Index
Speakers
Programme
Arrivals at Catania Airport
Transfers to Taormina which is 45 minutes away
Opening Night Cocktail at 19:30 – the Metropole Hotel
Corso Umberto, 154, 98039 Taormina ME
Any questions, contact Anne Taddey on at@vivacapital.co or Whatsapp – +1 650 714 9883
The Pre-Summit for the 9th Annual Follow The Entrepreneur Investor Summit 2019 kicks off with a Tour of Mount Etna leaving from the Terminal Interbus Taormina (Piazza Luigi Pirandello, 98039 Taormina ME) at 10h / 10 am sharp. This is an all day tour including lunch and a wine-tasting session. No volcanic eruption has been scheduled! (cue: joke) Arrivals back at 16h/ 4 pm.
See photos of Mount Etna and the Tour below.
In the evening, the FTE Taormina will be leaving at 19h for Castemola for a street party which will last all evening. See video below
If you are registered (for paying delegates, this includes paid up! 🙂 ), you have a spot awaiting you.
For any questions, see Anne Taddey on at@vivacapital.co – +1 650 714 9883 (Whatsapp)
Castelmola Street Party
Welcome to the Second Day of the Pre-Summit for the 9th Annual Follow The Entrepreneur Investor Summit 2019 in Taormina, Sicily.
We will be touring the waters near Taormina, and the day starts at 10:15 am. The location of the pickup is Bus Terminal Taormina, and for the guests staying at the seaside, please join us at Mazzaro Cable Car Parking. We will return there around 15h/ 3 pm
That evening we will enjoy a short address from the Japanese Congressman Takemoto on the state of Innovation in Japan. Please join us at the Atlantis Bay Hotel on the beach from 19 h / 7 pm onwards. Dinner will be served at 20h / 8 pm.
If you have any questions, please see Anne Taddey on at@vivacapital.co or +1 650 714 9883 (Whatsapp)
The Kick – Off of the Summit begins today at 9 am sharp at the Aphrodite Room in the Conference Area of the Belmond Timeo Hotel. There will be coffee served from 8:30 am. The Schedule for Day 1 is below. We will close at 18h, and have a cocktail at the Belmond on the Ganimede Terrace at 19h30, sitting down for dinner at 20h.
DAY 3 SCHEDULE: WEDNESDAY, 24 JULY (Aphrodite Room, Belmond Timeo)
Pre-Kick-off Coffee: 08:30
Session One: 09:00 – 11:00
I. INTRODUCTION by the HOST of the FTE – JULIE MEYER
- Building Ecosystem Economics® Companies
- Why We Should Follow the Entrepreneur
II. ACCELERATING THE VELOCITY OF PEOPLE TO MARKET OPPORTUNITIES – DENNIS LAYTON
III. AN ENTREPRENEUR’S JOURNEY – BUILDING HEALTH TECH BUSINESSES – RUDY MAZZOCCHI
IV. THE FUTURE OF BLOCKCHAIN IN SMART CITIES AND FINANCE – NICOLE ANDERSON
BREAK – 11 – 11:30
Session Two – 11:30 – 13:00
V. HOW TECHNOLOGY CHANGES DEMOCRACY – EMIL ABIRASCID
VI. HERITAGE OR DISRUPTION – TOMMASO MARIA CHIORINO
VII. TRANSFORMING INSURANCE – GIANFRANCO GIANNELLA
LUNCH – 13:00 – 14:00
Session Three – 14:00 – 16:00
I. THE ENABLING INFRASTRUCTURE OF BITCOIN – VINCENZO DI NICOLA
II. DOING BUSINESS IN A SYMMETRICAL RISK – ALESSIO PISA
III. THE FUTURE OF PRIVACY – DEREK ROGA
IV. INTRODUCING BINFINITY – A NEW CLASS OF CRYPTOCURRENCY EXCHANGE – HUW ROGERS
VI. RIVER PLAZA STO – BUILDING REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES – RANI ZAHR
BREAK – 16:00 – 16:30
Session Four – 16:30 – 18:30
I. SECURITIZE AND THE PATH TO ADOPTION OF DIGITAL SECURITIES – BREIGE TINNELLY,
II. THE FUTURE OF BLOCKCHAIN AND ENTERPRISE – DAVIDE LOMBARDI
III. TEACHING THE WORLD & THE FUTURE OF LEARNING – BRETT HARRIS WIGDORTZ
IV. INVESTING IN BLOCKCHAIN – PURE SPECULATION? – DR BARBARA LANG
END OF DAY 3 PRESENTATIONS: 18:00
COCKTAILS – 19:30 (the Ganimede Terrace, Belmond Timeo)
DINNER – 20:00 (Aphrodite Terrace, Belmond Timeo
— END OF DAY 3 —
