Join IrishCentral LIVE from Inspirefest 2018's New York salon

Inspirefest, the Irish-born science and technology festival taking Europe by storm, is making a stop in New York City, and IrishCentral will take you there live.

Europe's leading sci-tech and innovation event, Inspirefest, is going on the road, and making a stop in New York. Watch IrishCentral's Facebook Live broadcast of the NYC Inspirefest Salon for a preview of their annual festival in Dublin in June 2018.

Inspirefest is all about great content, and the New York gathering will be no exception. You will hear from award-winning Inspirefest founder Ann O'Dea (Dublin), Silicon Valley Bank managing director Claire Lee (San Francisco) and playwright and performer Heather Massie (NYC). Gizmodo Media and Inspirefest regular Raju Narisetti (NYC), CEO of Gizmodo Media Group will open proceedings.

Leaders and influencers from the science, tech, arts, media and business communities will be joining for a relaxed, inspiring and sociable evening.

If you care about the future of science, technology and creativity, and you want to see greater diversity in these key sectors, this is the event for you!

Watch Live here and learn all about the speakers below. 

SALON SPEAKERS:

Ann O'Dea, CEO, Silicon Republic, Founder, Inspirefest

Ann O’Dea is CEO and Co-Founder of Silicon Republic, one of Europe’s leading technology and innovation news services, reporting online since 2001. Ann is the founder of Inspirefest, and the driving force behind Silicon Republic’s Women Invent campaign, which champions women role models in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She was awarded a Fellowship from the Irish Computer Society, a Net Visionary award from the Irish Internet Association, and was named ‘Media Woman of the Year’ at the Irish Tatler Women of the Year Awards in 2014. In 2015, she was the first and only woman to be inducted into the Irish Internet Association’s Hall of Fame. Ann sits on the Advisory Boards of the Digital Youth Council, and Teen Turn, an initiative to get school-going girls from disadvantaged areas work experience in the STEM sector.

Claire Lee, Managing Director, Early Stage Banking, Silicon Valley Bank

Claire Lee is the head of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) group dedicated to working with founders, entrepreneurs and pre-Series A companies. SVB works with more than 50pc of VC-backed companies globally. Claire joined SVB in January 2014 from Microsoft Ventures, where she was a principal in the new seed fund, evaluating and investing in early stage start-ups, and working closely with the partners that incubate, invest in and support them. Prior to this, Claire was part of the corporate strategy team that created and launched the Microsoft BizSpark program globally, with a focus on Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Claire is an adviser to Astia Global and the US Department of State, and sits on the NationSwell Council.

Heather Massie, Playwright and performer, The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr

Heather Massie is a NYC actor and writer. Originally from Virginia, she has always been fascinated by science, and seeks to marry her loves of science and art in the person of Hedy Lamarr - Massie studied Astrophysics at University of Virginia and Theatre Arts at the Virginia Tech School of the Arts. For HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, she was named the 2016 Outstanding Actress in a Staged Reading at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, NYC; a Festival Bestseller at United Solo, NYC; and Best Actress in the 2017 SaraSolo Festival, Sarasota. Hedy Lamarr, as well as a star of the silver screen, invented frequency hopping and spread spectrum technology that make the world of wireless communication tick.