Mountain View, California (February 6, 2012) – Singularity University (SU), the only educational institution uniquely focused on the impact and opportunities presented by exponentially advancing technologies, has announced a new high-level partnership with Genentech, one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies.  The announcement was made on the opening day of FutureMed, a signature SU program which explores the future of medicine through rapidly developing, disruptive, and convergent technologies and how they are poised to revolutionize healthcare.

Genentech will join Singularity University Founding Partners Autodesk, Cisco, Google, the Kauffman Foundation, Nokia, and ePlanet Ventures at the highest level of sponsorship, in addition to becoming a Platinum Sponsor of the 2012 FutureMed Program at Singularity University.  FutureMed runs from February 6-11 on the SU campus at NASA Research Park at Moffett Field, California.

“We are very excited to welcome Genentech to Singularity University as our first large-scale biotech partner,” said Rob Nail, CEO of Singularity University. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to be partnered with a company so committed to cutting edge science, innovation, and improving medicine and healthcare.”

The new partnership between Singularity University and Genentech will also support the annual SU Summer Graduate Studies Program, a 10-week graduate-level interdisciplinary curriculum designed to facilitate innovation across a broad range of scientific and technological disciplines whose developments are accelerating exponentially. The keystone of the program, the Ten to the Ninth Plus (10^9+) Team Projects, challenge students to develop services, products, companies and organizations that have the ability to positively affect the lives of one billion people within 10 years.

About Genentech (www.gene.com)

Founded more than 30 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. Their current portfolio of pharmaceuticals includes therapies in Oncology, Immunology, and Infectious Disease. Genentech is also acknowledged for their commitment for Access To Care initiatives. Approximately $2.3 billion in free medicine has been donated through the Genentech Access To Care Foundation (GATCF) for at-risk and underinsured patients.

About FutureMed (www.futuremed2020.com)

FutureMed is a unique multidisciplinary and immersive hands-on experience, uniquely designed for healthcare professionals and those interested in medical related innovation. The week-long program educates and prepares physicians, senior health care executives, entrepreneurs and investors to understand and recognize the opportunities and disruptive influences of exponential and rapidly developing technologies. The implications of these technologies are poised to revolutionize medicine, healthcare, and the biotechnology industry in the decade ahead. Core tracks include Information/Data-driven and Internet enabled health care, Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Regenerative Medicine, Robotics & Future Interventional approaches, NeuroMedicine, Device & Drug development, and Entrepreneurship.

About Singularity University (www.singularityu.org)

Singularity University’s mission is to assemble, educate, and inspire a new generation of leaders in business, science, finance, and government who strive to understand and utilize exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges. Since it was established in 2009, Singularity University has hosted students and industry leaders from 40 countries at its campus at NASA Research Park in California.

Singularity University offers both graduate studies and executive programs focused on the impact and incubation of exponentially growing technologies in six key areas: medicine and neuroscience, networks and computing systems, artificial intelligence and robotics, biotechnology/bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and energy and environmental systems.

Mountain View, CA (February 7, 2012) — Singularity University (SU) has announced the appointment of Gabriel Baldinucci, an experienced entrepreneur, investor, and former Virgin Group executive, as Vice President of Strategy and New Venture Development.

Mr. Baldinucci will be responsible for the development and leadership of a new venture, SU Labs, while also working closely with CEO Rob Nail to direct overall strategy for Singularity University. SU Labs will be the center for SU’s work “after the classroom” and will encompass faculty and alumni research, new company generation and incubation, and innovation services for larger companies around the world.

“We are very excited to have Gabriel as a senior member of the Singularity University team. His experience developing new ventures is a perfect fit for SU as we expand our offerings beyond education and into the realm of catalyzing and mentoring projects and companies around the globe to tackle the grand challenges that face humanity,” said Singularity University CEO Rob Nail. “Gabriel also brings a passionate, entrepreneurial spirit that is great to addition to the SU community.”

