# Fubon Center for Technology, Business and Innovation | Tech Innovation Initiative ![bg](/sites/default/files/styles/866w/public/2025-05/frame_1.jpg?h=55b2993e&itok=4dP4sqPd) ## Tech Innovation Initiative at the Fubon Center --- ![melissa](/sites/default/files/styles/500w_x_300h/public/2025-05/melissapic_1.jpg.webp?h=bf59424e&itok=WH3iVwoi) **Melissa Schilling** Director of Fubon Technology Innovation Initiative, John Herzog Family Professor of Management and Organizations [ More About Melissa Schilling → ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/melissa-schilling) The Fubon Technology Innovation Initiative brings together scholars, managers, and students to conduct and disseminate world-class innovation research. The initiative hosts conferences, funds research projects, and engages in community outreach activities that help to make innovation research both rigorous and accessible. Our objectives at the Fubon Technology Innovation Initiative are to: - Support and foster state-of-the-art innovation research. - Create synergistic collaborative relationships between innovation scholars and practitioners in technology-intensive industries. - Increase the accessibility of innovation research to a wide audience. ## Upcoming and Past Events [ ![William halt](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/2024-04/billhait2024_1.jpg?h=476030cb&itok=T238k6g8) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/william-hait) ### April 18, 2024 | Fireside Chat with William Hait [Dr. William Hait](https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhait/), EVP of Chief External Innovation at Johnson & Johnson, in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/william-hait) --- [ ![Innovation](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/2023-09/2024Innovation.jpg?h=790be497&itok=io4E9Mdq) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/2023-nyu-stern-innovation-conference) ### October 27, 2023 | 2023 NYU Stern Innovation Conference The 2023 NYU Stern Innovation Conference was hosted by Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. It featured Brian Asparro, COO of CarbonQuest; Laura Fox, Co-Founder of Streetlife Venture; Tensie Whelan, Director of the NYU Center for Sustainable Business; and more. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/2023-nyu-stern-innovation-conference) --- [ ![Rama Akkiraju](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/2023-03/Rama%20bust%20small1_0_0.jpg?h=6b8f09de&itok=FmIoRSWk) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/fireside-chat-featuring-rama-akkiraju) ### March 23, 2023 | Fireside Chat with Rama Akkiraju [**Rama Akkiraju**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramaakkiraju/), Vice President for AI/Machine Learning for IT at Nvidia, in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/fireside-chat-featuring-rama-akkiraju) --- [ ![ 2021 FinTech Conference ](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/sternfintech2021_0.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=UhpxHwWj) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive-updated/2022-stern-innovation-conference) ### September 30, 2022 | 2022 NYU Stern Innovation Conference: Building Innovation Portfolios The 2022 NYU Stern Innovation Conference was hosted by Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. It featured Ryan Piela, Executive Director at Estee Lauder; Nitish Gupta, Global Product Manager at IPC Systems; Yvonne Lui, Associate Chair for AI at NYU Langone Radiology; and more. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive-updated/2022-stern-innovation-conference) --- ![Amy Webb Headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/Untitled%20design%20%283%29_3.png?h=57924478&itok=0M66-GaO) ### April 25, 2022 | Fireside Chat with Amy Webb Amy Webb, CEO of Future Today Strategy Group, in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/april-fireside-chat) --- ![Headshot J Gerbi](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/Jennifer%20Gerbi_Headshot.jpg?h=61ac1abb&itok=e5bJ0zlC) ### March 24, 2022 | The U.S. Government's Strategy for Investing in Innovation: A Fireside Chat with Jennifer Gerbi Dr. Jennifer Gerbi, Acting Director and Deputy Director for Technology of ARPA-E, in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/march-fireside-chat) --- [ ![Nick Economides Headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/Economides%20high%20res.jpg?h=1e7583eb&itok=JhQm7HV_) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/fireside-chat-professor-nicholas-economides) ### December 9, 2021 | “Want my digital content? Show me the money!" A Fireside Chat with Nicholas Economides Nicholas Economides, NYU Stern Professor of Economics, in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/fireside-chat-professor-nicholas-economides) --- [ ![Blue glowing lights in cubes](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/blue%20glowing%20lights%20in%20cubes_0.jpg?h=375fde61&itok=ay_jX1Tu) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/2021-stern-innovation-conference) ### September 17, 2021 | 2021 NYU Stern Innovation Conference: Innovating Virtually The 2021 NYU Stern Innovation Conference was hosted by Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. It featured Hila Lifshitz-Assaf, Head of the AI Innovation Network; Bill Spencer, Senior Director at Microsoft; Claire Tandy, Senior Product Operations Manager at Skydio; and more. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/2021-stern-innovation-conference) --- [ ![Terry Odean Headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/Terry%20Odean.jpg?h=4ecf8430&itok=q_q2fq-F) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/terrance-odean) ### April 20, 2021 | Robinhood Traders: Wisdom of the Crowd? A Fireside Chat with Terrance Odean Terrance Odean, Professor of Finance at the University of California Berkeley, in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. [ More information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/terrance-odean) --- [ ![Innovation Conference ](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/Inno_v3.png?h=ec50bab1&itok=2bm-KuQw) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/2020-innovation-conference) ### September 25, 2020 | 2020 NYU Stern Innovation Conference: Transformative Technological Change The 2020 NYU Stern Innovation Conference was hosted by Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. It featured Liz O’Sullivan, CEO of Vera AI; Tom Pilette, COO at Zeta Energy; Julie Diamond, Associate Director at Endless Frontier Labs; and more. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/2020-innovation-conference) --- [ ![Headshot of Jihoon Rim](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/jrim.jpg?h=e1d89c9d&itok=GFfEgRLD) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/jihoon-rim) ### November 12, 2020 | Lessons Learned at Kakao: A Fireside Chat with Jihoon Rim [**Jihoon Rim**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jihoonrim/), former CEO of Kakao, in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. [ More information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/jihoon-rim) --- [ ![Nathan B](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/Nathan%20B_0.jpg?h=028172c5&itok=kpPA-ix3) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/airbnb-cofounder-nathan-blecharczyk) ### February 4, 2020 | Platform Responsibility and Global Leadership: A Fireside Chat with Nathan Blecharczyk [**Nathan Blecharczyk**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/blecharczyk/), Airbnb Co-Founder, in conversation with Professor Arun Sundararajan. [ More information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/airbnb-cofounder-nathan-blecharczyk) --- [ ![Paul Shapiro](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/Paul%20Shapiro_0.jpg?h=e0456515&itok=7wOA3-Mb) ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/paul-shapiro) ### January 30, 2019 | Clean Meat: A Fireside Chat with Paul Shapiro Paul Shapiro, Co-Founder and CEO of The Better Meat Co., in conversation with Fubon Innovation Director Melissa Schilling. [ More Information ](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/about/departments-centers-initiatives/fubon-center/events-activities/events-archive/paul-shapiro) --- ![](/sites/default/files/styles/480w_x_543h/public/assets/images/jessica-ruscello-196422-unsplash.jpg?h=e73fab7c&itok=w-y4W8M1) ### March 1, 2018 | Author Lecture Series: Melissa Schilling Professor Melissa Schilling joined Justin Fox, Bloomberg View columnist, for a conversation about her new book. [ More information ](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/news-events/author-lecture-series-schilling-fox) ---