The 2016 GeekWire Summit in Seattle is one week away, and it’s shaping up to be our biggest event yet.
We’re excited to host more than 700 of you for a two-day deep dive into the biggest trends in technology, science and business. We’re bringing in top leaders in each of those areas to explore some of the most important issues in the industry, with lots of fun activities, great parties and networking opportunities along the way.
Check out the full agenda below to get an overview of what’s in store. If you’re already signed up for the event, we’re looking forward to seeing you there. If you’re not registered yet, you can purchase tickets on the event site or below.
A big thanks to our sponsors and supporters for helping us create this one-of-kind conference, including GeekWire Summit presenting sponsor Bank of America, which provides support for the Geeks Give Back program to benefit the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship.
Continue reading for the agenda, and see you next week in downtown Seattle!
Monday, Oct. 3
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: Welcome Party at Zillow Group. Meet Summit attendees, speakers, and other VIPs at this warm-up party hosted by Zillow Group at their downtown Seattle headquarters (1301 2nd Ave, 31st floor). The Welcome Party is open to all GeekWire Summit attendees.
Tuesday, Oct. 4
7:45 to 8:55 a.m.: Registration and breakfast at Seattle Sheraton (1400 6th Avenue)
9:00 a.m.: Panel: The View from the Press Box: Top tech journalists — Nick Wingfield of The New York Times, Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet and Jay Greene of The Wall Street Journal — talk about what’s ahead in tech and offer their unique insights into the state of the industry.
9:40 a.m.: Millennials: Growing Up Tech: What does it mean to be the first generation raised on the Internet? Pioneer Square Labs co-founder Ben Gilbert; M3 Biotechnology CEO Leen Kawas; and Coding Dojo CEO Richard Wang share perspectives on innovation, culture, and what it means to be a millennial entrepreneur.
10:25 a.m.: Geeks Give Back: Naria Santa Lucia, executive director of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, kicks off the annual Geeks Give Back campaign, presented by Bank of America.
10:30 a.m.: Networking Break
10:55 a.m.: Fireside Chat: Peggy Johnson, EVP at Microsoft: Hear from Microsoft’s top dealmaker as the Redmond tech giant enters a new era of cooperation and competition with longtime partners and rivals.
11:30 a.m.: Fireside Chat: Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Expedia: Expedia Inc.’s top boss talks about the future of travel, and what’s next on the road ahead for the travel giant.
12:10 p.m.: Lunch: Grab a boxed lunch and visit with our sponsors, exhibitors and fellow attendees.
Sponsored Lunch Talk: Nick Huzar, CEO of OfferUp: The CEO of one of Seattle’s fastest-growing startups discusses how OfferUp is “Reimagining Local Commerce.” Limited seating available in the Willow Room.
1:15 p.m.: Power Talk: Scott Wyatt of NBBJ: How technology is reshaping cities and changing the places where we live, work and play.
1:35 p.m.: The Power of Grit: Ricardo Lockette, former Seattle Seahawks WR: The former Seahawk — whose football career was tragically ended after a devastating hit last year — tells his inspiring story of survival, perseverance and grit. Moderated by GeekWire reporter Taylor Soper.
2:00 p.m.: Fireside Chat: Jeff Jordan, Andreessen Horowitz: The Airbnb board member and former OpenTable CEO discusses what’s hot in startup land and whether we’re in the midst of a bubble or on the verge of discovering the next big thing.
2:35 p.m.: Networking Break, presented by Nuance Communications
3:00 p.m.: Fireside Chat: Hans Bishop, CEO of Juno Therapeutics: Juno Therapeutics is taking the fight to cancer. Hear from the pioneering CEO leading the charge.
3:30 p.m.: Job Title Bingo with Bridget Quigg: Bust out the bingo cards! In a twist on the age-old game, Techlandia creator Bridget Quigg takes a closer look at tech job titles.
3:45 p.m.: Inventions We Love: A fun geek show-and-tell featuring some of the coolest gadgets and hardware devices we’ve seen, featuring Modumetal, ChefSteps, Lulabop, Package Guard and Coros. Vote for your favorite in this exciting session.
