In this special guest feature, Cydney Ewald Stevens writes that the StartupHPC Meetup at SC14 has an incredible lineup of speakers.
Cydney Ewald Stevens, Director, StartupHPC
At roughly six weeks out from SC14 and our first StartupHPC Meetup, if you aren’t registered yet, you should register now! It’s going to sell out and if you’re not there you’re going to be bummed out!
How can I be so confident? This meet up is going to be unlike any other you’ve attended, first because it’s not really adhering to any hardened definition of ‘meet up’. I personally liken it more to an entrepreneur’s IP User Group – an open forum with individuals who really are defying and redefining – everything.
Second, I hope you’re going to be blown away, just like I have been as we lead into this! The sheer brilliance that will be on hand ready to encourage the entrepreneur in you … is stunning! Promise!
Why? Because if you’ve ever tried to pull together a meeting of any sort, or even size, you know the biggest challenge is typically finding compelling topics and captivating delivery. Sometimes you’ll make trade-offs but if you can deliver both, in one package … it’s nirvana!
And that’s what ‘they’, our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) want to give to you!
- You’ll be able to meet Adrian Cockcroft of Battery Ventures! He’s legend! Now advising and evaluating start-ups himself his original book on Performance and Tuning and the work he did (leveraging core HPC disciplines, btw) for both eBay and Netflix has propelled him to what is nothing short of celebrity in our field.
- I’ll admit that I am totally excited to meet Thomas Thurston in person myself. I am completely intrigued (and a bit intimidated as a startup ourselves) by Growth Science and what he’s been doing around big data, predictive analytics, etc. Who wouldn’t be?
- Then there’s Karl Freund, whom I greatly respect for his willingness to be provocative! I think that is a result of his vast experience in all phases of ‘incorporation’ – as the investor advisor, as the scrappy startup and as the mega corporation energizer. His experience of making and reinventing successful brands that are or have back-ended most everything we do – is epic!
- Of course Wolfgang Gentzsch is legend in HPC! Everyone knows him for his impeccable CV that has influenced world leaders and world leading HPC, Grid, and Cloud initiatives – on top of his latest endeavor Ubercloud and delivering on-demand resources to the research community. He also happens to be the fellow that developed the Grid Engine software, launched and sold companies, thrived through acquisitions, just to do it all again … an authentic, and original, serial entrepreneur indeed.
- A giant issue in a startup’s life is dealing with all the plethora of legal issues. I am incredibly excited to listen to Brad Gersich who is partner at the global law firm DLA Piper in Silicon Valley. Chambers USA has recognized Brad as a key individual with an “incredible work ethic” and a growing practice. He is “very easy to work with, creative and very dedicated to the client’s positive outcome,” commented one client. Brad is also recognized in The Legal 500 United States. His advice is gold!
So, what if you are a starving STEM student with aspirations of coming to SC14 or going to some other major program but don’t have the means to get there – or you’re a benevolent benefactor who wants to help students in physically getting where they need to go? Well, you’ll want to know about STEM-Trek and meet Elizabeth Leake who will share the work she’s been doing to get STEM scholars on the road! You’ll also see that a big benefit of it is the mind-set, the empowerment, that is facilitated by programs like STEM-Trek but ultimately claimed by the individual.
Then there’s the vast amount of individual and collective knowledge of ‘to market’ that will be on hand! Perhaps the most intimidating part of an entrepreneurial journey but as critical to the start-up strategy as it is for a would-be investor!
And what would any infomercial worth it’s salt be without the proverbial … BUT WAIT … THERE’S MORE …
- The CxO panel that’s been put together is nothing short of astounding. If you’re actively following the latest upstarts in startups, we’re bringing them to NOLA live and in person!
- Prepare to meet Turbostor co-founder & CEO Kevin Canady, who we managed to pull out of stealth mode as he prepares to launch his next big idea.
- It’s ‘Not only luck’ as his blog would suggest but truly by serendipity John Melonakos, CEO of ArrayFire, the company for super CUDA coding is joining the lineup – as is serial entrepreneur and CTO of Nimbix, Leo Reiter, whose latest company is leading visualization and humanization of supercomputing, in the cloud!
- And rounding out this veteran line-up is Thomas Sohmers, CEO of Rex Computing. You may have read about Thomas – and if you haven’t you should! He’s the definition of “Wunderkid” and an inspiration to every age!
- Whether you’re a STEM student or Pro, a start-up in various stages of the cycle or an investor on the hunt – this is your entrée to the possibility that is HPC!
The great charm, IMHO, of HPC is that you are amongst the greatest intellects in the world. And if I’ve learned one thing in this expanse of a career and lifetime of ‘doing this’ is that there is always something to be learned!
So, as you make your plans to Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler during your SC14 week in the Big Easy add the meet-up to your top picks, get registered and get ready to StartupHPC!
Register now for the StartupHPC Meetup at SC14.
Cydney Ewald Stevens is Director of the StartupHPC Community.
