Abstract:

Silicon Valley is a unique place in the world, where the innovation ecosystem has been fostered through the past 60 years. Many companies, once small start-up, but very well established globally today, are concentrated in this relatively small area in California, USA. In this seminar, we will discuss how Silicon Valley's innovation ecosystem has evolved, what the essential characteristics of Silicon Valley are, and what implications Silicon Valley would have for Turkey's future economy, especially in the high-technology sectors.

Bio:

Mr. Masazumi ("Masa") Ishii is a Managing Director of AZCA, Inc., a management consulting firm, based in Menlo Park, California, which specializes in assisting companies to grow their international business. Based on his over twenty-five years of experience as a professional in international business and high technology, Mr. Ishii has supported more than 300 companies in developing their new business between North America and Japan. Mr. Ishii is also an active investor in emerging high technology companies. He currently serves as a Managing Director of AZCA Venture Partners, a VC firm designed to help corporations to grow their business in the healthcare domain by means of a strategic venture capital framework. He also serves as a Venture Partner of Noventi, which manages venture capital funds in the IT & Electronics and Cleantech spaces. In his earlier carrier, Mr. Ishii was a senior management consultant at McKinsey & Company, Inc. Prior to that, he worked with IBM Japan as a computer engineer, where he co-authored two books on database and data communications architecture. Mr. Ishii serves on the board and the advisory board of several multinational companies and associations, including the Japan Society of Northern California and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Northern California (President in 2007). He is a frequent speaker and writer on issues involving innovation and entrepreneurship as well as international corporate development. He is a visiting professor at Waseda University Business School and at Graduate School of Engineering, Shizuoka University. Mr. Ishii holds a B.S. in mathematical engineering and instrumentation physics from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Science in computer science from Stanford University.

 Hisar Campus, B105