“Creating, incubating and financing companies able to positively affect the lives of a billion people is an central element of SU’s vision. We call this 10^9+ impact,” Said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder. “This will be Gabriel’s key focus at SU Labs. His previous experience at Virgin is perfect to expand our successes during the past three years and help take this University to scale.”

“This is not going to be a typical incubator”, said Baldinucci. “We are building an innovative platform that will put our new SU companies alongside leading R&D teams from around the world, along with our incredible faculty. We will work across a company’s full life cycle in a way that helps people at different stages bring unique value to each other.”
Baldinucci was most recently a Managing Director at Palm Ventures in Greenwich, CT, where he focused on a broad range of industries with an emphasis on consumer services.

Previously, Mr. Baldinucci was a Vice President of Corporate Development at Sir Richard Branson’s’ Virgin Group, where new Virgin companies are developed and launched. During his five years with Virgin, Baldinucci often worked directly with Mr. Branson and conceived and developed new business opportunities in health & wellness, travel, retail, IT services, and media. Prior to joining Virgin, Mr. Baldinucci consulted for several startup companies and also spent two years with Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management Division in New York.

Baldinucci started his entrepreneurial career in high school by founding and successfully selling a local pizza restaurant chain. He has been quoted in Forbes Magazine and his work on entrepreneurship has been published by the Family Office Association. He is personally an investor or advisor for several startup companies and he holds a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

About Singularity University

Singularity University’s mission is to assemble, educate, and inspire a new generation of leaders in business, science, finance, and government who strive to understand and utilize exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges. Founding Partners include Autodesk, Cisco, Google, the Kauffman Foundation, Nokia, and ePlanet Ventures. Since its founding in 2009, SU has hosted students and industry leaders from over 60 countries at its campus at NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, CA.

SU offers both graduate studies and executive programs focused on the impact and incubation of exponentially growing technologies in six key areas: medicine and neuroscience, networks and computing systems, artificial intelligence and robotics, biotechnology and bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and energy and environmental systems.

For more information and participation in SU programs, visit www.singularityu.org

Mountain View, CA (January 19, 2012)– Advances in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital manufacturing are undoubtedly going to revolutionize manufacturing during this decade, enabling us to design and “print” complex products and “manufacture” these in our own homes. Exponentially advancing technologies will provide major new opportunities for entrepreneurs to create world-changing technologies, but they also may threaten industries and jobs around the world.

What are these technologies, where exactly do the opportunities lie, and where will the jobs go? These are some of the topics that Autodesk CEO Carl Bass and Singularity University VP of Academics and Innovation Vivek Wadhwa will discuss in the next Which Way Next? live webcast.

All participants must register in advance to participate online or in person at www.singularityu.org. Questions can be submitted in advance and during the webcast on Twitter (#whichwaynext).

Carl Bass is President & CEO of Autodesk, Inc. (www.autodesk.com), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Prior to serving as CEO, Bass was Autodesk’s COO, responsible for worldwide sales, marketing, and product development. Earlier roles included CTO and EVP of product development. Prior to Autodesk, Bass co-founded Ithaca Software, the developers of HOOPS, which was acquired by Autodesk in 1993. Bass serves on the Board of Directors of Autodesk, E2open, the Art Center College of Design, and the Rocky Mountain Institute.  He is also a member of the Executive Advisory Boards of Cornell Computing and Information Science and UC Berkeley’s School of Information. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Cornell University.

Vivek Wadhwa is Vice President of Academics and Innovation at Singularity University. Wadhwa is also a fellow, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University; Director of Research, Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization, and Exec in Residence, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University; Senior Research Associate, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School; and a Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Halle Institute of Global Learning, Emory University. He also serves as an advisor to several startup companies, and is a columnist for The Washington Post and Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and writes occasionally for several international publications.  Prior to joining academia in 2005, Wadhwa founded two software companies. Vivek Wadhwa recently wrote a Washington Post column on what this means to China: Why it’s China’s turn to worry about manufacturing.

