Judges
Blake Krikorian
Blake Krikorian knows what it’s like to be on the verge of a successful start-up enterprise. Over the past 19 years, his products have revolutionized the way people engage with and consume TV and digital media. As the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Sling Media Inc., Krikorian’s Emmy award-winning Slingbox taught us the true concept of anytime, anywhere content. He’s currently doing it again on the board of start-up BitGravity Inc.
Named to Forbes’ “E-Gang,” and listed among the 25 most influential people in mobile technology and innovators who changed the face of travel, credentials bringing Krikorian to the i-stage panel are many. Because aside from his own products, his firm id8 also advised Microsoft, AMD, AT&T, Toshiba, Hitachi, Samsung and Time Warner on product strategy. What advice will he have for your great ideas?
Natali Del Conte
Don’t let Natali Del Conte’s sweet demeanor fool you. Having taken the pulse of the cool and the bizarre for CNET, CBS and TechCrunch among others, Natali has never been afraid to announce which products leave her obsessed and which are just a mess.
She knows her stuff, be it social media or gaming, making her a great gatekeeper for all gadgets wanting to graduate to the stage at the International CES. Will you be her pick or pan?
Ross Levinsohn
Over the past 20 years, Ross Levinsohn had been on the forefront of media innovation. In 2004, he was tapped by Rupert Murdoch to devise digital strategy for News Corp., making dynamic investments including the acquisitions of MySpace and IGN.com, which bolstered the company as a digital powerhouse.
As president of Fox Interactive Media, Levinsohn managed all day-to-day operations for the company and under his leadership, the FOX Network of sites became one of the largest on the Internet with record setting growth of more than 140 million monthly users. He also oversaw a partnership with Google, which will yield the company nearly $1 billion in advertising from the search and monetization leader. Levinsohn is currently a managing partner of Fuse Capital, where he continues to evaluate digital media investments.
Jeff Pulver
An audience favorite at the inaugural i-stage, Jeff Pulver returns to the fold to test the cracks in all our competitors. Pulver, the founder of pulver.com and co-founder of Vonage, is known in BusinessWeek as an exalted “tech guru” for enabling new forms of communication, be it pioneering the voice-over-IP industry to the emergence of TV on the net and pursuing numerous conferences on social media.
With well over a decade of experience as a self-proclaimed technology anthropologist and early-stage seed investor, Jeff can decipher whether a product has the viability to make a positive impact, and his thought leadership in this arena has left behind serious entrepreneurial footsteps to follow.
Keynote Speaker
Sir Ken Robinson
Your everyday speaker can’t say they’ve been knighted for their creativity. But generally your everyday speaker hasn’t led a national commission on creativity, education and economic development for the entire United Kingdom; been an integral figure in the peace process in Northern Ireland; or advised on the strategy for Singapore to become the creative hub of South East Asia.
Sir Ken Robinson, PHD, has not only worked with governments and Fortune 500 companies in Europe, Asia and the U.S. in the development of economic innovation, but will also serve as our mid-day keynoter during i-stage, addressing the challenges facing businesses in the new global economies.