GIST Entrepreneurs Journey to the US - 2014

5/25/2018 GIST Entrepreneurs Journey to the US - 2014

1/23

1

The GIST Initiative is a partnership led by the U.S. Department of State and CRDF Global.

The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey in Chicago is organized in collaboration with 1871

GISTEntrepreneurship JourneyJune 9-20, 2014 Chicago, IL & Washington, DC


2/23

2

CONTENT

TheGISTInitiativeis a partnershipledby the U.S. Department of StateandCRDF Global.

GIST Entrepreneurship JourneyJune 9-20, 2014 Chicago, IL & Washington, DC


Table of Contents23 Agenda............................................................................................4

Welcome Message U.S. Department of State................................................6 Welcome Message CRDF Global................ ............... .............. ............... .......7 GIST Initiative.............. .............. ............... ............... ............... .............. ..........8 1871....................................................................................................9 CRDF Global Entrepreneurship & Innovation............... ............... .............. ...10 GIST Entrepreneurs..................... .............. ............... ............... ............... .....12 Mentors, Speakers................... ............... ............... ............... .............. ........24 GIST Advisory Group................. ............... ............... ............... .............. ........31 CRDF Global GIST Team........................ .............. ............... ............... ..........33 U.S. Department of State GIST Team....................... ............... .............. ........35 1871 Team....................... ............... ............... ............... .............. ............... ...36 GIST In the News............. .............. ............... ............... ............... .............. ...37 GIST Activities........... ............... ............... ............... ............... .............. ........39 GIST Partners............... ............... .............. ............... ............... ............... .....40 Notes................................................................................................41


3/23

45

GIST CHICAGO JOURNEY AGENDA







GIST CHICAGO/DC JOURNEY AGENDAMonday, June 9

9:00 - 9:30 1871 Orientation

9:30 - 11:00Doing Business in the USAMuhammed Mekki, Founder of AstroLabs; Sebastian Villarreal, Founder of LendSquare; Aksh Gupta, Founder & CEO of Occasion

In this panel discussion, three entrepreneurs will talk about the key things they have learned about conducting business in the United States.

11:00 - 12:00 Worktime

12:00-1:00 Lunch with Karen Gordon, Founder & CEO of Lean Creative Labs

1:30 - 3:30Business Model Canvas Karen Gordon, Founder & CEO of Lean Creative Labs

This is an interactive workshop for entrepreneurs to construct the Business Model Canvas and begin setting the strategy for the company.

3:30-5:00 Meetings with media or potential customers, funders and partners

Tuesday, June 10

9:00 - 10:30Leadership with Chuck Templeton, Managing Director at Impact Engine and Founder, OpenTable

Chuck will share his journey as an entrepreneur and provide insights about leadership and building social ventures

10:30 - 12:00 Mentorship

1:30 - 5:00 Meetings with potential customers, funders and partners

5:00-7:00 Diaspora Roundtable - Entrepreneurs belonging to African, Asian and Middle Eastern Diaspora will meet with GIST Entrepreneurs to discuss their experience

Wednesday, June 11

9:00 - 10:30Pitching Your Venture Carter Cast, Former CEO of Walmart.com and Venture Partner at Pritzker Group Venture Capital; Gabe Greenbaum, Vice President at Pritzker Group

Venture Capital

In this workshop Carter will share a format/structure for a pitch deck and talk about typical trip-up areas to watch out for.


1:30 - 3:00Brand Positioning Danny Schuman President, Twist

Danny will discuss how to best identify the startups target audience and competitors while creating value

3:00-5:30 Meetings with potential customers, funders and partners

Thursday, June 12

10:00 - 1:00 Company Visit: Textura


5:00-8:00

GIST Chicago DEMO Day

5:00 5:15 Registration

5:15 5:30 Welcoming Remarks- Ovidiu Bujorean, Senior Manager, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, CRDF Global; Jonathan Margolis, Deputy Assistant Secretary forScience, Space, and Health, U.S. Department of State; Howard A. Tullman, CEO, 1871

5:30 5:45 Keynote: The Entrepreneur ship Ecosystem Pat Quinn, Governor, State of Illinois (TBC)

6:00 6:45 Panel Discussion - Position for Growth: Tech Startups From Emerging Economies

6:45 7:15 Startup Pitches - 12 entrepreneurs pitch for 2 minutes

7:15 8:00 Reception & Startup Showcase - During the networking reception 12 entrepreneurs showcase their products and answer questions from investors,seasoned entrepreneurs and other distinguished guests. Sponsored by Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

Monday, June 16

10:00-11:30You Dont Want to Be At the Airport When Your Ship Comes InHoward Tullman, CEO of 1871

A rapid re review of the six major trends at the intersection of social media and technology which are radically changing the ground rules and the ways in which

every business will reach and engage its customers from now on.


1:30 - 3:30Founder Equity, Cap Tables and DilutionBob Gillespie, Founder of InContext Solutions

We will look at various rounds of funding to understand how capitalization tables change over time.


Tuesday, June 17

9:00 - 10:30Intellectual Property, Trademarks and Copyrights Erin Fox, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Michael Carrillo, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP

The presentation will focus on IP for small businesses and start-up companies. We will discuss patents, trademarks, and copyrights. We will discuss different types ofpatents and considerations for patents in the U.S. versus international markets.

10:30-12:00 Private sessions with IP lawyer

1:30 - 2:00 Departure to DC

Wednesday, June 18

7:30-9:00 Twitter Chat at the U.S. Department of State

9:00-11:00 Meetings at the U.S. Department of State


5:00-8:00

GIST Washington D.C. DEMO Day

4:00 4:30 Registration

4:30 4:45 Welcoming Remarks -John Hurley, Vice President, CRDF Global; Jonathan Margolis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science, Space, and Health, U.S.Department of State

4:45 5:15 Keynote: The Entrepreneurship Journey (TBC)

5:15 6:00 Panel Discussion - Beyond the BRICs: Where Does The New Generation of Entrepreneurs Come From?

6:00 6:30 Startup Pitches - 11 entrepreneurs pitch for 2 minutes

6:30 7:30 Reception & Startup Showcase - During the networking reception 11 entrepreneurs showcase their products and answer questions from investors,seasoned entrepreneurs and other distinguished guests.

Thursday, June 19

9:00 - 5:00 Meetings at the U.S. Department of State

Friday, June 20


12:00-6:30 The sightseeing tour of Washington D.C., Mount Vernon

Friday, June 13

10:00-1:00 Company Visit: Groupon

1:30-2:00 Worktime

2:00-3:30Financial Modeling for Startups

Bob Gillespie, Founder of InContext Solutions

Bob will discuss ways to build startup nancial models, including projections on revenue, expenses and protability and exits.


4/23

67


WELCOME MESSAGE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE



Welcome to the second Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST)Entrepreneurship Journey. As President Obama said, We believe entrepreneurs can createjobs that fortify relationships between countries, build global markets, and help fulfill thedreams of all who desire the freedom to make of their lives what they will.

The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey highlights alumni of the GIST initiative who createhigh-impact science and technology startups. GIST implements a network of programsand competitions worldwide to identify, train, and connect young science and technologyentrepreneurs and provide the mentorship, connections to investors, and marketexposure needed to succeed.

GIST operates at the intersection of science & technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship



WELCOME MESSAGE

CRDF GLOBAL

Dear Friends,

It is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all of you and particularly to these veryspecial GIST transformers as they e mbark on this exciting GIST Entrepreneurship Journey.

Traveling to the U.S. from Jordan, Pakistan, Kenya, Uganda, Malaysia, Indonesia, andTunisia, these 12 innovators embody the spirit of entrepreneurship. They have overcomeobstacles great and small to develop and grow their technology startups. We are proud tohave supported these startups through the GIST Initiative, which provides valuableopportunities for entrepreneurs to gain exposure to new ideas, concepts and the skillsnecessary for entrepreneurial success.

