Business Innovation Factory BIF10 Summit Draws Packed Crowd at Trinity Rep
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Providence's Business Innovation Factory hosted day one of its tenth annual "BIF10" Summit on Wednesday with a sold out crowd at Trinity Repertory Theater.
"Ten years, three hundred and twenty storytellers, five thousand participants, and millions of random collisions of unusual suspects, and all in the blink of an eye. I'm grateful of what we have accomplished together," said BIF Chief Saul Kaplan.
Watch Thursday's BIF10 Livestream HERE
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWednesday's morning presenters included Keith Yamashita, Angela Blanchard, Len Schlesinger, Camille Beatty, Darden Smih, Rupel Patel, Ethan Zuckerman, and Vala Afshar.
Schlesinger, the Baker Foundation Profressor at Harvard Business School, told the crowd Wednesday morning that BIF historically "forces you to do work, say, and do something original."
Speaking to the need for renewed focus on general management principles across all sectors, Schelsinger jokingly told the crowd, "We have experts saying all your god-forsaken start-ups will be successful" -- to laughter and applause.
Noting that the last time major research was done in the area of general management was "1982," Schlesinger said the need for continued study in the arena, despite the proliferation of startups, was about "getting shit done."
Wednesday afternoon speakers included Matthew Fritz, Liza Donnelly, Christopher Gergen, Alexander Osterwalder, Richard Saul Wurman, Rachel Schectman, Guy Wollaert, and Irwin Kula.
For BIF 10 storyteller bios, go here.
On Tap for Thursday
Slated to speak in the morning session on Thursday are Dorie Clark, David Bolinsky, Arlene Samen and David Macaulay, followed by Eileen Gittins, Haydn Shaughnessy, Cheryl Dahle, and Elana Silmon.
The afternoon session lineup is Joy Mountford, John Hagle, Thysson George Williams, and Michael Dila, followed by David Moinina Sengeh, Walt Mossberg, Umberto Crenca, and Dan Pink.
BIF keeps an online archive of all previous presenters from the last ten years, which can be found here.
Related Slideshow: 7 Strategies for Rhode Island Economic Development in 2014
What will it take to move the Rhode Island economy forward in 2014? GoLocal talked with elected officials, candidates, and leaders for their economic development plans in the coming year.
Below are key elements of the economic priorities for Governor Lincoln Chafee, Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed, House Minority Leader Brian Newberry, gubernatorial hopefuls General Treasurer Gina Raimondo and Ken Block, and RI Center for Freedom and Prosperity's Mike Stenhouse.
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