AMERICA’S INNOVATION POWER IN THE WORLD
Stunning advances in technology and science, mobile device proliferation, and fast-growing global markets have fueled a tsunami of innovation—from the molecular to the macroeconomic level, technology is reshaping the way we live, work and play. For American entrepreneurship, it’s an era marked by both opportunity and transformation. The thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that played such a fundamental role in the U.S.’s ascent as a hub of innovation and economic power must now test its mettle on a global playing field. Even as the pace and magnitude of technological change enable extraordinary opportunities to build new businesses—even create entirely new industries—there are new rules of engagement, new challenges, and new competitors. From his perspective at the helm of one of the world’s largest venture capital firms, technology investor Scott Sandell explores the changing face of American entrepreneurship, and how the U.S. can continue to be a dominant force in an innovation economy that knows no borders.

Scott Sandell • Managing General Partner, New Enterprise Associates venture capital firm
In addition to his role as Managing General Partner of New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Mr. Sandell is also head of NEA’s Information Technology and Alternative Energy investing practices. He is one of only six investors to be named to the Forbes Midas List every year since 2007, with 22 technology companies in his portfolio having successfully completed public offerings or mergers. He also leads NEA’s investing activities in China. Mr. Sandell is a Dartmouth graduate with an MBA from Stanford. He began his career at the Boston Consulting Group and was a Product Manager at Microsoft before joining NEA. Mr. Sandell also serves on the Board of Overseers for the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, and is a former Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (2014-15).