PROGRAM GUIDE

To call startup founder David Berry a serial entrepreneur would be somewhat of an understatement. Through his work with Flagship Pioneering, Berry has co-founded more than 25 companies, and his venture Valo Health achieved unicorn status after just 18 months of operations. 

Flagship Pioneering creates, builds, and finances early-stage startups addressing unmet needs in healthcare and sustainability. One of the most notable companies to come out of Flagship is Moderna, the pharmaceutical company that became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In his keynote, Berry will detail his nearly two decades of experience in the startup ecosystem with insights on making unprecedented decisions with confidence and why you should embrace accountability.

Serial entrepreneur Pam Marrone has traveled a variety of paths in her various startup journeys in the world of biological agriculture. Her first startup, Entotech, was a biopesticide company funded by Danish company Novo Nordisk. Her second startup, AgraQuest, was acquired by Bayer Crop Science for nearly $500 million. Her third startup, ag-tech company Marrone Bio went public in 2013 and was recently acquired for $236 million earlier this year. 

Marrone is one of only 32 women founders to have taken her company public. Today, she advises other startup founders in the ag-tech sector and is a pioneer and thought leader in agriculture. In her keynote, she will discuss how agriculture is changing rapidly to meet today’s expectations for carbon footprint reduction and food sustainability, along with consumer demands for transparency and sustainability in the way we produce food.

Have you ever wondered what makes whiskey different from gin or vodka? Or perhaps you’re a whiskey aficionado and want to take a deep dive into scotch styles? Call your Doctor! Dr Inkwell is your “spirit guide,” with expertise in all classes of libations and more than 20 years of experience. With this knowledge and restaurant background, Blake Tucker (aka Dr Inkwell) brings a deep understanding of beverage taste, flavor, and pairing. 

Blake Tucker (August'18 Cohort), is the founder of Boozephreaks. He has had speaking engagements both on television and at industry events around the Bay Area, including the Exploratorium’s Science of Cocktails, the Spirits and Cocktails segment host on local TV show CHNnow, and the Boozephreaks YouTube channel. He has worked with makers and distillers, formulating recipes, filling bottles, and finding customers. You can find him in Oakland, CA at Port Kitchens, The Overlook and Overland Station.

Starting and growing a business does not have to be a solo mission. In fact, leaders from some of the world’s most successful companies would agree that partnerships are essential to startup success. That’s because partnering with larger, more established companies opens doors otherwise inaccessible to small businesses.

Entrepreneur Jonathan Weston is dedicated to ensuring startup founders have access to such partnerships. In his dual role of Salesforce RVP and Wanderland founder, Weston understands the value of partnerships in both the startup ecosystem and the outdoors.

In a fireside chat, Weston will share insights on building durable partnerships and the parallels between entrepreneurship and wilderness survival.