DAY 4 SCHEDULE: THURSDAY, 25 JULY (Aphrodite Room, Belmond Timeo)
Pre-Kick-off Coffee: 08:30
Session One: 09:00 – 11:00
- WELCOME BACK BY YOUR HOST – JULIE MEYER
- Clear Sky – BERNIE NOBLE
- THE LAST MILE – WILLIAM TIEN
- FUND PRESENTATIONS
- CAPITAL INNOVATORS – THE FUTURE OF SERIES A INVESTMENTS – JUDY SINDECUSE
- DAA CAPITAL / TECH 1291 VENTURES – BERTRAND MUELLER
BREAK – 11:00 – 11:30
Session Two – 11:30 – 13:00
- SPECIAL SITUATIONS INVESTING – AN OPPORTUNITY WHOSE TIME IS COMING – JON NIGHSWANDER
- PF CRYPTO ENHANCED EXPOSURE – BITCOIN & INVESTMENT FUND – ADAM GRIMSLEY
- THE ITALIAN JOB – DANY BAHAR
- LETS GO DIGITAL – SELIM FENDI
LUNCH – 13:00 – 14:00
Session Three – 14:00 – 15:30
- THE FUTURE OF ART – MARCO MERCANTI
- JUST LISTEN – BRUNO PELLEGRINI
- WAZABI – HOW IBM AND DMG ARE CREATING A COGNITIVE PLATFORM TO REVOLUTIONISE THE GLOBAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY – DAN REITZIK
- THE FUTURE OF DNA – STEFANO LO PRIORE
BREAK – 15:30 – 16:00
Session Four – 16:00 – 18:00
- CUSTOMERS SO DELIGHTED THEY WILL INCLUDE YOU IN THEIR WILLS – MALCOLM ROSS
- FROM INVESTOR TO START-UP – NICK VERKROOST
END OF DAY 4 PRESENTATIONS: 18:00
— END OF DAY 4 —
FTE TAORMINA 2019 SUMMIT ENDS
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
Redsand
Redsand was acquired by MIRIS AS, a Norweigian Smart Community Pioneer in May 2019. Blockchain and crypto technology is the mainstay of the Redsand portfolio, which fulfils mandates by providing cutting edge opportunities for corporate visionaries and professional investors. Redsand Labs is a venture builder focused on financial and environmental sustainability where blockchain serves as the core mechanism and business model framework. Redsand Exchange is a crypto incubator focusing on institutional models and adoption in the areas of token exchange service,s trading and investment and portfolio management. Redsand is passionate about challenging the status quo and providing greater inclusion for wealth creation, access to finance and preservation of our natural & human resources.
Tiney
Tiney is a new childcare service and community built around modern families. Using tiney, parents can find safe, trusted and high-quality early years childcare in their locality that is bespoke to their needs. Every tiney home meets standards that are more comprehensive than those set by Ofsted and embraces the tiney philosophy of home-based, play-centred, family-style care.
Aurum
Aurum Monaco produce high-end precious metal products from their refinery, located in Monaco. Aurum produce “Eco-Responsible”, ethically sourced gold via brand-new cutting-edge technology and machinery for luxury jewellery brands, as well as for the concerned and well-informed consumer. By using electrolytic refining processes, nitric acids, cyanide or other hazardous chemicals are eliminated.
Binfinity
Binfinity is a single platform that trades major cryptocurrencies and altcoins for clients based anywhere in the world. By using customizable, familiar interfaces and a choice of program trading interfaces, Binfinity’s independent and rapid listing policy allows clients a range of choices and new markets such as real estate security tokens.
Blockchain Solutions
DMG (Blockchain Solutions) is a diversified cryptocurrency and blockchain platform company with a management team includes seasoned bitcoin mining experts, forensic and financial professionals, blockchain developers throughout North America and Japan. DMG are focused on mining public blockchains and applying permissioned blockchain technology to address the fraud and friction that plagues the movement of value through supply chains.
