Detroit 14

Sep 15, 2014

On September 16th, Techonomy returns to Detroit for our third annual Techonomy Detroit conference. We will continue the series of conversations we began at our first Techonomy Detroit in 2012 on how technology can boost U.S. economic growth, job creation and urban revival. Techonomy Detroit brings together leaders and thinkers from business, technology, government and academia to better understand how to move the U.S., and the world, into an urbanized, technologized, inclusive future.

Conferences

Detroit 14

September 15, 2014 - September 16, 2014

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Detroit’s travails symbolize issues faced by many American cities and to some extent the entire country. But this is also a city energetically seeking to revive itself. The birthplace of assembly-line manufacturing and technologized transportation, Detroit was once the innovation engine of the U.S. economy. There is no better place for a conversation on how our national priorities must change in a technologized economy. And as we learned the past two years, the Detroit community is committed to creative problem solving in ways few outsiders can appreciate. Extraordinary energies and opportunities are being unleashed.

Speakers

Alex Alsup

Chief Product Officer, LOVELAND Technologies

David Behen

Chief Information Officer, State of Michigan

Jocelyn Benson

Dean, Wayne State University Law School

Erika Block

Founder and CEO, Local Orbit

Jennifer Bradley

Director, Center for Urban Innovation, The Aspen Institute

Stacy Brown-Philpot

Chief Operating Officer, TaskRabbit

All Sessions

Play all 16 sessions

Business + Innovation

Albert Wenger on Tech and the Economy

September 23, 2014

The Industrial Age brought drastic changes to the world’s economy. In our modern era, we are experiencing another wave of scientific progress—this time, in digital technology. Now that we are surrounded by devices that were once purely the domain of science fiction, we must be mindful of the next great economic shift. Kirkpatrick: We do believe in diversity of views, and our next session is a very optimistic way of looking at how technology is changing everything. I was telling Albert Wenger backstage, you know, maybe he should call his session, “The Internet Is the Answer,” but in any case—he probably would be better off not doing that—but he’s a venture capitalist with Union Square Ventures, which is probably the most well-known venture capital firm in New York. He has personally been an early investor in Etsy and Tumblr, and he’s got a great way of presenting a really interesting point of view, so Albert, please—oh, there you are already. So, thank you so much. Wenger: Thank you, David. Hi there. Thank you. This is actually my first time in Detroit. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people here, and I’m definitely planning to be back. What’s the next big thing? It’s a question I get asked a lot, as a VC, and so thought, since we’re in Detroit, it might be kind of fun to go back and say, well, what did people say about this in the past, about cars? And this is a slide, an illustration I found from 1974. In 1974, people...

Business + Innovation