To all the transformers, I wish you the best of luck as you market your startups and technologies! I would also like to thankall who have supported the GIST Initiative and its work building entrepreneurial ecosystems in over 50 countries in theMiddle East, Central and South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sincerely,

Cathleen A. CampbellPresident and Chief Executive Officer

to empower individual innovators and to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems. GIST equips young men and women aroundthe world with the skills they need to be successful entrepreneurs and leaders who tum their ideas into new ventures thattransform their communities.

It is my pleasure to welcome this second inspirational and formative group who are using science and technology to addressmajor challenges in sectors ranging from agriculture to education to women empowerment.

Congratulations to all of the participants and best wishes on growing your ideas and startups into businesses that have strongeconomic and societal impact.

Sincerely,

Judith G. GarberActing Assistant Secretary of State



5/23

89

The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey in Chicago is organized in collaboration with 1871 The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey in Chicago is organized in collaboration with 1871

1871



Muhammad Saimum Hossain, BangladeshHind Hobeika, Lebanon

Founder, Instabeat

James Khoo, Malaysia

Founder, SecQMeGISTALUMNI

IMPACT

HEALTH

ICT

ENERGY

240K+

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CAPITAL RAISED MENTOR NETWORK JOBS CREATED

$21M 400+ 800+

technology entrepreneurs.

WHAT

ISGIST?

GIST TECH-I GIST BOOT CAMPS GIST TECHCONNECTS

Catherine Kiguru, Kenya Co-founder, Ukall Ltd.

ICT

Global compeon to idenfy and

support most promising technologyand science entrepreneurs

Two day in-country training

and mentoring events forearly stage startups.

Live interacve video broadcasts

linking startups with U.S. experts.

The Global Innovaon through Science and Technology (GIST) Iniave

forges links at the individual and instuonal levels among technology

entrepreneurs, angel investors, and the marketplace to improve quality of

life through economic prosperity. The GIST Iniave builds entrepreneurial

ecosystems in over 54 countries in the Middle East, Central & South East Asia

and Sub-Saharan Africa, by idenfying, coaching and funding promising

entrepreneurs through its compeons, start-up acceleraon services,

online social media plaorm, and interacve mentorship programs. The GIST

Iniave is a partnership led by the U.S. Department of State and CRDF Global.


6/23

1011

Increasing Opportunities for Early-Stage Entrepreneurs

In the search for entrepreneurs with innovative technology ideas that can address a problem

affecting their country or region, the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST)

Initiative has implemented the GIST Tech-I Competition, which has attracted close to 200 teams

from the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South East Asia. Among them was CardioDiagnostics,

a Lebanese startup founded by Ziad Sankari. Ziad lost his father at the age of 17 to a heart attack,

which inspired him to create a medical device that monitors cardiac patients outside the hospital

around the clock. This idea earned him a top prize of the competition awarded at the Second Global

Entrepreneurship Summit on December 3-5, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. CardioDiagnostics has been

given a strong start for a global success with $20,000 in seed funding, hands-on training withserial entrepreneurs and business mentors, global media exposure by MSNBC and Wired Magazine,

a trip to Silicon Valley and participation in the MIT Global Startup Workshop.

Transforming Technology

Transfer in Russia CRDF Global has trained more than 300 technology transfer managers and

assisted eight leading research universities with establishing technology transfer offices, which

significantly contributed to the establishment of the local innovation ecosystem. The Programs

include professional skills development seminars, workshops, academia and industry international

conferences, and site visits to the United States for technology transfer professionals. Similar

activities have strengthened the technology commercialization capabilities of more than 20 research

universities of the Russian Federation.

Accessing U.S. MarketsSince 2005, CRDF Global has implemented more than 20 U.S. travel programs for close to 90

participants. All of which represent universities, research institutes and technology companies

from Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan and collaborated with such prominent U.S. organizations

as MIT, Babson College, Garage Technology Ventures, Plug & Play Incubator, CleanTech Open and

others. Based on the scalable a nd highly customizable format of the Innovation U.S. travel programs

and existing cache of experience, best practices and partners, CRDF Global is able to design and

implement results-oriented and cost-effective programs that perfectly fit the objectives and needs

of a diverse range of partner organizations in emerging markets.

Building Institutional Capacity

Since 2005, CRDF Global has partnered with the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), one of

the most successful IT-focused technology business incubators and consulting companies i n the

Caucasus region, to implement its Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Program (STEP). With

co-funding from the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, EIF implemented more than

15 STEP activities including the Business Partnership Grant (BPG) program, Innovation Forums,

cluster seminars, business trainings for scientific community, legal and accounting seminars and

matchmaking events. Through its partnership with CRDF Global, EIF strengthened communicationchannels between science and private sectors, gained broader access to the U.S. business

network and scaled up its outreach and programs to non-IT sectorsbecoming one of the focal

entrepreneurship-support organizations in Armenia and in the region.

Providing Access to Capital

The ecoFridge, a revolutionary refrigeration system used to transport perishable products, was

developed by a team of Ukrainian scientists with a U.S. business partner who participated in a CRDFGlobal research and development grant competition. CRDF Global provided training and mentorship

to the team to prepare them to effectively pitch the ecoFridge at a venture forum in Los Angeles,

CA. As a result, the team obtained $2.2 million of follow-on capital investment to develop their

business, and EcoFridge is now being adopted by companies around the world who appreciate its

environmental benefits and cost efficiency.

CRDF GLOBALS IMPACTCRDF GLOBALS IMPACT

Ziad Sankari, CardioDiagnostics

CRDF Global is a private, non-governmental organization committed to

promoting peace and prosperity through science and technology. Its innovation

and entrepreneurship-focused programs develop technology commercialization

capabilities and sustaining networks abroad. Domestically, CRDF Global helps to

create more viable investment, partnership and collaborative opportunities for

American businesses and scientists who gain access to top international research

and expertise.

Core Program Beliefs

Innovation.We believe strongly in the power of technology and innovation as d rivers for

sustainable growth.

Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs transform innovation into enterprises that generate value

and create jobs. Our programs are designed with the individual in mind, as the nucleus and sole

purpose of our mission.

Strategic partnerships. We partner with like-minded local and regional organizations

and corporations to leverage our resources and capabilities to build capacity for greater impact and

avoid redundancy.

Innovation Ecosystem Development

CRDF Global believes in the bottom-up approach in building the local ecosystems and supports local

entrepreneurship initiatives by identifying leaders, existing programs and the gaps in the system.

Assisting with the formation of new technology commercialization offices and incubators

Strategic planning

Management training and educational outreach

Comprehensive programs designed to enhance entrepreneurship culture

Assisting with investment capital infrastructure development

Startup Support

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of all economies and the source of growth

and dynamism. CRDF Global offers a comprehensive suite of programs designed to nurture these

early-stage companies.

Identifying promising business opportunities, funders, partners and resources

Designing and executing acceleration programs

Comprehensive skill development training

Access to sources of funding

Technology Acceleration

CRDF Global promotes business growth by supp orting students, researchers and technology

developers who believe that their product or service is viable commercially. Programs guide them

through the process of commercialization by honing their skills and helping them to grow and realize

their market potential.

Identifying intellectual property with commercial potential in universities and corporations

Hands-on training in technology transfer and intellectual property rights

Online technology commercialization courses

Technology valuation and market assessment

BUILDING ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMSINNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS


7/23

1213

Incorporated company: YesCategory: Real EstateExpansion to other markets:MENA &Turkey

Previous affiliated events: 1st place, 2013 GISTStartup Boot Camp, Jordan

Hanan Khader

[email protected]

@hkhader

Hanan was the technical Manager of the MicrosoftDepartment at Maktoob.com, which was acquired by Yahooin 2009. She is very active about motivating women and girlsin her country to stand for a new mission in their lives, andto contribute in creating a brighter future for themselvesand their society. In 2013, she founded Aqar-Estate. Usingthe freemium subscription model, Aqar-Estate.com helpsusers buy and sell properties, find suitable housing, anddiscover the price of their property online. Today Aqar-Estatehas become the largest real estate marketplace in Jordanand is among the top three in the MENA region. Hanan hasbeen selected by the U.S. Bureau of Education and CulturalAffairs as a 2013 Emerging Leader in its TechWomen program.She is one of top three Jordanian women in technology.