Singularity University’s Which Way Next? is sponsored by VentureBeat (www.venturebeat.com).

About Singularity University

Singularity University’s mission is to assemble, educate, and inspire a new generation of leaders in business, science, finance, and government who strive to understand and utilize exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges. Founding Partners include Autodesk, Cisco, Google, the Kauffman Foundation, Nokia, and ePlanet Ventures.  Since its founding in 2009, Singularity University has hosted students and industry leaders from 40 countries at its campus at NASA-Ames Research Park, Calif.

SU offers both graduate studies and executive programs focused on the impact and incubation of exponentially growing technologies in six key areas: medicine and neuroscience, networks and computing systems, artificial intelligence and robotics, biotechnology/bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and energy and environmental systems. Through lectures, interactive workshops and site visits, SU shows executives what is in the lab today and where these technologies will be within the next 3-20 years. Which Way Next? webcasts, sponsored by Venture Beat, are produced monthly from the Mountain View campus.

For more information, visit: www.singularityu.org or media contact: Diane Murphy (diane@Singularityu.org).

Technology executive known for pioneering change and innovation will lead Academic and Research Programs and expand SU’s global network

Mountain View, CA (December 1, 2011) — Singularity University (SU) has announced the appointment of Vivek Wadhwa, a highly respected international scholar, entrepreneur and writer, as Vice President of Academics and Innovation. Mr. Wadhwa will oversee faculty and curriculum development and international outreach for Singularity University, which uniquely focuses on the impact and incubation of exponentially growing technologies to solve humanity’s grand challenges.

“I’m thrilled to have Vivek as a senior member of the Singularity University team.  His global vision and network will allow SU to fulfill its mission of inspiring and working with business leaders, scholars and innovators around the world,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Co-Founder and Chairman of Singularity University.  “Vivek will lead SU in building and strengthening both its academic and its research programs.”

“Vivek brings a perfect blend of entrepreneurship and academics to this newly established role at Singularity.  He is active in thinking about the future of technology and education and how we can develop these strengths to solve the grand challenges that face humanity,” said Singularity University CEO Rob Nail.

Wadhwa is equally enthusiastic.  “I am joining SU because I strongly believe it to be one of the few institutions in the world that can positively affect humanity by teaching current and future world leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and innovators about exponentially advancing technologies,” he said.  “Few are aware of the rapid advances occurring in the diverse fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, medicine, biotechnology, and computing or of how these technologies are rapidly converging to enable solutions to our world’s grand challenges.”

Vivek Wadhwa has also accepted a fellowship at the Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford University.  He will act as a bridge between Stanford and Singularity Universities.  Additionally, Wadhwa is Director of Research, Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization, and Exec in Residence, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University; Senior Research Associate, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School; Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Halle Institute of Global Learning, Emory University; and Visiting Scholar, School of Information, UC-Berkeley.  He is also an advisor to several start-up companies and a columnist for The Washington Post and Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and writes occasionally for several international publications.

Prior to joining academia in 2005, Wadhwa founded two software companies.  As Vice President of Information Services for CS First Boston, he spearheaded the technology development of new computer systems that became the product of Seer Technologies.  As Seer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Wadhwa helped grow the nascent startup into a $118 million publicly traded company.  Subsequently, Wadhwa founded Relativity Technologies, in which Forbes.com named him a Leader of Tomorrow.  Fortune Magazine named Relativity one of the 25 coolest companies in the world.

Vivek Wadhwa earned an MBA from New York University after completing a B.A. in Computing Studies from the University of Canberra, in Australia.  He is founding president of the Carolinas chapter of The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TIE), a non-profit global network intended to foster entrepreneurship.  He has been featured in thousands of articles in publications world wide, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, and Science Magazine, and has appeared on U.S. and international TV stations, including CNN, ABC, NBC, CNBC, and the BBC.

