Culture Shifting Weekend in Silicon Valley: Building Bridges Not Walls, Leveraging Diversity and Partnerships to Drive Innovation & Growth

PALO ALTO, Calif. - April 12, 2017 - PRLog -- Third-Annual Culture Shifting Weekend in Silicon Valley: Building Bridges Not Walls, Leveraging Diversity and Partnership to Drive Innovation and Growth

·       Invitation-only event will convene 200+ innovators and executives of color to tap into the social currency, financing capital, and business acumen of leading companies, such as SAP, Ford and Gilead.

·       Opportunity for leading companies and professionals to celebrate diversity's achievements and collaborate on ways to fix long-standing inclusion issues – as well as make deals.

·       Awards event to honor African-American leaders and pioneers who embody this year's theme: Lloyd Carney, Pamela Joyner, Issac Vaughn and Robin Washington

·       Attendees and sponsors to include senior executives from Intel, Salesforce, HPE, Google, EY, Twilio, LinkedIn, Vista Equity Partners and other leading firms

·       Featured speakers include David Hornik of August Capital, Aeris CEO Marc Jones, investor and philanthropist Gbenga Oyebode, Esq. and master of ceremonies, actor Hill Harper

Business advisor and growth strategist Andrea Hoffman, CEO of management consulting firm Culture Shift Labs, is hosting over 200 senior executives and leaders of color in Silicon Valley to advance strategies for inclusion, and to discuss the future of innovation, technology and social impact. The third annual invitation-only Culture Shifting: A Weekend of Innovation, Technology & Social Impact will be held on April 21-23 in venues throughout Silicon Valley.

Ms. Hoffman, a 20-year veteran of the D&I space and an authority on inclusion-driven revenue growth and product innovation, said, "We're pleased to be hosting this important gathering of influencers of color for the eighth consecutive year, and the third year in Silicon Valley. Given the current political environment and challenges to the American ideals of inclusion, we are seeing a doubling down of support from corporations and business leaders to address inclusion issues, while increasing revenue growth, and moving from conceptual thinking to measurable results: what I call 'Inclusion 2.0.' Culture Shifting Weekend is the only event of its kind in the nation and it's an urgent call to action, with a laser-focus on generating even greater results, and getting deals done in real-time."

SAP also commented on the upcoming Weekend: "SAP is committed to fueling innovation and economic growth by increasing the diversity of our technology workforce," said Miguel Castro, Senior Director, Global Diversity and Inclusion. "Supporting events like Culture Shifting Weekend give us the opportunity to invest in the development of SAP talent and is an important forum for us to engage with diverse industry leaders."

The agenda will feature one-on-one interviews, panel discussions, Think Tank sessions, a VIP dinner, and an awards ceremony. Events include:

·       A Breakfast with Millennial Tech Entrepreneurs and Influencers sponsored by SAP and Vista Equity Partners will gather 25 LatinX and African-American company founders and tech influencers to accelerate collaborations between senior professionals of color and corporate America.

·       A Fireside Chat on the Future of Black Hollywood and Tech will discuss the ways in which business leaders of color can impact global media and reach new audiences and new revenue streams. It will feature Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Coker and The Virtual Reality Company CEO Guy Primus. Hosted at SAP in Palo Alto.

·       A Social Innovation Think/Action Tank, produced in partnership with Babson College Social Innovation Lab, will facilitate the exchange of solutions for inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation. Participants will include a curated group of c-suite executives, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and influencers of color. August Capitals David Hornik will kick off the day. Hosted at Google in Mountain View.

·       A Conversation on Technology and West Africa will feature Aeris CEO Marc Jones and Nigerian entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Gbenga Oyebode, Esq.

·       The Culture Shifting Awards ceremony will recognize African-American leaders and pioneers who have broken barriers within their fields and contributed to progress on diversity and inclusion in business and society.

o   Honorees include Lloyd Carney, CEO of Brocade Communications Systems; Pamela Joyner, Businesswoman and Art Collector; Issac Vaughn, CEO of Ooyala; and Robin Washington, CFO of Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Award-winning actor, best-selling author and philanthropist Hill Harper will serve as master of ceremonies. Harper also is known for founding the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering underserved youth through mentorship, scholarship and grant programs.

Sponsors include Ford, Salesforce, Vista Equity Partners, Brocade, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honeywell, Infor, Intel, The Joyner/Guiffrida Collection, Mercedes Benz, Ooyala, RBC Royal Bank, Visa, The Williams Capital Group, Apple, Donnelley Financial Solutions, Google, eBay, Oracle, Ernst & Young, HBO, SAP, Moët Hennessy USA and Twilio.