hawaii
Rome Trip - Day 1
Traveling to Rome, Italy, to join the Smart Yields team at the demo day finale for the Laudato Si' Challenge tech accelerator. Day one, Dec. 4, 2017, waking up within view of Vatican City, heading into town to check in at the Westin Excelsior, then visiting The Startup Factory (Luiss Enlabs) near Termini. Then a walking tour of the city, visiting the Colosseum, the Roman Forum ruins, and the Pantheon. Finally, it was time to head to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences for demo day. Smart Yields chief agricultural officer Michael Rogers pitched the company for the first time (on the biggest stage yet), and did brilliantly. He was introduced by Noelani Kalipi, Executive Director of Kohala Institute.
The guest of honor was His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, a senior ecclesiastical leader and the first Ghanaian Cardinal to serve the Roman Catholic Church. He was introduced by American actor, producer and director Danny DeVito, who was raised as a Catholic and has committed himself to charitable work in support of children and families. The program also included a moving solo performance by renown violinist Tim Fein, perhaps best known to the world for his performances in the movie “Black Swan” and his work with American composer Philip Glass.
Rome Trip - Day 1
Traveling to Rome, Italy, to join the Smart Yields team at the demo day finale for the Laudato Si' Challenge tech accelerator. Day one, Dec. 4, 2017, waking up within view of Vatican City, heading into town to check in at the Westin Excelsior, then visiting The Startup Factory (Luiss Enlabs) near Termini. Then a walking tour of the city, visiting the Colosseum, the Roman Forum ruins, and the Pantheon. Finally, it was time to head to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences for demo day. Smart Yields chief agricultural officer Michael Rogers pitched the company for the first time (on the biggest stage yet), and did brilliantly. He was introduced by Noelani Kalipi, Executive Director of Kohala Institute.
The guest of honor was His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, a senior ecclesiastical leader and the first Ghanaian Cardinal to serve the Roman Catholic Church. He was introduced by American actor, producer and director Danny DeVito, who was raised as a Catholic and has committed himself to charitable work in support of children and families. The program also included a moving solo performance by renown violinist Tim Fein, perhaps best known to the world for his performances in the movie “Black Swan” and his work with American composer Philip Glass.