Kickoff of the Alumni session of Singularity Global Summit 2017 #singularityuniversity #suglobalsummit

Thomas Kriese, VP of Community Development and Engagement, is kicking off the alumni session of the Singularity 2017 Global Summit and the regular Singularity 2017 Global Summit. Thomas is discussing the 73 global chapters and the goal of reaching 100 chapters by the end of the year.

Rob Nail and Peter Diamandis will be discussing Singularity University and the Global Summit and the larger activities.

Prior to Singularity University, Rob Nail co-founded Velocity11 in 1999, building automation equipment and robotics for cancer research and drug discovery. After being acquired by Agilent Technologies in 2007, he traded the CEO role for a General Manager role attempting to be a catalyst for change at a big company. He gave up in 2009 to go surfing, then found his true calling and biggest challenge yet with Singularity University. He was recently a director at Harman (HAR), on technology and audit committees. He helped Harman explore options for long-term growth in a rapidly changing automobile industry, ultimately resulting in ~$8 Billion acquisition by Samsung. As their largest acquisition in history, it brings Samsung directly into the automobile and autonomous car market.

Rob talks about the world’s need for exponential thinking.

Rob talks about the high impact companies and projects of Singularity University Alumni.
Matternet, drone delivery company, is involved with a large $560 million Daimler drone delivery initiative.
In 2016, Daimler joined with U.S. startup Matternet to develop drones for its delivery vans and invest €500 million ($562 million) over the next five years in designing electric, networked vans.

Made in Space is making big news and progress.

This year, under contract with NASA, Made In Space is leading a team to point our space-based manufacturing expertise squarely at this problem. Under NASA’s Tipping Point program, Oceaneering and Northrop Grumman join Made In Space in embarking on the Archinaut Development Program. Archinaut is a platform that constructs, assembles, and integrates space-optimized systems into spacecraft. It is the first platform specifically designed to create large structures for space, in space.

Singularity University is creating the Awesome show. MSNBC and host Chris Hardwick will showcase scientific and technological advances shaping the future.

Singularity University Background and background of key executives

Dr. Peter Diamandis is the Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and launching large incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. Best known for the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for private spaceflight, the Foundation is now launching prizes in Exploration, Life Sciences, Energy, and Education. Diamandis is also the co-Founder & Executive Chairman of the Singularity University, a Silicon Valley based institution teaching graduates and executives about exponentially growing technologies and their potential to address humanity’s grand challenges. Diamandis recently co-Authored Abundance ‘ The Future Is Better Than You Think. Diamandis has founded or co-founded many of the leading entrepreneurial companies in this sector including Zero Gravity Corporation, the Rocket Racing League and Space Adventures. He also counsels the world’s top enterprises on how to utilize exponential technologies and incentivized innovation to dramatically accelerate their business objectives

Peter Diamandis recognized the need for leaders to understand the exponential pace of change. He first proposed the concept of Singularity University to Ray Kurzweil and to International Space University (ISU) colleagues Dr. Robert D. Richards and Michael Simpson, who became Founding Trustees in mid-2007.

Susan Fonseca, a founding architect, was instrumental in organizing and executing the Founding Conference in September 2008 and finding initial donors. At the first meeting of the Board of Trustees, Salim Ismail was appointed as the founding Executive Director.

Along with curriculum guidance and important support from Christopher Boshuizen, William Marshall, Amara Angelica, Kathryn Myronuk, and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, the first incarnation of Singularity University was established with inspiration from the interdisciplinary, international and intercultural principles originally pioneered by ISU. With the leadership of Dr. Pete Worden and his colleagues, Singularity University and NASA established a partnership to host SU’s Executive Program and Global Solutions Program on the NASA Research Park in Moffett Field. Rob Nail was appointed CEO in 2011.

Will Weisman’s background isleading, investing in, and advising technology and consumer product companies. He acquired a unique blend of operational, investment and entrepreneurial experience. He has previously been a venture capitalist at Foundation Capital and Maveron, an operator at Intuit and World Wrapps and is an active investor having been involved with companies such as SuccessFactors, OpenTable, and Zappos among others. Among his most unusual accomplishments is that Will created and popularized the wrap, yes, the burrito like thing at a 30 unit restaurant chain he founded called World Wrapps.