Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Berkeley

Dr. Paul Alivisatos serves as Vice Chancellor for Research with overall responsibility for UC Berkeley’s research endeavor and primary leadership in research policy, planning and administration including relations between the university and industry, research compliance, research communications and research support for the Berkeley campus. From 2009 to 2016, he was Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) after Dr. Steve Chu was appointed US Secretary of Energy.

Dr. Alivisatos is UC Berkeley's Samsung Distinguished Professor of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. He also directs the Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute (ENSI), and holds professorships in UC Berkeley's departments of materials science and chemistry. In addition, he is a founder of two prominent nanotechnology companies, Nanosys and Quantum Dot Corp, now a part of Life Tech.

Dr. Alivisatos has recently won US highest innovation award, National Medal of Technology & Innovation, which was given by President Obama at the White House. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry in 1981 from the University of Chicago and Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley in 1986. He began his career with UC Berkeley in 1988 and with Berkeley Lab in 1991.

Chairman Emeritus, Silicon Valley Bank

Ken Wilcox currently serves as Emeritus Chairman of Silicon Valley Bank and was Vice Chairman of SPD Silicon Valley Bank. He was previously the CEO of SVB Financial Group. In that role, he successfully pursued a strategy of expansion and diversification, while remaining focused on the group’s core niches of technology, life sciences, venture capital and premium wineries.

Mr. Wilcox is a member of the Board of the Asia Society of Northern California, the Asian Art Museum, the Equilibrium Capital Group, and Columbia Lake Venture Debt Fund. He is also an adjunct professor and member of International Advisory Board at Fudan University in Shanghai, and an advisor to a number of startups. Earlier in his career, Mr. Wilcox was a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2006 to 2012.

In 2008, Mr. Wilcox was named “Banker of the Year” by American Banker. He earned the distinction of “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young in 2009 and in 2010. The Yangpu District of Shanghai has also honored Mr. Wilcox with an “Innovation Contributor Award”. In 2013, the Shanghai Municipal Government presented Mr. Wilcox with the “Magnolia Silver Award”, a municipal honor given to expatriates for their outstanding contribution to the city's economic, social or cultural development.

Co-founder and CEO, Kabam

Since co-founding a company in 2006 that became Kabam in 2009, Kevin Chou has led the disruption of the video game industry by revolutionizing the way players access and pay for games. He has secured partnerships with leading game platforms, as well as with Hollywood studio giants such as Disney, Lionsgate, MGM, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Warner Brothers for games based on some of the world’s most beloved movie franchises. Under his leadership, Kabam has raised more than $240 million from venture and strategic investors, including some of the world’s largest entertainment and internet companies such as Alibaba, Google, Intel and Warner Brothers.

Before co-founding Kabam, Mr. Chou worked at the global venture capital firm Canaan Partners, which is Kabam’s initial investor and where he invested in 14 consumer technology and online media companies. Earlier, he advised public technology companies on M&A and corporate finance as part of Deutsche Bank’s technology investment banking practice.

In 2014 Mr. Chou was named one of Fortune magazine’s prestigious “40 Under 40” and, in 2012, was identified by Fortune as one of the “Smartest People in Tech.” The Los Angeles Times called Kevin “absurdly accomplished.”