Aqar-Estate@aqarestate

aqar-estate.comJORDAN

GIST ENTREPRENEURS




Incorporated company: YesCategory:Enterprise SolutionsExpansion to other markets:East African Region

Previous affiliated events: Best Female Entrepreneur,2013 GIST Regional Startup Boot Camp, Tanzania

Catherine Kiguru

Chief [email protected]

@kiguruc

Ukall Limited is a boutique InformationCommunications Technology (ICT) Company witha focus on business process automation. Akida ismobile to web platform that addresses the challengesof staff attendance verification and communication

in small to large organizations that employ mobileworkforces or deploy staff in various locations such asSecurity Companies, Marketing Firms and FacilitiesManagement. Akida incorporates staff attendancethrough facial verification, GPS and time logging. Itallows reporting and an effective and affordable way ofcommunicating through its reporting and alerts feature.In addition to founding Akida, Catherine is also a coreteam member of Akirachix, an organisation formed toencourage female participation in the male dominatedICT arena.

Akidaukall.co.ke

KENYA

GIST ENTREPRENEURS





8/23

1415

Incorporated company: YesCategory: Education

Expansion to other markets:East African CountriesPrevious affiliated events: 2nd Place, 2013 GIST

Tech-I Competition, Malaysia

Christopher Asego

Director of Operations andCo-founder

[email protected]@sikriiii

In Kenya, more than 65% of students abandon school afterfailing primary school. Having grown up in Kibera, the secondlargest slum in Sub-Saharan African, Christophers passion ininnovation and technology stems from seeing, first hand, theimpact of access to quality education in eradicating poverty.He decided to dedicate himself to helping poor disadvantaged

students who lack educational resources by using mobilephones to provide educational material. Together with Co-Founders Toni and Kago, Eneza Education Limited seeksto educate 50 million students in rural Africa by leveragingsimple, low-cost technology. Christopher started an impactgroup of 30 students in a slum, and by mentoring two of histeam members, the impact group has grown to over 180,000students. Revenue comes from student tools with parentalsupport providing pay-as-you-go hosting, testing, and VIPtools.

Eneza Education@EnezaEducation

enezaeducation.comKENYA

GIST ENTREPRENEURS




Incorporated company: YesCategory:Health

Expansion to other markets:USA & UKPrevious affiliated events: Semifinalist, 2011 & 2013

GIST Tech-I Competition

Anwar Almojarkesh

CEO & [email protected]

@AnwarMojarkesh

Many people in the world suffer from hearing impairment,which causes a variety of problems in their lives. Braciwas made to solve these problems. It was designed andmanufactured to help users detect emergency situations andsounds. It is a wireless and unique smartphone applicationthat can recognize a multitude of sounds from our daily lives.

The smart ear recognizes these sounds, and shows a picturerepresenting what it detects. It detects fire and theft alarmsin the market and it gives users the ability to record their owndoorbell and baby crying sounds. Braci can be connected tosmart watches and mobile devices, which enable an efficientand fast way to be notified of all situations. This product isaffordable and easy to use.

Braci Inc.@BraciInc

braci.coJORDAN

GIST ENTREPRENEURS





9/23

1617

Incorporated company: YesCategory: Recruitment and Jobs

Expansion to other markets:Middle East & USAPrevious affiliated events: Best Female Entrepreneur

Award, 2013 GIST-Tech I Competition, Malaysia

Nermin Fawzi Sad

CO-Founder & [email protected]

Nermin was ranked 47th in the 2014 100 Most Powerful ArabWomen for her achievements and impact on the region andunderstands the needs and struggles of the modern Arabwoman. Her startup, Handasiyat, aims to bypass social rulesand solve the deficit of local engineers through a customized

online platform. This platform supports Arab femaleengineers and encourages them to use their qualifications inthe market and allows them to work on their own terms. Italso aims to solve employment complexity in crisis areas inthe Arab world. Because Hadasiyat is one of the-few Arabicbusinesses available to embark upon creating an-onlineplatform catering for this type of business, they benefit fromhaving few direct competitors. The startup now comprises ofthree full time employees on the management team.

Handasiyat@Handasiyat

handasiyat.netJORDAN

GIST ENTREPRENEURS




Incorporated company: YesCategory:Financial ServicesExpansion to other markets:Sub Saharan Africa,

Asia, Middle East & South AmericaPrevious affiliated events: Honorable Mention Award,

2013 GIST Tech-I Competition, Malaysia

Alex Mwaura Muriu

[email protected]

@hellomuriu

Seventy percent of employment in Africa comes fromagriculture, yet there are still continent-wide food shortages.Farmers across the region are having trouble expandingtheir businesses due to a lack of funding. Farmspace Africawas created to fill this void and help boost the agriculturalindustry in Africa. It is a mobile application where urban

middle to upper class individuals, investment groups,and other investors can provide crowd source loans andinvestments to small agricultural businesses and farmers.The mobile and web platform allows the service to be widelyaccesible by farmers and investors alike, while its crowdfunding nature is also intended to dilute risk. Alex, 27, hopesthis brand of microfinance will propel Africas economies intoa future of prospertity.

Farmspace Africa@farmspaceafrica

farmspaceafrica.comKENYA

GIST ENTREPRENEURS





10/23

1819

Incorporated company: YesCategory:Gaming

Expansion to other markets:AfricaPrevious affiliated events: 4thplace at GIST Startup

Bootcamp, Tanzania

Okalany Daniel

[email protected]

@dokalanyi

Africa has a rich tradition of games that have been playedfor generations in various societies across the continent,however few of these games exist on the mobile platform.Kola Studios creates and promotes mobile games based onphysical games that come from the African tradition suchas Matatu, originating in Uganda, and Karata, originating inKenya. Matatu is its most popular game, a two player cardgame that has logged over 50,000 downloads and counting.Revenue is generated through integrated ads Kola Studioshas four apps on the Google play store.

Kola Studios@kolastudios

kolastudios.comUGANDA

GIST ENTREPRENEURS




Incorporated company: YesCategory: Recruitment and JobsExpansion to other markets:Latin America, Asia,

Africa, Middle East, & North AmericaPrevious affiliated events:Semifinalist, 2013 GIST

Tech-I Competition, Malaysia

Adnan Zafar Khawaja

Founder & [email protected]

@adnanzkh

Adnan is deeply passionate about creating significant socialchange. He created IdeaCentricity after being inspired byconversations with a variety of low skilled workers expressingthe difficulties of finding enough work to make ends meet.Adnan is now the Founder & CEO of IdeaCentricity Odd

Jobbers, a convenient low-skilled labor marketplace. Workersare alerted about opportunities over their mobile devicesbased on proximity to the service request point, individualskill set, and prior service ratings. Workers respond withbids and are informed once users accept their service offers.Laborers are routinely screened against certain performancebenchmarks and are provided trainings and tips to improvetheir service ratings.

IdeaCentricityideacentricity.biz

PAKISTAN

GIST ENTREPRENEURS





11/23

2021

Incorporated company: Yes

Category:Enterprise SolutionExpansion to other markets:MENA, Europe andNorth America

Previous affiliated events: Semifinalist, 2013 GISTTech-I Competition, Malaysia

Nizar Ben Neji

Founder and [email protected]

@Nizar_BN

Nizar has more than eight years of experience in the ITindustry as a computer engineer. Starting from the concept ofsmarter consumers need smarter ways of communication, hefounded Smarter++, an IT company specialized in deliveringinnovative B2C marketing solutions. It already offers twoproducts: QR++ codes and SmartCatalog. QR++ Service offerswider data storage capacity for audio, video, images, andtexts without internet access. This product is ideal for storingreadable data and multimedia items used for marketing andbusiness-to-consumer relationships. SmartCatalog is aninteractive PDF catalogue allowing customers to build theirown without the need for computer skills or a computerdesigner. The goal is to help businesses have more customersand drive more sales.