DCG
DCG is an Italian company, founded in 2009, which operates in the digital field in Europe, Middle East and South East Asia. DCG is the owner of BKE, a SaaS predictive analytics solution based on artificial intelligence, easy to use and with high returns in terms of conversion to business objectives. The Behavioral Knowledge Ecosystem (BKE) is the only system capable of analyzing consumer behavior in digital and physical spaces, defining what it will do, what it will buy, when, how and where it will happen.
EQUIIS
EQUIIS Secure Platform is a secure mobile communication solution. EQUIIS offers organisations centralised control, while ensuring total privacy and compliance for voice calls, texts and file or data transfer. The EQUIIS Secure Platform (ESP) is the first enterprise-class solution for highly secure communications, with robust central control and optional auditing features to meet regulatory compliance requirements.
Hyris
Hyris Ltd is a privately held, UK-based biotechnology company. Hyris offers its partners and clients a disruptive platform that enables genetic testing of biological samples in any setting, at any time, with real time access to results on its dedicated and specialized cloud-based software platform.
Oblyon
Oblyon offer art business intelligence by integrating the expertise of some of the most renowned professionals operating in the international art market. Using a unique business concept, based on an exclusive alliance, Oblyon offer streamlined management that guarantees the best selection of services for collectors via transparent, low fixed costs.
Octo Telematics
IoT and big data analytics are the most important innovations impacting the insurance, automotive, and mobility industries. Octo enables insurance innovation and digital transformation that drives new revenue, improves risk assessment, reduces claims costs, and enhances policyholder engagement. Octo’s platform and data analytics solution can improve product offerings and enhance profits.
Instilla
Instilla is a technological company that deals with innovating the processes of conversion marketing through the improvement of processes and the development of software for the automation of activities and performance enhancement. Instilla represents a unique mix of skills for digital marketing including statistical analysis, machine learning an big data as well a design driven approach to process modelling.
Optherium
Optherium’s Operating System and MultiDecentralized Private Blockchains Network™ fundamentally changes blockchain technology, making it highly usable for business and daily life. The implementation and combination of products and solutions built upon Optherium’s MultiDecentralized Private Blockchains Network creates the infrastructure needed to upgrade the global digital economy and usher in the new era of global commerce. Optherium is the bridge between the traditional and digital economies.
FUND PRESENTATIONS
For the first time in the 9 years of the Follow The Entrepreneur Investor Summit, we have introduced the Fund Presentations. We have a selection of successful and emerging fund managers presenting in Taormina.
Capital Innovators
Capital Innovators is a Missouri, USA based investment firm focused on providing Series A investments. They work with a number of corporates successfully as well as the accelerators who back the seed stage deals.
They are an innovation engine that creates practical solutions across industries that can shape the future of organizations. Capital Innovators provides innovation consulting, entrepreneurial-based programs, outsourced corporate development and investment into attractive early-stage businesses. They have in-depth knowledge into the most cutting-edge solutions through the Accelerator division of its business, which has been ranked as a Top Accelerator in the country for five years in a row and has invested in and guided 111 companies to date. Capital Innovators model is simple and effective: Innovation, Iteration, and Implementation.
Harvard educated Judy Sindecuse, Founder of Capital Innovators, has built a thriving investment platform for the best of the high growth, emerging technology start-ups in the Mid-West.
ClearSky
ClearSky is one of the world’s leading power and technology funds, backed by NextEra, the largest producer of wind and solar energy in the US (http://www.nexteraenergy.com). The firm has an outstanding performance track record and last year also launched a cyber security fund. Portfolio companies benefit from ClearSky’s unique position and relationship with NextEra and its subsidiary Florida Power & Light.
Jamie Huff, one of the Managing Partners and Co-Founders, will be presenting.
DAA Capital Partners
DAA Capital Partners was established based ono a desire to make a difference. As a well-positioned private equity firm DAA operates with a simple, strong ethos and invests in new and emerging technologies that make a positive contribution to the world, and in real estate opportunities that support the growth of dynamic, sustainable and ecological cities and communities.
The firm provides investment management and advisory services to institutional investors, corporations and non-profit organizations around the world with a focus on economic growth, smarter use of resources and preserving the environment. This ethos is shared by DAA’s team of seasoned investment professionals, all of whom are deeply experienced in technology, financial services and real estate sectors. Industry sectors include ICT, IoT, artificial intelligence and augmented reality, with a focus on companies that are shaping the future.
