Keynote Speakers

Dr. Jerry Caulder
Executive Chairman
Finistere Ventures

Breakfast Keynote

 

Dr. Bryan Willson
Director
CSU Clean Energy
Supercluster

Afternoon Keynote

Often referred to as the "father of agricultural biotechnology," Dr. Jerry Caulder is the executive chairman of Finistere Partners, LLC. Dr. Caulder has an unparalleled record of success in the life science industry. His career began at Monsanto, where for 15 years he held a number of management positions including responsibility for Monsanto's early venture investment activity and worldwide responsibility for commercial development and introduction of all new agricultural products.   Dr. Bryan Willson has worked for over 25 years developing large scale solutions for global energy needs.  In addition to being a renowned Professor at Colorado State University, he is also the co-founder and Chief Technology Strategist of Solix Biofuels and Director of CSU’s Clean Energy Supercluster.  In 2009, Scientific American named him to its inaugural list of the “Scientific American 10” – ten individuals who have made significant contributions to “guiding science to serve humanity” on a global basis.

 

Panels & Speakers

The Nexus of Energy & Agriculture

     

This panel explores the intersection of the energy and agriculture sectors in addressing the challenges we face in supplying energy at appropriate cost while managing the carbon footprint. Although a major consumer of energy, the agriculture sector holds promise for sustainable production of food, feed and renewable fuels to help manage our carbon footprint. Experts from agriculture, finance and energy companies will explore the impact of policy and technology on energy use, commodity pricing and opportunities for emerging technologies to make a difference.

    Speaker details
coming soon

 

The Future of Ag:
Global Partnerships & Collaborations

     

The issues and concerns surrounding food and energy are global in nature. Rising commodity prices, environmental degradation, diversion of foods to biofuels are all issues that dominate multilateral discourse. Given the worldwide nature of the industry, governments and private sector companies alike seek continually to form, refine, and redirect their global strategies to meet specific objectives. This panel will feature speakers from around the world identifying and discussing such efforts, including Brazil, Canada, Malaysia, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. What are the challenges facing emerging markets, where agriculture and food production have been important to their competitive profile? How can they best leverage their own investments through partnerships forged with private sources and other governmental initiatives?

    Speaker details
coming soon

 

Ag Ventures in 2010:
Is Agriculture the Next Cleantech?

     

What will it take for cleantech and sustainable agriculture startups to attract VCs and other institutional investors? Panel will be composed of leading ag investors to uncover the challenges associated with investing in the ag space and to discuss the frontier of this emerging investment area.

    Speaker details
coming soon

 

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