The Montgomery Summit talks, interviews, and panels feature global thought leaders sharing crucial insights about trends in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Talks & Interviews from the 2019 Montgomery Summit are listed below.
Check back soon for 2020 updates.
Our talks and interviews unfold in a unique space set as a café-style venue for up to 50.
We host talks and interviews on subjects related to innovation, creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship—covering a range of topics, including design innovation, emerging markets, the changing nature of relationships, healthcare, corporate venturing, and innovation in corporate M&A. Our hosts—nationally recognized experts and journalists—introduce our resources, who give talks or interviews for 15-20 minutes, followed with discussion and interaction with participants.
Nick Green, CEO, Thrive Market
Nick Stone, Founder & CEO, Bluestone Lane
Matt Higgins, Co-Founder & CEO, RSE Ventures
Josh McClung, Director of Cleantech Strategy & Investments, Cox Enterprises
Enjoy a “Millennial’s Breakfast” of avocado toast and açai bowls as you discover how America’s obsession with food continues to create new business opportunities. The CEOs of Thrive Market (Nick Green) and Bluestone Lane (Nick Stone) will discuss how their young companies are benefitting from the evolving tastes of American eaters while Josh McClung of Cox Enterprises shares how and why the iconic 121-year-old conglomerate is betting much of its future on emerging trends in food production and consumption.
Ram Palaniappan, Founder & CEO, Earnin
Shivani Siroya, Founder & CEO, Tala
Jimmy Chen, Founder & CEO, Propel
Angela Galardi Ceresnie, CEO, Climb Credit
Hans Morris, Managing Partner, Nyca Partners
2 billion people are still unbanked globally. This presents major challenges to those individuals—and a massive untapped market opportunity for fintech innovators. The CEOs of Earnin (Ram Palanianppan), Tala (Shivani Siroya), Propel (Jimmy Chen), and Climb Credit (Angela Ceresnie) will explore how companies can make a positive impact by serving the unbanked in this discussion with fintech expert Hans Morris of Nyca Partners.
Adena Friedman, President & CEO, Nasdaq
Michael Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute
Tien Tzuo, Founder and CEO, Zuora, Inc.
Rich Karlgaard, Publisher, Forbes
Tien Tzuo helped bring the SaaS model into the mainstream as CMO and then CSO of Salesforce. As founder and CEO of Zuora, he built a platform that allows companies of all sizes to provide subscription offerings. Learn how the subscription model has evolved over the past 20 years—and why it may be the key to sustainable growth in companies across industries. Book signing to follow.
Thomas M. Siebel, Chairman and CEO, C3
Nehal Raj, Partner, TPG
David Jolley, Americas Growth Markets Leader, EY
Michael Redding, Managing Director, Accenture Ventures
Rich Karlgaard, Publisher, Forbes
Innovations are useless if they aren’t introduced to the right people and companies at the right times. Accenture helps drive meaningful innovation by partnering with emerging companies to bring their products and technologies to market. Get a look at the “Post-Digital” future envisioned by Accenture Venture’s Mike Redding in this discussion with Forbes’ Publisher and innovation guru, Rich Karlgaard.
Joe Landy, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Warburg Pincus
Kate Mitchell, Co-Founder & Partner, Scale Venture Partners
Nik Rizal Kamil, Executive Director, Investments, Khazanah Nasional Berhad
Sumant Mandal, Managing Director, March Capital Partners
Decacorns. Megafunds. “Super-giant” funding rounds. The VC world is in a state of flux, especially when it comes to later-stage investments. Highly knowledgeable and exceptionally qualified VC investors will share their perspectives on how VC investing will continue to evolve and how you can position yourself to benefit from these developments.
Stephen Hawthornwaite, Founder & CEO, Rothy’s
Nicole Quinn, Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Rothy’s incredibly popular women’s shoes are comfortable, washable, and—to many consumers’ surprise—made from recycled single-use plastics. Rothy’s Founder & CEO Stephen Hawthornwaite will share how he’s aligned positive environmental impact with business success in a discussion with Nicole Quinn of Lightspeed Venture Partners, one of the company’s earliest investors.
Deb Kilpatrick, CEO, Evidation Health
May Habib, Co-Founder & CEO, Qordoba
Liz Maida, Co-Founder & CEO, Uplevel
Niloo Howe, Technology Investor, Executive, & Entrepreneur
Jennifer Yen, Creator/CEO, purlisse | YENSA beauty
Jill Layfield, Co-Founder & CEO, Tamara Mellon Brand
Trina Speer, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, FIGS
Nicole Quinn, Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Niloo Howe, Technology Executive, Entrepreneur, & Investor
Kate Mitchell, Co-Founder & Partner, Scale Venture Partners
Meredith Finn, Partner, March Capital Partners
Mo Katibeh, Chief Marketing Officer, AT&T Business
Pankaj Patel, Senior Advisor, March Capital Partners
Who wouldn’t want more G’s? 5G technology has potential to disrupt everything from consumer entertainment to industrial manufacturing with decreased latency and increased network capacity. Mo Katibeh, CMO of AT&T Business, will explore this evolution as moderator Pankaj Patel, former head of development for Cisco Systems and current advisor to March Capital Partners, helps cut through the hype to extract actionable insights.
