With the event agenda at Pioneers ’19 taking the form of a technological walk through human life, we’re covering every phase of our existence, from our earliest origins to old age. Which is exactly why we’ve signed up Oxford Nanopore Co-Founder & CEO Dr Gordon Sanghera for a panel discussion on genome sequencing. Then, moving through the decades to later life, we’ve lined up longevity experts James Peyer and Dr Alex Zhavoronkov for a panel on how technology could redefine that topic.
Oxford Nanopore is developing a new generation of cDNA sequencing. There’s no denying this a hard subject to teach yourself – but that’s exactly why we’ve invited Dr Sanghera to outline its significance in person! And that’s worth doing because this technology could have a big impact in human genetics and basic genome sequencing. Not only that, but also in areas such as oncology (cancer treatment), reproductive medicine and water testing.
Staying with technology critical to the fundamentals of human life, James Peyer is just the man to give us an overview on breakthrough therapeutics from biological studies around aging. The Founder of Apollo Ventures leads a company focused exclusively on just this area. In an Arena Stage panel discussion on longevity, he will share insights on how our knowledge of what makes us age will enable the greatest medical breakthroughs of the 21st century.
Joining the same panel will be Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, whom Pioneers ’18 guests will remember for his forthright talk on why aging doesn’t have to be considered inevitable. He is the Co-Founder & CEO of Insilico Medicine, a leader in next-generation artificial intelligence technologies for drug discovery, biomarker development and aging research.
We’re also pleased to be welcoming Oriente Co-Founder Geoffrey Prentice, who also co-founded Skype in 2002. Geoffrey will take to the Arena Stage to share his experience from 20 years of founding, scaling and investing in technology companies across international markets. A founding Partner at leading global VC firm Atomico, he now leads global business strategy, strategic partnerships, brand and investments.
At Skype, he worked with a small team to build a leading global telecommunications platform company and oversaw its expansion into Asia and Latin America in addition to driving its initial business plan development and fundraising activities. He also played an instrumental role in the $3.1 billion exit to eBay Inc in 2005.
And, as previously announced, Vicarious Co-Founder Dileep George will talk next-level artificial intelligence on the Arena Stage.
Meanwhile, on the Academy Stage, we’ve already confirmed a number of speakers who’ll be sharing practical lessons anybody working in innovation can apply to their daily business. They include Talent Garden Co-Founder & CEO Davide Dattoli, who will share his experience of building an ever-growing network of campuses that empower digital tech communities across Europe.
The program for our the attending startups – that is to say our Pioneers500 and Series A selection – is also taking shape. Sessions will be led by the likes of Draper Esprit Investment Director Nicola McClafferty, returning friend and 500 Startups Partner Marvin Liao and, as we also announced before, Sakshi Chhabra Mittal of the SoftBank Vision Fund.
Stay tuned to our channels for more weekly announcements regarding Pioneers ’19 speakers. And while you wait, get your tickets here!