About Singularity University

Singularity University’s mission is to assemble, educate, and inspire a new generation of leaders in business, science, finance, and government who strive to understand and utilize exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges. Founding Partners include Autodesk, Cisco, Google, the Kauffman Foundation, Nokia, and ePlanet Ventures.  Since its founding in 2009, SU has hosted students and industry leaders from 40 countries at its campus at NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, CA.

SU offers both graduate studies and executive programs focused on the impact and incubation of exponentially growing technologies in six key areas: medicine and neuroscience, networks and computing systems, artificial intelligence and robotics, biotechnology/bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and energy and environmental systems.

For more information, and participation in SU programs, visit www.singularityu.org. Join SU discussions at www.twitter.com/singularityu.

Silicon Valley Tech Executive to Lead International Growth of SU Programs

Mountain View, CA (October 12, 2011) — Singularity University (SU) has announced the appointment of Rob Nail, a successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur and an associate founder of SU, as Chief Executive Officer. Most recently Rob has been serving as SU’s Director of the Graduate Studies Program. He succeeds Neil Jacobstein, who will continue to co-chair SU’s Artificial Intelligence and Robotics education track and take on the role of Director of Executive Academics.

“We are thrilled to have Rob as CEO of Singularity University. He embodies the intellectual talent and entrepreneurial spirit that uniquely mirrors our faculty, staff, students and alumni,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis co-founder and executive chairman of Singularity University.

“At the same time, we thank and applaud Neil Jacobstein for his leadership during the last year, and are pleased that he will continue to benefit SU through his faculty expertise,” said Ray Kurzweil, co-founder and chancellor.

Neil Jacobstein said: “It has been an honor for me to serve SU in the President’s role for the past year, and I look forward to getting back to academics. Rob Nail and I have worked well together on SU’s Graduate Studies Program, and I think that he will do a great job as CEO of the University.”

“I am excited to lead a University that is spinning out transformational companies that are using exponential technologies to solve the world’s grand challenges,” said Nail. “Additionally, SU alumni from our executive program include top executives from some of the world’s most impressive companies and a major priority will be to support and continue to build that amazing network.”

Rob Nail is the co-founder and former CEO of Velocity 11, a biotechnology firm that was later acquired by Agilent Technologies in 2007. He has also served as a surfer at The Big Blue, and was the Co-Founder of Alite Designs, where he continues to serve on the Board of Directors. Nail earned a BS in Mechanical and Materials Sciences from University California, Davis, and a MS in Engineering from Stanford University.

Singularity University offers both graduate and executive programs focused uniquely on the impact and incubation of exponentially growing technologies in six key areas: medicine and neuroscience, networks and computing systems, artificial intelligence and robotics, biotechnology/bioinformatics, nanotechnology, and energy and environmental systems. Nail will lead a dedicated staff and world-class core faculty of technical and scientific experts in the management of SU. He also will be responsible for growing the organization by expanding the base of industry partners, sponsors and supporters.

Registration is now open for the December 3-10, 2011 SU Executive Program and February 2012 Future Med Program. To register, please visit www.singularityu.org/ep and follow SU on Twitter at @singularityu.

Education Many of the world’s critical problems have a common root in ignorance, and educational technologies provide an unprecedented opportunity to reach billions of people, and build a future characterized by informed dialog, foresight, and systems that work. How can technology be used to provide personalized education to the world’s developing areas?

Security In a world plagued by wars, terrorism, and crime, nations seek many different kinds of security for their citizens, as well as freedom from fear and corruption. How can exponential technology be used to address and improve global security issues?

Energy Our civilization fundamentally depends on energy, and we need to make a rapid transition from low-efficiency systems and high dependence on fossil fuels, to high efficiency systems and cost-effective renewable fuels. How can exponential technologies be used to provide humanity with low-cost and abundant energy to meet their needs for prosperity?

