Tedeschi Trucks Band, Elvis Costello, Flo Rida or Charting The Startup Journey, Choosing The Right Funding Model, Building An Audience In The Digital Age?
Decisions, decisions…
Collision, America’s fastest growing tech conference, has only 7 stages, compared to Jazz Fest’s 12, but students, entrepreneurs, investors, members of the media and CEOs of both startups and larges companies, are making the tech trek to the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s Halls H-J to stand up and cheer for more than 260 speakers from Tuesday, April 26, through today.
Tonight’s Collision Closing Party at Jax Bistro, 620 Decatur St., at 7:30 p.m., promises to be the hottest ticket in town.
Created two years ago by the team behind Web Summit, the Collision 3-day conference is expected to attract 9,000 attendees from more than 50 countries to the Crescent City.
The event’s name comes from the concept that innovation, experience and investment can collide in a fast-paced and fertile environment to create dynamic partnerships.
With the winning slogan, “Come for Collision – Stay for Jazz Fest” conference organizers are capitalizing on showcasing New Orleans as the ultimate draw for the geek chic set and music lovers alike.
The eclectic speaker lineup includes Miguel McKelvey of WeWork, Cal Henderson of Slack, Chris Sacca of Lowercase Capital, Linda Boff of General Electric, Alex Chung of Giphy, Julia Hartz of Eventbrite and NFL legend Brett Favre.
From multiple stages attendees will hear speakers tackle a variety of “tracks” including code, content, data, design, e-commerce, enterprise, fintech, loT (Internet of Things), marketing, music, security, social media, sports and startups, and discuss how technology is changing the business landscape. There are also organized nighttime networking events including Pub Crawls and Night Summits nestled in between the 2 weekends of Jazz Fest.
“Collision doesn’t run to Dolly Parton’s clock – it’s not a 9 to 5 event,” Collision organizers said. “Pub Crawls kick off at 6:00 p.m., and run until whatever time you make it. We’ve seen some of the strongest Collision relationships forged over a drink on a Pub Crawl.”
This is the first Collision Conference to be held in New Orleans, and the group is expected to return in 2017.
Some stand-out innovators attending this year’s Collision include Chris Cummings who established Pass It Down, a new digital storytelling platform that makes storytelling easy by allowing you and your loved ones to craft stories using video, audio, photos and text.
After his mother developed dementia at the age of 48, Cummings figured out a way to make sure memories last the test of time and invented a modern way to pass them down. Using your phone, tablet or computer, you can ask and answer questions provided by oral historians to capture family stories creating the opportunity for generations to connect with their ancestors on a personal level.
Roy Lugasi launched his tech start up and mobile app, Weepo, at Collision. It’s being hailed as a “revolutionary” app that allows singles to see into the future by meeting and chatting with people based on where they're planning on partying on any given night before they even get to the venue.
Users choose a bar, club or create their own event, see who else is going and then swipe, match, and chat with other people planning to attend that same place or event.
Jared Morgenstern, the tech entrepreneur who created the “Like” button for Facebook, is a major backer of Weepo.
Today’s Collision schedule includes:
9:25 a.m.
Center Stage
Opening remarks
• Paddy Cosgrave
Founder & CEO, Collision & Web Summit
9:35 a.m.
Center Stage
Getting hands on with VR
• Michael Buckwald
Co-Founder & CEO, Leap Motion
• Robert Scoble
Media, Scobleizer
9:35 a.m.
Music Stage
Opening remarks
• Niall Morris
Director, Thinkhouse
9:40 a.m.
Music Stage
Jazz in New Orleans
• Scott Aiges
Director of Programs, Marketing & Communications, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation
• Arthur Cohen
COO, WWOZ
9:50 a.m.
Center Stage
Who am I, and where do I come from?
• Tim Sullivan
President & CEO, Ancestry
• Ken Chahine
EVP DNA, Ancestry.com
• Jonathan Krim
Consultant & Journalist
9:55 a.m.
Startup University Stage
Opening Remarks
• Salvatore Melilli
Partner, KPMG
10:00 a.m.