Smarter++smarter-plus-plus.com

TUNISIA

GIST ENTREPRENEURS




Incorporated company: YesCategory:Enterprise Solution

Expansion to other markets:AsiaPrevious affiliated events: Participant, 2012 GIST Startup

Bootcamp, Malaysia & People Choice Award recipient,2013 GIST Tech-I Competition, Malaysia

Alvin Chai

[email protected]

@Alvin_Chai

After working as a barrister and then at a websiteoptimization startup, Alvin recruited his high school friendand co-founded Netizen Testing Private Limited. It strives toreduce the amount of time and investment required to testwebsite usability and eliminate the need for consultant-runfocus groups. By crowd sourcing their testers, Netizen TestingPrivate Limited provides quick and affordable on-demandtesting solutions and research services to their clients. Theyoffer to website owners a series of videos depicting ordinaryusers sharing their thoughts aloud while using the website.As clients watch and listen to user response and behaviorsthey can identify exactly when and why visitors leave thewebsite. Clients also receive written summaries of thetesters critiques.

Netizen Testing Limited@NetizenTesting

netizentesting.comMALAYSIA

GIST ENTREPRENEURS





12/23

2223

Incorporated company: YesCategory: Social Network and CollaborationExpansion to other markets:Asia

Previous affiliated events: Semifinalist, 2014 GISTStartup Boot Camp, Indonesia

Frans Setio Yuwono

Founder & [email protected]

@fransing

Frans Yuwono has 10+ experience in IT and a passion forcommunities. The idea came during his tenure as Presidentof the Surabaya Rotary Club where he attempted to improvecommunity public relations, member management, sharingand collaborations by leveraging innovative technology.

Wakuwakuw is a social media community platform thatempowers communities with personalized webpages,channel collaboration, event planning, newsletter andfundraising. Ultimately, it is a platform to simplify communityorganizers to manage their community and bring moremembers and audiences. Under his management, the clubwas elected as the best Rotary Club in the World by RotaryInternational in 2012 (in the 10-25 members category),competing against 12,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide. Itwas awarded a prestigious President Citation by RotaryInternational.

GIST ENTREPRENEURS



Wakuwakuw@ wakuwakuw

wakuwakuw.comINDONESIA


Incorporated company: Yes

Category:Travel and TransportationExpansion to other markets:Asia

Previous affiliated events:1st Place, 2012 GIST Tech-ICompetition, UAE

Natali Ardianto

Co-founder & [email protected]@nataliardianto

Natali supports his full-time career as an entrepreneurwith 20 years of programming experience and threesuccessful internet startups. Tiket.com is an online traveland entertainment gateway based in Indonesia where youcan buy flight, train, hotel, concert events and movie tickets

all in one convenient place. Their number one product isflight booking and ticketing. They are ranked third in trainticket transactions and have 14 methods of solving paymentproblems due to Indonesias lack of a convergent paymentmethod. Tiket.com has become a worldwide success. Alongwith winning the 2012 GIST Tech-I Competition, Tiket.comalso won first place at the BUBU Awards in 2013, TeklomIndigo Fellowship Award in 2012, and the ASEAN ICT Awardsthat same year. Natalis site has been featured in MarketingMagazine, Bloomberg, and Businessweek, among others.

Tiket.com@tiket

tiket.comINDONESIA

GIST ENTREPRENEURS





13/23

2425



MENTORS, SPEAKERS


Carter Cast, Clinical Associate Professor of Management, Kellogg

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/carter-cast/b/188/704Carter received his early training in the restaurant division of PepsiCo, Inc. Carter then served as vice presidentof product marketing and marketing communications at Electronic Arts, launching products like SimCity3000and The Sims. He left to become a member of the start-up team for Blue Nile Inc., a Kleiner-Perkins andTrinity Ventures backed company, the leading online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, selling in excess of$250 million after seven years in existence. He served as the senior vice president of marketing, merchandizing,creative and site from 2002-2005 at Walmart. In 2011, Carter joined the faculty of Northwestern UniversitysKellogg School of Management, where he is a professor teaching entrepreneurship and marketing.

MENTORS, SPEAKERS




Kurt Brasch, Patent Licensing Manager, Google

www.linkedin.com/in/kurtbraschHaving moved to Google from Motorola Mobility (MMI) in October, 2012, Kurt is focused on patent licensingand also leads patent transaction strategy. His work has included the development of Googles cross licensingstrategy and he led the Google-Cisco license negotiations that successfully closed in January, 2014. Before

joining Motorolas mobile device business in 2008, Mr. Brasch created and led a start-up consulting firm focusedon training technical managers. Before that, he was with Motorolas government business for 18 years withexperience in product marketing, international logistics, sales and finance. He holds a bachelors degree infinance from Arizona State University and a masters in business administration from Northern Illi nois University.

Mike Bilder, General Manager, Jellyvision Studios / You Dont Know Jackhttps://www.linkedin.com/pub/mike-bilder/0/729/1baMike has over 15 years of game development experience ranging from mobile and social titles (Facebook) tomultimillion dollar console products (Xbox, Playstation, Wii) and emerging platforms (Amazons Fire TV). Heis currently the General Manager of Jackbox Games, Inc, creators of YOU DONT KNOW JACK, Word Puttz,Fibbage, and many other award winning social, mobile, and console titles. Prior to Jackbox Games, Mike was theStudio Head at Midway Games in Chicago and a Software Engineer at Motorola.

Daniela Bolzmann, Co-Founder & CMO of WeDelliver.us

www.linkedin.com/in/dbolzmannAs Co-Founder and CMO at WeDeliver, Daniela Bolzmann uses her powers to help local businesses of Chicagogrow their sales and connect with the local community through delivery. She serves on the council for Ms.Tech,a group dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs gain access to the resources they need most.

Joe Born, CEO, Hale Deviceswww.linkedin.com/in/joebornJoe has decades of experience with designing, sourcing and marketing. He has brought our $300 Million worth ofconsumer electronics to market, including the SkipDr. Joe is also founder of Neuros Technology, which becamea pioneer in developing open source set-top boxes for Internet television and other video and audio hardwaredevices. He is an expert in hardware design, manufacturing and sup ply-chain management. Joe holds dozens ofpatents and has brought a host of CE accessories and devices to market with hundreds of millions of dollars insales. Joe is passionate advocate of the power of open source and crowd-sourcing innovations and is active inthe open source community. His current venture, Hale Devices, is an Android auto accessory using the worldsfirst universal speaker dock for Android with a remote.

Sean Chou, Chief Technology Officer, Fieldglass, Inc.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chousySean was the first employee at Fieldglass, an award-winning cloud solution company. He has worked therefor 14 years and is currently responsible for the overall development and delivery of Fieldglass solutionsand professional services, overseeing the product development, hosting, implementation, customer care andmarketing departments. His development team was an early pioneer in cloud technology, with a number ofinnovations that have helped define the industry. Sean has helped to build Fieldglass into the leading VMS,receiving numerous awards and recognition from organizations including The Stevie Awards and the ChicagoInnovation Awards.

Erin Fox, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg

http://www.btlaw.com/erin-j-fox/Erin is also a member of Barnes & Thornburgs Intellectual Property Department. She oversees U.S. and foreignpatent prosecution and coordinates with foreign associates to best protect her clients rights globally. She hasdrafted and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications in the mechanical, electro-mechanical, business method,software and design arts. Erin was recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2014 for her work inthe Intellectual Property practice area. She is the committee chair for the Intellectual Property Law Associationof Chicago (IPLAC) CLE Committee and is active in the Chicago Bar Association, including the Alliance for

Women. Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Before entering the legal field, Erin worked as a software engineerfor a large global consulting firm and a small software firm in Chicago.

