When a tiny light went on at a table in the lunchroom at ACE Academy, cheers erupted from a group of girls working on an electronics project made up of tiny metal parts pinned to a foam block. Debbie Andres, one of three volunteers from SVLG member companies guiding groups of middle school girls through the project as part of the 2021 Young Leaders Forum, leaned in as she coached each girl, then went around to other tables to help other groups.
Whether they started with a brilliant idea that they sensed could help people or were inspired by a problem caused by current events, every startup founder is changed by the journey.
Sasha Seletsky, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of SummerBio, and Ainsley Braun, Co-Founder and CEO of Tinfoil Security, are no exceptions. Both have dealt with challenges and have pivoted when faced with failure. They’ve experienced loneliness after success, and politely tolerated unsolicited advice. But both also leaned on colleagues and experienced unexpected support from people in their networks, learning valuable lessons and skills every step of the way.
In a recent discussion moderated by Jason Baker, SVP of Transportation, Health and Housing Policy at SVLG, Seletsky and Braun spoke candidly about what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, sharing wild stories, useful insights, and inspiring ideas.
Great achievements often start small.
In the case of Annamarie Huerta Franc, Managing Director of SAP Labs US, she can trace it back to her five-year-old self having a conversation with her father about what she wanted to do when she grew up. She told him she wanted to be a nurse, because boys were doctors and girls were nurses.
As we near the end of 2021, we are celebrating a year of legislative wins for our members and our region. Our policy work on behalf of our members embodies the overarching values and principles of our community, which include accountability, equity, inclusion, and environmental stewardship. We are working hard to reinvest in our community and its livability, to ensure that we continue to attract and retain the world’s best tech talent. As part of our efforts to foster business competitiveness and create shared value together, we engaged on a significant number of bills during the 2021 Legislative Session in Sacramento. We supported many measures that were ultimately signed by the Governor, and we helped to shape policy discussions around proposed legislation that could have curtailed innovation. Here are some examples of our work on behalf of our members in 2021.
Garine Ferejian-Mayo, Chief Commercial Officer of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, shared inspiring words as she encouraged attendees to proactively advance their careers in an intimate virtual roundtable discussion hosted by SVLG on Tuesday.
Kicking off both National Hispanic Heritage Month and the Launch Circuit Speaker Series, SVLG and a group of startup leaders was fortunate to host an inspiring speaker and a trailblazer in the corporate world, Monica Lozano.
As the pandemic continues to be a factor in our daily lives, schools have been at the center of public concern. While adults opine on teacher vaccination, when to return to classrooms, and masking mandates, one factor remains constant – the effects of this unusual time on student mental health are real and need attention.
Rooftop solar is a “hot” topic in California this year – no pun intended. To meet the ambitious climate targets we need for a livable future, California needs our local solar sector to continue to grow.
During his recent trip to California, EPA Administrator Michael Regan met with leading Silicon Valley executives to discuss how innovation and emerging technologies can be leveraged to tackle the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to a net zero carbon economy. The visit included a tour of the manufacturing facility at Zoox, an autonomous vehicle …
In a move that is unprecedented in our automotive history, yesterday President Biden signed an Executive Order setting a goal for 50 percent of car sales to be electric by 2030, the largest EV adoption target for America to date.
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