Startup University Stage
Charting the Startup Journey
• Peter Pham
Co-Founder, Science
• Megan Quinn
Partner, Spark Capital
• Michael Gasiorek
Editor in Chief, Startup Grind
10:00 a.m.
Music Stage
Reimagining creative communities
• Bear Kittay
Social Alchemist & Global Ambassador, Burning Man
• Heather Gallagher
Director of Technology, Burning Man
• Travis Lauredine
Founder, Skrapps
10:10 a.m.
Center Stage
The future of the final frontier
• Naveen Jain
Founder & Chairman, Moon Express
• Jemima Kiss
Head of Technology, The Guardian
10:20 a.m.
Music Stage
Modern day music rights – facing up to the challenge
• Kelli Turner
CFO & EVP Corporate Development, SESAC
• Lauren Apolito
SVP, Strategy & Business Development, Rumblefish
• Jason Schmitt
Writer, professor, Huffington Post Tech
10:25 a.m.
Startup University Stage
Be the best you – self improvement is the new luxury
• Thomas Holl
Co-Founder & President, Babbel
• Tim Chang
Managing Director, Mayfield Fund
• Zoe Henry
Reporter, Inc.com
10:30 a.m.
Center Stage
Regulating the demand
•Oisin Hanrahan
CEO / Co-founder, Handy
• Brian O'Malley
Partner, Accel Partners
• Christina Bonnington
Technology Editor, Refinery29
10:40 a.m.
Music Stage
Where is music media's future?
• Chris Kaskie
President, Pitchfork
• James Harris
Senior Editor, Complex
• Andrew Flanagan
Writer, Billboard
10:45 a.m.
Startup University Stage
Networking 101 – the importance of connections
• Philip Krim
Co-Founder & CEO, Casper
• David Nihill
Founder, FunnyBizz
10:50 a.m.
Center Stage
VR storytelling
• David Eun
President, Samsung Electronics, Global Innovation Center (GIC)
• Marc Mathieu
CMO, Samsung Electronics America
• Jacques Méthé
President, Cirque du Soleil Media
• Steven Bertoni
Senior Editor, Forbes Media
11:00 a.m.
Music Stage
Creative collaboration, brands putting music first
• Stretch Armstrong
DJ, Stretch & Bobbito
• Jasmine Martin
Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Columbia Records
• Jonathan Levine
Founder & CEO, Master & Dynamic
• James Harris
Senior Editor, Complex
11:05 a.m.
Startup University Stage
Back from the brink
• Ramona Pierson
CEO, Declara
• Jeff Pulver
Founder, Pulver HWC
• John Rampton
Writer, Entrepreneur.com
11:15 a.m.
Center Stage
Building the next generation of smart media brands
• Shahrzad Rafati
Founder & CEO, BroadbandTV
• Dominic Rushe
Business Editor, The Guardian
11:20 a.m.
Breakthrough Stage
Our Body Perfect Future
• Jen Riley
Head of Marketing and Care, Wiivv
• Shamil Hargovan
CEO/President, Wiivv
11:25 a.m.
Startup University Stage
The right time? Raising your first round
• Benjamin Ling
Managing Partner, Khosla Ventures
• David Hornik
General Partner, August Capital
• Carlos Eduardo Espinal
Partner, Seedcamp
11:25 a.m.
Music Stage
What is it like to be an artist in music today?
• PJ Morton
Musician & Producer, Maroon 5, PJ Morton & The Crusade
• Nathan Mattise
Features Editor, Ars Technica
11:35 a.m.
Center Stage
Mobile's next evolution
• Carl Pei
Co-Founder, OnePlus
• Randall Lane
Editor, Forbes
11:35 a.m.
Breakthrough Stage
The Modern Way to Work
• Mark Glassman
Journalist, Bloomberg
• Stella Garber
VP of Marketing, Trello
11:45 a.m.
Music Stage
Once upon a time in an ad
• + Aziz
Senior Cultural Strategist, Peter Mayer Advertising
• Jeremy Holley
Partner, Flytevu
• J. Anthony Miguez
CEO, VL Group
11:50 a.m.