Bob Gillespie, CEO, Networking Research Group, Inc.www.linkedin.com/pub/bob-gillespie/9/29b/3b5Bob has over 20 years experience in consulting, technology, leadership and operations. A serial entrepreneur,he believes the ability to build great teams is the most important factor of success. He regularly holds sessionson Entrepreneurial Finance, Financial Modeling and Startups as part of the mentoring programs at the 1871accelerator. He has spoken at the Business Marketing Association, the Society for Information Management, TheUniversity of Chicago Booth School of Business, Northwestern University, DePaul University, The AcceleratorConference for Entrepreneurship and the Seed11 Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Conference amongothers. He has also been interviewed on NBC-5 Chicago, CBS-2 Chicago, BBC-Discovery, CNBC and CrainsChicago Business.


14/23

2627



MENTORS, SPEAKERS

The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey in Chicago is organized in collaboration with 1871The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey in Chicago is organized in collaboration with 1871



Samuel Guren, Owner, Guren Capital Management, LLC

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/sam-guren/4/290/b8Samuel started in the venture capital/private equity business in 1975, with Continental Illinois VentureCorporation (CIVC). In 1981, Mr. Guren was recruited by William Blair to co-found and manage William BlairVenture Partners. He grew the business to six professionals during three funds. Robert Baird recruited Mr.Guren in 1996 to manage the Baird Capital funds. From 2007 to 2011, he was the Managing Director of the HydePark Angels, an angel network affiliated with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Guren is arecipient of the Stanley C. Golder Medal which acknowledges individuals who have made profound and last ingcontributions to the private equity industry in Illinois.

MENTORS, SPEAKERS

Bryan Jurewicz, Founder, GradeBeam

www.linkedin.com/in/bryanjurewiczBryan is a visionary entrepreneur, successful CEO and executive advisor to early s tage businesses. Amonghis achievements, he built the GradeBeam.com B2B Construction Communication Network, which connects500,000+ contractors across North America. He led the company from initial concept through a successfulacquisition and transitioned GradeBeam.com into a d ivision of Textura which subsequently went public (NYSE:TXTR). Mr. Jurewicz is now focused on helping companies execute strategies to accelerate growth, securefunding and achieve shareholder value.

Corbett Kull, Co-Founder, 640 Labs

www.linkedin.com/in/corbettkullPrior to founding 640 Labs, Corbett ran worldwide sales and business development for PacketVideo. While atPacketVideo, he ran a sales organization of 20 people and was responsible for revenues of $70m per year. Histeam was responsible for sales to Verizon, AT&T, Cisco, Orange, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo, and Hewlett Packard.Corbett started his career at Motorola working on signal processing software for satellite communications. Heearned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and his MBA in Marketing

from the Stuart School of Business at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Eric Lunt, Co-founder & CTO, BrightTag

http://about.me/eluntEric currently serves as C TO of BrightTag, a global leader in real-time cloud-based marketing technologies basedin Chicago. Prior to joining Bri ghtTag, he was co-founder and CTO of FeedBurner, which Google acquired in 2007.After the acquisition, he remained at Google in a senior technology role for two years. Prior to FeedBurner, Ericco-founded and served as CTO at Spyonit.com (acquired by 724 Solutions), served as lead technical architect atDigital Knowledge Assets, and helped to lead the application architecture team in Accentures next generationtechnology group known as Project Eagle. In addition t o his work at BrightTag, Eric is a senior technologyadvisor to Twitter and was recognized as one of Crains Tech 25 for his contributions to drive technology growthin Chicago.

Karen Gordon, Founder & CEO, Lean Creative labs

http://linkd.in/gordonkarenKaren has been an advisor for over 14 years at i.c. Stars, project-based learning and full-immersion teaching toprovide an opportunity for participants to develop skills in business and digital technology. In 2013, she foundedLean Creative Labs, which provides workshops and consulting services that enable individuals and teams toknowingly and consistently increase their economic contributions. They do this by developing an individualsand/or teams creative and innovative mindset and skills. She i s also a mentor and advisor at 1871, Chicagosepicenter for digital startups. Karen has a BBA in Marketing from George Washington University and hasattended New York Universitys Masters program in Interactive Telecommunications.

Gabe Greenbaum, Vice President, Pritzker Group Venture Capital

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-heinen/13/948/757Gabe joined Pritzker Group Venture Capital in 2012. He has been i nvolved in the financing, strategy andoperations of various technology, energy/clean-technology and business service companies over the past 13years. Previously, Gabe worked as an i nvestor with OCA Ventures, where he focused on early stage consumerIT, B2B, and SaaS investments. Prior to that, he was a consultant with AlixPartners, working on large scaleoperational and financial restructurings. Gabe co-founded StudentSpace LLC, a profitable, Chicago-based leadgeneration and brokerage group focused on the student housing market and, more recently, Storeplacer, anagile e-commerce Platform as a Service busi ness. He is a founding member of the non-profit board of ChicagoProfessionals for Youth (CPY) and is a member of Indego Africa.

Paul Heinen, SVP, Vornado Realty Trust

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-heinen/13/948/757Vornado owns and manages over 100 million square feet of properties. Paul oversees office leasing for Vornadoproperties in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Previously, Paul was Head of Asset Management at TheJohn Buck Company for over 13 years, Vice President of Real Estate Services for Cain Brothers & Company, Inc.,and Vice President of Development for the Koll Company.

Aksh Gupta, Founder & CEO, Occasion

http://www.linkedin.com/in/akshguptaAksh believes that there is no e-commerce, its just commerce. There is no e-marketing, its just marketing.Technology is now a fundamental part of everything we d o. He has been building tech tools for the smallbusiness and co-founded Ocassion, an application that lets merchants accept bookings on their websites i n under5 minutes. Businesses simply create listings and add them to their websites. By pasting just two lines of code,merchants can enable their customers to book online. Occasion is online booking made simple.


15/23

2829




MENTORS, SPEAKERS




MENTORS, SPEAKERS

Muhammed Mekki, Founding Partner, AstroLabshttps://ae.linkedin.com/in/mmekkiMuhammed caught the entrepreneurial bug while studying for his MBA at Stanford University and workingwith the founding team of a venture-backed Silicon Valley tech startup. As an Iraqi-American, he has alwaysbeen interested in bridging between the US and the Middle East to encourage a mutually beneficial exchange ofpeople and ideas. In 2011, Muhammed co-founded Namshi with Louis and served as Managing Director from itsinception until 2013. He developed deep expertise in operations, managing a team of over 40 professionals inlogistics, production, and customer service. Muhammed is a former McKinsey consultant, serving clients acrossthe GCC, and was featured in Gulf Business among Arabias most powerful 30 Under 30.

Julian Miller, Co-founder, Learnmetricshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/millerjulianJulian is a former high school teacher and department head tur ned technologist. After leaving the classroom,he spent a few years as a teaching artist and curriculum consultant before going to work for companies likeHP, SunTime Media, Canon Camera, Barnes and Noble and more. Julian is obsessed with creating experienceas a means to take branding beyond the page. He is now the co-founder of Learnmetrics, a big data analyticscompany for education to increase the capacity and opportunities for student success. His areas of expertiseinclude education & edtech, front-end web development and design.

Jamie Migdal, CEO & Founder, FetchFind

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiedamatomigdalJamie Migdal is a serial entrepreneur with 18 years of experience as a Founder/CEO. Having successfullybuilt three companies within the pet industry space, she is considered an expert across all aspects of the petservices industry, including business development, client services, marketing, and management. Her fourth andcurrent startup, FetchFind, is a digital company dedicated to further professionalizing the pet care industryvia technology and education. Jamie is committed to participating in the business community, particularly as itrelates to supporting fellow entrepreneurs.