Global Health There are large and growing discontinuities between current knowledge of public health and medicine and its effective application around the world – millions suffer and die from preventable diseases, and the entire world remains at risk of pandemics. How can technology be used to provide billions with low-cost, ubiquitous healthcare, and help to identify and prevent pandemics?

Poverty Living standards have increased significantly in the past two centuries, but more than 20% of the world today lives in extreme poverty – unable to access resources that address their problems. How can exponential technologies be leveraged to create new jobs and wealth to alleviate poverty?

Space The grand challenge of space includes abundant energy and material resources, a planetary-scale network of sensors and systems measuring global conditions, and a vast, open frontier for exploration – but humans haven’t yet built industrial-strength solutions to realize these opportunities rapidly and cost effectively. How can the vast and abundant energy and material resources of space be used to address many of humanity’s grand challenges?

These areas were chosen because they are among the most pressing global grand challenges. And, based on the caliber of applications we’ve reviewed and students already selected, the class of GSP11 will be some of the most ready to develop the future-focused and innovative solutions required to effectively address each area. As always, we look forward to working with GSP11 to addressing these areas, and to help shape a more positive future!

Partnership to Aggregate Accelerating and Exponential Technologies for the “Future of Food”

MOFFETT FIELD, California, USA and MILAN, ITALY – June 20, 2011 – Singularity University (SU) and Expo 2015 S.p.A. (Expo2015) today announce a multi-year partnership where Singularity University, as an aggregator of accelerating and exponential innovation, will help guide the technology thinking for Expo2015 as a lead research partner.

The theme of the 2015 Universal Expo is “Feeding the planet, energy for Life.” It is expected that over 100 countries will showcase the future of food production and sustainable living with cutting edge technologies and next-generation ideas.

A key artifact of previous Expos has been to leave behind an architectural legacy. However, Expo2015 has chosen a bold new path. Rather than a physical artifact, the intent is to design a very experiential Expo and leave behind a rich legacy of visionary and imaginative ideas and projects addressing global needs.

“The goals of Singularity University are very aligned with those of Expo2015,” said Dr. Giuseppe Sala, the Executive Director of Expo2015. “SU’s goals of addressing Humanity’s Grand Challenges align extremely well with the ambitions of Expo2015 to drive the future of food and sustainability on this planet. SU has already aggregated the top thinkers in the world in the fastest moving technologies and breakthroughs – this is an exciting partnership with unlimited potential.”

Expo2015 will tap into Singularity University’s key outputs, the Ten To the Ninth (10^9+) projects that challenge students to develop an idea to positively affect at least one billion people within 10 years. Food and sustainability are key Grand Challenges addressed by these projects.

“Expo2015 is committed to the future of food for the planet,” said Salim Ismail, Founding Executive Director and Global Ambassador of Singularity University. “The experiential nature of the Expo lends itself extremely well to showcase the technologies and breakthroughs that will transform the planet in the coming decades. We look forward to working with Expo2015 to bring forth breakthrough ideas and technologies for 2015.”

ABOUT SINGULARITY UNIVERSITY

Singularity University (SU) is an interdisciplinary university whose mission is to assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies in order to address humanity’s grand challenges. With the support of a broad range of leaders in academia, business and government, SU hopes to stimulate groundbreaking, disruptive thinking and solutions aimed at solving some of the planet’s most pressing challenges. SU is based at the NASA campus in Silicon Valley. For more information, go to www.singularityu.org and follow SU on www.twitter.com/singularityu and at www.facebook.com/singularityu.

ABOUT EXPO2015

Expo 2015 S.p.A. is the company dedicated to the organization, site construction and management of the Universal Exposition to be held in Milan, Italy (“Expo Milano 2015”). Expo Milano 2015 is a global cultural, educational and scientific project bringing together countries, organizations, companies and citizens to explore and contribute to the progress of one of the world’s most pressing challenges: Feeding the Planet. Expo Milano 2015 will leverage tomorrow’s technology to showcase innovative, sustainable solutions to the global food challenge and to create a unique visitor experience.

