The Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SPRIE) is pleased to announce the launch of a new phase of one of its core endeavors: the Silicon Valley Project. The Project focuses on the dynamics, transformation, and sustainability of Silicon Valley. SPRIE Director William Miller remarks, “The Silicon Valley Project will look at how and why Silicon Valley has been a leader for innovation and entrepreneurship and the changes that have occurred in the last decade. The Project will also explore the impact of recent changes on the sustainability of Silicon Valley as a leading center for innovation and entrepreneurship as well as how those changes affect other regional centers for innovation and entrepreneurship.”

A portion of the Silicon Valley Project’s mission, to convene leading experts, is well under way after the inaugural Steering Committee meeting held June 1, 2012 at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Steering Committee members include a circle of leading experts who possess a deep understanding of Silicon Valley, play a central role in the region, and are committed to impacting its future vitality. Miller says of the Project and its Steering Committee, “We have attracted the attention of powerful people with long histories and extensive breadth of experience within Silicon Valley, specifically, and also in other centers of innovation and entrepreneurship.” The Committee includes entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, lawyers, angel investors and other experts from across the Valley’s ecosystem.  They will be working together to support the Project’s goal to create new research and educational materials as well as deepen understanding of best practices that will impact the arenas of academia, industry and policy. 

Harry Kellogg, Vice Chairman of Silicon Valley Bank, will serve as Chair of the Steering Committee. Kellogg has a long and noteworthy tenure in the Silicon Valley business world. He lends this insight to the Project, “Silicon Valley is the central place that the rest of the world looks to for innovation and the building of world-class, disruptive companies. The work of the Silicon Valley Project is hugely important to ensure that Silicon Valley continues to be the world’s technology innovation center. There are many issues and concerns that may impact this continued global leadership role.”

Kellogg further identifies some key challenges and opportunities for the Project, “Our work will identify many of the issues facing us, suggest some remedies and help continue to push for ongoing improvements in the fast pace of the innovation economy. To continue to foster entrepreneurism and risk taking and to enable all the things we can do to help entrepreneurs succeed, we also need to make certain that the values we have in place drive the right business decisions and the Valley doesn’t become a place that is all about making money and getting rich.”

Committee members’ responsibilities will include advising on key research questions, nominating symposia leaders, and connecting the Project with other relevant organizations and partners. Some members will also be speaking at semi-annual conferences, seminars or education programs at Stanford and mentoring Stanford students.

Inaugural members of the Silicon Valley Project Steering Committee are: Harry Kellogg (Steering Committee Chair) of Silicon Valley Bank, Bob Ackerman of Allegis Capital, Buddy Arnheim of Perkins Coie, Jim Atwell of Deloitte, Greg Avis of Summit Partners, Steve Bird of Focus Ventures, Court Coursey of TomorrowVentures, Dixon Doll of Doll Capital Management, Joe Horowitz of JAFCO, David Lam of WestSummit Capital, Warren Lazarow of O'Melveny & Meyers, Tracey Lefteroff of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Alan Mendelson of Latham & Watkins, John Montgomery of Montgomery & Hansen, Joe Muscat of Ernst & Young, Cindy Padnos of Illuminate Ventures, Bob Pavey of Morgenthaler Ventures, Ian Sobieski of Band of Angels, and Don Wood of Draper Fisher Jurveston.  James Alexander is serving as Advisor to SPRIE for the project, which is led by SPRIE directors William Miller, Harry Rowen and Marguerite Hancock. SPRIE is a part of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

For more information about the Silicon Valley Project, please see http://sprie.gsb.stanford.edu/research/transformation_silicon_valley or contact Marguerite Gong Hancock, Associate Director, SPRIE at mhancock@stanford.edu.