Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) Announces Strategic Partnerships for Global "YPO Innovation Week"

IRVING, Texas, April 4, 2016 -- Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), the premier network of global chief executives and business leaders, announced today that Nasdaq, Edison Innovation Foundation, Fasken Martineau, A.T. Cross Company, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, BDO and Geniecast have joined as official partners of the inaugural "YPO Innovation Week."

In May, more than 30 global events will be launched in one single week, beginning in Sydney, Australia, with YPO members exploring the startup ecosystem in Asia Pacific. This kickoff event for YPO Innovation Week features Australian business leaders known for their entrepreneurial expertise, including former YPO International Chairman Jack Cowin. Australia is an innovation incubator being supported by the country's "Innovation Agenda" that provides funding and support to spur innovation in both Australia's established businesses and startups.

Karin McKinnell, senior managing director at Nasdaq, noted that, "Nasdaq's brand has always been synonymous with innovation and growth. More than 10,000 companies worldwide - including many in the YPO network - rely on our services to navigate the capital markets successfully. We look forward to applying our expertise as a technology pioneer in the financial services industry and extending our collaboration with YPO through YPO Innovation Week in New York, London and Stockholm."

Similar events will follow across different countries, including Canada, United States, Scandinavia, Spain, Japan and China with YPO thought leaders exploring new opportunities to accelerate global innovation, while leveraging actionable lessons from peers around the world.

One of the largest gatherings, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summit, will take place in Palo Alto, California, U.S. It is set to provide a unique platform for members to make connections for potential joint ventures, new sales channels and trade developments, while learning how to better evaluate new ideas and investments. YPO members will take an exclusive tour of the PayPal campus where they will discuss strategy, innovation, acquisitions and culture with two PayPal senior executives, Bill Maris, president of Google Ventures, and Margo Georgiadis, president of Google America. In addition, Plug & Play, a leading accelerator, will host YPO for a behind-the-scenes look at the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem.

Kevin Fallon, founder of Pivotal Innovation and event chair of YPO Innovation Week, adds, "We look forward to leveraging the power of global collaboration among peers to create value and real impact for our member companies and their communities through transformational ideas on implementing innovation."

The closing event will take place at the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in New Jersey, U.S., where members will take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Edison factory and listen to thought leaders with new ideas for infusing innovation into your business. In New York, a group of YPO members will then close the week by participating in the Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony.

Other partners supporting the event are Fasken Martineau, the leading international business law and litigation firm; A.T. Cross Company, makers of award-winning quality writing instruments; and global law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

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About YPO
YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) is a not-for-profit, global network of young chief executives connected through the shared mission of becoming Better Leaders Through Lifelong Learning and Idea Exchange^TM. Founded in 1950, YPO today provides 23,000 peers and their families in more than 130 countries with access to unique experiences, extraordinary educational resources, access to alliances with leading institutions, and participation in specialised networks to support their business, community and personal leadership. Altogether, YPO member-run companies employ more than 15 million people around the world and generate USD6 trillion in annual revenues. For more information, visit www.ypo.org and watch youtu.be/EJYgnkXB13Y to learn more from some of the members leading Innovation Week.

About Edison Innovation Foundation
The Edison Innovation Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the Edison Legacy and encourages students (including women and minorities) to embrace careers in science, technology, and engineering and is committed to educating the next generation of great innovators while using Edison and his Invention Factory as the foundation.

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