BIS2020 Vol. II: ARK’s Q&A Video Conference on Innovation
On June 24th, ARK hosted its second Q&A Virtual Conference, BIS2020 Vol. II. While our first video conference, held on April 2nd, revolved around the coronavirus, government policy, and market volatility, BIS2020 Vol. II addressed how the market has responded to the current pandemic, as well as provided a deep dive into two areas of innovation that we believe have gained traction during this tumultuous time: Fintech and Genomics. We were honored to have Jackie Reses, Capital Lead at Square, lead our Fintech Q&A, and Jennifer Doudna, Co-Inventor of CRISPR genetic engineering technology, lead our Genomics Q&A.
With over 45,000 total views (and counting), we hope BIS2020 Vol. II provides our audience with an open, transparent and collaborative exchange of insights from our trusted sources. In case you missed it, please find a recording to our first Q&A session, COVID-19 and Market Volatility with Cathie Wood, below.
BIS2020 Vol. II Speaker Bios
Jackie Reses – Capital Lead at Square
Jackie leads Square Capital, overseeing credit products that provide sellers with access to the funding they need to grow and consumers with the ability to pay for purchases over time. Square Capital, which has extended over $1 billion in advances, applies innovative machine learning models to inform underwriting decisions, manage risk, and ultimately extend the right loan amounts to qualified sellers. Jackie joined Square in October 2015 and brings over 20 years of financial and leadership experience to her role and a personal passion to help transform the economy through the foundational support of small business. She previously served as Yahoo’s Chief Development Officer and was on the Board of Directors at Alibaba Group, China’s largest online and mobile commerce company. Jackie sits on the advisory board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Board of Directors of the Wharton School. She previously served on the Investment Committees for the endowments of both The Peddie School and The Brearley School. Jackie was named one of Crain’s New York Business’ “Most Influential Women,” and was one of Dealmaker magazine’s “Dealmakers of the Year.”
Dr. Jennifer Doudna – Co-Inventor of CRISPR
Jennifer Doudna is the Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Chair and a Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her co-discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 genetic engineering technology, with collaborator, French scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier, has changed human and agricultural genomics research forever. This genome-editing technology enables scientists to change or remove genes quickly, with a precision only dreamed of just a few years ago. Labs worldwide have re-directed the course of their research programs to incorporate this new tool, creating a CRISPR revolution with huge implications across biology and medicine. In addition to her scientific achievements and eminence, Doudna is also a leader in public discussion of the ethical and other implications of genome editing for human biology and societies, and advocates for thoughtful approaches to the development of policies around the use of CRISPR-Cas9. She has received many prizes for her discoveries, including the Japan Prize (2016), the Kavli Prize (2018), and the LUI Che Woo Welfare Betterment Prize (2019). In 2015, Doudna was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Cathie Wood – Founder, CEO, and CIO of ARK Invest
Cathie is the Founder, CEO and CIO of ARK Invest. She has over 40 years of experience identifying and investing in innovation. Cathie founded ARK to identify large-scale investment opportunities in the public markets resulting from technological innovations centered around genome sequencing, robotics, artificial intelligence, energy storage, and blockchain technology. Cathie has been recognized as an influential fund manager across various outlets. In 2018, editors at Bloomberg acknowledged Cathie by selecting her to its second annual Bloomberg 50 list of people across business, entertainment, finance, politics, technology, and science who have defined global business. Additionally, Fortune named Cathie to its exclusive roundtable of experts in the annual Fortune Investors Guide: The Best Investing Advice for 2019 From Fortune’s Experts. Cathie also has been a featured speaker at the World Economic Forum (China) in 2016 & 2017, the World Strategic Forum (Miami) in 2017, The Sohn Hearts and Minds Investment Leaders Conference (Australia) in 2018 and 2019, and Singularity University’s Exponential Finance in 2017 and Global Summit in 2019. Prior to ARK, Cathie spent twelve years at AllianceBernstein as CIO of Global Thematic Strategies where she managed over $5 billion.