Promethos Capital
Promethos, a majority women-owned asset manager, is demonstrating that investing can be both intentional and financially rewarding. Intentional investing has to start at home, and their founding values are very important to who they are, how they manage money, and how they interact with our colleagues, clients, vendors, and the communities within which they coexist. Their purpose is to build an investment boutique around their ethics and values, to build intentional portfolios for their clients that generate returns from their values, and to train the next generation of diverse, ethical investors to push the industry towards better stewardship of capital.
The track record of Ivka Kalus is in the international and global markets where she has strong ESG credentials. She launched the Pax World International Fund in 2008, took over the Pax Global Women’s Equality Fund in 2013, and launched the Boston Advisors Catholic Values Fund in 2015. Her 4-year track record of the latter was #1 in Lipper international multi-cap core, and she was honored to be the #3 female manager in the US and #19 in the world in 2018.
Guided by their values and investment philosophy, the firm’s investment process is focused on understanding and managing the unintended and unknown risks in our vast and changing investment universe and building portfolios that reflect the diversity of opportunity that those risks present to them.
http://www.promethoscapital.com/
Gunslinger Equities Management, an Opportunity Zone Fund
The US government recently provided tax incentives for investments in targeted areas in the United States through investment vehicles called Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Zones are a major catalyst to spur the redevelopment of American communities and growth across the country whereby the program allows investors to defer, reduce, and eliminate federal tax on various capital gains by investing gains into an Opportunity Zone.
G.E.M. created an OZ Fund that captures a combination of private equity and real estate opportunities with unique access across multiple channels in businesses, development, retail, office, hospitality, agriculture, and data centers. The firm focuses on a combination of diversified, income producing properties within Opportunity Zones that allow for tax-advantaged growth while providing economic revitalization.
Photos of Taormina
Taormina is a Sicilian small town, located in the municipality of Messina. It is the perfect combination of history, sea, and nature and this is why it is considered one of the most renowned tourist resorts in Sicily.
The location of Taormina is spectacular: the town is set on a natural terrace, 200 m above the sea level, with a wonderful view of Mount Etna on the other side.
Taormina Hotels
Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo 5 stars
Set high in the rocky hills on the east coast of Sicily, Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo has long been a favorite destination of glamorous European and Hollywood stars, from Sophia Loren to Marcello Mastroianni and from Audrey Hepburn to Elizabeth Taylor. As the first hotel to be built in Taormina, it naturally sits in the most perfect location, directly in front of the Greek Theatre and with sweeping views of the coastline and the majestic Mount Etna. It is enveloped in acres of lush parkland and is famous for its “Literary Terrace”, a meeting point for illustrious guests through the years.
Atlantis Bay 5 stars
The VOI Grand Hotel Atlantis Bayis richly furnished with many lights, exposed beams and walls covered in stone. Particularly striking is the large glass window in the lobby that overlooks the pool and the sea, which gives customers at their arrival at the hotel a taste of what will be their stay at this magnificent spot in Sicily. Also in the lobby, there is a beautiful aquarium with tropical fish: the predominantly blue color reminds of the natural colors of the sea with its many nuances.
The particular location and building that slopes down from the top create beautiful terraces, the last three, those that reach the sea, are the most spacious and accommodate the outdoor restaurant, swimming pool and the seashore with its private beach. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and a solarium. This hotel is the perfect choice for those searching for a romantic location.
Hotel Villa Diodoro 4 stars
The Hotel Villa Diodoro, is a place for those that enjoy the best in life. Open all-year round, and located just a just a few steps from the idyllic town of Taormina, the hotel boasts a pool area which looks out over Mount Etna and the bay of Naxos.
Piccolo Giardino 3 stars
The beautiful Mediterranean garden, scattered with orange and violet set like candied fruit in its organic lines are just some of the features that make the Hotel Il Piccolo Giardino more than a simple hotel in downtown Taormina, a fresh and bright window on the pure beauty and atmosphere of this Sicilian location.
Thanks to the design simplicity, innovative for a hotel in Taormina, Il Piccolo Giardino conveys freshness and warmth to its guests.
La Malandrina apartments and suites
La Malandrina is on the corner between Via I Dionisio and via Salita Castelmola, close to the Roman boundary wall and about 100 meters away from Corso Umberto I and the gate of Porta Catania. The ancient Norman palace, known as Badia Vecchia are also very close. Such a strategic position thus allows guests to enjoy a complete holiday, sharing their time between the seaside, shopping, restaurants, excursions, nightlife, exhibitions, concerts, opera and ballet performances which take place in the ancient Greek Amphitheatre between June and September.