Daniel Docter, Managing Director, Dell Technologies Capital
Jeffrey Black, Director, Verizon Ventures
Dave Johnson, Managing Director, Intel Capital
Michael Redding, Managing Director, Accenture Ventures
Jonathan Shieber, Senior Editor, TechCrunch
Computing has long been one of the world’s fastest-changing industries, and the pace of change has only increased. How can legacy computing companies maintain competitive advantage in this dynamic environment? Find out how corporate venture investors help some of world’s best-established computing companies stay on the technological cutting edge by investing in emerging technologies with transformative potential.
Ellison Anne Williams, Founder & CEO, Enveil
Karim Hijazi, Founder & CEO, Prevailion
Terry Dunlap, Co-Founder & CTO, ReFirm
Gregg Smith, Co-Founder & CEO, Attila
Bob Ackerman, Founder & Managing Director, AllegisCyber
Deepak Chopra, MD, FACS, Founder, The Chopra Foundation
Michael Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute
Michael Milken is a global leader in finance, medical research, and philanthropy. Join Michael as he discusses major issues facing investors in the innovation economy, from human capital challenges to the free enterprise system, in this intimate discussion with Forbes’s Rich Karlgaard.
Audience Entrance & Seating: 12:30 pm – 12:55 pm
Introductory Remarks: 12:55 pm – 1:00 pm
Fireside Chat with Martin Schroeter – 1:00 pm – 1:45pm
Martin Schroeter, Senior Vice President, Global Markets, IBM
Rich Karlgaard, Publisher, Forbes
Noah Whinston, Executive Chairman, Immortals
Peter Levin, President, Interactive Ventures, Games & Digital Strategy; Co-Chairman, Immortals
George Pappas, Vice President, Global Partnerships, AEG
Gregory Milken, Managing Director, March Capital Partners
Let’s get ready to rumble! Already the undisputed entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles has solidified its position as one of the most important global hubs for the rapidly-growing, billion-dollar market. Senior leaders from LA’s biggest eSports team (Immortals), the world’s largest sports events and arenas company (AEG), and a traditional content producer staking a claim in eSports (Lionsgate) will explore emerging business opportunities in a discussion led by one of LA’s most prominent e-sports investors, Gregory Milken of March Capital Partners.
Michael Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute
Rich Karlgaard, Publisher, Forbes
Debates over the safety of football have gained increased attention in recent years. How can amateur and professional leagues maintain the spirit of the sport while ensuring players’ wellbeing? Industry leaders will dive headfirst into the future of the sport and some of the potential technological solutions for this major problem.
Jamie Hale, CEO & Co-Founder, Ladder Life
Wayne Peacock, Head of Insurance, USAA
Mike Kalen, CEO, Covr Financial Technologies
Akshay Naheta, Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisors
Alex Niehenke, Partner, Scale Venture Partners
Sci-fi seems to be becoming reality quicker than ever with increased adoption of AI, analytics and connected devices (IoT)—all resources that insurance companies can leverage. Learn how new entrants and legacy providers make the most of emerging technologies to reshape the consumer insurance landscape.
Dan Schulman, President & CEO, PayPal
Michael Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute
Larissa Maranhão, Community and Growth, Brex
Richie Serna, CEO & Co-Founder, Finix Payments
Paresh Patel, Founder & CEO, PayRange
Dana Stalder, General Partner, Matrix Partners
Non-cash transactions exceed $500B globally. In an increasingly digital and interconnected world, consumers and corporations have grown to expect and rely upon seamless online transactions. Executives from leading technology companies will share how they are increasing capital accessibility and decreasing business friction through novel approaches to payments.
Jason Ilian, Managing Director, Koch Disruptive Industries
Mark Johnson, Co-Founder & CEO, Descartes Labs
Will Freiberg, President & COO, Mesosphere
Drew Oetting, Partner, 8VC
Koch Industries’ philosophy of “Market Based Management” is the cornerstone of the conglomerate’s approach to growth and innovation. Learn how this concept has shaped Koch Disruptive Technologies’ investment thesis and allowed the firm to add value to cutting-edge technology companies. Jason Illian, Managing Director of Koch Disruptive Technologies, will join us from Wichita with portfolio company Mesosphere (Will Freiberg) and business partner Descartes Labs (Mark Johnson) in a conversation moderated by Drew Oetting from 8VC.
Audience Entrance & Seating: 12:30 pm – 12:55 pm
Introductory Remarks: 12:55 pm – 1:00 pm
Fireside Chat with John Chambers & Carmine Di Sibio 1:00 pm – 1:45pm
Carmine Di Sibio, Global Chairman and CEO-elect, EY
John Chambers, Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures
Gen Isayama, General Partner & CEO, World Innovation Lab (WiL)
Richard Madden, CEO, DC Advisory
Oskar Miel, Managing Partner, Rakuten Capital
Scott Wieler, Chairman, DC Advisory
Over 4.5 billion people live in Asia, representing nearly 60% of the world’s population and the only two countries with over 1 billion citizens. How can investors and entrepreneurs tap into the extraordinary opportunities presented by these markets? Experts with decades of experience investing and operating in these markets will tell you where to start.
