Japan - US
2020 Innovation Awards Symposium
Combining the best of Japanese creativity and American entrepreneurial skill to create unimagined opportunities
Tuesday, July 14, 2020 + Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Online
Check Agenda Below
Combining Japanese Creativity and American Entrepreneurship
The Japan – U.S. Innovation Awards Symposium is the signature event of the Innovation Awards Program, organized by the Japan Society of Northern California in cooperation with the US – Asia Technology Management Center of Stanford University.
Each year, two companies (one each from Japan and the U.S.) receive the SunBridge Emerging Leader award for technological innovations deemed to be disrupting their markets.
Play Video
2020 Innovation Showcase
2020 Prior Winner Report
Kurt Kelty
Vice President, Automotive | Sila Nanotechnologies Inc.
Kurt Kelty is the VP of Automotive at Sila Nano where he leads Business Development, Sales, and Marketing for the Automotive market. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the battery industry, including 11 years at Tesla, where he most recently served as Senior Director of Battery Technology. There he was responsible for leading numerous key initiatives, including setting the company’s battery cell usage strategy, delivering the batteries implemented in the Roadster, Model S/X and Model 3, and leading partnerships and material sourcing efforts at the Gigafactory, among many others. Prior to Tesla, Kelty was Director of Business Development at Panasonic, where he founded the U.S. battery R&D lab.
Kelty holds a BA in Biology from Swarthmore College and a Master of Science from Stanford. He is the author of 16 patents.
Attention
The 2020 Keynote Speaker will be announced soon.
2019 Keynote Speaker
Shawn Layden
Chairman
Worldwide Studios
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Shawn Layden is Chairman of Worldwide Studios for PlayStation, where he oversees all first-party game strategy and development. Layden has extensive experience in the consumer electronics and digital entertainment industries, including more than 20 years at PlayStation.
Previously, Layden was President & CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, leading the PlayStation business in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Sony Network Entertainment International, responsible for global marketing, sales, and network retail operations for PlayStation Network. He also served as President of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and was Vice President, International Software Development, at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
Layden graduated from the University of Notre Dame
