REGISTER NOW
Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries and redefining competitive advantage, but how should board directors assess the potential financial and strategic returns of AI investments? This session is designed to equip board members with the tools and insights needed to evaluate AI initiatives critically. This SVDX webinar will focus on understanding the fundamentals of AI and its application in various sectors, evaluating the financial implications and ROI of AI investments, and assessing risks, ethical considerations, and long-term strategic alignment. Let’s demystify AI for boardroom decision-makers, enabling you to navigate capital allocation discussions and oversee AI-driven transformation within your organization.
SPEAKERS
Peter S. Cohan
Peter S. Cohan is an Associate Professor of Management Practice at Babson College where he teaches strategy, leadership and entrepreneurship. He is the founding principal of Peter S. Cohan & Associates, a management consulting and venture capital firm. He has completed over 150 growth-strategy consulting projects for global technology companies and invested in seven startups--three of which were sold for about $2 billion and one of which went public at an $18 billion valuation. Peter has written 17 books -- most recently Brain Rush: How to Invest and Compete in the Real World of Generative AI (July 2024) and Goliath Strikes Back: How Traditional Retailers Are Winning Back Customers from Ecommerce Startups (November 2020). He is a senior contributor at Forbes and a contributor to Inc.
Brienne Ghafourifar
Brienne Ghafourifar is a full-stack entrepreneur on a mission to build disruptive technologies that can help people live and work better. Brienne is co-founder of Entefy, a Palo Alto tech startup in the mobile communication and artificial intelligence space. She set a world record at age 17, becoming the youngest college graduate to raise $1 million in venture funding; that figure has since grown to $25 million. She currently holds 9 patents issued by USPTO and has been covered by international media including Forbes, Fast Company, CNN Money, NBC, and The Huffington Post. Brienen was featured in the documentary film about women in technology, "She Started It."
Michelle K. Lee
The Hon. Michelle K. Lee is a digital transformation strategist, AI business leader, and CEO of Obsidian Strategies, a consulting firm that advises companies on identifying their highest return-on-investment digital transformation opportunities, particularly machine learning. Recently, Ms. Lee was a senior executive and the Vice President of the Machine Learning (ML) Solutions Lab and Computer Vision businesses at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Before Amazon, Ms. Lee served as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She led one of the largest intellectual property offices in the world and was the principal advisor to the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, on intellectual property policies. In this role, Ms. Lee brought AI and data analytics to this 200+ year old governmental agency to increase the quality, speed and consistency of patents issued. Prior to public service, Ms. Lee was an executive for 8 years at Google.
F. Daniel Siciliano, moderator
Dan Siciliano is a successful technology CEO-founder and entrepreneur, as well as Vice Chair of the board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and a recognized expert in corporate strategy and governance, capital financial markets, executive compensation, and technological disruption (including fintech, AI and cybersecurity). He is currently Chairman of SVDX, board member of the Latino Corporate Directors Education Foundation, chair-elect of the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks, and a fellow at Stanford University.