Program Speakers

• Technology Track

  • Dr. Harry Partridge is the Ames Center Chief Technologist (CCT), and as such identifies, defines, develops and integrates new and emerging technologies for application to Agency and national goals through the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). Harry reports to Center management and serves as the principal advisor to the Center leadership on matters concerning Center-wide technology development and leverage. His duties include representation on the Agency-wide Center Chief Technologist's Council and management of the Center Innovation Fund, and he also serves as Center point-of-contact to the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT).  Previously, Harry was the Deputy Director of the Game Changing Technology Division at NASA Headquarters. While at Ames, he was the Deputy Director of the Entry Systems and Technology Division and was responsible for managing the entire range of entry system technology developments from foundational research on thermal protection materials development, to thermal protection system design, development, testing and evaluation for flight systems such as Mars Science Laboratory and Orion. In addition, he served as the Branch Chief of the Nanotechnology Branch at Ames and the program manager for the Bio-nano project within the Computing, Information and Communications Technology program. Harry received his PhD from Indiana University in Chemical Physics and has published approximately 190 papers in computational chemistry.

    Dr. Meyya Meyyappan is chief scientist for Exploration Technology at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. Until June 2006, he served as the director of the Center for Nanotechnology at Ames. He also is a founding member of the Interagency Working Group on Nanotechnology (IWGN) established by the Office of Science and Technology Policy in Washington, D.C. The IWGN is responsible for developing the National Nanotechnology Initiative. He has authored or co-authored more than 320 articles in peer-reviewed journals, given more than 200 seminars at universities.  His research interests include carbon nanotubes, graphene, and various inorganic nanowires, their growth and characterization, and application development in chemical and biosensors, instrumentation, electronics and optoelectronics.  For his contributions and leadership in nanotechnology, he has received numerous awards including a Presidential Meritorious Award; NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal; Arthur Flemming Award given by the Arthur Flemming Foundation and the George Washington University; IEEE Judith Resnick Award; IEEE-USA Harry Diamond Award to name a few.

    Dr. Kailash Joshi:  Kailash Joshi, a retired IBM executive, lives in Silicon Valley and is engaged in mentoring of entrepreneurs. Companies and non-profit organizations. His current interests include health care and energy.  Kailash started his career on the Cornell University faculty and had an accomplished career at IBM that spanned 23 years. He was the General Manager of IBM Lexington, KY (now Lexmark, NYSE: LXK). He was also responsible for IBM's reentry in to India in 1991. After taking early retirement from IBM, Kailash moved to Silicon Valley in 1992, where he has been engaged with small technology companies in different capacities and has been part of several successful mergers.  Kailash is a co-founder of The Indus Entrepreneurs (http://www.tie.org/), a prominent global organization of entrepreneurs. He served as the President of TiE Silicon Valley and Vice Chairman of TiE Global from 2001 through 2004. Kailash co-founded American India Foundation (http://www.aifoundation.org/) in conjunction with a group of Indo-Americans and former President Clinton, and also served as AIF's first President in 2001. He, along with Mr. Kumar Malavalli launched the Digital Equalizer (DE) program of AIF for the computer education of the underprivileged. He also initiated AIF's youth service program for India in 2001. Kailash edited the popular book 'Essentials of Entrepreneurship', a John Wiley publication, that serves both teachers and students of entrepreneurship in many countries.  He also serves as Chairman of Global Institute of Intellectual Property (www.giipinfo.org). Kailash holds a B.E. degree with distinction from Indian institute of Science, Bangalore, a M.S. degree from Washington State University, and a Ph.D. degree from Cornell University. In October, 2005 Kailash was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree of HNB Garhwal University at a special convocation presided by President of India, Hon. Abdul Kalam, for his contributions to entrepreneurship and Information Technology.

