Israel has been a successful hub of innovation in technology, entrepreneurship, and biological sciences. With the second largest number of start-up companies in the world and several companies listed on the NASDAQ, Israel has been compared with the same level of innovation as Silicon Valley. The Irvine Global Innovation Group will launch an international conference – “Irvine Global Innovation Summit” - which will discuss aspects of the flourishing Israeli innovation in the fields of Information and Computer Science, Biological Science, Engineering, and business practices.

Event Logistics:

·       Calit2 Building, University of California Irvine, October 24^th 9am- 5pm

·       Ticket Sales:

o   Non-Student Summit: $50

o   Student Summit: Free!

9:00 AM         Welcome to the 1^st Irvine Global Innovation Summit

9:25 AM         Top Universities, Economic Growth, and Globalized Chutzpah – Why Israel?

 Israel is named the Start-Up Nation by several media outlets following a brilliant explanation of the book Start-up Nation, which explains the State of Israel’s economic prosperity. This panel seeks to explore and identify Israel’s current developing programs, innovations, and aspiring academic institutions.

David Siegel, Consul General of Israel to Los Angeles

10:00 AM       The Future of Stem Cells

 Stem cells have become a key component for future medicines. After the United States imposed legal hurdles, there has been resurgence in interest from both academic and commercial fields. New breakthroughs on purification, extraction, and development have made something that seemed out of science fiction become a reality. It’s only a matter of time before the human embryonic stem cell treatments will leave clinical trials and become mainstream treatments. Our distinguished speakers will talk about their research as well as a prediction of what stem cell treatments will be able to do in the near future.

Steven C. Cramer, MD, Clinical Director – Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center

11:30 AM       Eco-Innovation for Global Sustainability: The Israel Model

 Water. Who would have thought that a molecule with three atoms could affect so much of our society? Pollution, expansion, construction, amongst other factors can affect the quality and distribution of one the most vital resources. An increasing population and a scarce resource will pose a problem for our current and future generations. This panel seeks to provide insight into new water technologies that can provide an alternative to water purification, reclamation, water treatment, and irrigation.

                         H. David Nahai, partner at Lewis, Brisbois, Brisgaard & Smith

12:40 PM    Lunch

1:25 PM          Getting Funded: Secrets of What Investors Really Look For In A New Business

 Get a rare, candid, insider's look at what investors seek when evaluating and investing in a new business. What are the common principles and themes across industries? What really matters to early stage investors? How important are vision, execution, clear path forward, talent, resourcefulness, relentlessness, team, market, problem, solution? How many founders, if any, is optimal? How do you connect with investors and build up trust across distance? What are the investors’ typical concerns and how do you make sure you address them to their satisfaction? Hear relevant stories that are inspirational and entertaining.   

Terrence Yang, Angel investor – Tech Coast Angels
Benny Soffer, Managing Director – Technion Technology Transfer

2:35 PM          Adjournment

Frank Williams, CEO of Irvine Global Innovation Group at UCI