MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Announces Dr. John Kao to Keynote Innovation Summit 2008 - "Power, Drugs and Money"

Strategist and Bestselling Author of "Innovation Nation" to Present Playbook for Reinvigorating American Innovation


CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - December 13, 2007) - The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge announced that Dr. John Kao will be the keynote speaker for its Innovation Summit 2008 - "Power, Drugs and Money." Dr. Kao, a leading authority on innovation, organizational transformation and digital media, will kick off the day-long event with a presentation on the challenges America faces in recapturing its innovation edge. He is the author of the bestseller, "Innovation Nation: How America is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why it Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back" (Free Press, 2007).

Each year, the Forum's Innovation Summit explores a different theme, highlighting invention and entrepreneurship in New England. This year's conference, "Power, Drugs and Money - Local Innovation/Global Impact" will focus on three interconnected sectors where the region has unique strengths: clean energy and the environment, life sciences and financial services. Sessions will explore the role New England plays as a center for innovation and the global implications of these developments. The event will be held February 7, 2008 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.

"The goal of this year's Summit is to be a launching point for discussions on how innovation in New England can make a difference to the nation and the global economy," said Jim Matheson, general partner at Flagship Ventures and volunteer chairperson for this year's conference. "I cannot imagine a more fitting or thought-provoking speaker for this theme than Dr. Kao."

"I've taught entrepreneurship and innovation in Cambridge for more than a decade, and look forward to sharing my insights on how we can jump-start innovation in the nation and region," said Dr. Kao. "New England has long been a hotbed of innovation, and this conference will serve as a springboard for constructive discussions about capitalizing on the creativity here."

Dubbed "Mr. Creativity" and "a serial innovator" by The Economist, Dr. Kao is the founder of Kao and Company, which serves top-tier Fortune 500 business leaders as well as many departments of the U.S. government. He has started several companies in areas as diverse as biotech, innovation management and e-services. Dr. Kao taught at the Harvard Business School for 14 years, and he has also served as a visiting professor at the MIT Media Lab and the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. In addition to "Innovation Nation," he is the author of "Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity," a BusinessWeek bestseller. Dr. Kao earned his B.A. degree from Yale College, an M.D. from Yale Medical School and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

For more information on Innovation Nation, please visit http://www.innovationation.org.

For more information on "Power, Drugs and Money," please visit http://powerdrugsandmoney.com.

About the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge

The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is a volunteer, non-profit organization based at MIT whose mission is to promote and strengthen the process of starting and growing innovative science- and technology-oriented companies by providing services and programs that educate, inform and support the entrepreneurial community.

Contact Information: MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM OF CAMBRIDGE CONTACT: Rob Butler MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge 617-253-8238 PRESS CONTACT : Barbara Heffner (for MIT Enterprise Forum) CHEN PR, Inc. 781-672-3112