Over the past four years State of Innovation has established itself as a premier conference featuring Boston's most prominent leaders, gathered to analyze and discuss key themes within Boston's tech community. This year's event, held June 7 at the Westin Waterfront, will be the best yet.
In addition to two distinguished keynote addresses, we've organized the programming around three tracks (Founders, Sales & Marketing and Product) so you can dive deeper into the challenges you face daily with your peers. Each track will feature a dynamite panel discussion and two workshops led by experienced General Assembly instructors.
The schedule is so stacked, let's not waste another minute -- check out the final lineup below and grab your ticket to participate in State of Innovation '16.
Check In & Registration
We're glad you joined us!
Welcome Address
BostInno General Manager Kyle Gross
Opening Keynote Address by Governor Charlie Baker
Innovation at Every Stage
More than ever, encouraging a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is important to a company's ability to adapt and succeed. We'll discuss how to create and maintain an innovative culture whether you're a company of 5 or 5,000. Featuring Julia Austin, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School; Rob Biederman, Co-Founder and CEO of HourlyNerd; John Gordon, Chief Digital Officer of Current, powered by GE; Sarah Hodges, VP of People and Places at Pluralsight; and Corey Thomas, President and CEO of Rapid7.
The Dark Side: When Founders Turn Investors
When entrepreneurs become investors, what do they really have to offer startups? This Founders track panel will feature Maria Cirino, Co-Founder and Managing Director of .406 Ventures; Jordan Fliegel, Founder and Board Member of CoachUp; Ric Fulop, CEO of Desktop Metal; Diane Hessan, CEO of Startup Institute; and Michael Skok, founding partner at Assemble.VC.
Workshops
The Growth Hacker's Toolkit: Learn and Leverage 14 Hacks to Cheat Your Funnel and Grow Your Business
Instructor: Austin Gardner-Smith, VP, Product Marketing, Nanigans [more info]
Customer Discovery: How to Make Something People Love
Instructor: Cait Porte, VP of Product Management, ZMags [more info]
Coffee Break & Networking
Stretch your legs, grab a snack and meet some of the other attendees.
The Rise of The Programmatic Salesperson
Marketing and advertising have become increasingly digitized and analytical; now the "art of the deal" is following suit. At the same time, the line between sales and marketing is blurring. How will these developments change how we think about and develop sales organizations? This Sales & Marketing track panel will feature W. Sean Ford, CMO at LogMeIn; Jennifer Lum, Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder of Adelphic; Steve McKenzie, VP of Sales at InsightSquared; Art Papas, Co-Founder & CEO of Bullhorn; and Baba Shetty, CEO & Founder of Invisible Science.
Workshops
Building Social Capital with Content
Instructor: Steph Parker, Engagement Supervisor, AMP Agency [more info]
Fail Fast, Succeed Faster - Why Prototyping Matters
Instructor: Maggie Foley, Senior Experience Design Lead, Hill Holliday [more info]
Break
Keeping Boston's Tech Talent: What Aren't We Doing?
This conversation will focus on what Boston is doing well to host and grow talent, and what we can do better to become "the" hub for exceptional tech talent. This Product track panel will feature Ellen Chisa, VP Product at Lola; Carol Fulp, President and CEO of The Partnership; Jodi Goldstein, Harvard iLab; and Rich Levandov, Avalon Ventures.
Workshops
Build and Sell: Defining a Sales Strategy With the Right Team
Instructors: Laura Wallendal, Board Member at WorldBrain, Inc and Wallendal Supply, Inc and Scott Staiti, Director of Channel Development at Testive, Inc [more info]
Brand as Culture
Instructor: Ben Spear, Founder, Human Experience [more info]
Break
Fireside Chat with Jim Koch, co-founder and chairman of the The Boston Beer Company and David Fialkow, Co-Founder and Managing Director of General Catalyst
Networking
