Silicon Valley Leaders To Tackle Global Tech Challenge At 30,000 feet

UnGrounded ... an innovation lab in the sky designed to connect industry leaders and creative minds for the purpose of tackling a challenge that affects the next generation of global innovators ... was announced Wednesday by British Airways. To kick off this program, the airline is partnering with the United Nations: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Decide Now Act (DNA) Summit.

Taking place at 30,000 feet in the air aboard a private British Airways flight from San Francisco to London, UnGrounded participants will address the misalignment between where science and technology talent is emerging and where opportunity exists for talent to realize their potential. They will be tasked with designing a platform to inspire and connect this talent with civic and commercial opportunities, to accelerate innovation in communities around the world.

“Our understanding is that the talent crunch is a real issue for companies and organizations in major tech hubs around the world,” said Amir Dossal, Chairman, Global Partnerships Forum, and Special Representative of the Secretary-General of ITU, United Nations. "We need to give people the opportunity to discover and be discovered, to grow skills, provide experience and uncover new ideas globally.”

Upon landing in London the group will present their work to a like-minded group of global thought leaders to decide how to put this into action. The UnGrounded flight experience will be designed by innovation firm, IDEO.

The ‘passengers’ will be selected for their energy, ideas and experience. Working with British Airways on this challenge and recruitment are leaders in the tech community, including:
Todd Lutwak of Andreessen Horowitz

• Leor Stern of Google
• Celestine Johnson of Innovation Endeavors
• Duncan Logan of RocketSpace
• Gerald Brady of Silicon Valley Bank
• Marguerite Gong Hancock of SPRIE, Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Rhonda Abrams of The Planning Shop

This program is part of a larger initiative by British Airways to open the door to collaboration with the start-up community in Silicon Valley. The airline recently joined RocketSpace, an open innovation campus in the heart of San Francisco, and will be actively engaging with the start-up community through the RocketSpace Corporate Innovation Program.

“As one of the world’s leading airlines, British Airways deeply believes in the power of face-to-face engagement to ignite new ideas, co-create and accelerate innovation,” said Simon Talling-Smith, EVP of the Americas for British Airways. “We are focused on how we can bring people together to affect change within global society as well as within our own business.”

FMI: www.ungroundedthinking.com