For more information, go to www.expo2015.org or follow Expo Milano on www.twitter.com/Expo2015Milano and at www.youtube.com/user/expomilanotv.

The nearly 200 executive, graduate students, and FIAP faculty gathered Monday-Friday from 7-11pm, and then again all day Saturday – illustrating why SU is sometimes called “Sleepless University.” Dan Barry, Andrew Hessel, Salim Ismail, and Neil Jacobstein led the students through discussions on AI/robotics, biotech, nanotech, medicine, networks/computing systems, and energy. Participants were treated to special video presentations from co-founders Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis developed exclusively for the Brazilian program. The hands-on Marshmallow Challenge once again proved the collaboration and innovation power of dried spaghetti, tape, string and marshmallows – and why “fail fast and fail often” can lead to success.

On the final day, the students were asked how they would use technology to positively impact at least 100 million people in Brazil. Water purification, education, and biotech were among the most discussed technologies. The students also discussed the need to transform their economy from a manufacturing and agricultural-driven economy, to one that is more information technology-driven. By the end of the program, many had formed groups and began developing project ideas focused on addressing regional and national challenges – a sign of success.

Why Brazil for the first international program? As the largest country in South America, Brazil is quickly developing into a hub of innovation – particularly in agri-industry and energy. A few key facts about Brazil and why it’s a nation to watch:

1. Brazil ranks fifth overall in Internet and mobile phone usage – behind China, US and India. It was recently reported that Brazil’s active phone lines now outnumber its more than 200 million residents.
2. Brazil is the world’s first sustainable biofuel economy, and is the world’s second largest producer of ethanol fuel. Considered the world leader in biofuel technology, many countries look to Brazil as a model for setting public energy policy.
3. Brazil is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, leading all South American countries, and ranked eighth globally just behind Italy and the UK.

Many thanks again to FIAP for hosting the program. Visit our Facebook page for more photos from the event!

Founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter Thiel, the Thiel Foundation promotes personal, economic, and political freedom. Among other projects, the Foundation sponsors innovative scientific research and new technology development that empowers people to improve their lives. Its new 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship will foster the next generation of tech visionaries by awarding $100,000 grants to each of twenty innovators under twenty years old.

“Economic growth depends on innovation, and the education establishment doesn’t support innovation very well,” said Thiel. “People need to explore other ways of learning, from starting new companies while young to taking courses that stress entrepreneurship and breakthrough technologies. Singularity University is a good example of both. Policymakers should respect innovation, mostly by staying out of its way.”

The Thiel Foundation grant will support the continued development of the Policy, Law, and Ethics curriculum, led by world-renowned faculty during the Graduate Studies Program, to help students understand the implications of exponential technologies. The annual Graduate Studies Program is a 10-week graduate-level interdisciplinary curriculum, designed to facilitate understanding, collaboration, and innovation across a broad range of carefully chosen scientific and technological disciplines whose developments are accelerating exponentially. The keystone of the program, the Ten to the Ninth Plus (10^9+) Team Projects, challenge students to develop services, products, and both nonprofit and for-profit organizations that have the ability to positively affect the lives of one billion people within 10 years.

SU also offers both four-day and seven-day Exponential Technologies Executive Programs for executives, investors, and entrepreneurs on a quarterly basis. These programs focus on preparing executives for the disruptive business opportunities and challenges resulting from exponential technologies. The next program is scheduled for December 9-12, 2010.

“The exponential acceleration of science and technology makes it more important than ever for citizens, policy-makers, and business leaders to understand and approach the potential opportunities and risks of new technologies in a thoughtful and nuanced way,” said Neil Jacobstein, President of Singularity University. “We look forward to working closely with Peter Thiel and the Thiel Foundation to expand our Policy, Law, and Ethics curriculum, and further our shared vision of interdisciplinary education and entrepreneurship.”