• Blockchain/IOT/AI/BI/Big DATA Track

  • Ahmed Banafa has extensive experience in research, operations and management, with focus on IoT, Blockchain, Cybersecurity and AI. He is a reviewer and a technical contributor for the publication of several technical books. He served as a faculty at well-known universities and colleges, including the University of California, Berkeley; California State University-East Bay; San Jose State University; and University of Massachusetts. He is the recipient of several awards, including Distinguished Tenured Staff Award of 2013, Instructor of the year for 2013, 2014, and Certificate of Honor from the City and County of San Francisco. He was named as number one tech voice to follow by LinkedIn in 2016, his researches featured in many reputable sites and magazines including Forbes, IEEE and MIT Technology Review, and Interviewed by ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox TV and Radio stations. He studied Cybersecurity at Harvard University.  Author of the book : "Secure and Smart Internet of Things using Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence"

    Mike Todasco is the Director of Innovation at PayPal responsible for increasing the creative output of employees across the company. Prior to that Mike spent time at PayPal in Product Management, Product Marketing, Product Launch and Product Analytics roles. Before joining PayPal he was the Founder and CEO of the eCommerce marketplace, Sketch Maven.  Additionally, Mike spent over four years as the Director of Strategy, heading up mergers & acquisitions and strategic planning at NewPage, a portfolio company of the private equity firm, Cerberus Capital. He has an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, Haas School of Business and a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois. Mike has filed over 100 US patents since 2013 covering payments, online and offline commerce, beacon/BLE technologies, biometrics, and many other areas.

    Shubham Goel is the co-founder of Affinity, the leading relationship intelligence platform. An expert in Artificial Intelligence, Shubham believes in the power of computers and technology to help bring humans together and forge deeper, more meaningful personal and professional relationships. At just 23 years old, Shubham is a rising star in the Silicon Valley tech scene. He was a partner in the Dorm Room Fund, the Bay Area VC that made investments in student-run startups. He also served as a Founders Program.  Graduate from Stanford computer science and engineering

    Sam Trautwein is the founder and CEO of Carbon-12 Labs. Sam studied computer science with a concentration in artificial intelligence at Stanford University. Sam was the second employee at Plenty, an AI hydroponics company. He ran development of their data pipeline, helped design system architecture, and participated in hiring decisions. His recent endeavor is Carbon-12 Labs. The company is working on Carbon, a stablecoin that hopes to reinvent the use of money and payments.

    Daniel Uribe, Co-Founder & CEO, Genobank.io. A decentralized digital wallet associated to each DNA Saliva Kit that enables users establish ownership & control of their Genomic data sets using Blockchain to preserve privacy.

• VC/Incubator Track

  • Danny Kennedy:  Danny Kennedy leads the California Clean Energy Fund, connecting entrepreneurs everywhere to capital to build an abundant clean energy economy that benefits all. He is also the President of CalCharge, a public private partnership with the National Labs and universities of California, unions and companies, working to advance energy storage.  Kennedy co-founded Sungevity, the company that created remote solar design, and Powerhouse, solar’s premier incubator and accelerator. He was the original backer of Mosaic, the $1B solar loan provider, and remains on the Board of Powerhive, a solar mini-utility in Kenya and Sunergise, a solar-as-a-service business out of Fiji and the EnergyLabAustralia. He is also Director of nonprofits VoteSolar and Power for All. Kennedy authored the book Rooftop Revolution: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy – and Our Planet – from Dirty Energy in 2012. Prior to starting Sungevity, he worked at Greenpeace and other groups on climate and energy issues for 20 years.

    Ram Sriram is the founding member and Vice President of Business Innovation for the Silicon Valley Business Innovation Group at FXPAL. He has over twenty years of experience as a software technology executive with both established public companies and venture funded startups.  He has held senior executive roles in R&D, product marketing & management, business strategy, and business development.  Due to his leadership and entrepreneurial drive, as well as his deep understanding of the market and technology, he has been highly successful at creating new business opportunities, growing companies, and turning around struggling businesses.  Ram holds an MS in computer science from The University of Tulsa.

