NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

At the heart of TechSparks lies an extraordinary confluence of brilliant minds drawn from the startup, corporate, government, and investor community. Here, the vanguards of tomorrow will engage in thought-provoking dialogues, exchange ideas, and forge powerful connections that will catalyse change and fuel India’s transformation.

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/techsparks2023

THE GREAT INDIAN TECHADE JOIN THE LEAGUE OF CHANGEMAKERS TURNING INDIA INTO A GLOBAL TECH POWERHOUSE. Imagine a future for India where collaboration and innovation reign supreme, and where technology becomes the catalyst for empowering every citizen. At YourStory, we call this The Great Indian Techade, and we are on a mission to make it a reality. TechSparks 2023 will offer a national platform for startups, enterprises, investors, and policymakers to rally together, collaborate and achieve this vision. CHIEF GUEST TECHSPARKS 2023 RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/techsparks2023

Sustainable and regenerative food and agriculture is a fast-growing area of interest for clients concerned about climate, the environment and health. Join us for a conversation where we’ll explore ways to incorporate food and agriculture into your clients’ portfolios.  We’ll share how regenerative agriculture shows up across different investment strategies, risk profiles, or return targets.

This event is offered in partnership with CapShift.

Speakers

Rini Greenfield is a Founding General Partner of Rethink Food and former co-founder of Adaptive Management, a Tiger Management in-house portfolio, where she helped pioneer the use of big data analysis and visualization to make fundamental long-term investments. Rini has over a decade of experience investing in technology and consumer companies. She sought out sectors that were at the tipping point of disruption through innovation, investing in wireless technologies, alternative energy, internet, media, e-commerce, software, and others. Rini then expanded her repertoire to private companies through spearheaded investments for a multi-billion-dollar single family office focused on consumer and technology companies with a social impact lens.

Justina Lai is Chief Impact Officer at Wetherby Asset Management and Laird Norton Wealth Management where she has a multi-faceted role leading the firm’s impact investing strategy as well as the integration of impact across its stakeholder groups and investment management, client service, and operational functions. Prior to joining Wetherby in 2015, she had worked for several notable firms, where she focused on global impact investment strategies, including Sonen Capital, Legacy Venture, and Rwanda Ventures. Prior to her career in impact investing, she worked across the US and Europe in investment banking with Citigroup and private equity with Vestar Capital Partners.

Jesse Simmons helps lead the investment research team and advisory practice at CapShift. He previously served as Senior Investment Analyst and Impact Advisor at Align Impact, where he managed due diligence on private investments and helped clients discover and act on these opportunities. Jesse began his career at the World Bank, where he focused on development effectiveness in Sub-Saharan Africa, and subsequently worked at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, a mission driven consulting firm bringing innovation to development.

Time: 2:00 – 2:45 ET

Join leading journalists from around the world on September 21 and 22 in New York for an unprecedented conversation about how to cover a world on fire.

Reporters, editors, and news executives from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, CBS News, Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism, France Télévisions, the Guardian, South Florida’s NBC 6, NowThis, Telemundo, TIME, The Times of India, and The Weather Channel — among many other outlets, large and small — will join with hundreds of colleagues to chart a course for tackling the climate story in ways that drive attention and impact while highlighting solutions and justice.

Hear from newsrooms innovating to meet the moment: How can news outlets everywhere treat climate change as a story for every beat, not just silo it on the weather desk?

• Discuss whether news outlets should still take fossil fuel advertising, and how journalists can grapple with climate disinformation.
• Look ahead to 2024 elections that will have profound implications for global climate action. How can journalists make those implications clear to voters, refute misinformation, and hold candidates accountable?
• Learn from journalists covering and living in frontline communities how to highlight climate justice in our reporting.
• Recognize that telling the entire climate story means not just including solutions — but interrogating those solutions, so the public and policymakers know which ones actually work.
• Plus, get a front row seat to interviews with special guests and global climate luminaries.

CLIMATE CHANGES EVERYTHING will be a participatory event, with networking breaks, a town hall, and working sessions on key conference themes.

We’re at a moment of historic opportunity for journalism. Climate coverage around the world is better than ever, but so much more is needed: more energy, more creativity, more commitment. Let’s forge a path forward, together.

Space is limited. Working journalists will have priority. Apply to attend!

Join the TRANSFORM Support Hub and special guests from the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship: Andy Lieberman, Senior Director, Efficiency and Learning and Paul Belknap, Director, Impact Investing. In this hands-on 2-part workshop, you will fine tune your impact capital funding “ask” so that it makes sense for your enterprise while helping you target the right investors for your needs with a compelling request. Whether you are looking to raise grants, debt, equity, or a combination, you will leave this virtual workshop series with a clear funding “ask” and better prepared to speak to investors. This workshop series is designed to achieve the following outcomes: 1. Determine the ideal mix of capital you need to take your enterprise to the next level 2. Understand the four components of a well structured investment “ask” 3. Create and refine your own unique “justifiable ask” for your target investor What you can expect: Session 1: – Structure of a well-crafted funding ask – Different types of capital and how to choose the right capital for your growth plan – Create a well-defined funding ask for your enterprise (homework) Session 2: – Recap of Session 1 + Q&A – Breakout Groups: Feedback from peers and Miller Center experts on your funding ask

Time: 11:00 AM ET