Gender inequality in the workplace is still a reality and an issue that must be tackled head-on in Silicon Valley and Japan. In 2017, the World Economic Forum reported for the first time in 10 years, a widening of the global gender gap. Numerous efforts to break this cycle have been announced and implemented to varying degrees of success in both countries making it clear that we must do more, together.

While women in the United States comprise 59% of the total workforce, they only make up 30% of major technology companies and only 11% of the executive positions in Silicon Valley are held by women. An industry that prides itself on innovative thinking and breakthroughs that can fundamentally improve quality of life has yet to find its way to disrupt gender inequality in its ranks. In recent years, Silicon Valley has been rocked by a number of high-profile sexual discrimination and harassment cases. In 2016, women tech leaders created the “Elephant in the Valley” survey to gather data on women’s experiences. The result was a bleak picture of Silicon Valley’s pervasive gender discrimination atmosphere but also the creation of a platform for women to share stories and build networks of support and activism based on shared experience.

As Japan faces a shrinking and aging population, it must pursue productivity growth to remain a wealthy nation. Women, long underutilized in Japan’s workforce, are receiving renewed attention with the Abe administration’s slogan of Womenomics as part of his Abenomics economic reform package. This political pledge has yielded some momentum with a number of concrete policy measures. Prime Minister Abe has even gone so far as to say “Abenomics is Womenomics.” There is still progress to be made. The Acceleration Program in Tokyo for Women (APT), spearheaded by Governor Yuriko Koike, the first female governor of Tokyo, aims to counter this narrative by providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to build networks, receive mentoring, and become a focal point for dynamism.

The Break Through conference aims to create a dialogue that will spark innovative ideas for narrowing the gender gap by bringing together women thought leaders and entrepreneurs from Stanford, Silicon Valley and Japan to cultivate interpersonal support networks and collaboration.

This conference will:

• Provide tools for branding and building support networks
• Discuss progress and challenges in women’s advancement in Silicon Valley and Japan
• Share practices and organizational features that better enable the hiring and retaining of women
• Showcase Silicon Valley and Japanese women entrepreneurs

This conference is organized by Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (S-APARC) Japan Program thanks to the generous support of the Acceleration Program in Tokyo for Women (APT), Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

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Agenda

9:30-10:00       Registration

10:00-10:05     Opening & Welcome Remarks

10:05-10:35     Women Entrepreneurs in the United States

- Judy Gilbert, Chief People Officer, Zymergen   

10:35-11:00     Womenomics in Japan

- Yuko Osaki, Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office, Japanese Government              

11:00-11:30     Fireside Chat 1

- Yoky Matsuoka, Chief Technology Officer, Nest

with Frances Colón, CEO, Jasperi Consulting

11:30-12:00     Fireside Chat 2

- Claire Chino, President & CEO, Itochu International Inc.

with Haruko Sasamoto, Assistant Manager Silicon Valley Branch, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas)

12:00-13:00     Lunch

13:00-14:00     Start-up Showcase Group 1 (5 Japanese Startups)

14:00-14:15     Break

14:15-15:15     Start-up Showcase Group 2 (5 Silicon Valley Startups)

Feedback for both showcases given by:

- Allison Baum, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Fresco Capital

- Atsuko Jenks, Managing Direction-Japan, GSV Labs

- Jaclyn Selby, Research Scholar, Stanford University

15:15-16:15     Workshop: Leveraging Your Personal Brand to Effectively Lead

How others—from team members to board members—perceive you directly affects your ability to effectively lead and get results. For this reason, and especially for women entrepreneurs, it is crucial to understand your personal brand and carefully manage it. In this hands-on workshop, we will use Design Thinking as a framework to help you identify your strengths, skills and unique differentiators and how to effectively communicate these in your work environment.

Workshop Facilitator:

- Sylvia Vaquer, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, SocioFabrica

16:15     Closing Remarks 

As the Tokyo-based co-founder and managing partner of global VC fund Fresco Capital, Allison Baum is frequently asked “Why are you in Japan?”  Indeed, with a global network of corporate partners, investors, and portfolio companies, many of them are curious to know why Fresco sees long term potential in the Japanese market. Though Japan is an advanced and well developed economy, the country is struggling with the need to innovate in the face of critical challenges such as a deflationary economy, a rapidly aging population, and an impending automation of the workforce. Fresco’s view is that this environment presents an extremely promising market opportunity for companies addressing challenges in healthcare, education and workplaces of the future. Join us as Allison shares her experience on the challenges and opportunities of expanding to Japan, bridging the cultural divide between Japan and the rest of the world, and discovering firsthand what it takes to successfully build long term partnerships in Japan.

