IT Arena 2021 Talks You Shouldn’t Miss

October 6, 2021

In 2020 IT Arena had been transformed into an online format, and this year we witness another transformation switching us to an up-to-date and functional hybrid format. Preparing hybrid events requires skill and experience with both online and offline and sometimes unexpected technical solutions. The IT Arena project team has coped with all these challenges, now let us cover in a simple and accessible form what and how will happen at this year’s conference.

October 7, the 1st day of IT Arena, is an online day only, within which attendees listen to speakers, ask questions, and network using our flagship web platform and mobile app. Ticket holders will gain access to the applications on October 5 to register and get acquainted with it. To maximize convenience use the platform from two devices at once: a desktop for listening to speakers’ talks and a mobile app for networking. The opening ceremony prepared by the IT Arena team promises to be very exciting so it’s highly important to be online on time not to miss opportunities and get this unforgettable experience. The agenda of the conference is available online and now let us introduce to you the top IT Arena 2021 talks chosen by our CEO Stepan Veselovskyi.

Laura Galante, USAID

Cybersecurity in the 20’s

Laura Galante, recognized as a leading authority on state cyber operations, equips governments and corporations to respond effectively to cyber and information threats. At IT Arena 2021, Galante will talk within a business track, outlining the stakes of today’s major cyber threats and anticipates the threat landscape of the 20’s. Helping to understand the roles as tech professionals and leaders and the importance of engaging on the global information battlefield. Come ready to consider how your work is already intersecting with tomorrow’s major political, economic, and resource battles. After her talk, Laura Galante will take part in a panel discussion on the future of the cybersecurity market along with Timothy Dubel, Chief of Party/Project Director at USAID Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure in Ukraine Activity; Bryan Anderson, Vice President of Operations at Veterans First initiative; Pavlo Kartashov, Director at Ukrainian Startup Fund.

Colleen Graneto, Airbnb

Three steps to better product decision making

Colleen’s worked with B2B, B2C, and platform products over the last 15 years, including the last 5+ at Airbnb, and has a unique understanding of what is necessary to launch products that resonate with users, and of how to bring those products to market quickly. Colleen also teaches and coaches at both General Assembly and UC Berkeley Executive Education and is passionate about helping teams use strong product development method. Having significant experience working with the product, Graneto will share knowledge and skills on how to develop your product from a professional viewpoint.

Muhannad Alomari, Rolls-Royce

How AI helped give MND patients a voice, an AI for good initiative

Muhannad is currently leading the European AI team for Rolls-Royce plc. He has a background in Engineering and a Ph.D. in AI. Muhannad authored 15 papers in AI, and was awarded the highly prestigious “Research Excellence Award” from the University of Leeds, the “Distinguished Ph.D. Dissertation Award” from the European Association for AI, and 4 “Best Paper awards” from top-tiered AI conferences around the globe for his contributions in advancing the field of AI. Muhannad speaks two human languages and seven computer languages, and he is an advocate for using AI for the good of humanity. At IT Arena, Muhannad represents the technology track shedding light on issues of AI appliances in finding solutions for patients with motor neuron disease and other use of AI for good initiatives.

Yuriy Zaremba, AXDRAFT

How to sell your startup

Yuriy Zaremba is one of the top-250 lawyers in Ukraine at the age of 25. At 27, he quit a well-paid job at a top law firm to start a legal document automation company AXDRAFT with his brother. He got accepted into Y Combinator at 28 and raised a $1.3 million seed round in 3 weeks at 29. In 2020, at the age of 30, sold AXDRAFT to Onit Inc. for more than 10x multiple on revenue. Yuriy Zaremba will tell his story of selling AXDRAFT in 3 months from term sheet to money in the bank and focus on how to get your company ready for exit.

Shameer Khader, Ph.D., AstraZeneca

Accelerating Drug Discovery and (Re)Positioning using Big Data and Machine intelligence

Dr. Shameer Khader is a senior director of advanced analytics, data science, and bioinformatics at AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceuticals company. At AstraZeneca, he leads a global team of data scientists, biomedical scientists, statisticians, and software engineers. He oversees a portfolio of projects in oncology and biopharma to accelerate drug discovery and development using biomedical and clinical big data using machine intelligence approaches. Before this role, he was a Program Director of Machine Learning & Data Science at Northwell Health, New York, USA. He built the first data science team, developed the strategy, and led operational data science activities for one of the largest health systems in the country with 12 billion in revenue. At IT Arena, Dr. Shameer Khader will talk at the technology track and dwell on using big data, and machine learning approaches for accelerating drug discovery and (re)positioning.

Dmitry Dubrovskiy, Uklon

Becoming a leader in the ride-hailing market. How competition with global brands makes us greater every day

Dmitry Dubrovskiy, CEO and Co-Founder at Uklon, will share his experience on the pros and cons of launching a hi-tech product in Ukraine. Yet the target was very ambitious, to become the national champion in such a competitive market as ride-hailing apps. Within the business track, Dubrovskiy will tell some stories, some insights, some cases, a lot of fuckups in different spheres of the business regarding customers, technical environment, laws and taxes, competitive environment, investment opportunities, and market size. It will be useful for young startups or entrepreneurs to launch hi-tech products here in Ukraine.

Maye Musk

Keeping an indomitable spirit across borders, ages, and industries

Maye Musk is this year’s keynote speaker at IT Arena, she will talk within the business track. Maye Musk is a role model, trend maker, and rule changer with a fascinating family. Maye is a respected dietitian who gives talks all over the world about health, nutrition, business, and aging. She established a lifelong career as a dietitian, all the while starting over in eight different cities across three countries and two continents. She made her way through it all with an indomitable spirit and a no-nonsense attitude to become a global success at what she calls the prime of her life. Maye Musk will join IT Arena in a fireside chat set to take place on Friday, October 8 at 17:30. Her talk will concentrate on women’s empowerment and their impact on the development of the tech industry.

See the full talks lineup and choose your favorite one here.