GreenBiz Group is set to kick off the first annual VERGE San Francisco, taking place November 9-13. Business executives, community leaders and entrepreneurs will converge for five days of solutions-focused workshops and discussions on opportunities for new levels of efficiency across daily operations.

VERGE focuses on the convergence of systems and technologies around energy, buildings and transportation, and how data and IT create new platforms that enable radical efficiencies, breakthrough business models, and innovative products and services. VERGE encompasses many of today’s key technology trends and challenges: smart cities, next-gen buildings, sustainable mobility systems, the “share economy,” big data, and cloud computing.

A snapshot of the events surrounding VERGE includes:

Hack City, November 9-11 at Code for America HQ
Empowered by data and APIs from the City of San Francisco, Johnson Controls and OnStar, participants in this hackathon will team up to develop platforms aimed at enhancing city life. A judging panel featuring representatives from the Department of Energy, EnergySavvy and Spring Ventures will award more than $7,000 in prizes. Select apps will also be made available for download during VERGE.

VERGE, November 12-13 at InterContinental Hotel
Sessions begin with a keynote interview with Bill Weihl, Facebook’s chief sustainability executive, on ‘The Power of a Billion-Member Platform.’ Conference sessions will feature executives from GE, IBM, Johnson Controls, Microsoft Sprint, Walmart, and Zappos.

VERGE Virtual 
For those unable to attend the conference, GreenBiz will stream plenary sessions at no charge and allow online participants to connect with onstage speakers as well as with one another.

VERGE Accelerate, November 13 at InterContinental Hotel
Early-stage companies with high-growth potential will face off in a pitch competition to capture the attention of the area’s leading venture capitalists. Competing companies include Scoot Networks, Mosaic, Genability, GELI, Liquid, Kiwi, Root3, RidePal and WegoWise. Representatives from Greenstart, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Nth Power will also converse in a panel discussion to answer the question, “Where is the Money in Cleantech?”

VERGE 25, November 13
This award program honors leaders from the business, government, and institutions making significant strides toward achieving VERGE technologies, cities, and systems. A public voting system will determine winners in nine categories, including “Cities 2.0,” “Financing the Future” and “Next Gen Buildings.”

“The VERGE series has quickly established itself as the premier platform uniting the savvy business and community leaders who are working to accelerate the path toward extreme efficiencies,” said GreenBiz CEO Eric Faurot. “The event offers a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s most influential organizations, and we anticipate a packed house here in San Francisco in addition to thousands of virtual attendees from around the world.”

About VERGE
VERGE describes the convergence of systems and technologies around energy, buildings and transportation, and how data and IT create new platforms that enable radical efficiencies, breakthrough business models, and innovative products and services. Since 2011, GreenBiz Group has been holding VERGE events around the world — in China, Europe, South America, and North America.

About GreenBiz Group
GreenBiz Group defines and accelerates the business of sustainability. GreenBiz Group is an integrated media company focused on supporting professionals who view sustainable practices as a core part of their businesses. GreenBiz is focused on telling the stories, providing the insights and advancing the sustainability profession through GreenBiz.com, GreenBiz Events, GreenBiz Intelligence, and GreenBiz Connects. For additional information, visit www.greenbiz.com.

Trellis Group

Trellis Group

Through peer networks that bond, events that galvanize, and industry-leading analysis, Trellis defines markets and advances opportunities at the intersection of business, technology and sustainability. For more than 18 years, we’ve built communities and platforms to scale our collective impact against the threats of climate change.

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