CES® is the most influential tech event in the world — the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. This is where the world's biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage.
To accelerate the impact of Dutch participants we, together with our valued partners, will host the Acceleration Event on January 11, 2011.
Part I - Plenary CES 2021 kick-off
STARTS 16:00 NL | | 10 AM NYC | 7AM SF
ENDS 16:40 NL | | 10:40 AM NYC | 7:40AM SF
On the Zoom link we will livestream the plenary opening from the Netherlands
Part II - VC Roundtable (1 hour)
STARTS 16:50 NL | | 10:50 AM NYC | 7:50AM SF
ENDS 17:40 NL | | 11:40 AM NYC | 8:40AM SF
We will start with the Silicon Valley Bank VC Roundtable, live from San Francisco! This event is hosted for you, the 16 startups, by the Consulate General in San Francisco and co-hosted by the Holland in the Valley community (San Francisco), the Silicon Alley community (New York) and moderated by Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).
What to expect?
This one hour long, interactive event will provide all companies with valuable insights and perspectives from different US West Coast Venture Capital (VC). With this VC Roundtable we hope to best prepare you for the days ahead during CES 2021 as well as the road ahead conquering the US Market.
About the VC Roundtable Participants
John China - President SVB CAPITAL
John is focused on delivering best-fit solutions, insights and connections for Silicon Valley Bank’s clients. Over 23 years at SVB John has constantly – and enthusiastically - made connections between entrepreneurs, investors, the Fortune 500, bankers and even winemakers.
Today, John is the President of SVB Capital, SVB’s funds management business with $5.5 billion under management across venture capital funds of funds and direct funds. In this role, he is responsible for growing the funds business as well as SVB’s Early Stage Practice supporting entrepreneurs and startups at their earliest stages, and SVB’s Family Office practice. John is a long-standing member of SVB Capital’s Operating Committee.
Since joining SVB in 1996, John has been a partner to entrepreneurs and their investors, providing financial solutions, insights and connections to accelerate their growth. John is a part of SVB’s Executive Committee and has led Technology Banking teams across the US specializing in software, internet, hardware, infrastructure, private equity, venture capital, and premium wine. He has also been responsible for the company’s Corporate Venturing Group, Early Stage banking services, SVB’s Global Gateway program, the Credit Solutioning Group and Corporate Finance.
John is a member of the advisory board of H2 Global, Alpha Club, and York Butter Factory, and he is on the board of BUILD and an LPAC member of Founders Circle. John earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University and he is learning to kite surf.
Kent Lindstrom - Co-founder and General Partner of 8-Bit Capital.
He is one of Silicon Valley’s top experts in early stage enterprise development, management and growth. Kent is a four-time serial entrepreneur, who helped pioneer the field of social networking, and has raised capital from and operated companies for venture firms like Benchmark, Kleiner Perkins and Andreessen Horowitz.
Kent has served as CEO of pioneering social network Friendster, COO of a division of publicly traded Digital Garage, and recently helped build the social news aggregator Nuzzel.
Kent hosts the Silicon Valley podcast “Something Ventured“, featuring behind the scenes interviews with Silicon Valley insiders.
Kent has an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and holds a CFA designation.
Shuly Galili - Founding Partner, Upwest
Shuly joined UpWest as a founding partner in 2012, opening up the firm’s Silicon Valley office. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs create global companies and has spent the last decade building Silicon Valley’s gateway to Israel. She brings a unique perspective that helps entrepreneurs identify opportunities and build their own ecosystems.
“In order to create a successful business you need the right environment. Entrepreneurs need a supportive ecosystem that can help them shape their vision and turn it into a reality.”
