What we’re about
#AvantLink
Entrepreneurship permeates the culture of Silicon Valley - the innovation capital of the world.
The advent of the Digital Age has democratized innovation and entrepreneurship.
Never before has it been more possible for anyone from anywhere, with a great idea and a burning desire to succeed, to make it big, and in the process, change the world in a relatively short period of time.
HP, Intel, Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, Google, Facebook and many, many, many other iconic companies all started with just an idea.
Taking a startup from idea to IPO has taken on mythical proportions in Silicon Valley and beyond. Many dream the dream, with hopes of launching the "next big thing".
We are a community of entrepreneurs, technologists, engineers, venture capitalists, angel investors, educators, financial professionals, corporate executives, attorneys, academics, bloggers, writers, content creators, and social activists.
Our mission is to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge, guidance, tools, and connections they need to succeed. Our goal is to build a strong, vibrant, collaborative entrepreneurial community with deep, lasting business and social relationships throughout Silicon Valley and beyond.
One of the compelling features of our organization is our packed, busy calendar of informative programs and practical activities designed to help our entrepreneurial members achieve their objectives and realize their aspirations. Taking advantage of this vast array of relevant content will make you a better entrepreneur.
We believe in working together. We share resources, exchange ideas, and actively engage with each other -- on a personal level as well as on a business level. We participate in on-line as well as off-line events.
Our events feature expert speakers, networking opportunities, collaboration, community, and fellowship.
Many events on our calendar are in held in collaboration with other like-minded Silicon Valley organizations and institutions.
Our popular business and social networking mixers are festive occasions that allow you to meet new people from many different groups. We hold many social events to help members connect on a personal level and make friends.
Our network is expansive and global. We have members throughout the U.S. and around the world. We welcome international entrepreneurs from everywhere in the world to become part of our global community.
We are inclusive, not exclusive. : - )
We believe entrepreneurial educational opportunities should be accessible to anyone with a dream and ambition.
We support:
http://www.khanacademy.org/donate
We are inspired by:
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Rodin Collection at the Cantor Arts Center and Social Networking-StanfordCantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Stanford, CA
This event is organized in collaboration with other groups.
This event is FREE to attend.
In order to attend, please register here:
This event is FREE to attend.
Agenda
10:45 AM Meet in front of the Cantor Arts Center
Look for the MEETUP sign!
Meet and greet!
Network, socialize and connect!
11:30 AM Group tour of the Rodin collection
12:30 PM Roam the exhibits or have lunch in the cafe at the Cantor Arts Center
OPTIONAL: 1:30 PM Group tour of the Stanford campus
(Attendees will purchase their own food and beverages.)
Please review this link for info on the Cantor Cantor Arts Center, directions and parking info.
https://museum.stanford.edu/visit
Please review this link for info on the Rodin collection.
https://museum.stanford.edu/exhibitions/rodin-shock-modern-body
Please register here for admission to the Cantor Arts Center.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cantor-arts-center-reservations-tickets-159897258003
(Admission is free but registration is required.)
- Meet New People! Sunday Night Networking (In-Person)Panera Bread, Santa Clara, CA
Look for the MEETUP sign!
Come out and meet new people!
Network, socialize and connect!
This event is free to attend.
Please register here:
Meet New People! Sunday Night Networking / Games! Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
Attendees must purchase their own liquid refreshments and food.
There's no content or speaker at this event -- just business and social networking.
Build your business and social network - face to face! (in-person)
Come out and enjoy a great evening of good food, liquid refreshments, and connecting.
You may meet your next business collaborator, client, employer, employee, friend, or tennis partner!
Getting away from a screen for a few hours will do you some good!
: -)
Meet Silicon Valley movers and shakers - Internet entrepreneurs, developers, engineers, mobile app coders, attorneys, bloggers, academics, financiers, marketing professionals, community organizers and investors.
This event is organized in collaboration with other groups!
@ideatoipo
www.idea-to-ipo.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjYga11avYH_CUpC0BSyDng
(videos of online events)
Look for the MEETUP sign!
- Silicon Valley Business Networking (Online)Link visible for attendees
Organizational Sponsor:
Startup House
Need a place to stay short term in Silicon Valley?
Stay at Startup House in Palo Alto - the heart of Silicon Valley - for as low as $50 a night!
-Network, socialize and connect with entrepreneurs all over the world!
-Enjoy social events and startup and venture capital-related programming!
- Have access to world class amenities, iconic tech companies, top tier venture capital firms, Stanford University, etc. - all within walking or biking distance!
For more info, send an email message to:
siliconvalleystartuphousing@gmail.com
Put this in the subject header:
Silicon Valley Startup Housing
This event is 100% online.
Participants can be located anywhere in the world!
This event is FREE to attend!
In order to attend, please register here:
(The login link will be sent via email to Eventbrite registrants right before the start of the event.)
Hurry! Slots are limited!
There's no content or speaker at this event -- just business networking.
Build your business network - face to face (online)!
