It’s one of the most special events Xconomy holds—an invitation-only confab in the Napa Valley for roughly 80-90 special guests and speakers. And the Napa Summit 2014, set for June 2-3, is shaping up to be our best ever. We have a power-packed array of speakers, from pioneers in their fields to some of the youngest and coolest entrepreneurs around.
And now the agenda is ready. You can check it out here, and get additional details about the event here. But remember, the Summit is invitation-only. If you would like an invitation, please write to [email protected] telling us a little about yourself. Tickets are $1,395 for this special event, which includes a dinner at the famed Silver Oak Cellars (lodging and travel are separate). We have special rates for non-profits and startups.
The details are all on our event page. But here’s a taste of what is in store. In fact, it all starts with a wine-tasting and tour at Silver Oak the evening of June 2. Then we move inside for dinner. I am especially pleased to be conducting the dinner chat. My guest will be Rick Wagoner, former CEO of General Motors. We will be covering some fascinating topics—the future of the American auto industry, the rise of China and its impact on the industry, alternatively fueled vehicles, the connected car, and more.
The next morning, we convene at the nearby Villagio Inn & Spa for a fun day of chats, talks, and interactive panels. Kicking things off there will be former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki, who will be talking about the lessons he learned from Steve Jobs.
Meeting Wagoner and Kawasaki alone would be enough to make it worth the trip. But that is only the start. Other speakers include Mick Mountz, founder and CEO of Kiva Systems, the robotics company bought by Amazon; genomics pioneer Lee Hood, who will detail plans for a massive longitudinal study of wellness; Indiegogo co-founder Danae Ringelmann; Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins; former Frog Design executive creative director David Merkoski; and Minerva Project founder and CEO Ben Nelson. And that’s just to name a few.
We will break for a lunch featuring lightning talks from attendees—last year’s lightning round featured a spur-of-the-moment smack down between entrepreneurship gurus Steve Blank and Bill Aulet of MIT, so you never know what will happen there.
After lunch, we go into special deep-dive sessions on design, food technology, and connected devices. Then we reconvene for two closing plenary panels. One features a dynamic trio of entrepreneurs with consumer-facing startups: TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque, Brian Wong of Kiip, and former Paypal chief scientist Mok Oh, now of Moju Labs, which just released its first product this week with backing from Facebook founder Eduardo Saverin, among others. Moderating the action will be Ric Fulop of North Bridge Venture Partners.
Finally, our closing panel will look at cyberwarfare, privacy, and the economy post-Snowden. Last year’s cyber panel was the surprise hit of the day—and this one promises to be even more…well…revealing.
After the cyber panel, we will adjourn to a nearby room for a special tasting of sustainably produced wines from Long Meadow Ranch, which was founded by a former McKinsey exec.
Again, you can find all the details here. We have limited space available for this invitation-only event—so request your invitation now by writing to [email protected].
I hope to see you in Napa in a few weeks!