Prior to UpWest, Shuly worked with Silicon Valley’s leading tech giants, investors and business leaders to help found the California Israel Chamber of Commerce (CICC), where she created the ultimate platform for ongoing business exchange, serving a network of over 10,000 companies. Under Shuly’s leadership as Executive Director, CICC significantly impacted member success by securing millions in venture capital, establishing US/Israel offices and R&D Centers, and branding Israel’s emerging tech industry in Silicon Valley. Recognizing the challenges for entrepreneurs in opening new markets overseas, bridging cultural gaps, acquiring business know-how, and raising capital, Shuly created and implemented programs that accelerated over 500 Israeli startups innovating across diverse technological sectors.
“At the end of the day, it’s about people. We are in the people business. If you don’t understand that, from the core of how you act, behave, and carry business, then you aren’t going to be successful. UpWest is my family. It’s a place where I can make an impact and learn from inspiring people every day.”
Before that, Shuly held marketing and program development roles at various international NGOs focusing on economic development programs and educational initiatives. She studied International Relations at San Francisco State University and French Studies at Grenoble University in France.
“I’m always looking for fun. I love what I do and I want to constantly project that to my environment. Building a business is hard. Bringing that fun into the equation is important.”
Ammar Hanafi - General Partner, Moment Ventures
Ammar co-founded Moment Ventures in 2015. He spent over 10 years as an early stage VC at Alloy Ventures. Prior to Alloy, Ammar ran the corporate development team at Cisco. Ammar is a proud husband and father. He lives and breathes soccer (don’t get him started on Arsenal Football Club).
Reading at the Moment: The Color of Law
Matt Nichols - Partner, Commerce Ventures
Matt has been an investor in and operator of early stage technology companies for 20 years. He has a specific focus on commerce and retail technology.
Prior to Commerce Ventures, Matt was the CEO of Gemvara, a disruptive jewelry eCommerce business that was sold to Berkshire Hathaway. Matt also worked as a venture capitalist at Highland Capital Partners and Morgan Stanley Venture Partners where his investments included Bullhorn (Acq’d by Vista Equity Partners), Pixable (Acq’d by SingTel), Avamar (Acq’d by EMC), Tarari (Acq’d by LSI), and Perceptive Software (Acq’d by Lexmark). Matt was a member of Morgan Stanley‘s Technology Corporate Finance team where he was part of the Google IPO team and also spent time in Google’s corporate development group.
Matt studied Economics at Pomona College and earned an MBA with high distinction from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Fun Fact: Matt was once a nationally ranked badminton player.
Part III - Pitch & Connect event (3 hours)
STARTS 17:50 NL | | 11:50 AM NYC | 8:50AM SF
ENDS 21:10 NL | | 15:10 AM NYC | 12:10AM SF
The VC Roundtable will be directly followed by an exclusive and intensive Pitching Event. In this 3 hour event you are amongst a selection of 16 startups (+1 wildcard) that have the opportunity to pitch their companies in front of top specialists and mentors from the US.
What to expect?
The startups will embark on a journey with 3 destinations: 1) West Coast (hosted by the Holland in the Valley community, San Francisco), 2) East Coast (Hosted by the Silicon Alley community, from Netherlands Consulate General in NY) to 3) The main offices of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Each destination will have its own online ‘stage’ with the most experienced and knowledgeable jury and mentors.
About the participating startups:
These are the 17 selected startups to participate in the CES 2021 Acceleration Event:
Energy Transition & Climate
Security & Resilience
Smart Cities & Smart Mobility
Sustainability & Circularity
Artificial Intelligence, Big Data & Quantum Computing
Federato Technologies
MedTech/HealthTech
Telecom/5G, IoT, Photonics & NanoTech
About the hosts
Holland in the Valley is the Dutch ecosystem in Silicon Valley. We are empowering Dutch entrepreneurs & talent to innovate and scale in the Bay Area by offering programs, content, and events. By providing an entrepreneurial and talent-driven community, Holland in the Valley makes US-Netherlands ties accessible and future-proof bringing resources together from the United States and the Netherlands.
Our co-hosts will be our valued partner Silicon Valley Bank and our allies from the East Coast, Silicon Alley from the Netherlands Consulate General in NY.