Physic Ventures hosted the March 2011 Forum at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business:

http://entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu/bef/Mar11_forum.html

In the age of transparency, corporations and governments confront stakeholders who are empowered with unprecedented tools to access vast troves of information and voice opinions to an interconnected global community.  Sensors, cameras and other tracking systems capture and transmit data instantaneously over the Internet and onto mobile devices now in the pockets of billions of people, monitoring the behaviors of individuals and organizations.  With relative ease, we can peer into factories to observe labor practices, reveal supply chains to assess food quality and access medical records to uncover cost and quality performance. 

Businesses are being held to higher standards for social responsibility, environmental stewardship and respect of privacy – without sacrificing market performance.  This creates new challenges for businesses, but also powerful opportunities to leverage transparency as a strategy to engage stakeholders, understand customer sentiments, elevate brands and ultimately drive profits.  An exceptional panel of thought-leaders from diverse fields will examine the complex issues of transparency in the 21st Century – sharing personal stories, business advice and actionable recommendations.

Panelists included:

• Frank Cooper, Chief Consumer Engagement Officer with PepsiCo
• Michael Slaby, Global Practice Chair of Edelman Digital
• Nita Sommer, VP of Strategy with Castlight Health

The program was designed and introduced by Physic's Andy Donner, and moderated by William Rosenzweig. 

To view speaker presentations, click here.