BostInno's State of Innovation is back, Boston. Last summer, swarms (read: 350 large) of entrepreneurial visionaries and cultural influencers convened for a frank discussion regarding the state of innovation in our fair state. Focused on four pillar categories – marketing, retail and E-Commerce, education and mobile – it was as thought-provoking as it was entertaining.
This year, of course, we're doing it again – only bigger and better (as is our custom). On Thursday, June 12, more than 1,000 business leaders and members of Boston's innovation class will gather at the Westin Waterfront for round two of BostInno's annual State of Innovation Forum.
We've added a handful of badass panels this year – sports management, robotics and transportation, to name a few – and with them, a host of incredible moderators and speakers.
If you attended last year, you've got an idea of how this goes down. If you're new (good for you!), you're likely envisioning a line-up of boring business folk reiterating each others' points and refusing to take a stand on anything. This is where our State of Innovation Forum shines.
We poll the panelists beforehand, then plot their answers for everyone to see. So, if someone thinks the MBTA will be dead in 20 years and someone else think it'll be at its strongest, they'll have no option but to state their case for all to hear. Sounds fun, right? To give you a taste of what's in store, here are 5 big-ticket speakers you'll hear at BostInno's State of Innovation Forum.
So you know: Ticket prices increase as we get closer to the event. So, jump on yours early.
Deval Patrick, governor of Massachusetts: The Guvna will be a featured speaker laying out the state of non-competes in Massachusetts and his recently unveiled H-1B visa program. If you've heard him speak before, you know it's worth the ticket price alone. If you haven't, well, here you go.
Larry Meyer, CEO of Uniqlo: For the uninitiated, Uniqlo is the Japanese import clothing brand selling quality, super stylish threads for basement prices. (Think $50 jeans and blazers. Hell yeah.) They're doing it right, and industry experts and casual consumers alike are taking notice. Bonus: They're opening their first Boston location in Faneuil Hall this July.
Debbie Cavalier, CEO of Berklee Online: Under her leadership, Berklee launched the country's first fully online MBA in music business and became the first nonprofit music institution to offer accredited bachelor's degrees online. She's a pretty big deal.
Naval Ravikant, founder and CEO of AngelList: AngelList is an online platform that is disrupting the traditional venture capital world by removing the barriers between startups and investors. Naval has unique insights on the future of startup investing and is an incredible public speaker. Classic win-win right there.
Matt George, founder of Bridj: Urban transportation in Boston is constantly evolving. No company currently encapsulates that better than Bridj, the pop-up mass transit bus company set to launch – and shake things up – in Boston this June. George will fittingly be speaking on the transportation panel. Not one to be missed, if you ask us.
Marty Walsh, Boston mayor: Mayor Walsh had some very insightful things to say at our Boston UpFront event in April, and he practically begged us to come back for an encore. Just kidding. (That's not at all how it went down.) But really, you can't talk state of innovation in Boston without The Man himself, can you? Nope. And lucky for us, Mr. Mayor's got plenty to say on the subject.
So, sound like something you'd like to be involved in? We think so, too. Snag tickets below and join us!
