Announcing Xconomy’s Napa Summit: Keeping America Growing

As the Presidential campaign heats up, one of the most pressing issues on the minds of candidates and voters alike is the future of American growth and competitiveness. So it is our great pleasure to announce an exclusive Xconomy gathering dedicated to exploring this vital issue with some of the most knowledgeable experts on the subject you will find. The discussion promises to be free from electioneering and political hyperbole, and the setting promises to be memorable. And if you love basketball, there is a special treat (read on).

The Xconomy Napa Summit: Keeping America Competitive will take place in the heart of California’s wine country on June 7 & 8, 2012. We are convening an amazing body of leading innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, and Xconomists—our informal advisors—for in-depth and personal chats, entrepreneur-investor stories, and extremely candid panel discussions.

We couldn’t be more excited about the group of folks who will join us for this deep dive into America’s future. Among our speakers: Ray Rothrock of Venrock, incoming chairman of the National Venture Capital Association; genomics pioneer Lee Hood; legendary investor Bill Draper of Draper Fisher; super angel Dave McClure, founder of 500 Startups; Harry Shum, former director of Microsoft Research Asia and now VP in charge of search product development for Microsoft; Ann Marie Sastry, CEO and founder of battery maker Sakti3; Matt Mullenweg, Founder of WordPress maker Automattic; Pete Flint, CEO of Trulia; and Curt Carlson, CEO of SRI International.

And for those of you, like me, who love hoops and think sports offer some real insights on innovation, Bill Walton, NBA Hall of Famer and innovation advocate, will speak at our dinner on entrepreneurship and competitiveness.

Here are the details:

June 7, 2012: Silver Oak Vineyards

915 Oakville Crossroad, Oakville, CA 94562

Registration and cocktail reception begins 5:30 PM

Vineyard tour and dinner commences at 6:30 PM

 

June 8, 2012: Villagio Inn & Spa – Historical Barrel Room

6481 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Program from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

We only have room for a small number of attendees to this invitation-only event. Registration is $1250, and includes wine reception, vineyard tour, and all meals (lodging is separate).

To request an invitation—and for more event information, including the full list of speakers—please visit our Napa Summit event listing here.

I hope to see you in wine country.

 

 

Author: Robert Buderi

Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative. Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.