Gustavo Sapoznik, Founder & CEO, ASAPP
John Chambers, Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures
Meredith Finn, Partner, March Capital Partners
Katlin Smith, Founder & CEO, Simple Mills
Kerry Dolan, Assistant Managing Editor, Forbes
Hilary Schneider, CEO, Wag!
Kate Mitchell, Co-Founder & Partner, Scale Venture Partners
Phoebe Peronto, Principal, Salesforce Ventures
James Cross, Vice President of Strategy, Workday
Leo de Luna, Managing Director, M12
Zain Gulamali, Venture Investor, Amazon Alexa Fund
Matt Nerlinger, Corporate Development and Ventures, ServiceNow
Meredith Finn, Partner, March Capital Partners
Corporate VC investments reached an all-time high of $53B globally in 2018, up almost 50% from the record set in 2017. How has this impacted corporate strategy, traditional VC investing, and fundraising? Leaders from Salesforce Ventures, Microsoft’s M12, Amazon’s Corporate Development and Venture group, ServiceNow, and Workday will share their insights in a session moderated by former corporate VC and current partner at March Capital Partners, Meredith Finn.
Andrea Lamari, Liquidity Solutions, Carta
Rob Ackerman, Director and Co-Founder, Founders Equity Partners
Larissa Maranhão, Community and Growth, Brex
You’ve got a unicorn, but do you know how to milk it? Venture-backed companies are staying private for longer—and at higher valuations—than ever before. This evolution, facilitated by the rise of superfunds and a decline in private company IPOs, has radically changed investment dynamics and exit timelines. Experts will share their perspectives on how founders, investors, and employees can secure much-needed liquidity while continuing to act as responsible stewards of their companies’ futures.
Keith Strier, EY Global and EY Americas Advisory Leader for AI, EY
Amir Husain, Founder & CEO, SparkCognition
Priya Vijayarajendran, CTO & Vice President – Applied AI, IBM Global Business Services
Gustavo Sapoznik, Founder & CEO, ASAPP
Quentin Hardy, Head of Editorial, Google Cloud
Countless books and movies have touched on what society might look like as AI emerges or even ‘takes over’. Experts actually developing these technologies will tell you about the real impacts AI will have on business and culture.
Alan Cline, Principal, Vista Equity
Jeffrey Thomas, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services business unit, Nasdaq
Matt Nerlinger, Corporate Development and Ventures, ServiceNow
Tej Shah, Managing Director, Macquarie Capital
Fewer companies are seeking IPOs, PE activity continues to increase, and global M&A activity has reached all-time highs. Will these trends continue or will a new exit status quo emerge? More importantly, what’s the best route for your company to take? Experts will share their perspectives on how to achieve favorable exits in this new investment landscape.
Maryanne Wolf, Director, UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice
Pat McGovern, Director, McGovern Foundation
Has the digital revolution changed the way we think? As the reading brain adapts to the realities of a digital-first world, what will happen to our capacities for critical thought, deep reading, and sustained focus? Anyone with children at home should be especially interested in this discussion with Maryanne Wolf, Director of UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice and Pat McGovern, Director of the neuroscience and technology-focused McGovern Foundation. Book signing to follow.
Jed Leidheiser, Partner, March Capital Partners
Ilyas Kahn, CEO & Co-Founder, Cambridge Quantum Computing
Carl Dukatz, Quantum Computing Program Lead, Accenture
Harmut Neven, Engineering Director, Google (Confirmed)
Terence Rudolph, Co-Founder, Psi Quantum (Confirmed)
Shaun Maguire, Partner, GV
Imagine everything you can do online today—from shopping to email to banking—disappearing overnight. Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize our relationship with technology, destroying the digital status-quo while presenting incredible new opportunities. The question is no longer if but when—and how—quantum computing will become viable. Join us for an informative session on the frontiers of quantum with guests including Ilyas Kahn, CEO of Cambridge Quantum Computing, and Shaun McGuire, Partner at GV (f.k.a. Google Ventures).
Tim Draper, Managing Director, Draper Associates
Chris Olsen, Partner, Drive Capital
Jase Wilson, CEO, Neighborly
Sarah McBride, Reporter, Bloomberg
We’ve all heard about Silicon Valley, Alley, and Beach. However, if the world is as accessible and interconnected as everyone claims, why are a handful of cities—or neighborhoods—sucking up such a large proportion of venture funding? It’s time to rethink the geography of your investment strategy, especially as tax incentives including Opportunity Zone designations have enhanced the appeal of investing in less “traditional” areas.
Dmitri Alperovitch, Co-Founder & CTO, CrowdStrike
James Montgomery, Managing Director, March Capital Partners