Workshop featuring experts from Stanford and Silicon Valley brings together nearly 400 participants

On September 30, the campus of School 21 hosted a workshop with the participation of world-renowned experts from Stanford University and Silicon Valley. The event was organized by School 21 in cooperation with IT Park Uzbekistan.

The workshop attracted nearly 400 participants, including representatives of technology companies, startups, students, and young professionals. The event offered participants a unique opportunity to engage directly with leading global experts, ask questions, and exchange ideas.

Presentations by international experts from Stanford and Silicon Valley

Andrea Kates — international innovation advisor, author of Find Your Next and the Get to Next methodology, and former CEO of a Silicon Valley SaaS company. She collaborates with leading global corporations, helping them integrate innovation and achieve sustainable scaling.

In her presentation, “Strategies for Driving Innovation and Scaling Businesses”, she elaborated on methods for fostering innovation and scaling operations. She emphasized that for sustainable growth, companies must not only adopt new technologies but also establish processes that allow them to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions.

Jeff Cabili — communications and pitching expert, lecturer at Stanford Continuing Studies, and founder of How2Captivate. He trains executives and entrepreneurs from leading companies, including Google and Netflix, in the art of pitching, and storytelling.

In his session, he addressed the topic of “Effective Communication and Pitching Skills”, focusing on how to structure a presentation, maintain audience engagement, and build trust-based relationships with investors and partners.

Timothy Lee — Managing Director at the investment firm iCapital, where he oversees corporate development, M&A transactions, and capital raising. He has extensive experience in international investment and legal structuring of transactions across the United States and Asia.

In his presentation, “Crunchbase Workshop: Investor Targeting and Market Research”, he outlined the key factors that make startups attractive to investors. He underscored the importance of the founding team, business model, and scalability potential, while also clarifying the decision-making criteria applied by international investors to support projects.

During the workshop, the experts not only shared their professional expertise but also provided actionable recommendations to help young entrepreneurs develop their startups, attract investment, and build successful international partnerships.

The workshop served as an important platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange between Uzbekistan’s startup community and global industry leaders. Participants had the opportunity to interact directly with international experts, gain inspiration from their professional journeys, and take away insights for their own career development. Such initiatives contribute significantly to the advancement of the national innovation ecosystem, opening new opportunities for domestic startups and reinforcing Uzbekistan’s position on the global IT landscape.