Silicon Valley Forum’s historic Visionary Awards are back in action on February 6th, 2020, at Domenico Winery in San Carlos, CA. Since 1997, Silicon Valley Forum – a 36-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to the global technology and startup community – has devoted a singular evening each year to exceptional technology and business leaders: “movers, shakers, and innovative history-makers who have pioneered innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit,” said Silicon Valley Forum CEO Denyse Cardozo. In 2020, the tradition continues with four new honorees, plus a new Rising Star category.
“It’s a pleasure and an honor to bring the Visionary Awards back again,” Cardozo said. “Silicon Valley is one of the hardest-working regions in the world – the Awards are a rare chance to slow down for an evening and celebrate five incredible people.”
This year’s honorees join a roster of 101 previous Visionary Award recipients, including Bill Gates, Anne Wojcicki, and Reid Hoffman, to name a few. Tickets are available on Silicon Valley Forum’s website. For sponsorship opportunities or to donate to the silent auction, please contact Denyse Cardozo (denyse@siliconvalleyforum.com).
The 2020 Visionary Awards Honorees are:
- Sallie Krawcheck, Co-Founder and CEO of Ellevest
- Roya Mahboob, Co-Founder and CEO of Digital Citizens Fund, President, Afghan Citadel Software Company, Bright Citizen (coffee and tea) and EdyEdy
- Mustafa Suleyman, Co-Founder of DeepMind AI
- Julie Wainwright, Founder & CEO of The RealReal
- Rising Star: Daniela Fernandez, Founder and CEO of Sustainable Ocean Alliance
About the Honorees:
Sallie Krawcheck is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest, a digital-first, mission-driven investment platform for women. Ellevest is one of the fastest growing digital investment platforms and has been named a #24 on CNBC’s top 50 “Disruptor” list, #14 on LinkedIn’s 50 “Most Sought-After Startups” (and #2 in New York), and one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Brilliant Ideas. Before launching Ellevest, Krawcheck built a successful career on Wall Street: she was the CEO of Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, US Trust, Citi Private Bank, Sanford C. Bernstein and CFO for Citigroup. Krawcheck has also been called one of the top 10 up and coming entrepreneurs to watch by Entrepreneur Magazine and has landed on Vanity Fair’s “The 2018 New Establishment List.”
Roya Mahboob is a serial entrepreneur and one of the first female CEOs in her home country, Afghanistan. As CEO of Digital Citizens Fund, Bright Citizen (coffee and tea) and EdyEdy, Roya’s work is focused on digital literacy to bridge the gap between education and the job markets. Digital Citizens Fund has 14,000 graduates from its 13 IT Centers and has incubated ten female startups. Roya is currently in development with the Afghan government to build STEM schools in Afghanistan to unlock new opportunities for the inclusion of female entrepreneurs in hard to reach places using airspace and blockchain technology. Roya is also the champion and coach of the world-renowned Afghan Girls Robotics Team, the Afghan Dreamers, who are inspiring a nation to see the potential of girls differently. Roya was named as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2013, and received the 2014 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award, The Advancement of Gender Equality through Education Award, Young Leader of World Economic Forum, the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholarship, GSB Stanford Alumni and is a founding Leader of The NewNow, a group of rising global leaders tackling global challenges.
Mustafa Suleyman, Co-founder of DeepMind, one of the world’s foremost technology companies, which was acquired by Google in 2014. Since then he’s led its Applied AI efforts integrating the company’s cutting-edge research across a wide range of Google products with billions of users. Mustafa is a passionate advocate for the ethical stewardship of technology for social benefit. He launched DeepMind Health in 2016 and later helped create Google Health to consolidate health efforts across Google. He also led DeepMind’s application of AI in the field of energy, first reducing 40% on the cost of cooling Google’s data centres then boosting the value of Google’s renewable energy by an unprecedented 20%. Previously as a skilled negotiator and facilitator, Mustafa has worked all over the world for a wide range of clients, such as the UN, the Dutch Government and WWF. Mustafa sits on the boards of The Economist and UK Research & Innovation, which directs all R&D funding for the UK.
Julie Wainwright is an e-commerce pioneer whose latest venture came to her as an epiphany while shopping in a brick-and-mortar consignment store, an industry she felt was ripe for reinvention. She founded The RealReal in June 2011, bringing luxury consignment online and into the modern world with a digital marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment. In that time the company has changed the way people buy and sell high-end luxury across all categories. In addition, Wainwright raised sizeable venture capital funding, built a membership of millions, and has sold millions of items to date. The company is pioneering sustainability efforts in the luxury space as well. In addition to a long-term sustainability partnership with Stella McCartney, it is the first luxury member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s CE100 USA and the first resale member of the UN Climate Change’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.
Rising Star Daniela Fernandez is the Founder and CEO of Sustainable Ocean Alliance, an award-winning social entrepreneur, thought-leader, and international speaker on the entrepreneurial mindset, ocean innovation, and technology, youth empowerment, and sustainability. At the age of 19, Daniela founded Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) as a college-room idea at Georgetown University. Five years later, she has built SOA into a global organization that is cultivating and accelerating innovative solutions to protect and sustain the health of the ocean. With phenomenal speed, SOA has created the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders – by establishing a presence in over 185 countries and has successfully launched the world’s first Ocean Solutions Accelerator to develop technological solutions that can address the greatest threats facing our planet.
About Silicon Valley Forum:
For 36 years, our organization has been a key part of Silicon Valley’s vibrant ecosystem. We organize over 30 activities per year and have worked with over 40 countries. Our partners include global leaders Accenture, IBM, Microsoft, Mercer, Avanta Ventures, and K&L Gates, just to name a few; as well as leading VC firms and service providers. Silicon Valley Forum is a fully independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.
For more information, visit our website at siliconvalleyforum.com.
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