The second annual Vegas Tech Summit was held on Oct. 5, drawing more than 100 founding CEOs of tech companies and start-ups based primarily in California. The event was organized by local business entrepreneur Teddy Liaw, founder of NexRep a company that relocated to Southern Nevada a few years ago. The Vegas Tech Summit is designed to introduce tech CEOs, founders and captains of industry to the business-friendly state of Nevada, while encouraging relocation to Las Vegas. The event is supported by the city of Las Vegas, Clark County and Howard Hughes, to name a few of its key sponsors.
The group heard remarks from Zach Conine, Nevada State Treasurer; Andrew Cherng, CEO, Panda Express; David Chao, co-founder and general partner of DCM Ventures; Nan Wang, co-founder and CEO of Sleeper, one of the world’s fastest growing sports apps; and Yoona Kim, co-founder and CEO of Arine, an artificial intelligence healthcare company. Attendees also heard from Ryan Smith, city of Las Vegas Economic Development director; Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones; and leading economic analyst Brian Gordon of Applied Analysis. Sandra Douglass Morgan, president of the Las Vegas Raiders, closed out the session and spoke about the convergence of sport and technology.
“We’re one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, we have an awesome business climate, and we’re in close proximity to major markets,” Smith said in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. “An influx of industry to Nevada could lead to increased job opportunities, new collaborations and curriculums within the university systems and positively affect other factors like property values.”
Following last year’s inaugural Vegas Tech Summit, a handful of companies have already relocated or are in the process of relocating to Southern Nevada, including but not limited to Evisort, a contract management platform.
Photo: From left: Alex Hancock, Howard Hughes; Brian Gordon, Applied Analysis; Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones; Ryan Smith, city of Las Vegas