The second day of the FUTURE FORWARD conference on Thursday April 20 focused on the future of technology. “Technology for Good” was a state of the union for Charlottesville Tech, bringing together entrepreneurs, funders, and ecosystem stakeholders, to discuss global trends and the impact of technology on our society.
Firms from the biotech, energy, data & AI sectors driving global change brought insights into diversifying the economic opportunities afforded by these industries, the ethics around data and AI, and some of the hottest emerging Charlottesville companies.
Dr. Kelli Palmer during the opening session of Technology for Good track: “Innovation, Diversity, and Opportunity in Charlottesville.”
“How the Commonwealth Enables a Thriving Innovation Economy,” panel featured Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Caren Merrick.
Dr. Silvia Blemker during the meet-and-greet portion of “Flash Talks | Cville’s Most Innovative Startups.”
Experts Aurelia Flores, Jim Cheng, Sukari Brown, and Tony Wilkins addressed what obstacles remain to create a more diverse and effective angel investing community during the “Changing the Face of Angel Investing” panel.
Featured are Ian Ayers & Sophie Smith during the second Flash talk of the day, “Cville’s Most Innovative Startups II”.
Ragan Hart, Neal Piper, Landon Merrill, Jennifer Siciliano, and Dr. Nikki Hastings discussed the prospects for Charlottesville as a globally relevant center of Biotech throughout the “Local and Global Trends in Biotech and Healthcare Innovation” panel.
"How to be a Succesful Angel Investor” featured Dan Myers, Kate Byrne, Robert Wiltbank, and Caren Merrickas they shared their experiences with Angel Investing.
The “What’s Next in the Green Revolution? The State of Cville’s Renewable Energy Innovation” panel discussion was led by Ellen Balfrey, Alexander Bazhinov, John Wheeler, and Mark Goodwin.
Marty Weiner, Noah Healy, and Reggie Leonard II highlighted how technology is impacting the community during the “Responsible Data Science & Ethical AI: What creates innovative individuals and cohesive communities” session.
Dana Goldsmith, James Ramey, Sally Allain, and Bob Creeden had conversations with community members surrounding elements that are essential to start-up success as well as lessons learned from their own failures throughout the “Life Cycle of a Biotech/MedTech Start-Up” panel.
The UVA Career Center and the Tom Tom Festival partnered to bring a Career Expo to the 2023 Festival. The Expo pulled together Central Virginian employers, students, and community members to talk about hiring opportunities and promote the organization's brand throughout the area.
The Tech mixer assembled practitioners and funders from diverse tech industries --- biotech, energy, data, defense, and technology --- for an evening of conversations and connections.
Special Thanks to our Sponsors
Special Thanks to our Steering Committee
The steering committee are individuals who will help facilitate and host events during the week of Tom Tom. Each of these people are actively working in the consciousness and healing space in Charlottesville and beyond, and are helping promote a year-round conversation about a more connected community.
Rob Archer, CODE Base
Paul Beyer, Executive Director, Tom Tom Foundation
Kate Byrne, Chief Growth Officer, Goodlight Capital
Nikki Hastings, Executive Director of CvilleBioHub
Charlie Hennemen, Program Manager, CvilleBioHub
Tracey Greene, Executive Director, CBIC
Neal Piper, Founder & CEO, Luminoah
Rahul Keshap, Venture Central
Reggie Leonard, UVA Data Science School
Rich Alevi, Renewable Energy Alliance
Marty Weiner, Founding engineer at Pinterest and first CTO at Reddit.
Comments