Led by SU Founding Architect Susan Fonseca and moderated by SU Trustee Sonia Arrison Senkut, Women @ the Frontier featured an amazing group of women from biotech, humanitarian outreach, innovation, space, and venture capital discussing their journey in leveraging exponential trends, leadership and the power of entrepreneurship to design solutions that could positively impact one billion people.

In addition to the panel of leading women, the event showcased top organizations significantly transforming the lives of women and girls, including: Anita Borg, Pachamama Alliance, Women2.0, Girls in Tech, NAWBO, Spark, Samasource, ThinkIndia, Green Energy Tech, NCWIT, Soul of Money, and many others.

Why a women’s forum? W@F creator Fonseca-Klein explained, “The solutions needed to address today’s grand challenges require true diversity of ideas, experiences, culture and disciplines. In order to achieve this goal, we must raise the voice of women from a whisper to a conversation, highlighting successful female pioneers and including the wisdom of mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives.”

Many thanks again to Liddy Karter of Karter Capital Advisors, Laurie Yoler of GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Rebecca Moore of Google Earth Outreach program, Cynthia Kenyon of UCSF’s Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging, BlogHer’s Lisa Stone, and astronaut Yvonne Cagle of NASA Ames for their words of inspiration and leadership.

Check out the Women @ the Frontier video to hear from the leaders on the forefront of global innovation:

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – November 10, 2010 – Singularity University (SU) — the academic institution with the goal of preparing the next generation of leaders to utilize exponential technologies in addressing “humanity’s grand challenges” — today announced Nokia has joined as a Corporate Founder. The collaboration will leverage Nokia’s commitment to global communications innovation and sustainability by supporting Singularity University’s programs, and Ten to the Ninth Plus (10^9+) Team Projects focused on solving key global issues. Nokia joins Google, Autodesk, ePlanet Ventures, and the Kauffman Foundation as Corporate Founders of Singularity University.

Nokia is the world’s largest mobile phone maker, and is globally recognized for its thought-leadership and mobile technology innovation. In addition, Nokia has also consistently demonstrated its global leadership in sustainability and environmental issues. In 2010 alone, Nokia was named the “most sustainable technology company” by Dow Jones Indexes, the leading “greener electronics” company by Greenpeace, and announced as among the “top five most sustainable” companies in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“Nokia has a long history of open innovation – working with local universities and research organizations to further innovation and solving global communication issues for mobile consumers. We look forward to working closely with Singularity University and its students,” said John Shen, laboratory director, Nokia Research Center, Palo Alto.

The collaboration with Nokia supports the development of SU programs, led by world-renowned faculty, to help students understand and leverage the impact of exponential technologies. The annual Graduate Studies Program is a 10-week graduate-level interdisciplinary curriculum designed to facilitate understanding, collaboration and innovation across a broad range of carefully chosen scientific and technological disciplines whose developments are accelerating exponentially. The keystone of the program, the Ten to the Ninth Plus (10^9+) Team Projects, challenge students to develop services, products, and organizations that have the ability to positively affect the lives of one billion people within 10 years.

SU also offers both four-day and seven-day Exponential Technologies Executive Programs for executives, investors and entrepreneurs on a quarterly basis. These programs focus on preparing executives for the disruptive business opportunities and challenges resulting from exponential technologies. The next program is scheduled for December 9-12, 2010, and a limited number of seats are still available.

“Nokia is a visionary telecommunications company, and a leading force in enabling global citizens to connect and communicate in ways never before possible,” said Neil Jacobstein, President of Singularity University. “Nokia is an ideal collaborator with a global perspective, entrepreneurial spirit, and an interdisciplinary approach to innovation. We are honored that Nokia has joined us as Corporate Founder, and we look forward to leveraging their vision and technological innovation for our programs and team projects.”