• Medical Track

  • Mr. Hendrick has over three decades of executive experience, building both early stage medical device companies as well as large divisions in Medical device Corporations. Currently, Mr. Hendrick is president and CEO of Mynosys Cellular Devices an ophthalmic company. Previously he was CEO of NeoVista Inc. a company in the field of Age Related Macular Degeneration. Prior to his accepting the role of CEO with Neovista, he created the Medical Division of Sanmina-Sci. Mr. Hendrick has been through a successful IPO of VidaMed which led eventually to the acquisition of the Company by Medtronic Inc. Prior to VidaMed, Mr. Hendrick held executive positions in Allergan Medical Optics, Baxter and American Hospital Supply along with several board positions.

    Dr. John A. Serri, co-founder/COO of EyeQue, PhD MIT ’80, with Prof.SUNY Albany BS, mathematics and physics 1975.  Technical leader at AT&T, Bell Laboratories, Lockheed Martin, Loral, Globalstar, and Trimble Navigation. 20+ year corporate experience, migrating from tech to management. 10+ in education and consulting roles. 6 patents for hardware design and software processing related to the miniscope; Exclusive worldwide license agreement with MIT for eye refraction using Inverse Shack Hartmann technique. Patent for binocular device/Insight.  Serri is a keyboardist who has released several CDs; they are available on Amazon, iTunes, and other music websites.

    Fabiana Lacerca-Allen, is SVP Compliance at Aimmune.   Fabiana has more than 26 years of experience working in leadership roles. Prior to Aimmune she was CCO at Elan and prior to that at Mylan.  She held senior roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Microsoft, Merck, Sharp & Dohme AT&T Capital. She was also a member of the Board of Directors at ArthroCare  and an Audit Committee member until Smith & Nephew acquired it. Mrs. Lacerca-Allen has counseled clients in international business transactions, has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry as a senior executive, and has been responsible and recognized for leading successful legal and compliance organizations.   Mrs. Lacerca-Allen has implemented robust compliance programs all over the world and has negotiated corporate integrity agreements, deferred prosecution agreements, and consent decrees affecting global operations. Fabiana received her bachelor of law degree in 1989 from the Universidad de Buenos Aires. She obtained her LLM degree from UCLA in June 1993. 
• E-MOBILITY Track

  • Andrea Broaddus, PhD - A seasoned expert in sustainable transportation policy and mobility research, Dr. Broaddus has 20 years of experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Currently a research scientist with Ford, she studies impacts of autonomous and connected vehicles on travel behavior and urban transport systems. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and has served as a lecturer at UC Berkeley and San Jose State since 2010. She earned a B.S. from the UNC Chapel Hill, MPP/UP from Harvard, and PhD from UC Berkeley. 

    Dr. Vish Palekar:  Seasoned CEO leading businesses with market leaders like Mahindra, GE and Cummins in a career spanning 26 years. Startup & Corporate leadership experience. Proven Skills in Strategy, Sales & Marketing, Product Technology, Financing, Fund raising and Operations. Led businesses and teams in Mobility, Transportation, Electric Vehicles, Sustainable Energy, Infrastructure, Automation and Software in global markets (U.S., India, China). Strong communication and people skills; ability to build high performance teams in diverse environments.  Specialties: Connected Mobility, Transportation, Electric Vehicles, Sustainable Energy, Automation, Brand, Business Management, Consumer Goods, CXO Experience, Innovation, Fund raising, Finance and Cost Management, Marketing, Power Industry, Process Engineering, Product Technology, IOT, Program Management, Sales, Strategy.

    Abhishek Arora is our co-founder of HyreCar and has served as our Chief Technology Officer since October 2017 and as our Secretary since June 2018. From July 2014 until October 2017, Mr. Arora served as our Chief Operating Officer. From October 2012 to September 2015, Mr. Arora was self-employed as a software consultant and founded Fillskills, an online marketplace to improve skills. At Fillskills he developed proprietary self-learning algorithms to search, parse and analyze national job data. In addition, he has taught a wide variety of programming classes on iOS, C# and databases. We believe Mr. Arora should serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience in the technology industry.

