The genius of Leonardo da Vinci is a universal example of Italian inventiveness: his unorthodox imagination and resourcefulness put him at the cutting edge of art, engineering and science. He is the most prominent exponent of an age in which Italy was one of the main generators of innovation in the world, similar in many ways to what Silicon Valley is nowadays for technology. BAIA, together with Friends of FAI (who generously shares their end-of-the-year celebration at the �Da Vinci: an Exhibition of Genius� exhibit space), and with the endorsement of the Italian Cultural Institute suggest that the track record of Italian inventiveness has not stopped in the Renaissance.

Introducing

December 13, 2007 - Doors open 6:00 pm (program 6:30 - 8:30 pm)
Metreon Westfield
c/o Leonardo Da Vinci: An Exhibition of Genius
101 4th St. San Francisco, CA 94103

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A talk by Prof. Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli: Co-founder of the two largest EDA companies: Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, Inc., Recipient of Phil Kaufman Award, 2001. The history of the Silicon Valley offers many examples of successful high-tech companies. Many companies have started in a garage and ended being publicly quoted on the stock market. Drawing from his vast personal experience both as a successful entrepreneur and a respected academic, Prof. Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli will explore enterprise value building models and will give his unique perspective on how high-tech companies could be run to achieve long-lasting enterprise value.

October 17, 2007 - 6:30 PM
Cadence Research Laboratories
2150 Shattuck Avenue, 10th Floor Berkeley, CA 94704

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Galileo Galilei supported the Copernican view that the Sun was indeed at the center of the known universe; circa four centuries later, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is an adamant advocate of policies aimed at sustaining clean energy programs and in safeguard of the environment. Renewable energy is a must: how are Italy and California embracing the challenge and bringing viable solutions to market? There is no doubt, renewable energy solutions are the only responsible way to fuel our future. Some economies are ahead of the curve, others are quickly concentrating efforts to emulate the clean energy champions.

Thursday, July 12, 2007 � 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
101 California Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA, 94111

- Moderator: Michael Law, Managing Director, Ogilvy PR - San Francisco office
- Karel Vanheusden - Innovalight (Red Herring 2007 top 100)
- Sven Thesen - PG&E
- Robert Hayden/Johanna Partin - SF Department of Environment
- Michele Appendino - Solar Ventures
- Philip von Guggenberg - SRI International

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There is much interest in Italy about venture capital and Silicon Valley. Why is there so much money flowing in Silicon Valley? Could innovation and venture capital Silicon Valley-style be recreated in Italy? What would it take?

BAIA critically challenges the Italian audience with the contention that without a modern legal system that meets the needs of the players, the Silicon Valley venture capital system that has led to so much innovation over the past 30 years cannot be replicated, and any effort to "attract U.S. venture capital investments" in Italy in the IT economy will always remain modest, if not nil.

It will be up to an Italian panel of legal and tax experts to tackle the challenge of the Palo Alto panel, prove that Italy already has the legal tools for venture capital and innovation in Italy, and tell us what tools and opportunities exist in Italy for California VCs to make money.

June 19, 2007 8:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.
at Skilling Auditorium, Stanford University

Introductory remarks:
Hon. Ambassador Ronald Spogli, U.S. Ambassador to Italy, Rome
Moderator:
Luca Penati, Managing Director, Ogilvy PR, San Francisco

Italy has been witnessing a recent artistic reawakening, which reminds of the gathering of Humanism, Art and Science typical of the 13th and 14th centuries Italian Renaissance: certain dogmatic traditions and ways are being challenged, new media and innovative techniques are growing from the experimental stage, allowing for a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional schemes and for a rediscovery of the classic rules of beauty�

As Giotto, Leonardo, and Michelangelo, innovators of their times, the new forces filling the ranks of Contemporary Art are very successfully transposing their inner inspirations and their cultures, freeing the forms that are already inside the various materials or media.

More than 200 years ago the great Italian physicist Alessandro Volta invented the voltaic pile, and has been ever since acknowledged as the father of the electric battery.

Now, two centuries after that breakthrough discovery, advanced battery technologies have become instrumental in dramatically changing the world around us, ranging from the daily mundane to the exciting world of high speed automobiles.

Wrightspeed Inc. is on the leading edge of this frontier. Its founder, Ian Wright, has designed and built an all electric sports car, which is not only highly energy efficient, it is also extremely fast!.

Blogging is now one of the most popular ways to communicate over the Internet. With over 100 millions people blogging every day, and many more blog readers, no company can afford to be left out of the conversation. Several companies are already taking advantage of blogs, establishing a new type of communication with their users and finding new ways to promote their products and services. While a blog can be a great opportunity for a business, it requires different skills and should be approached with different expectations and the right mindset. This event will offer the opportunity to listen from a panel of international experts, all bloggers, and to learn from their experience.

Peter Thoeny, a recognized thought-leader in wikis and social software, featured in numerous articles and technology conferences including LinuxWorld, Business Week and The Wall Street Journal explains what wikis are and how they are used, covers social aspects and security concerns, and teaches how to roll out a wiki. It also explains how teams can use TWiki, an open-source wiki for the enterprise, to build tailored wiki applications supporting their workflow and processes.