Shachar Schiff, Founder, Bad Testinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/shacharschiffAfter spending 14 years delivering dynamic, results-oriented testing solutions for marketing, Internet andBroadcast Media industries, Shachar founded BAD TESTING, a company that helps you manage risks associatedwith technology changes. It optimizes the performance of all processes from start to fi nish and deliversimmediate and impactful contributions clients. His first job was as a systems operator at AOL. He has also playedan active role from inception to d elivery on projects for companies like Cadillac, Cherokee Casinos, Chicago

Bears, Kelloggs, Levi Strauss & Co., New York Times, Philip Morris, Professional Golfers Association of America(PGA), and Procter & Gamble Co.

Andy Sabin, Ph.D., Founder& Managing Member, Ear Machine

www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-sabin/18/365/853Andy is the Founder and Managing Member at Ear Machine. Ear Machine works to improve the user experienceof hearing assistance devices via smart phones and tablets. It is funded by the National Institutes of Health touse big data to help people personalize the sound of their hearing aids. Prior to founding Ear Machine, Andycompleted a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University. Andy has alsoworked extensively in music production.

Sonal Mane, Startup Portfolio Manager, Microsoft & Microsoft Ventures

http://sonalmane.com/about/Sonal is a Startup Portfolio Manager at Microsoft based in Chicago, IL working with incubators like TechStarsChicago and Catapult, places like 1871 and TechNexus, and other major Chicago-area institutions like Built InChicago. She is involved in US- and region-wide startup efforts like Sili con Prairie News, CIW, TechCocktailand SxSW and manages Microsofts partnerships across Midwest and Heartland. Sonal has over eight years ofexperience in product management leading cross-organization initiatives across Windows, Office and Bing whilemanaging multidisciplinary fast-paced teams.

Dan Ratner, Co-founder & Executive Chairman, Public Good Software

http://danratner.com/speaking/Dan is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Public Good Software. Prior to PGS he was Director ofDevelopment, helping to build the technology team for President Obamas 2012 re-election campaign. Beforethe campaign, Dan served as Co-Founder and COO/CTO at Sittercity, the nations largest service dedicated tohelping parents find quality childcare online. In addition to his startup and campaign work, Dan is on the boardsof Open Books, a Chicago literacy organization, and Fulcrum Point New Music Project. When not working, heloves to write and has published two non-fiction books on nano-technology and is working on an upcomingnovel.

Simeon Schnapper, CEO and co-founder, Youtopia

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeonschnapperSimeon is an actor and producer known for his movies Dot and Neo Ned. He co-founded Youtopia, a studentengagement platform that provides instant access to plug-and-play gamification tools (points, badges, andleaderboards) that incentivizes students to become more engaged in their school and their community. Thisventure started as a fake startup to make a movie about creating a company. After winning a few startupcompetitions, the venture became a reality with the goal of bringing and documenting its growth all the way tobecoming an IPO.

GIST E t hi J GIST E t hi J


16/23

3031




MENTORS, SPEAKERS




H.R.H. Prince Saud Bin Khalid Al-Faisal, Deputy Governor for Investment Affairs

HRH Prince Saud K Al-Faisal heads the Investment Affairs department, which is responsible for managing theinvestment environment and competitiveness agenda of Saudi Arabia. He has been the President of the NationalCompetitiveness Center since 2010 and is on the board of Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON), KingFaisal Foundation, the Global Federation of Competitive Councils, and several other government commissionsand regional investment councils. Previously, he worked as a fi nancial analyst with Saudi Aramco.

Nolan Bushnell, Founder, Atari Corporation, Chuck E. Cheese Pizza and Brainrush

Nolan Bushnell is best known as the founder of Atari Corporation and Chuck E. Cheeses Pizza Time Theater.Nolan is passionate about enhancing and improving the educational process by integrating the latest in brainscience, and truly enjoys motivating and i nspiring others with his views on entrepreneurship, creativity,innovation and education. Currently, he is devoting his talents to fixing education with his new company,Brainrush, which uses video game metrics to addict learners to academic subjects; his beta software is teachingacademic subjects with over 90% retention.

Rashid Al Ballaa, CEO, National Net Ventures (N2V)

Rashid Al Ballaa is the founder of N2V, one of the largest internet holding companies in the MENA region thatinvests capital in web ventures and offers essential infrastructure services to help accelerate their growth. Heis also a board member of National Technology Group (NTG), the regions largest ICT conglomerate and keyprovider of financial technology and services. Before N2V, Rashid spearheaded regional business developmentefforts of Mubasher, the first e-trading solution in the MENA region and founded Direct Broker for FinancialServices (DBFS).

GIST ADVISORY GROUP

Dr. Pat Dinneen, Managing Director, Siguler Guff & Company

Dr. Pat Dinneen has focused on emerging markets for most of her 36-year career with responsibilities in duediligence, selection and monitoring of funds and co-investments, performance benchmarking, research, andclient advisory work. In her current position at Siguler Guff & Company, which she began in 2004, Dr. Dineenmanages their $2 billion BRIC private equity investments. Prior to that, she worked with Cambridge Associates,British Telecommunications (BT), and Hughes Communication, expanding expand their business ventures intoemerging European and Asian markets.

Sebastian Villarreal, Founder, LendSquare

www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianvillarrealLendSquare provides small businesses with an alternative path for financing. Instead of going to a traditionalbank, small businesses can use LendSquare to borrow from customers, suppliers, and members of their extendedsocial network. Through LendSquare, small businesses find financing at an appropriate interest rate, individualsinvest transparently and profitably, and community bonds are strengthened. LendSquares lending platformis aimed at existing small businesses that need funds to grow. LendSquare uses local knowledge to createinvestment opportunities that are overlooked by traditi onal banking services.

Chuck Templeton, Managing Director, Impact Engine and Founder, OpenTablewww.linkedin.com/in/ctempChuck is passionate about early stage and emerging companies, and is focused on using business principlesto find solutions to the worlds most pressing problems. He took his first big step as an entrepreneur in SanFrancisco when he founded OpenTable, which went public on the NASDAQ in May of 2009 (OPEN). WhileCEO, he recruited and hired the fi rst management team, obtained and allocated company resources, led thebusiness and product s trategy, and carefully crafted a highly dedicated cu lture. OpenTable is the global leader inrestaurant reservations with customers in all 50 states and more than a dozen countries.

Jim Spinello, President & CEO, Birdsong Ventures

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jim-spinello/0/17a/b0bBirdsong Ventures is a collective of E ntrepreneurs, Angels, Advisors, Mentors, Marketers and Activistsfocused on introducing brands to disru ptive technology and investing in seed stage companies specifically inthe consumer internet, SoLoMo and second screen digital entertainment verticals. Our members have lived inthe trenches of the corporate brand and entrepreneurial communities for years. With that experience weverefined the art of delivering innovative results to our partners with a focus on relevance as the key to return oninvestment.

GIST EntrepreneurshipJourneyGIST EntrepreneurshipJourney


17/23

3233



CRDF GLOBAL GIST TEAM

NATALIA PIPIA

Associate Director, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, CRDF Global - @NataliaPIpiawww.linkedin.com/in/nataliapipiaNatalia Pipia develops and oversees Entrepreneurship & Innovation Programs at CRDF Global. She expands andgenerates new opportunities with the private sector, foundations, and international organizations that shareCRDF Globals mission of advancing technology entrepreneurship in emerging economies. A critical part of hercurrent position is developing vision and outreach strategies as well as overseeing a portfolio of programs thatsource and provide support t o tech companies. She executes several programs, including GIST and VentureOut

Initiative, that support hundreds of early stage entrepreneurs in the Middle East, Africa, Eurasia, South EastAsia, and the Caribbean regions by providing education, technical skills, seed funding, and U.S. market access toentrepreneurs. Natalia advises on policy and programs that promote all aspects of entrepreneurial ecosystembuilding. She holds a M.A. in International Relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced InternationalStudies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University.