Center Stage
Scaling Slack
• Cal Henderson
Co-Founder & CTO, Slack
• Mat Honan
San Francisco Bureau Chief, BuzzFeed
11:50 a.m.
Breakthrough Stage
ATTN, please.
• Martha Pierce
VP, ATTN:
11:50 a.m.
Startup University Stage
A conversation with Chris Sacca & Harper Reed
• Chris Sacca
Founder & Chairman, Lowercase Capital
• Harper Reed
Head of Commerce, Braintree
12:05 p.m.
Breakthrough Stage
The Future of Furniture
• Benjamin Kuna
Other, Tylko
12:05 p.m.
Music Stage
Building communities around live events
• Kerry Black
Co-Founder, Superfly
• Andrew Flanagan
Writer, Billboard
12:15 p.m.
Center Stage
A conversation with PJ Morton
• PJ Morton
Musician & Producer, Maroon 5, PJ Morton & The Crusade
• Chris Kaskie
President, Pitchfork
12:15 p.m.
Startup University Stage
The 1st ever – launching a startup breaking new ground
• Rana el Kaliouby
Co-Founder & CSO, Affectiva
• Boisy Pitre
Mobile Visionary, Affectiva
• Aaron Rasmussen
Co-Founder, CTO & Creative Director, MasterClass
12:20 p.m.
Breakthrough Stage
Would Eye Lie to You?
• Todd Mickelsen
CEO/President, Converus, Inc.
12:25 p.m.
Music Stage
When music meets society
• Sho Baraka
Founder, Forth District
• Ryan Rockefeller
Co-Founder & CEO, Liyo
• Pamela Wood
CDO, WWOZ
12:30 p.m.
Center Stage
PITCH Final
• Chris Sacca
Founder & Chairman, Lowercase Capital
• Cal Henderson
Co-Founder & CTO, Slack
• Hayley Barna
Venture Partner, First Round Capital
• Tim Chang
Managing Director, Mayfield Fund
• Paddy Cosgrave
Founder & CEO, Collision & Web Summit
12:35 pm
Startup University Stage
What makes a great founder?
• Andy McLoughlin
Partner, SoftTech VC
• Ravi Viswanathan
General Partner, NEA
• Philippe Telio
Founder, Startupfest
12:45 p.m.
Music Stage
Business models for funding music
• James Polsky
Founder, Jazz Standard
• Erin Potts
Founder, Tibet Freedom Concerts
• Jan D'Alessandro
Founder & President, Blue J Strategies
12:55 p.m.
Startup University Stage
The connected startup
• Rob Coneybeer
Managing Director & Co-Founder, Shasta Ventures
• Andra Keay
Managing Director, Silicon Valley Robotics
• Robert Scoble
Media, Scobleizer
1:00 p.m.
Center Stage
Lunch Break
1:10 p.m.
Music Stage
Building an audience in the digital age
• Brandon Hixon
Manager, De La Soul
• Jacqueline Schneider
Director of Global Strategy, Soulection
• Austin Briggs
Co-Founder, Able Partners Groups
• Mark Glassman
Journalist, Bloomberg
1:20 p.m.
Startup University Stage
Lunch Break
1:30 p.m.
Music Stage
The first wearable music instrument
• Andrea Baldereschi
Founder, Remidi
• Mark DeMay
CTO, Remidi
• Leah Hunter
Writer, Fast Company
1:40 p.m.
Center Stage
The voice of the fan
• Brett Favre
Brett Favre NFL Legend, Sqor Sports Board of Directors, Sqor Sports
• Brian Wilhite
Founder & CEO, Sqor Sports
• Bryan Armen Graham
Deputy Sports Editor, The Guardian
1:50 p.m.
Music Stage
Lunch Break
2:00 p.m.
Center Stage
Home is where the CEO is
• Dev Ittycheria
CEO & President, MongoDB
• Adam Miller
CEO & President, Cornerstone OnDemand
• Dominic Rushe
Business Editor, The Guardian
