One of Silicon Valley's stars, Jim Clark, will be in Auckland on February 14 to catch a glimpse of the local information technology industry as well as give New Zealand a profile in Silicon Valley.
Mr Clark will be speaking at an IT Investment Forum organised by theNew Zealand Trade Development Board and events management company IT Investment Network.
He started life as a university professor at Stanford, founded Silicon Graphics in 1982, later becoming its chief executive. He left the company in February 1994 to start up Netscape Communications with Marc Andreesen. Netscape quickly became a major worldwide internet navigation system.
Mr Clark is currently chairman of myCFO, an internet-based financial services company tailored for high net worth individuals.
Trade New Zealand's Millennium Projects manager, Paul Voigt, said the board had worked closely with a group of New Zealand technology experts to develop an event that would help raise the profile of the industry and create opportunities for growth.
"A number of key IT figures will be in New Zealand for the America's Cup and Millennium Cup super yacht race and we saw this as an ideal time to introduce them to the investment opportunities that New Zealand's dynamic high-tech sector has to offer," Mr Voigt said.
Trade New Zealand is supporting the event as part of its strategy to attract investments.
The event would also offer New Zealand IT entrepreneurs an unparalleled opportunity to network with key decision makers, Mr Voigt said.
Two other key speakers who had confirmed their attendance were Tom Perkins and John Sculley.
Mr Perkins is the founder of San Francisco-based technology venture capital company Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield & Byers.
Mr Sculley is the founder of venture company Sculley Brothers. He was the former chief executive and chairman of Apple and before that, president and chief executive of PepsiCo.
