Internet Hall of Famer Landweber to speak at Nov. 13-14 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium
MADISON – Larry Landweber, a UW-Madison computer science professor who was among 31 inaugural members of the Internet Society’s global Hall of Fame, will speak Nov. 13 during the first day of the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium in Madison.
The annual conference gives selected companies the opportunity to make presentations and meet with investors. For many firms, participation in the conference has been a key factor for significant business growth. For more information and to register for the conference, go to www.wisearlystage.com.
Landweber’s story speaks to Wisconsin’s legacy of expertise in computer sciences and networking – as well as the need to keep innovating at a time when global competition might erase the unique American advantage that came with being the cradle of the Internet.
Landweber was named in April to the hall of fame’s “Innovator” category for his work in two major areas. The first was the creation of CSNET, which broadly linked university research programs for the first time. The second was for blazing pathways – sometimes, one connection at a time – that truly globalized a hodgepodge of national networks.
Landweber’s first networking project was TheoryNet in 1977. A few years later, working on behalf of a consortium of universities, he proposed creation of CSNET to link university computer science programs that weren’t a part of Arpanet, a Defense Department network. Funded by the federal government in 1981, CSNET linked more than 180 universities around the world within three years and served as the predecessor to NSFnet (the National Science Foundation network), which was a backbone for the larger Internet.
Landweber’s other role was that of an international Internet evangelist. In the 1980s, he helped establish the first network gateways between the United States and countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
He continues to advise governments at home and abroad on what will happen next, with past and present ties to Internet2, the GENI Project, the Internet Society and more. He’s also worked with companies large and small, including startups, and remains an advocate for making sure Wisconsin’s network connections and capacities are world-class. Other highlights of the Nov. 13-14 conference include:
- Presentations by more than 20 companies selected for the Wisconsin Angel Network investors’ track. Investors from across Wisconsin and beyond will attend.
- The annual Elevator Pitch Olympics, which provide 90-second presentation opportunities for 15 or more additional companies. A panel of investors will judge the contest.
- More than a dozen panel discussions or plenary sessions featuring leading entrepreneurs, investors and others tied to the tech sector.
- The annual “First Look” forum featuring selected campus-based technologies.
- A first-night reception, two luncheons, two breakfasts and other networking opportunities, including an investors-only dinner.
To learn more and to register at “early bird” rates by Oct. 15, visit www.wisearlystage.com
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