SALINAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forbes, in partnership with SVG Partners and The Steinbeck Innovation Cluster, announced today that it will host the “Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit” in Salinas Valley, California, in July 2015. This invitation-only event is expected to bring together several hundred of the smartest minds in Silicon Valley and global agriculture in the Salinas Valley to tackle some of the world's most critical challenges. From biotech and precision farming to big data's role in feeding a planet of eight billion people, “Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit” will explore topics at the core of this vital trend, and promises to be the definitive gathering for leaders at the intersection of technology and agriculture.
"I'm thrilled to welcome the ‘Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit’ and its attendees, who come from some of the world's largest agriculture and tech companies,” said Joe Gunter, Mayor of Salinas. “This is a great win for the Steinbeck innovation cluster, for the ag industry and for the Salinas Valley, the emerging AgTech capital of the nation.”
For the past three years, Forbes magazine’s Reinventing America series has been covering the innovation and disruption taking place across America's industrial heartland. Following the success of the inaugural “Forbes Reinventing America Summit” in Chicago, which took place March 26-28, 2014, the AgTech Summit will form part of a series of “Forbes Reinventing America Summits” taking place in 2015.
“By leveraging the power of the Forbes brand to convene influential thought leaders, we’re excited to expand the ‘Forbes Reinventing America Summit’ series with the AgTech Summit next year,” said Mike Federle, Forbes Media Chief Operating Officer. “The goal of the AgTech Summit is to find innovative solutions to some of the world’s most critical farming challenges, and there’s no better place for this event than in the Salinas Valley, where tech entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and experts from the global hub of agriculture intersect.”
"We are delighted to partner with Forbes to create a global agriculture and technology summit that’s focused on twenty-first-century challenges and opportunities related to food, water, energy and innovation in sustainability,” said John Hartnett, CEO of SVG Partners.
"This summit is a fantastic opportunity for the AgTech community to discuss real solutions in accelerating new technologies and capabilities in farming,” said Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms.
“Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit” will feature award winners from the Thrive Accelerator program formed by SVG Partners. Launching today, Thrive Accelerator is a highly selective, mentorship and investment program for technology-enabled startups in the Precision Agriculture space. Ten startup companies will be selected to receive the “Thrive AgTech” disrupt award and will gain direct access to the top fresh agriculture companies in the Salinas Valley to help deploy their innovative new technologies. To apply for the Thrive Accelerator award, technology-enabled startups in the Precision Agriculture space should visit: www.thriveaccelerator.com.
About the Forbes Reinventing America Summit Series
For the past three years, Forbes magazine’s Reinventing America series has been covering the innovation and disruption taking place in diverse industries across America’s industrial heartland, from logistics and transportation to energy and manufacturing. Following the success of the inaugural “Forbes Reinventing America Summit,” which took place in Chicago in March of 2014, Forbes is creating a series of Summits that are bringing the “Reinventing America” conversation to life around key verticals, such as AgTech, Energy, Innovation, Manufacturing and Workforce.
About Forbes Media
Forbes Media, publisher of Forbes magazine and forbes.com, is an authoritative source of news and information on business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. Forbes.com, a leading business website, currently reaches 24 million unique monthly visitors, according to May 2014 comScore worldwide. Forbes magazine, Forbes Asia, Forbes Europe and the 36 local language editions published by the company’s licensed partners attract a global audience of more than 7 million readers. The Forbes magazine iPad app, which was launched in 2013, merges the power of print storytelling with social sharing and the web. The company also publishes ForbesLife magazine, a luxury lifestyle publication, and plans to launch ForbesLife.com in September 2014.
About Silicon Valley Global Partners
Silicon Valley Global Partners (SVG Partners) is a management consulting firm founded by experienced technology executives that drive competitive advantage across organizations, from strategy to implementation.
About The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation
The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation is building a new development model, seeded by city government and led by private industry. The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation’s model is composed of four pillars of development support:
- Education (including training and advanced research)
- Startup acceleration
- Investment
- Corporate strategic engagement
Salinas’ industrial cluster – dubbed the Steinbeck innovation cluster – leverages an innovative network of civic, academic, technological, corporate, and philanthropic partners to help younger generations become entrepreneurs, drive innovation in fields and factories, and bring high tech to industrial zones.
About Thrive Program
Thrive Accelerator, launched by SVG Partners in July 2014, is a highly selective mentorship and investment program for technology-enabled startups in the Precision Agriculture space. Ten startup companies are being selected to gather and connect in the Salinas area for mentorship, collaboration and direct access to the top fresh agriculture companies in the world. This program is designed to help today’s top innovators turn their dreams of revolutionizing agriculture into reality. Through Thrive Accelerator, select companies will gain access to the best expertise and resources of top agriculture and tech companies to help deploy their innovative new technologies.
About Salinas Valley
Just one hour south of Silicon Valley, Salinas’ $8 billion agricultural industry is ground zero for fresh food production, and the logical epicenter of the “smart farming” movement that brings together the best in farming, technology, water and energy innovation.
