The third annual Startup Iceland international entrepreneurs’ conference will take place in the city of Reykjavik on June 2-3, 2014, opening with a hackathon focused on 3D printing and the Internet of Things on May 31-June 1. The 4-day event will feature prominent entrepreneurs, investors and members of the media such as Bre Pettis and Jenny Lawton of Makerbot, Sherwood “Woody” Neiss of Crowdfund Capital Advisors, Thubten Comerford of WePost Media, John Biggs Author and East Coast Editor of TechCrunch, tech industry analyst and Forbes contributor Ben Kepes as well as Paul Miller of GigaOm and Cloud of Data. President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson will open the event and Minister of Industry and Innovation Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir will keynote before some of Iceland’s most promising startups take the stage. Journalist and former presidential candidate, Thóra Arnórsdóttir will serve as the event master of ceremonies.
Among the impressive roster of speakers from Iceland and the international business community who will present on June 2 at Harpa conference and event center are: Bre Pettis and Jenny Lawton (Makerbot), Sherwood “Woody” Neiss (Crowdfund Capital Advisors), John Biggs (Author of Mytro, East Coast Editor at TechCrunch), Helga Valfells (Nýsköpunarsjóður), Pall Hardarson (NASDAQ OMX), Gunnar Pall Tryggvason (Icora Partners), Ben Kepes (Forbes), Paul Miller (Cloud of Data, GigaOm), Taylor Davidson, (kbs+ Ventures), Helga Arnadottir and Signy Kolbeinsdottir (Tulipop), Liad Agmon, (Dynamic Yield) and Thubten Comerford (WePost Media). The conference will close on June 3rd at the University of Reykjavik with “office hours” style mentoring sessions with the event speakers and other seasoned executives.
“3D printing and the Internet of Things will have a significant impact on the future of business. Creative thinkers, entrepreneurs and the investors who believe in their vision will realize greater possibilities for our every day lives,” said Startup Iceland Founder Bala Kamallakharan. “We are thrilled to bring together in Iceland many of the visionaries that will drive this smarter future.”
The first two days of Startup Iceland will consist of a hackathon, taking place at the University of Reykjavik, where teams of talented people come together to hack compelling solutions, which at the end of the event will have the potential to be a business and win a $1,000 USD prize.
The winner of the Startup Iceland hackathon will be voted on by conference participants and be presented at the end of the day 3 discussions on stage at Harpa.
The fourth and final day of the conference events will feature Startup Iceland Office Hours, mentoring sessions held at the University of Reykjavik with Startup Iceland participants taking advantage of the unique opportunity to meet 1-1 with Startup Iceland speakers, key influencers within Iceland and from startup communities around the world.
Who should attend and why?
Entrepreneurs, startup founders, senior executives, venture fund managers, pension fund managers, angel investors, financial institutions, government agencies, business journalists, students and anyone involved in the business of value creation should attend Startup Iceland.
Participants represent startup communities from Iceland, the US, Europe, the UK and New Zealand. Startup Iceland will ask important questions and elicit discussions on how to harness local capital, develop a policy framework and capitalize on the collective strengths of the community to foster a sustainable and resilient ecosystem that embraces, encourages and celebrates entrepreneurship, with a specific focus on the possibilities created by the Internet of Things and 3D printing.
Attendees will learn strategies that can be applied in their own businesses and communities here in Iceland and abroad.
Special thanks to Startup Iceland sponsors: Icelandair Group, Haskólinn Reykjavík, VIB, The US Embassy of Iceland, Nýsköpunarsjóður, Frumtak, Eyrir Invest, NASDAQ OMX, Icora Partners, WEDO, Deloitte, GreenQloud, Klak Innovit, Ölgerðin, TeqHire, Confrenz, Nýherji
About Startup Iceland
Founded by investor Bala Kamallakharan, and a grassroots group from the Icelandic startup scene in 2012, the Startup Iceland Conference (#startupISK) brings together leaders from Iceland, the global community of entrepreneurs, enterprise business and government to discuss and create solutions to promote resilient startup communities throughout the world and foster economic growth.
The conference is a 4-day event that includes a hackathon, “office hours” style mentoring sessions, and single track conference presentations by leaders from startup communities throughout the world as well as several conference-adjacent networking and business development opportunities.
