ANN ARBOR — Ann Arbor Spark will bring a bit of TED talk style to the Ann Arbor technology and business community on June 15 in a series of presentations called Tech Talk.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at the Michigan Theater. Presenters will offer key insights on evolving innovations, research, and technology.
“Tech Talk was an incredible success last year and proved to be an interesting and valuable addition to Tech Trek,” said Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor Spark president and CEO. “The event is an opportunity to hear from visionary thought leaders in our community and is a way for the community to be exposed to the remarkable technology being developed right here in this region.”
This year’s Tech Talk speakers are:
* Trey Boynton, diversity and inclusion manager at Duo Security, the authentication and security provider
* Jamal El-Mokadem, director of quality assurance at Barracuda Networks, the security and data protection provider
* Dave Forman, managing director at Pillar Technology, the software developer
* Larry Freed, CEO of Give and Take Inc., a knowledge collaboration software developer
* Kimberly Gamez, founder and CEO of Mi Padrino, an event planning service for the Hispanic community
* Rachna Govani, CEO and co-founder of Foodstand, an eating behavior change and food waste prevention app
* Ryan Kennel, office director at FordLabs, a software development unit of Ford Motor Co.
* Laura Khoury, founder and CEO of Shoptelligence, a fashion and style discovery platform
* Lisa McLaughlin, co-founder and co-CEO of Workit Health, an online substance abuse treatment platform
* Molly McFarland, co-founder and CRO of AdAdapted, an app developer that connects consumer products and consumers
* Kenneth Natoli, director of delivery technology at Domino’s Pizza
* Shawn Planko, engineering manager at Expedia
* Ann Marie Sastry, president and CEO of Amesite, an artificial intelligence software company
There is no cost to attend Tech Talk, but seating is limited and registration is required. To register, or for more information, visit www.annarborusa.org/techtrek.
Immediately following Tech Talk, from noon to 7 p.m., Bank of Ann Arbor will present Live at Tech Trek. Three live musical acts — singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Jacob Sigman, the Sydney-based, Grammy-nominated trio Mansionair, and “The Voice” finalist Laith Al-Saadi – will be followed by a DJ.
Live at Tech Trek will be held on the corner of Washington and South Fifth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor. Washington Street between South Fifth Avenue and Division will be closed for the music festival and Ann Arbor Spark’s inaugural Mobility Row, featuring self-driving shuttles and leading edge connected and autonomous mobility technology.
Tech Talk, Tech Trek, Live at Tech Trek, and Mobility Row are part of Ann Arbor Spark’s a2Tech360 program, a multi-day series of events showcasing the region as an area of innovation. More information on the a2Tech360 program is online: www.annarborusa.org/a2tech360.
Ann Arbor Spark is the economic development agency for Washtenaw and Livingston counties. More at www.AnnArborUSA.org.