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CIO announces 2nd edition of Puerto Rico Tech Summit

From left: Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Alberto Bacó and Giancarlo González, Puerto Rico’s CIO discuss the upcoming event.

From left: Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Alberto Bacó and Giancarlo González, Puerto Rico’s CIO discuss the upcoming event.

With the goal of promoting technology as an economic hub for the island, government officials representing the Chief Information Office and the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, announced Tuesday the second edition of the Puerto Rico Tech Summit, slated for June 4 at the Convention Center in Miramar.

The event will bring together local and international public-sector officials and represents an opportunity to establish support networks and attract foreign capital, government officials said during a morning news conference.

“The Puerto Rico Tech Summit 2014 brings together leading government officials, industry entrepreneurs, principal technology partners, non-government organizations, and academia to discuss current and future challenges of technology to transform traditional public services, achieve substantial savings in processes and citizen services, and to provide wider access to federal funding,” said Giancarlo González, Puerto Rico’s CIO.

“Our focus is to take every available opportunity to promote a new economic transformation.  As part of this plan, we bet on science and technology to foster economic growth,” Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Alberto Bacó said.

“This type of event is ideal to find technology-based solutions that help create jobs, business opportunities, and attract foreign capital,” he said.

The list of invited guests includes a number of investors in the tech field, namely: Santiago Zavala, Venture Partner for 500 Startups, the most diverse capital investment firm with more than 250 investments in 35 countries; Claudio Cossio, who is part of Seedcamp network of mentors, one of the most prominent investment funds in Europe; and, Dave Troy, a businessman who serves as an angel investor in various emerging projects around the world.

The agenda will feature keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics ranging from how to improve access to broadband; the open collaboration concept; the implementation of statistical programs in government and its impact on economic growth; and five-minute live sessions with the CIOs in the areas of health safety and economic development.

“The event will feature guest speakers who have led technological innovation efforts for the White House, such as John Paul Farmer, Beth Blauer, who led the GovStat data system for the Federal Government, and a special video message from Jennifer Pahlka, Technology Director at the White House. Certainly, their experiences will serve as a reference in meeting the objectives of technological innovation, openness and dynamism of existing local data,” González added.

The Puerto Rico Tech Summit 2014 will also serve as a platform for the government to make its foray into the fiber optics area, with the objective of expanding connectivity on the island — a key aspect to attracting investors and developing technological communities and exporting services in the technology area.

The event’s agenda also includes the second edition of the “Hackathon,” during which more than 100 programmers will be invited to develop applications and technology solutions to streamline and simplify government processes and encourage greater interaction between government and citizens, and more efficiency.

“The Hackathon seeks to improve interconnectivity, transparency and openness, and dynamic access to data. This will facilitate decision-making, access to federal funds, and the transformation of government services in an engine that facilitates economic growth for the island,” González said.

Registration for the event starts at 8 a.m., and the event will conclude with a networking cocktail at 7:30 p.m.  For more information, visit www.techsummitpr.com.

Author Details
Author Details
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
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1 Comment

  1. DavidRMartinR May 15, 2014

    It is one thing to say that Puerto Rico can use technology to advance its economy. It is quite another to say that Puerto Rico will create this technology. The Island’s true competitive advantages lay elsewhere; namely, in such poorly marketed and undeveloped areas such as tourism and as a high-profile venue for entertainment and professional sports.

    I suggest that the administration leave high-tech development to other jurisdictions and focus on what PR can do best.

    Reply

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