HARMAN Technology Forum Returns to Unpack the Future of Metaverse, Mobility & Experiences

Technology visionaries, business leaders, and transportation pioneers will gather in Las Vegas discuss the latest developments in the metaverse, mobility, and consumer experience innovations

HARMAN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies and solutions for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced the return of HARMAN Technology Forum 2022. Taking place on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at The Theater in Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas, this year’s HARMAN Technology Forum event will convene in-depth discussions from business and technology leaders about how the metaverse, modern mobility and other experiential technologies are poised to transform the entertainment, commerce, transportation and consumer experience industries.

“As a global leader in experience-led technologies, we at HARMAN are looking forward to bringing forth a thoughtful discussion this year around the bleeding-edge experiential technologies that are reshaping our connected lives,” said Michael Mauser, President and Chief Executive Officer, HARMAN. “With an eye to the future, we’ve been interested in how the metaverse and modern mobility solutions are going to impact many of our key industries like automotive, consumer, technology and audio. With HARMAN Technology Forum, we have built a great platform where leaders across these industries can come together, learn about the latest emerging technologies, and have a meaningful dialogue about the ever-evolving consumer experience landscape.”

HARMAN Technology Forum will once again be hosted by Shibani Joshi, National Business and Technology Journalist, and the event schedule will include:

• Martin Eberhard, Co-Founder and former CEO of Tesla, will discuss the future of transportation in a fireside chat moderated by Darrin Shewchuk, Vice President of Public Affairs & Communications at HARMAN.
• Cathy Hackl, a globally recognized metaverse expert and tech futurist, will de-mystify the metaverse, and take attendees on a deep dive into the multitude of opportunities that await consumers, businesses, and society at large.
• Metaverse – The Consumer Zeitgeist: The panel will address how brands are reaching Gen-Z audiences in the metaverse, and how the metaverse, NFTs and Web 3.0 are already transforming how consumers socialize, shop, play, and travel. This thought-provoking panel will feature HARMAN partners and metaverse pioneers such as Alex Saratsis, Co-Managing Director at Octagon; Lawrence Edmondson, Chief Technology Officer at Barbarian; and Teddy Zee, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at mintNFT; and will be moderated by award-winning freelance journalist Abigail Bassett.
• The Future of Mobility: With an eye on the future, this panel will explore groundbreaking innovations like the metaverse, developments in AR, VR, and mixed reality, and other novel automated technologies that are reshaping mobility experiences and the transportation industry. This forward-looking panel discussion among experts and leaders in the mobility space will include Dr. Anita Sengupta, CEO and Founder at Hydroplane Ltd.; Chris Ludwig, Vice President – EPIC Experience Team at HARMAN; and David Rhodes, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Unity; and will be moderated by experienced freelance automotive journalist Marcus Amick.
• Closing Address: Delivered by Michael Mauser, President and Chief Executive Officer of HARMAN, the closing address will convene the day’s discussions and lead to the announcement of the HARMAN-XTC Challenge Winner.

HARMAN-XTC Startup Challenge

As a founding partner of Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s largest ecosystem and competition for purpose-driven technology, HARMAN collaborated with XTC to launch the HARMAN-XTC Startup Challenge. Under the theme "Metaverse, the Consumer Connection and Emerging Technologies in Mobility”, dozens of startups from around the world were solicited to share their breakthrough innovations that will impact tomorrow’s entertainment, consumer and mobility experiences. The Top 8 finalists of this challenge will present their innovations in a fast-pitch rotation, facilitated by Victoria Slivkoff, Executive Managing Director of XTC and XTC co-Founder and legendary investor Bill Tai, partner emeritus of Charles River Ventures. The winner will be determined by live audience voting.

The HARMAN-XTC Challenge finalists are:

• Chargd
• Dingole
• GoGoTech (Abby)
• Kardome
• Open Sesame Media
• Parrots
• psHolix
• TG0

“The HARMAN-XTC Startup Challenge will open our eyes to new, powerful technologies and solutions that are designed to shape our future for the better,” said Young Sohn, Chairman of the Board at HARMAN and Co-Founder of Extreme Tech Challenge. “As the HARMAN Technology Forum event seeks to uncover discussions about emerging technologies that are evolving consumer experiences and addressing key industry challenges, this serves as a terrific forum for a synergistic partnership on the first-ever HARMAN-XTC Startup Challenge. This year’s class of XTC innovators have already begun to make waves in their industries, and with the support of Extreme Tech Challenge and HARMAN, we are confident in their potential to make a true difference in the world.”

HARMAN Technology Forum is hosted in tandem with JBL Fest, HARMAN’s signature 3-day brand experience that delivers unique experiences at the intersection of music, gaming and sports. To learn more about HARMAN Technology Forum, visit: https://harmantechforum.com/

ABOUT HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

About Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC)

Extreme Tech Challenge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation whose mission is to empower startups creating new tech innovations to address global challenges. It is the world’s largest ecosystem and competition for purpose-driven technology inspired by the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). XTC is supported by leading corporations, venture capital investors, foundations, policymakers, universities and tech conferences to give exceptional startups the potential for global visibility, the opportunity to raise capital, the ability to network with global leaders, and access to world-class mentorship to help them pioneer technological breakthroughs that address our most extreme global challenges. A complete list of XTC partners and how to join can be found at www.extremetechchallenge.org.

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