YURITZI ACOSTAAssociate Program Manager, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, CRDF Global

www.linkedin.com/in/yuritziacosta/Yuritzi Acosta has over five years of experience in international program management. For the last three years,she has been actively engaged in implementing programs focused on entrepreneurship support and workingwith a diverse group of entrepreneurs and startups from all over the world. She has helped develop a networkof entrepreneurs, angel and venture investors, incubators, business accelerators, universities and otherstakeholders to support these aspir ing entrepreneurs. She has coordinated a number of programs funded bylocal and international agencies, and has lived in countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.

OVIDIU BUJOREAN

Senior Manager, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, CRDF Global @ovidiubujoreanwww.linkedin.com/in/bujoreanOvidiu Bujorean built a network of global partnerships with likeminded organizations such as MIT EnterpriseForum, Startup Malaysia, TOBB/ Tepav, Infodev and Microsoft as well as attracted the support of globallyrecognized entrepreneurs and investors such as Jeff Hoffman cofounder and former CEO of Priceline, NolanBushnell Co-founder of Atari and Ali Sabanc, Chairman of Pegasus Airlines. He was Senior Associate at RudyardPartners, a private equit y firm focused on investing in consumer technologies. Ovidiu founded LEADERS, anorganization that impacted the lives of 10K+ young leaders and entrepreneurs in Romania and Southern-EasternEurope. Ovidiu is a graduate of MIT Sloan (MBA) and Harvard Kennedy School (MPA).


GIST Entrepreneurship JourneyJune 9-20, 2014 Chicago, IL & Washington, DCTheGISTInitiativeis a partnershipledby the U.S. Department of StateandCRDF Global.


Ali Ismail Sabanci, Chairman and Director, Pegasus Airlines

Ali I. Sabanci has built a successful career in international finance. In 2004, he joined Esas Holding Corporationand advanced to his current position at Pegasus Airlines when it was purchased by Esas. He is a board memberof Esass partner companies Izair Corporation and Air Berlin as well as a member of TYD, TSIAD, ISO and TAIK.Since 2009, Ali has also been a director of Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG and AFM Uluslararasi FilmProduksiyon A.I.

Dr. Roger Wyse, Managing Director & General Partner, Burrill & Company

Dr. Roger Wyse has led the development of agriculture, nutraceuticals, health and wellness, and industrialbiotechnology projects at Burrill & Company, a leading life sciences company that manages $1 bil lion inventure capital. Dr. Wyse is on the board of 11 private companies and has over 30 years of experience as aninternationally-recognized scientist and dean at two major research universities. He speaks globally aboutbiotechnology applications and policy in food, agricultural and bio-clean tech, and the use of venture capital as acomponent of an open innovation strategy for emerging economies.

Jeff Hoffman, Co-Founder & Former CEO, Priceline.com, Founder, ColorJar

Jeff Hoffman is an accomplished entrepreneur and innovator in the fi elds of Internet, e-commerce, andentertainment. Since launching his first software company while still in university, Jeff has founded, grown, andexited a series of successful startup companies throughout his career. He dedicates significant time to mentoringother entrepreneurs. Jeff he has presented in over 40 countries worldwide and can be seen on Fox News, CNN,NBC, and other major media outlets.

GIST ADVISORY GROUP

GIST EntrepreneurshipJourneyGIST EntrepreneurshipJourney


18/23

3435


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE GIST TEAM

DR. ANNA QUIDER

GIST & Innovation Program Manager, U.S. Department of StateDr. Anna Quider works to improve local and global communities through international cooperation bysupporting U.S. Department of State policies and programming at the intersection of science, innovation, anddiplomacy, including the GIST Initiative. Previously, Dr. Quider developed strategies to address local, national,and international issues spanning education, sci ence, innovation, and foreign affairs for the Office of Rep.Russ Carnahan, U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Quider is an astrophysicist who regularly engages broadaudiences on topics including astronomy, professional development, and po licy.

MS. KATHRYN PHARR

Science, Technology & Innovation Program Manager, U.S. Department of StateMs. Kathryn Pharr, PMP, manages programs that enhance the impact of science, technology, and innovationto solve global and local challenges, including the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST)initiative. Previously, Ms. Pharr used her chemistry masters degree to help a start-up sustainable natural carecompany receive a worldwide exclusive patent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She has also worked

with USAID in Egypt, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Indonesia.

DR. SARA KLUCKING

Global Engagement Team Lead, U.S. Department of StateSara Klucking came to the U. S. Department of State from the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S.Department of Homeland Security where she managed a diverse S&T portfolio of risk analytics, simulationmodeling, and health security projects aimed at supporting science based decision making in health securityand counterterrorism program investments in DHS and the broader homeland security enterprise. Her federalservice began through an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship and included a year serving in theU.S. House of Representatives as a Brookings Instituti on Legis Congressional Fellow.



DR. JONATHAN MARGOLISDeputy Assistant Secretary for Science, Space and Health in the Department of States Bureau

of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES)Jonathan Margolis currently oversees policies and programs in t he areas of international science andtechnology cooperation, space and advanced technologies, and international health and biodefense atOES. He has had a distinguished career at the State Department working in a number of divisions. He hasalso conducted courses at American University and the Foreign Service Institute on environmental policy,negotiations, and international organizations.

CRDF GLOBAL GIST TEAM

FIDAN KARIMOVA

Associate Program Manager, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, CRDF Globalwww.linkedin.com/in/fidankarimovaFidan Karimova joined GIST in October 2012, focusing on GISTs media and communications efforts, as well asimplementing the GIST TechConnect live video broadcasts. Since she joined the team, GISTs social networkhas seen a two-fold increase, from 80K to 190K+ followers, and the live broadcasts have reached over 6,500viewers around the globe. She has traveled extensively, including living abroad in China, Italy, and Spain andworking for the summer at the UN in Azerbaijan. Fidan has a degree in International Business and EnvironmentalManagement and enjoys combining those two fields of interest in her work.

AMANDA GANT

Associate Program Manager, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, CRDF Globalwww.linkedin.com/in/amandalynngantAmanda Gant joined GIST in March 2012, working with international partners to organize startup boot campsand virtual mentorship programs. Amanda has long had the entrepreneurship bug, s elling bracelets on the beachof her hometown since middle school, an experience that inspired her to study international development withthe hope of empowering others to realize their dreams by starting their businesses. Amanda supports her localcommunity by organizing the annual Glover Park Day, which showcases local area businesses and non-profits;she also leads service-oriented ecotourism trips to Nicaragua to promote travel and cu ltural exchange.



GIST IN THE NEWSGIST EntrepreneurshipJourney


19/23

3637

Young entrepreneurs from NUST have made the nation proudPakistans Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani extended his congratulations to entrepreneurs from Pakistans National University of Science and Technology. He commended the Sahara and

Saltech teams for making it to the victory stand at an international business plan competition, titled Global Innovation through Science & Technology (GIST) -- Battle of Ideas World Cup

2011.

Read more at tiny.cc/NUST

GIST Entrepreneurs Inspire Female Small Business Ownerin Washington, DC

Mehrunisa Qayyum writes in her Small Business blog p ost Small Business Tips to Fight Holiday Stress, that she was encouraged by t he GIST Transformers

she met at a leadership seminar held at the World Bank in Washington, DC during the US Entrepreneurship Journey. Confronted by holiday pressures as the founder of a new Middle East affairs consultancy,

she related to the insights of G IST speaker Jim Bagnola and GIST entrepreneurs in seeking innovative ways to successfully promote and build their start-ups in the crowded marketplace.

Read more at tiny.cc/duelow

Indonesian Minister: We need four million entrepreneurs

They hosted a recent conference and business plan competition to inspire, educate and cajole young people into taking the plunge. Theres a real craving for this kind of knowledge here, according to

Ovidiu Bujorean, program manager for Global Innovation through Science and Technology, the US-based agency that ran the event. Energy, drive, optimism the people Ive seen here are the ones who

can take the Indonesian economy into the new global economy of knowledge, ideas and prosperity. [Disclosure: I spoke, judged and put together a panel discussion at this event, implemented by CRDF

Global and funded by the US State Department.]

