Dublin’s mega sci-tech event returns in 2016 — first Inspirefest speakers announced

23 Sep 2015

Nilofer Merchant, the ‘Jane Bond of Innovation’, is just one of the amazing speakers announced for Inspirefest 2016, coming to Dublin next summer. Photo by Cooper Bates

The inventor of the collaborative economy. The expert voted most likely to change future management thinking. The instigator of #ILookLikeAnEngineer. These are just some of the remarkable speakers confirmed for Inspirefest 2016.

Were you one of the lucky 1,300 attendees at Dublin’s inaugural Inspirefest in 2015? You probably think we cannot possibly match the speaker line-up which Astia CEO Sharon Vosmek described thus: “Not since TED Talks have I learned so much and left so inspired, though TED could learn a bit from Inspirefest’s speaker sourcing.”

Well, you’ll be glad to know that we have some of the world’s leading thinkers in tech, science and innovation lined up for you in 2016.

We have to keep some of the big names under wraps for now, but here’s a taster of just some of the awesome speakers who will be visiting Dublin from 30 June to 2 July 2016. You’ll want to put those dates in your diary now, and watch out for our super early bird tickets that go on sale at the end of this month. We’re practically giving these away, but numbers will be limited, so move quickly.

Robin Chase, Inspirefest 2016 speaker

Robin Chase, transportation entrepreneur supreme

Robin Chase practically invented the collaborative economy and recently authored Peers Inc, a book on how people and platforms are inventing this economy and reinventing capitalism.

She is co-founder and former CEO of both Zipcar, the largest car-sharing company in the world, and GoLoco, an online ridesharing community. She currently acts as CEO for Buzzcar, a peer-to-peer car-sharing service in France she also founded, which has now merged with Drivy.

Chase has received countless awards in the areas of innovation, design and the environment, including being named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, Fast Company’s Fast 50 Innovators and BusinessWeek’s Top 10 Designers.

Nilofer Merchant, Inspirefest 2016 speaker

Inspirefest 2016 speaker Nilofer Merchant. Photo: Cooper Bates

Nilofer Merchant, the ‘Jane Bond of Innovation’

Silicon Valley business guru Nilofer Merchant, was recently described as the No 1 most likely person to influence the future of management by Thinkers50.

As someone who has grown businesses for 20 years – be they Fortune 500s or Silicon Valley web start-ups – Merchant knows how to piece together the parts that matter (frameworks, strategies, and cultural values) to get the needed results.

Somewhere along the way, people started giving her monikers like ‘The Jane Bond of Innovation’ because of her ability to guide companies through impossible odds, and that one stuck. Her 2013 TED talk has had nearly 2m views and her upcoming book, Onlyness, will be published in 2016.

Isis Anchale, Inspirefest 2016 speaker

Isis Anchalee, the spark that started #iLookLikeanEngineer

Isis Anchalee shot to fame in 2015 with her activism under the hashtag #iLookLikeAnEngineer.

Anchalee is an incredibly passionate autodidact and platform engineer at OneLogin, an enterprise identity management company, and now a leading activist for women engineers in the often homogenous world of tech.

Jeanne Sullivan, Inspirefest 2016 speaker

Jeanne M Sullivan, top NYC investor

The hugely admired Jeanne Sullivan is a co-founder of StarVest Partners, a venture capital firm in New York City, and is set to bring her passion for the ‘experienced economy’ to Dublin.

Prior to her investing experience of more than 25 years, Sullivan gained her operating experience with AT&T and Bell Labs, as well as in the advertising business.

Sullivan serves on the Global Board of Trustees of Astia, funding high-growth women entrepreneurs, as well as the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard Kennedy School. She is also an Athena Entrepreneur Fellow for Barnard College.

Mary Carty, Inspirefest 2016 speaker

Mary Carty, empowering teen innovation in STEM

Irishwoman Mary Carty is co-founder of Outbox Incubator along with Inspirefest 2015 speaker Anne-Marie Imafidon of Stemettes.

Outbox Incubator is a groundbreaking new incubator programme for girls under 22 who are innovating in STEM. At Inspirefest 2016, Carty will be joined onstage by some of the young women innovators who took part in the inaugural programme in London this summer.

Lorna Ross, Inspirefest 2016 speaker

Lorna M Ross, Mayo Clinic’s expert on design thinking

A graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, Lorna Ross has 24 years’ experience in design, design research and innovation, and for the past 12 years she has focused on health and healthcare.

Prior to joining the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation (CFI) as design manager in 2009, Ross ran the Human Wellbeing Group at MIT Media Lab, Europe. She has worked with the US Department of Defense, Motorola, Interval Research Corporation, the UK Design Council and Massachusetts General Hospital. She was faculty at Rhode Island School of Design, and visiting faculty at the National Institute of Design, India.

The world’s premier boutique sci-tech event

The list above is just a taster of what to expect from Inspirefest 2016. Wait until you see some of the CEOs and leaders we have lined up for you – you’ll be blown away.

Inspirefest is designed for several thousand attendees rather than the tens of thousands boasted by the established behemoths, and at this event you won’t be just another number. You’ll genuinely rub shoulders with some of the world’s premier thinkers, leaders, founders and investors in a relaxed festival atmosphere that is more about learning, joy, culture and fun in the outdoors than pub crawls and late nights.

Our parallel tech and arts festival allows contributors and attendees to taste the other side of Dublin – one of modern sci-tech culture, indie music and awesome spoken word. At Inspirefest you will make invaluable connections that will last you a lifetime – just ask anyone who attended in June 2015.

‘Not since TED Talks have I learned so much and left so inspired, though TED could learn a bit from Inspirefest’s speaker sourcing’
SHARON VOSMEK, ASTIA

Tired of the same old line-ups of powerful white men at science and technology gatherings? Inspirefest promises to add a bit of colour and future thinking to your life. We have oodles of style, but pride ourselves on hosting an international sci-tech event that is more about substance. Inspirefest 2016 will be Europe’s leading sci-tech event with diversity at its heart.

Keep an eye on Siliconrepublic.com for updates or head over to Twitter and follow @inspirefesthq for exciting announcements in the coming days and weeks.

Inspirefest 2016 takes place from 30 June to 2 July 2016. We’re looking forward to seeing you next year in the best city in the world – and the one we’re proud to call home – Dublin!

If you’re interested in sponsoring the world’s most forward-thinking sci-tech event, please contact us by emailing eventsmananger@siliconrepublic.com.

Ann O’Dea is the CEO and co-founder of Silicon Republic and the founder of Future Human

editorial@siliconrepublic.com