New wine startups

Wade Roush

McLuhan said that the medium is the message. Here at Xconomy, we agree, and we think it even goes for the venues we pick for our events. When we hold a big conference in a university lecture hall, the message we’re sending is: deep thoughts and nuanced arguments coming. If we gather at the campus of a high-tech company or venture firm, we’re saying: time for some practical business insights. And when we meet at a resort spa in Napa Valley, the message is: let’s relax, have a glass of wine, meet some amazing people, and talk through a few pressing global issues.

That’s what the Napa Summit—Xconomy’s annual retreat on technology, jobs, and growth—is all about. It’s limited to roughly 100 guests and it starts with an elegant (but casual) dinner at in Oakville, CA, followed by a full day of learning and conversation at the beautiful in Yountville, CA. Our third annual summit is coming up on June 2 and 3, which means time is running out to request an invitation. (You can do that by e-mailing us at [email protected].)

Guests at the Napa Summit 2014 can expect our strongest program to date. As our CEO and editor-in-chief Bob Buderi announced a few weeks ago, we have an all-star speaker lineup that includes former General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner, genomics pioneer Lee Hood, Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, Indiegogo founder Danae Ringelmann, Minerva Project founder and CEO Ben Nelson, Kiip CEO Brian Wong, and many others who together should inspire even the most jaded among us. (The full speaker lineup is here.)

Today I’ve got some exciting new additions to share. We’re thrilled that Guy Kawasaki, the famed Silicon Valley startup guru and former Apple evangelist, will be joining us as the opening speaker on June 3. I just wrote about Guy’s decision to join Canva, an Australian online graphic design startup, as its new chief evangelist, and I expect that he’ll be sharing his insights about the state of entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley and other important innovation hubs, as well as the self-publishing revolution and the importance of good design in social media and other types of communication.