Healdsburg, California, Aug. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Harvest Summit, the outdoor invitation-only Innovation Field Trip in Sonoma County wine country, announced today its speaker and sponsor partner line up. The third annual Harvest Summit will bring together 250 cross-industry innovators, influencers and tastemakers joined by award-winning chefs, winemakers and artisans for a reception Thursday, October 18 and a full day summit on Friday, October 19 at an undisclosed estate in Sonoma County’s premium wine country. The Summit will feature more than 40 speakers in one day with sessions taking place in gardens, barns or under oak trees.
Speakers
Notable speakers this year include:
- Lisa Jackson, VP of Environment, Policy & Social Initiatives, Apple
- Dr. Yvonne Cagle, NASA Astronaut, aerospace researcher, in-flight surgeon, sportstech entrepreneur
- Trevor Martin, Co-Founder & CEO, Mammoth BioSciences
- Mike Maples Jr, partner, Floodgate
- Ryan Leslie, multi-platform music producer, Founder & CEO, SuperPhone
- Jaime Casup, Education Evangelist, Google
- Christopher Gavigan, co-founder and Chief Purpose Officer, HonestCo.
- Doug Michelman, President, Sprint Foundation 1millionproject
- Julie Allegro, Founder & General Partner, FYRFLY Venture Partners; Chair, V Foundation
- Dr. Dan Hammer, winner of the Pritzker Environmental Genius Award, Fellow at the National Geographic Society, founder of Earthrise Media
- Lori MacKenzie, Executive Director, Center for the Advancement of Women's Leadership / Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford University
- Joanna James, filmmaker, ‘A Fine Line’
- Liza Hinman, Chef, Spinster Sisters, proprietor, Astro Motel
- Kyle Connaughton, Chef and owner, Single Thread Restaurant Farm Inn
- Joanna Popper, global head of VR for location based entertainment, HP
- Steven Webster, CEO/Founder, Asensi
The theme and connective tissue of the summit is innovation and the format is highly interactive – no power points or podiums. Sessions this fall will cover emerging trends like Blockchain and CRISPR to the latest breakthroughs in VR to mainstream topics like hacking cancer, gender parity, culinary innovations, education and more.
The curated delegation includes executives and innovators from companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Stanford and more along with venture capitalists, serial entrepreneurs, top chefs, food industry experts and environmental leaders.
“Our mission is to gather executive leaders and innovators of all types outside of their industry silos to have real conversations with one another about the challenges of today and the opportunities of tomorrow,” said Jessica Kilcullen, Co-founder and Chief Harvester. “In a unique and relaxed setting, these innovators learn from one another, collaborate, reimagine what’s possible and are inspired to take action. It’s not a passive brain spa summit. Instead it’s an engaging experience structured for dialog and serendipitous conversations. As a result, we see new partnerships, cross-overs and fresh perspectives arise.”
Innovation Partners
Audi of America returns as the Summit’s Lead Innovation sponsor partner. “Continuing our partnership with Harvest Summit aligns with our desire to drive progress and innovation," said Matt Carpenter, VP and CFO of Audi of America. "The Summit is a truly unique gathering of minds, and we're excited to help shape the conversation around important topics like sustainability and future mobility."
Bahco, The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Media Farm also return as sponsor partners joining new Ignite Innovation sponsor partner Accenture and Spark Innovation sponsor Emetry.
For a full list of sponsors, association and community partners visit http://harvestsummit.com/#partners.
Real Leaders Media Partner
In alignment with inspiring today’s industry leaders to be bold and innovative, Harvest Summit has partnered with Real Leaders Magazine, the world’s first sustainable business & leadership magazine. Like Harvest Summit, Real Leaders aims to inspire better leaders for a better world; a world of far-sighted, sustainable leadership that helps find solutions to the problems that 7.5 billion people have created on a small planet.
Elevated Talks Announced
Harvest Summit will offer its delegate community an additional opportunity each year to connect and learn in partnership with Piazza Hospitality and their newest downtown Healdsburg hotel called Harmon Guest House. Co-curated Elevated Talks will be held in Merritt Hall at Harmon Guest House. Merritt Hall is the first publicly accessible rooftop in Healdsburg.
The first invite-only Elevated Talk will debut in August of 2019, available to 50 select guests. Guests can expect conversations in the open air to cover everything from sustainable design to the future of food or mindfulness. “In keeping with Harvest Summit, it’s where bright minds meet modern design and fresh perspectives,” said Kilcullen.
Notes to Editors
To view the agenda, list of partners and apply to attend, visit www.harvestsummit.com.
Become a fan of Harvest Summit on Facebook www.facebook.com/HarvestSummitSonoma/
Follow Harvest Summit on Twitter www.twitter.com/HarvestSummit
Join Harvest Summit on Instagram www.instagram.com/harvestsummit/
Read Harvest Summit blog perspectives http://harvestsummit.com/news/
About Harvest Summit Harvest Summit is an invitation-only Innovation Field Trip for cross-industry executive leaders, innovators, influencers, and tastemakers joined by award-winning chefs, winemakers, and artisans to think, talk, and celebrate the art, science, and social impact of innovation.