleantech-happy-hour-los-angeles/ LOCATION:Osteria del Fornaio\, 401 Wilshire Boulevard\, Santa Monica\, 90401 CATEGORIES:Community Events ORGANIZER;CN="Cleantech Open":MAILTO:hq@cleantechopen.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220823T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220823T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220804T035751Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220804T202658Z UID:1953-1661277600-1661284800@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:ULI Los Angeles: YLG Shark Tank 2022 DESCRIPTION:ULI LA Young Leaders Group (YLG) invites you to participate in the 6th annual YLG Real Estate Shark Tank\, an interactive\, one-of-a-kind event that aims to entertain while educating\, advising\, and empowering aspiring real estate tech entrepreneurs. This year\, the presenters will represent emerging technologies in CRE PropTech! \nJoin us and watch as a panel of expert “Sharks” analyze seed/early-stage real estate tech companies using the same methodologies typical in closed-door product pitches. The Sharks will be representative of various backgrounds—finance\, investment\, real estate startups\, and technology —to give the candidate(s) a comprehensive set of constructive feedback. Take a peek behind those doors as the “Sharks” employ their years of experience to critique proposals and give insight for aspiring entrepreneurs. \nComplimentary appetizers and refreshments will be provided! URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/uli-los-angeles-ylg-shark-tank-2022/ LOCATION:HED\, 550 S Hope Street\, Suite 2500\, Los Angeles\, 90071 CATEGORIES:Community Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://alliancesocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ULIsharktank.png ORGANIZER;CN="ULI LA YLG":MAILTO:ahack@cedarstreetpartners.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220914T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220916T123000 DTSTAMP:20260409T050718 CREATED:20220804T184135Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220818T193228Z UID:1974-1663173000-1663331400@alliancesocal.org SUMMARY:Net Zero Conference DESCRIPTION:Over the last nine years\, the Net Zero Conference has brought together those who understand that it takes all of us to overcome climate change—and this year\, we’re back in person to bring our community of experts together to create a positive impact. Schedule includes full day of programs and the Gala on the 15th. Alliance’s Raychel Espiritu\, will be moderating a panel with Aligned Climate Capital. URL:https://alliancesocal.org/event/net-zero-conference/ LOCATION:Los Angeles Convention Center\, 1201 S Figueroa St\,\, Los Angeles\, California\, 90015\, United States CATEGORIES:Community Events END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR