Kick-Off Event for the Silicon Valley Global Knowledge Network

The Global Knowledge Network is a new initiative rooted in one of the most significant technological and economic trends of the past decade, globalization. The Network will study these trends and their effect on Silicon Valley, at the same time leveraging relationships between technology leaders in our Valley and other regions around the globe. The Network will also create a cross-boundary "network of networks" spanning our region's many diverse entrepreneurship organizations. More detailed information about the Global Knowledge Network can be found at http://www.jointventure.org.

The kick-off event will feature a panel addressing Silicon Valley's emerging knowledge networks and the future of IT as well as time for networking. The keynote speaker will be William F. Miller, Co-Director, SPRIE and Professor Emeritus at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Joining him as panelists on the program will be Simon Cao, founder of both Arasor and Avanex, with 20 years experience in optics and communications and Ajay Shah, who founded of SMART Modular Technologies, and served until recently as President and CEO of the Technology Solutions Business Unit at Solectron.

William F. Miller is the Herbert Hoover Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, and President Emeritus of SRI International. He also chairs the board of Borland Software Corporation, and has previously sat on the boards of Wells Fargo and the Fireman's Fund. He currently serves on the boards of Sentius Corporation, Data Digest Inc., and Handysoft USA.

Simon (Xiaofan) Cao is Founder, President and CEO of Arasor Corporation, and has twenty years of experience in optics, communications, and signal processing. He was the founder of both Avanex Corporation and Oplink Communications, Inc.

Ajay Shah founded SMART Modular Technologies in 1988. Until recently he served as President and CEO of the Technology Solutions Business Unit at the Solectron Corporation.