The rise of Nokia as a global ICT leader in the 1990s and early 2000s was dramatic, as a company from the small Nordic country of Finland became a global titan. The lack of Japanese presence in global ICT industries in the 1990s and 2000s was unexpected, as it was a technological and platform leader in its domestic market but without followers in global markets. The advent of the iPhone and Android from Silicon Valley companies in the late 2000s thoroughly disrupted both Nokia and the Japanese companies. What happened? Why did it happen, and what were the lessons learned? Now, with the dominance and concentration of Silicon Valley companies and the rise of China in new areas such as AI and digital services, how do we understand the dynamics of competition unfolding? What general conclusions can we draw about the possibilities and risks of national strategies from  the past experiences?

This panel brings expertise from China, Europe, Japan, and Silicon Valley to discuss these questions. 

This event is brought to you by Shorenstein APARC Japan Program's Stanford Silicon Valley-New Japan Project in collaboration with the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE)

AGENDA

Moderator and panelist: John Zysman, Co-founder, Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy. Author of “The Third Globalization: Can Wealth Countries Stay Rich.”

3:00pm-3:05pm         Introduction & Opening Remarks

3:05pm-3:35pm         The rise and fall of Nokia as a global mobile leader, a management perspective

Presenter: Yves Doz, Solvay Chaired Professor of Technological Innovation, INSEAD. Author of “Ringtone: Exploring the Rise and Fall of Nokia in Mobile Phones” (2018)

3:35pm-4:05pm         How Silicon Valley commoditized the global ICT industry. Japan: leading without followers, then disrupted, a political economy perspective

Presenter: Kenji Kushida, Research Scholar, Stanford University. Author of “The politics of commoditization in global ICT industries: a political economy explanation of the rise of Apple, Google, and industry disruptors” (2015)

4:05pm-4:35pm        AI and Global Dynamic Capabilities: The Implications for China and the United States. 

· The Chinese Case:  Can China avoid the Finnish and Japanese fate?   Will the scale of the Chinese market permit it to develop global standards?   Will the geo-political rivalry change the dynamic of the market rivalries.

· The American case: Will the American platform strengths hold in in the face of Chinese challenges? Will Europe?

Presenters: Amy Shuen, Visiting Professor, Hong Kong University (formerly at UC Berkeley, Wharton, CEIBS). Co-author, Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Management (SMJ, Best Paper Award, 2003) Author, “Web 2.0:  A Strategy Guide” (OReilly, 2008) HKU Talk (2017) https://www.ecom-icom.hku.hk/Contents/Item/Display/1962

John Zysman, Co-founder, Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy. Author of “The Third Globalization:Can Wealth Countries Stay Rich.”

4:35pm-5:00pm         Open Discussion, Q&A

RSVP REQUIRED: http://www.stanford-svnj.org/44-panel-discussion

The “Baby Boomer” generation (dankai no sedai) has begun to reach the age of retirement en mass.  10,000 people turn 65 every day in the United States. In Japan, one-fifth of the population is over the age of 65 and is on track to increase to one-third of the population by 2050. In addition, people are living longer. Japan boasts the highest life expectancy in the world with an average of 84 years. As a result, we currently have a growing group of accomplished professionals contemplating spending their next 20-30 years doing something other than traditional work. According to the International Longevity Center (ILC) there is a great interest among this population to engage in activities that contribute back to society, but very few actually make the leap to do so. Nonprofits in the United States have developed a variety creative strategies to engage older adults; creating dynamic partnerships that provide opportunity and meaning to seniors while furthering social purpose missions. Lago will provide an overview of how nonprofits are leveraging the skills and experience of senior professionals for the social good.

SPEAKER:

Ulea Lago, Director of Consulting Empower Success Corp

BIO:

Ulea Grace Lago directs ESC’s consulting practice of 150 senior professionals, overseeing approximately $2.5M in pro bono services annually. An attorney and independent consultant, Ulea has over 17 years of experience working with nonprofits, religious organizations, and community groups. A veteran community organizer, she is the former director of the Truth and Reconciliation Project in Nashville, Tennessee, and previously served as Associate Director of Community Partnership and Service Learning at Sarah Lawrence College and Chair of the Political Action Network at Vanderbilt University, where she organized educational panels, forums, and fundraisers. She has a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and a M.Div. and J.D. from Vanderbilt University

AGENDA:

4:15pm: Doors open
4:30pm-5:30pm: Talk and Discussion
5:30pm-6:00pm: Networking

RSVP REQUIRED:

Register to attend at http://www.stanford-svnj.org/31218-public-forum

Voice4u is a revolutionary AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) system that helps individuals express their feelings, thoughts, actions, and needs. It is the equivalent of wheelchairs for people who cannot walk. Voice4u is the perfect solution for learning and communication for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the people around them. In the United States, CDC estimates that 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorders as of 2017. The application has been downloaded in 100+ countries and more than 150K units. The product has proven to be commercially viable and has been used by people suffering from other types of developmental disorders including Down syndrome and Asperger’s syndrome, people with other kinds of communication disorders caused by stroke or brain injuries and deafness, seniors who have difficulties with verbal communication, as well as Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) for medical professionals, teachers, or parents. This presentation will focus on how and why Yumi Kubo and Sei Higuchi founded Spectrum Visions, the development of Voice4u, and their future plans.

