The Global Technology Symposium Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Global Technology Symposium marks its 10th anniversary with its most prestigious speaker roster yet. Among the notable speakers are Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of the breakout company Box, and Scott Weiss, the fourth partner with influential venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Featuring a robust agenda, the Symposium is taking place March 27 to 29, 2013, in Menlo Park, Calif., at the Rosewood Sand Hill.

“We look forward to ten more years of helping VCs discover new opportunities around the globe and startups launch their businesses.”

Since its inception in 2004, GTS has been renowned for bringing together the greatest minds in investing, engineering, entrepreneurship and international policymaking to explore trends and new growth opportunities in emerging markets.

New this year is a reverse pitch session, in which six up-and-coming venture capitalists will present their funds to entrepreneurs by delivering elevator pitches about why startups should take their funding. Startups will also compete in the annual Global Innovator Competition, which will be judged by respected VCs and angel investors. For “Jeopardy” fans, IBM’s Manoj Saxena will demonstrate IBM’s Watson supercomputer.

“The Global Technology Symposium has become the primary conference for business, finance and tech luminaries from around the world to gather and drive innovation,” stated GTS President and Founder Alexandra Johnson. “We look forward to ten more years of helping VCs discover new opportunities around the globe and startups launch their businesses.”

This year’s agenda features panel discussions moderated by investors, media and government leaders on cutting-edge topics, including:

Space: The Next Frontier – Space firms will reveal the potential profits to be made in space.
- When: Wednesday, March 27
- Moderator: Steve Jurvetson, managing director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
- Participants: Mikhail Kokorich, founder and CEO of Dauria Aerospace, and George Whitesides, CEO and president of Virgin Galactic
Frontiers of Innovation: Where to Go Next – Where in the world are the hottest opportunities?
- When: Thursday, March 28
- Moderator: Lorraine Hariton, special representative for commercial and business affairs with the U.S. Department of State
- Participants: P.K. Agarwal, CEO of TiE Global; Trung Dung, co-founder and general director of Viet Phu Payment Services; Julian Kyula, co-founder and CEO of MODE; Gustavo Lemos, co-founder and CEO of IDXP; and Faysal Sohail, general partner at CMEA Capital
Secrets of the Midas List – Panelists rank No. 14, 31, 73 and 98 on Forbes’ 2012 list.
- When: Friday, March 29
- Moderator: Leena Rao, senior editor, TechCrunch
- Participants: David Hornik, investor at August Capital; Scott Sandell, general partner at NEA; James Slavet, partner at Greylock Partners; and George Zachary, partner at Charles River Ventures
Discussion: From the Deans – Incubating Global Leadership – Top academics explore the forces that lead to innovation.
- When: Friday, March 29
- Moderator: Don Dixon, co-founder and senior managing director, Trident
- Participants: Garth Saloner, Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Richard K. Lyons, Bank of America dean of the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley

People interested in joining this year’s exciting Symposium can view the full agenda and register at www.globaltechsymposium.com.

About the Global Technology Symposium

The Global Technology Symposium is the leading ideas festival on venture capital, technology and entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Each year since 2004, the Symposium has brought more than 400 selected opinion leaders in business, finance, technology and policymaking to Silicon Valley, where they share insights into the opportunities and challenges of globalization.

The conference provides an opportunity for venture capitalists to seek new investment opportunities in high-growth regions of the world, including Brazil, Russia and China, and for companies to learn more about doing business in emerging markets.

This year’s sponsors include Russian Venture Company, Rusnano, Dauria Aerospace, IBM, Microsoft, Moscow Innovation Development Centre and Silicon Valley Bank.

Contact Jodi Engle to request a complimentary media registration.