CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - January 17, 2008) - The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge today
announced the sector keynote speakers for its Innovation Summit 2008 --
"Power, Drugs and Money." The event will be held February 7, 2008 at the
Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.
Each year, the Forum's Innovation Summit explores a different theme,
highlighting invention and entrepreneurship in New England. This year's
conference, "Power, Drugs and Money - Local Innovation/Global Impact," will
focus on three interconnected sectors where the region has unique
strengths: clean energy and the environment, life sciences and financial
services. The conference features individual tracks on these sectors, each
led by a keynote speaker presentation.
Stephen Connors, Director of the Analysis Group for Regional Energy
Alternatives at the MIT Lab for Energy and the Environment, will present
the energy and environment sector keynote. Connors is a noted authority on
renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy security.
The life sciences sector keynote will be presented by Dr. Raju
Kucherlapati, Scientific Director, Harvard Partners Center for Genomics and
Genetics. The Center focuses on using emerging genetic and genomic
technologies to advance research and revolutionize medical practice.
Kevin Tice, Global Investment Banking Group at Merrill Lynch, will kick off
the financial services sector keynote. Tice has worked with many leading
technology companies, driving hundreds of key financial transactions,
including IPOs and mergers and acquisitions.
"New England's world-class research and technology developments are fueling
a revolution in several fields, with the potential for profound impact on
people and businesses around the globe," said Jim Matheson, General Partner
at Flagship Ventures and volunteer chairperson for this year's conference.
"This conference provides a forum where we can come together to explore
these issues, learn from one another and lay the groundwork for an
ambitious agenda to drive innovation occurring in New England into the
global markets."
As previously announced, Dr. John Kao will be the opening keynote speaker
for the conference. Dr. Kao, a leading authority on innovation,
organizational transformation and digital media, will kick off the day-long
event with a presentation on the challenges America faces in recapturing
its innovation edge. He is the author of the bestseller, "Innovation
Nation: How America is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why it Matters, and What
We Can Do to Get It Back" (Free Press, 2007).
Panels and Track Speakers: Sharing Lessons and Strategies
In addition to the keynote speakers, "Power, Drugs and Money" will feature
top-notch business leaders discussing the challenges and opportunities of
building companies and taking them global.
Following Dr. Kao's morning keynote address, The Futurist Panel will
address the state of our traditional and emerging sectors, New England's
strengths and pitfalls for entrepreneurs as they move into the global
marketplace. This panel features Doug Banks, Editor, Mass High Tech; Robert
Buderi, Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Xconomy.com; Scott Kirsner,
Innovation Economy Columnist for The Boston Globe; and Bob Krim, Executive
Director, Boston History and Innovation Collaborative. The panel will be
moderated by Chris Gabrieli, Co-founder and Chairman of Massachusetts 2020
and an entrepreneur across the fields of business, nonprofits and public
policy.
After this panel, the conference breaks into the three tracks that form the
foundation of the agenda. These sessions include the following noteworthy
speakers:
Energy and Environment Track
-- Justin Adams, Director of Technology Strategy, BP
-- Jeff Andrews, Partner, Atlas Ventures
-- Richard Chleboski, Vice President, Worldwide Expansion, Evergreen
Solar
-- Dennis Costello, Partner, Braemer Energy Ventures
-- William Davis, President and CEO, Ze-gen
-- John Doyle, Vice President, Projects, Verenium Corporation
-- Jim Gordon, President, Cape Wind
-- Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Founder and CEO, Boston-Power, Inc.
-- Andrew Perlman, President and CEO, Great Point Energy
-- Peter Rothstein, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Flagship Ventures
Healthcare and Life Sciences Track
-- Noubar Afeyan, Ph.D., Managing Partner and CEO, Flagship Ventures
-- John Brennan, Partner, Director and Global Leader of Healthcare and
Medical Technologies Practice, Arthur D. Little
-- Eugene Chiu, Co-founder and Vice President Business Development,
Prediction Biosciences
-- Daniel Cole, General Manager, Spray Venture Partners
-- Bob Creeden, Managing Director of the Center for Innovative Ventures,
Partners Healthcare
-- Omid Farokhzad, M.D., Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
-- Rainer Fuchs, Executive Director, Biogen Idec Innovation Incubator
(bi3)
-- Michael Greeley, General Partner, IDG Ventures
-- Amar Sawhney, Co-founder, President and CEO, Confluent Surgical
-- Anupendra Sharma, Investment Partner, Siemens Venture Capital
-- Martin Young, Vice President of Corporate Development, Phase Forward
Financial Services Track
-- James Bildner, General Partner, New Horizons
-- Joost Bonsen, Founding Program Director, MIT Legatum Center for
Development and Entrepreneurship
-- Michael Chu, Managing Partner, Ignia Fund
-- Todd Dagres, General Partner, Spark Capital
-- William Foote, President and Founder, Root Capital
-- Bob Higgins, Managing General Partner, Highland Capital Partners
-- Shane Hughes, CEO and President, Pyxis Mobile
-- Anthony Jimenez, President and CEO, MicroTech LLC
-- Stephen Killeen, Carbon Neutral
-- Luda Kopelkina, Founder, Noventra Corporation
-- Michael Lannon, CEO, KoKo Fitness
A closing keynote panel, "Taking New England Global," will focus on how New
England and its institutions supporting innovation can capitalize on its
strengths to continue to build market value. The panel will feature Travis
Bradford, Founder, President and Director of the Prometheus Institute for
Sustainable Development; Elliott Hillback, Executive Vice President of
Corporate Relations, Genzyme; Vinit Nijhawan, Chairman of TIE; and Doug
Solomon, chief technology strategist of IDEO. The panel will be moderated
by Mark Bonchek, CEO of The Truman Company.
For more information on "Power, Drugs and Money," please visit
www.PowerDrugsandMoney.com. This event is expected to sell out quickly and
registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Early-bird member
registration is $195 and early-bird non-member registration is $235.
(Early-bird rates are available through January 17.) Walk-in registration
at the conference is $295. The rate for full-time students is $25.
About the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is a volunteer, nonprofit
organization based at MIT whose mission is to promote and strengthen the
process of starting and growing innovative science- and technology-oriented
companies by providing services and programs that educate, inform and
support the entrepreneurial community.
Contact Information: MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM OF CAMBRIDGE CONTACT:
Trish Fleming
MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
617-253-8238
PRESS CONTACT :
Barbara Heffner (for MIT Enterprise Forum)
CHEN PR, Inc.
781-672-3112