Read more at tiny.cc/GISTinFORBES

Road Trip! Founders Of YouTube, LinkedIn and Others TackleBrain Drain in Malaysia

Malaysia has a very y oung population, 65% of which is under 35, as well as the need to create jobs quickly. Hwang says entrepreneurship can create alternatives to other activities. In many cases the

government is responding to demand by the people, she says, like in Indonesia, where a grassroots movement began. The government recognized entrepreneurship to be a good cause to engage young

talent and create alternatives to other activities.She observes that the U.S. government has been promoting entrepreneurship in Muslim-dominated countries with this goal. The GIST initiative is a

partner of StartupMalaysia.org

Read more at tiny.cc/BRAINDRAIN

GIST IN THE NEWS


1871 Team



Kristin Barrett, VP, 1871https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinbarrettAs a vice president at 1871, one of the largest technology incubators in the United States, Kristin helps tomanage programming and operations. Prior to 1871, Kri stin ran operations for Excelerate Labs (now TechstarsChicago), a top-ranked technology startup accelerator, building educational programming and mentorshiprelationships. Kristin also worked with startups and early-stage investments through Hyde Park Angels. Kristinstarted in entrepreneurship while working on new ventures and corporate strategy for Redbox. She also workedin management consulting with A.T. Kearney, touching a variety of industries including pharmacy, logistics, andagricultural goods. She is on the board of Northwestern Student Holdings. In her free time, Kristin is working onher fluency in Spanish.

Tom Alexander, COO, 1871https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomalexander19As the COO of 1871, one of the largest technology incubators in the United States, Toms role includesoperations, business development, and external relations with government and media. Previously, Tomserved as deputy communications director for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Tom has also served as a seniorcommunications director at the University of Chicago, a policy and communications projects director in theOffice of the Governor of Illinois, and a senior disaster analyst for the U.S. Small Business Administrationin Washington, DC. He founded a small sports newspaper and has worked as a reporter, editor and adjunctprofessor of journalism.

Howard A. Tullman, CEO, 1871

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/howard-tullman/1/927/346Howard has over 45 years of star t-up, management, IPO and turn-around experience. He is the CEO of 1871,one of the largest technology incubators in the United States, and the General Managing Partner of G2T3V,LLC and of Chicago High Tech Investment Partners. He is a member of Mayor Emanuels Chicago NEXT andCultural Affairs Councils and of Governor Quinns Illinois Innovation and Arts Councils; a member of PresidentPreckwinkles New Media Council; an adjunct professor at Kellogg; and an advisor to many start-ups. Howardis the former Chairman and CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy. Over the last 45 years, he hassuccessfully founded more than a dozen high-tech companies.

GIST Entrepreneurship JourneyGIST IN THE NEWSGIST IN THE NEWS


20/23

3839

The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey in Chicago is organized in collaboration with 1871 The GIST Entrepreneurship Journey in Chicago is organized in collaboration with 1871

JORDAN

MOROCCO

ALGERIA

SENEGAL

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

TANZANIA

TURKEY

BANGLADESH

BOOT CAMP ARMENIAAFGHANISTAN

ALGERIA

AZERBAIJAN

BANGLADESH

BRAZIL

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

EGYPT

GEORGIA

GHANA

GUATEMALA

INDIA

JORDAN

KUWAIT

LEBANON

MALAYSIA

MEXICO

NIGERIA

OMAN

PAKISTAN

QATAR

SAUDIARABIA

SENEGAL

STOCKHOLM

TUNISIA

TURKEY

USA

VENEZUELA

TECH CONNECT

TURKEY

UAE

MALAYSIA

GIST @ GES

GIST ACTIVITIES


p p yJune 9-20, 2014 Chicago, IL & Washington, DC

Lebanon turns to apps to avoid growingviolence linked to Syria

Mohammad Taha, Lebanese entrepreneur and the second place winner of GIST Tech-I 2012 competition, featured for his mobile a pp, ma2too3a. The

crowd-sourced map app takes real-time information from its users about protests, traffic, roadblocks and classes and then feeds into the map.

Ma2too3a has been downloaded over 80,000 times.

Read more at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7fa6c9e8-13de-11e3-9289-00144feabdc0.html

SecQme joins the fight against crime in Malaysia

Meet the Coolest Next-Generation Science Entrepreneurs in MENA

At the second Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Istanb ul recently, we at Wamda were tremendously inspired by the contestants in the Global Innovation through Science & Technology (GIST) Competition,

who came from all over the Middle East and North Africa to showcase their carefully-honed scientific ideas that could transform our societies.

Read more at tiny.cc/WAMDA

Heart Attack Monitor Wins US Startup Contest for Middle East

Most Middle East entrepreneurs can only dream of a startup oasis such as Californias Silicon Valley that is filled with angel investors and venture capitalists. But

a few entrepreneurs have begun receiving funding from a more unlikely source - the U.S. government. One of those entrepreneurs, Ziad Sankari, was just 17 when

he lost his father to a heart attack. Today, the Lebanese engineer is building a startup based on a medical device that can monitor cardiac patients outside the

hospital around the clock. His startup idea won a first place prize of $20,000 in the final rounds of the U.S.-sponsored GIST Tech-I Competition held in Istanbul

last December. That funding from the U.S. State Department may help Sa nkari and his colleague, Najwa Sahmarani, develop a business plan for their Cardio

Diagnostics startup. The competition also provided business mentoring by flying in experts from MIT and Silicon Valley. GISTech was our shortcut towards better connections and visibili ty and provided

us, indeed, with some cash and unmatchable opportunities to visit Silicon Valley and possibly find a collaborator there, Sankari said.

Read more at tiny.cc/msnGIST

One of the GIST Initiative ventures, SecQme from Malaysia, highlighted in a BBC news article about crime prevention in the country.

SecQme is the first mobile safety app made for Android and iPhone that allows users to ensure others are aware of their whereabouts

whenever theyre feeling unsafe.

Read more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23750925

GIST IN THE NEWS

GIST Entrepreneurship JourneyGIST Entrepreneurship Journey


21/23

4041


THREE IDEAS I HAD NOT

THOUGHT OF BEFORE:

WEBSITES I HAVE TO CHECK OUT: TOP FIVE PEOPLE TO

FOLLOW UP WITH:

THINGS I FEEL INSPIRED TO

DO AFTER U.S. JOURNEY:

MOST INTERESTING IDEA I HAD:

FAVORITE QUOTES:

PRESENTATIONS I MUST

CHECK ON LATER:

PEOPLE I WANT TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER:

@

@

@

@

@

@

NOTES

TheGISTInitiativeis a partnershipledby the U.S. Department of StateandCRDF Global. June 9-20, 2014 Chicago, IL & Washington, DC

GIST PARTNERS

REGIONAL

EGYPTPAKISTAN

TURKEY KENYA TANZANIA

GlobalEntrepreneurshipProgramIndonesia

INDONESIA

SENEGAL

BANGLADESHTUNISIA ALGERIA BAHRAIN NIGERIA

MEDIA PARTNER

JORDANMALAYSIA


GIST Entrepreneurship JourneyJune9 20 2014Chicago IL& Washington DC


22/23

4243

NOTES




23/23

44

JOIN THE GIST NETWORKhttp://tiny.cc/JoinGIST

FOLLOW US TO RECEIVE NEWS ON NEW EVENTS

HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE GIST INITIATIVE

GIST CRDF Global1776 Wilson Blvd, 3rd Floor

Arlington, VA 22209www.crdf.org; www.gistinitiative.org

@GISTinitiative

facebook.com/GISTinitiative

tiny.cc/LinkedInGIST

thegistinitiative.wordpress.com

Documents

GIST Entrepreneurs Journey to the US - 2014