    Derrick Ko, CEO Spin. Derrick is the co-founder and CEO of Spin. He was most recently a Product Manager on the Growth team at Lyft. Prior to that, he was the first employee at a Y Combinator and True Ventures backed startup (acquired by Lyft), a Team Lead at Pivotal Labs, and started a company right after graduating from Purdue University with a degree in computer engineering.  SPIN recently sold to Ford for 100 million USD. 

• Cannabis Track

  • Daniel Goss is an Entrepreneur and Cannabis cultivator active in the Cannabis industry for 18 years. He currently owns 5 Cannabis Companies and is experienced in every facet of the Cannabis industry.  He has a deep understanding of cultivation as well as marketing. Originally hailing from Milwaukee Wisconsin, he moved to California in 2006 to explore the Cannabis industry. Active in Cannabis since 2001. His unique approaches ensure maximum efficiency and minimal overhead. 

    Nakul Correa has been amongst the most innovative in startup and technology finance for nearly 3 decades: integrating financings, financial planning, accounting and tax strategy to a variety of corporate issues. He is currently a co-founder and CFO of Symbiotic Developments, a cannabis ecosystem platform that provides capital through a REIT while centralizing the provision of compliance, finance, IT and branding through a management company. He’s been actively involved in financings, foreign exchange, real estate and operations for SunPower, Hewlett Packard, and two Indian Investment and Merchant Banks. Mr. Correa has degrees from Harvard and Brown Universities.

• Start-Up Track
  • Nitin Vaish:  Energy and transportation sector executive where he led the growth and incubation of new technology-focused businesses over past almost 20 years. These included products and strategy leadership roles at SunPower, EV energy storage business at Celanese and Bloom Energy. He leads the Energy & Transportation vertical at BootUP Ventures, a Silicon Valley entrepreneurship ecosystem.  Nitin earned his undergraduate degree from IIT Bombay and graduate degrees from Northwestern University and MIT Sloan School of Management.

    Nitin Aggarwal - assistant professor with the department of management information systems,  at the San Jose State University.  He received my Ph.D. in business administration with concentration in MIS from Texas Tech University.  He also  hold an MBA in marketing and an undergraduate degree in Physics from Delhi, India.  His research interests include IOT technology standardization, intellectual property issues in technology development, economics of standards, and transaction cost of technology development. 

    Deb Mishra is currently CEO at QuadRite, Inc.  at San Jose, CA. He leads the company’s strategic effort to enable product companies achieve Operational Excellence through enablers like transformation to Digital Engineering, use of machine learning and business intelligence to continuously improve operational efficiencies etc.  Early in his career Deb led the effort of transition to digital design and manufacturing at Hewlett Packard Company.  Deb has over 30 years of expansive experience in all aspects of  product operations at technology companies and is currently focused on  using modern technology like AI/Machine learning, data analytics  to enable operational excellence at technology companies. Deb has a B.S. in EE from Sambalpur University, India, an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, India and a Masters in Management Information System from University of Arizona, Tucson.

• Intellectual Property Track

  • Stanley M. Chang has developed numerous organizations and operated business units with resources in multiple countries. Stanley is currently Chief Information Officer at a Biotech company that is going to IPO in 2019.  Stanley co-founded TriHaven Investment Group, LLC providing foreign financing to commercial developments.  Prior to TriHaven Investment Group, Stanley is the founding attorney of Perspectives Law Group, Corp. He practices law from a business perspective in the areas of corporate, real estate, real estate financing, business transactions, patent prosecution, pre-litigation, licensing, trademark, portfolio management, due diligence, and FDA approvals/clearance for clients from start-ups through Fortune 100 companies. Prior to practicing law, Stanley had an extensive career from engineer through Senior Director with Western Digital Corporation, Quantum Corporation, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Agilent Technologies.  Stanley received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from UCLA, Master of Electrical Engineering from University of Southern California, and Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law.  Stanley has been admitted to practice in California and admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)