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Yumi is the co-founder and CEO of Spectrum Visions and has a son with autism. Before founding the company, she was engaged in numerous activities in non-profit organizations such as Parents Helping Parents (PHP). She has given lectures in Japan and the U.S on special education, IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan), IEP (Individual Educational Program) and IET (Individual Educational Transition). Yumi also started several social groups to support children with development delays. Her story was featured in San Jose Mercury News, “Autism Mystery – Family Finds Hope Silicon Valley”. As a part-time instructor at Osaka University, she has been teaching young students entrepreneurship with her unique story

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Sei is co-founder and CTO of Spectrum Visions and is leading product development. He received his Ph.D. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from Stanford University in 2009. At Stanford, he developed the adaptive model predictive control algorithm for microkelvin thermal control system. While he was a Ph.D. student, he also supported the autism community in the Bay Area. After completing his Ph.D., he started developing Voice4u. Sei received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Waseda University, Japan, MS in Aeronautics & Astronautics, and Ph.D. minor in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

AGENDA:

4:15pm: Doors open
4:30pm-5:30pm: Talk and Discussion
5:30pm-6:00pm: Networking

RSVP REQUIRED:

Register to attend at http://www.stanford-svnj.org/svnj-public-forum-13018/2018/1/10/voice4u

For more information about the Silicon Valley-New Japan Project please visit: http://www.stanford-svnj.org/

GSVlabs is a startup and corporate innovation accelerator located in the heart of Silicon Valley in Redwood City. It houses more than 180 startups and supports corporate innovation programs for more than 25 corporations. During the past few years, GSVlabs has welcomed numerous startups from foreign countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, China, Korea, Germany, Austria just to name a few. In many cases, these foreign startup acceleration programs are funded by large corporations and governments that see long-term economic benefits of supporting such activities in Silicon Valley. In this public forum, Atsuko Jenks will discuss examples of such corporate and government funded accelerator programs and implications for the efforts by Japanese corporations and Japanese government organizations to accelerate corporate innovation and economic growth of Japan.

SPEAKER:

Atsuko Jenks, Managing Director, Japan, GSVlabs

BIO:

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AGENDA:

4:15pm: Doors open
4:30pm-5:30pm: Talk and Discussion
5:30pm-6:00pm: Networking

RSVP REQUIRED:

GROW is an automated solution to evaluate job candidates, developed by Tokyo-based people analytics startup, Institution for a Global Society (IGS). GROW was developed with the idea that the hiring process is often a missed opportunity to collect, utilize and exchange feedback that could change people’s behaviors for the better. The solution has developed into a tool that both helps students to understand their strengths and weaknesses, while at the same time assists HR in hiring based on competencies and personality traits. GROW uses artificial intelligence learning algorithms to analyze assessment data from both candidates and evaluators, looking for patterns to improve its ability to accurately screen candidates over time. In place of human intuition, GROW uses big data to develop a scientific, objective, and constantly-improving engine to recruit, screen, and develop human capital. In his presentation, Founder and CEO of IGS, Masahiro Fukuhara will speak about founding IGS, developing GROW, and the opportunities and challenges that its widespread interest has presented. 

Bio

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Masahiro Fukuhara is founder and CEO of Tokyo-based people analytics startup Institution for a Global Society (IGS), which he started in 2010. Prior to founding IGS, Fukuhara was managing director at asset management firm Barclays Global Investors (BGI) where he made investment decisions based on computer-driven models. Fukuhara earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Keio University and MBA from INSEAD. He holds Master’s degree (with Honors) in International Finance from Grandes Ecoles HEC and Ph.D. from Tsukuba University Graduate School of Business Sciences (Ph.D. in Business Administration). He is currently a Visiting Professor at the center for FinTEK (Finance, Technology, and Economy) at Keio University as well as adjunct professor at Hitotsubashi University’s Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy.

Agenda

4:15pm: Doors open 
4:30pm-5:30pm: Talk and Discussion 
5:30pm-6:00pm: Networking

RSVP Required

NOTE: This event takes place during Stanford’s Homecoming Weekend. The parking slots in front of Encina Hall will not be available that day, and there may be higher demand than usual for parking on campus. Please take that into consideration when planning your travel.