Join a virtual gathering of professionals from all walks of life from all over the world!
You may meet your next business collaborator, client, employer, employee or friend!
Meet Silicon Valley movers and shakers and influencers from all over the world - tech entrepreneurs, developers, engineers, attorneys, bloggers, academics, thought leaders, community organizers, artists, financiers, and investors!
Network, socialize and connect!
For more info on Idea to IPO events, visit:
www.idea-to-ipo.com (our main meetup group among 160 meetup groups globally)
https://www.youtube.com/@ideatoipo2 (videos of online events)
- How Fair Trade Farmers, Companies and Consumers Are Changing the WorldThe Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA
This event is being promoted by many groups.
This event is organized by the Commonwealth Club.
Our meetup group is collaborating by promoting this event.
There is a cover charge for this event.
In order to attend, please register here:
Every Purchase Matters: How Fair Trade Farmers, Companies and Consumers Are Changing the World
Our meetup members can get the Commonwealth Club member rate!
Use promo code:
IPO
Hurry! Slots are limited!
Come join award-winning journalist Priya David Clemens in conversation with Paul Rice, founder and former CEO of Fair Trade USA, to discuss his critical account of the past, present and future of conscious capitalism—the change it has wrought in the world and the potential it still has to confront our greatest challenges.
We all have the power to change the world through the products we buy. This simple premise has driven the growth of the conscious consumer movement for decades. Indeed, what started with a handful of niche sustainability brands has exploded into the mainstream with labels like "organic," "non-GMO," and "fair trade certified" now adorning products in major retailers across the country.
Yet the true promise of ethical sourcing and conscious consumerism has not been fully realized. Paul Rice has dedicated his career to helping consumers and businesses embrace the power they have to protect the environment and improve the lives of farmers and workers on the far side of our global supply chains.
In Every Purchase Matters, Rice reveals the untold story of the fair-trade movement and its significance for us all. Calling on the close relationships he cultivated over the last 40 years with the pioneers of ethical sourcing—CEOs, activists, grassroots farmer leaders, and consumer advocates—Rice gives voice to the visionaries and practitioners who are making sustainable business the new normal. These protagonists share successes and failures, lessons learned, and their extraordinary impact in communities around the world. Their stories illuminate how sustainability is good not only for people and planet but also for business.
Whether you’re a consumer, a business leader, or an investor, Rice offers a rich and persuasive case for conscious capitalism—the change it has brought and the potential it still has to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.
About the Speakers
Paul Rice is the founder & former CEO of Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of fair-trade products in the United States. Since launching the Fair Trade Certified label in 1998, Rice has helped establish fair trade as one of the fastest-growing segments of the food and apparel industries. To date, Fair Trade USA has partnered with more than 1,400 leading companies. Fair Trade USA now certifies coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, coconut, fresh produce and fish. It has begun certifying apparel and home goods, improving the lives of factory workers. In 2020 consumer recognition of the Fair Trade Certified label hit 63 percent and U.S. retail sales of fair trade products grew to $8 billion. As a result, to date, Fair Trade USA and its partners generated more than $830 million in additional income for farmers and workers in 70 countries, allowing them to care for the environment and steadily improve their livelihoods.
Prior to founding Fair Trade USA, Rice worked for 11 years as a rural development specialist in the mountains of Nicaragua, where he founded and led the country's first fair trade, organic coffee export cooperative. Rice's rich, first-hand experience over the last 30 years in the fields of sustainable agriculture, grassroots economic development, global supply chain transparency and consumer activation is unique in the certification world. He is now a leading advocate of “impact sourcing” as a core strategy for both poverty alleviation and sustainable business. Rice has been named Ethical Corporation’s 2019 Business Leader of the Year and is a four-time winner of Fast Company magazine’s Social Capitalist of the Year. Rice is also the recipient of the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, Skoll World Forum, TEDx and numerous universities and conferences around the world.From political leaders and bestselling authors to groundbreaking scientists, doctors, artists, and athletes, Priya David Clemens leads discussions that go beyond the headlines to inform, challenge, and illuminate. With more than 15 years of television news experience, Clemens has anchored and reported nationally for CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and locally for KTVU, KQED, KOIN, and WVTM. Her journalism has taken her across the U.S. and around the world, covering everything from presidential elections to pop culture to technological frontiers. Priya also served as the spokesperson for Golden Gate Bridge, telling the stories of one of the world’s most iconic landmarks.
As the founder of Bridge Media Company, Priya builds content and communications strategy for business, philanthropy, and government clients. Recently, Bridge Media created an interview series for Waverley Street Foundation to explore climate solutions centered in community; produced a live streaming journalism series for GatherVerse focused the human impact of emerging technology; and launched the critically acclaimed podcast "100 Days of Kamala," in which insiders shared hometown stories about Vice President Harris during her historic run for the presidency.
Priya has also served as press ambassador for the City of San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, promoting civic messaging and hospitality for thousands of local, national, and international visiting journalists.