4:45 p.m.: Closing Remarks
5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Opening Night Party: Opening night party at Frolik at Motif Seattle (1415 5th Avenue), just a quick 2-minute walk from the Sheraton. Hang out with GeekWire Summit speakers, attendees and other VIPs and geek out on one of the best rooftop decks in Seattle. Play a little shuffleboard and ping pong. Oh, yeah, drinks and appetizers to be served, too!
Wednesday, Oct. 5
7:30 a.m.: Sponsored Breakfast: Education Reboot: How Higher-Ed Can Help Solve the Tech Talent Gap: An informative discussion on one of the tech industry’s most pressing issues: How to educate the future workforce. Panelists include Redfin CTO Bridget Frey; Galvanize Chief Legal and People Officer Stephanie Donner; Microsoft General Manager of Talent, Learning and Insights Joe Whittinghill; and OfferUp Vice President of Engineering Peter Wilson. Moderated by Scott McKinley, the Dean and CEO of Northeastern University-Seattle. Limited seats available in the Willow Room.
8:50 a.m.: Welcome Remarks
9:00 a.m.: Fireside Chat: Arati Prabhakar, Director of DARPA: Drones. Cyber defense. Genetic engineering. Hear from the chief of the U.S. agency charged with developing cutting-edge technologies for the military — an organization with a history of developing technologies that make their way into civilian life, as well.
9:45 a.m.: Fireside Chat: Joel Spolsky, CEO of Stack Overflow: Insights into the modern world of software development from the engineer and entrepreneur whose musings on technology have entertained, informed and influenced the culture of programming for nearly two decades.
10:10 a.m.: Power Talk: Vikram Jandhyala, VP for Innovation Strategy at The University of Washington: Learn about inclusive innovation, and how technology can have positive and meaningful impact on global problems such as homelessness, affordable housing and food access.
10:30 a.m.: Networking Break
11:00 a.m.: Power Talk: Geeks Give Back: Hear the inspiring story of Jordana Dahmen — a senior biology major at Washington State University — and one of the amazing WSOS scholars.
11:10 a.m.: Fireside Chat: Nathan Myhrvold, CEO of Intellectual Ventures: The former Microsoft technology chief, one of the most controversial figures and biggest thinkers in the industry, explores the future of technology, innovation and science.
12:00 p.m.: Lunch: Grab a boxed lunch and visit with our sponsors and exhibitors.
12:00 p.m.: Sponsored Lunch Talk: From Elephants to Seahawks: The Wide World of Vulcan Technology: Spanning cutting edge AR/VR that extends experiences to leveraging machine learning and drones to protect endangered wildlife, Vulcan Technology’s Keith Rosema and Selvam Velmurugan reveal the focus and method of Paul Allen’s latest technology projects. Limited seating available in Willow Room at the Seattle Sheraton.
1:00 p.m.: Power Talk: The Jump! Luke Aikins, Skydiver: The man who wowed the world by jumping from an airplane at 25,000 feet — without a parachute — will discuss the physics and science behind the death-defying jump, along with some of the lessons learned from taking a true leap of faith.
1:25 p.m.: Panel: Inside A.I.: Bot or Not? How the emerging world of artificial intelligence is transforming our work and lives, with Dr. Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence and UW professor; and machine intelligence expert Shivon Zilis, the founding member of Bloomberg Beta, a $75 million venture fund backed by Bloomberg L.P. that invests in startups transforming the future of work.
2:05 p.m.: Tech and Politics: Teddy Goff: There’s a little presidential campaign going on this year. Hear from the political insider and digital strategist of the Hillary Clinton campaign on how technology is being used in one of the most bizarre elections in American history. Moderated by GeekWire Co-founder John Cook and Angel Investor Heather Redman.
2:45 p.m.: Closing Remarks
3:00 p.m.: Closing Happy Hour: Catch up with attendees and grab a post-event cocktail, courtesy of Nuance Communications.
