A conference on entrepreneurship is being held in Berkeley, California, on September 6, 2014. The organizers of the conference have requested SUTA to inform its membership of this unique event, and we are delighted to share this news with you.

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For Immediate Release August 1, 2014

Contact: Marilynn Ahern, Conference Contact +1.650.486.2429

Bridge 2014
High Tech Entrepreneurship in Iran: Opportunities and Challenges

[Berkeley, CA] undefined For the first time, seasoned entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and Iran will convene to explore the opportunities and challenges of high tech entrepreneurship in Iran and its impact on the country's ongoing economic development. Bridge 2014 (www.bridge2014.org) will raise awareness about the critical need to build educational bridges and promote the culture of “Entrepreneurs without Borders”.

The Bridge 2014 conference (September 6, 2014 at the UC Berkeley Wheeler Auditorium) is predicated on the notion that the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation is the indispensable key to sustainable growth. This gathering will be part of a global effort to draw attention to “High Tech Entrepreneurship in Iran: Opportunities and Challenges.” This tagline represents the Bridge 2014 vision of calling upon change makers and thought leaders both in Silicon Valley and Iran. According to Kamran Elahian, Chairman and Co-Founder of Global Catalyst Partners, “We believe Silicon Valley and Iran’s thought leaders can empower aspiring young entrepreneurs that are striving to make a difference in this world.” “We envision this conference to be a precursor to future international events where highly accomplished executives will coach/mentor their aspiring counterparts from Iran.”


Conference participants will educate each other about the issues impacting high tech entrepreneurship in Iran, the prevailing conditions in the country that deviate from the “global innovation model,” and the steps that should be taken to reduce this gap. Bridge 2014 complies with sanctions and corresponding laws. According to Kamran Elahian, “During this gathering, these key influencers with diverse backgrounds will share their vision, experiences, and perspectives for creating a better world through the power of innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. This conference explores the role of high tech in economic development: where change is the catalyst and choice is unlimited.”

The issues that will be explored in this educational conference include: the attraction of venture capital, cultural attitudes towards entrepreneurs' failure, existence of innovation clusters, the ease of starting businesses, and the availability and accessibility of mentors and role models. According to Dariush Zahedi, Director of the Berkeley Program on Entrepreneurship and Development in the Middle East, “We will examine the circumstances under which high tech entrepreneurship and innovation can emerge as engines of inclusive growth, reducing the country’s dependence on extractive industries, expanding the size of its middle class, reversing the flight of capital, and promoting the circulation of the brain-drain.”

Bridge 2014’s activities are hosted and sponsored by UC Berkeley. More than thirty companies, non- profit organizations and community leaders have provided support and donations for this event. For the list of sponsors, please see: www.bridge2014/donation.

On Friday, 9 May 2014 the first SPIRIT conference (SPecialists of IT in IRan) took place at the Steigenberger Grandhotel Petersburg, Bonn in Germany. The event was co-organised by axxessio and VIHA (association of Iranian faculty members and academics). About 80 conference visitors participated in informative presentations about current and future topics in the IT industry. The speeches were held by seven distinguished speakers with Persian background.

In addition to subject-specific presentations and a panel discussion, the participants had also the opportunity to inform themselves about the partners of SPIRIT 2014 at their respective stand.

SUTA had a strong presence in SPIRIT 2014 through supporting the conference, attending and presenting in the conference, and promoting the conference to the members. 

The media communications on SPIRIT 2014, including several pictures, a by BBC Persian, and a report by Deutsche Welle can be seen at 

http://www.spirit-conference.com/media.html#prettyPhoto

The Toronto chapter organized a talk about Cancer on Wednesday Feb. 26, 14 at Parya Foundation. More than 30 people attended this seminar. Aside from SUTA members, there were several medical practitioners & oncologists among the audience.

The first speaker was Dr. Manijeh Mohammadie who is an Internal Medicine specialist. Dr. Mohammadi is currently part of the University Health Network (UHN) which is a network among major hospitals in Toronto. She is also a researcher, lecturer and has published several articles in health related topics. Dr. Mohammadi started her talk with giving the statistics of breast cancer, which is the most common type of cancer among women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. It can also occur in men which can be deadly too.

Dr. Mohammadi continued her talk about the following aspects of breast cancer:

• History of breast cancer
  
• Risk factors including family history, delay pregnancy, Hormonal factors, life style & nutrition.
  
• Signs of early detection & Symptoms
  
• Breast cancer diagnosis, grades and stages
  
• Treatment options
  
• Screening

The second speaker was Mr. Bahman Nasiri who is a SUTA graduate and holds a master degree in industrial & system engineering. Mr. Nasiri has more than 25 years of experience in management of well-known Iranian home appliance holding corporates; He also has a special interest in literature & culture and has published several magazines. Mr. Nasiri has been diagnosed with prostate cancer few years ago and has gone under surgery and other treatments. He is free of cancer now. He started his talk about the statistics of prostate cancer among men and the medical facts that he had learned during his illness about prostate cancer. Remaining of his talk was mostly about his personal experiences about coping with cancer and the emotional facts of life with cancer, and after cancer. He believes that state of mind can be an important factor in the treatment procedure of cancer or any other illness. In particular, he mentioned that meditation or relaxation has brought beneficial effects to the many people who dealt with cancer.

The session ended with questions and answers for both talks.