IMDb founder to talk at Venturefest

Venturefest Bristol & Bath 2015 has announced that headline speakers at the new-look event will include Col Needham, founder and CEO IMDb (the #1 movie website in the world) and Scott Wilcox, the Director of Technology of SXSW Eco.

Col and Scott will be part of a Thought Leadership Conference at Venturefest which will highlight the latest developments on key issues affecting innovators and investors.

Col Needham founded IMDb 25 years ago in Bristol before it was acquired by Amazon in 1998.

He continues to serve as the founder and CEO of IMDb and is now key figure in the global film industry.

Col said: “Bristol & Bath has an outstanding and innovative start-up culture which is one of the reasons the IMDb UK office is located in Bristol.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about other exciting companies in the region and sharing my own experiences over the last 25 years.”

Scott Wilcox, who has firmly established South by South West Eco as the international conference on the future of sustainability, will be presenting his insights into the latest US and international green technology developments and outlining the opportunities for entrepreneurs in the region.

Scott explained: “Bristol & Bath is one of the UK’s most important technology clusters. It has a big part to play in green technology internationally, especially this year with Bristol being the European Green Capital.”

The aim of Venturefest is to celebrate the region’s position as an unrivalled global centre for innovation and investment opportunities and also act as channel for dynamic new ideas and thought leadership.

The presence of Col Needham and Scott Wilcox signals Venturefest Bristol & Bath’s transformation into a national and international event, in line with the region’s status as a fast growing globally significant technology cluster[1].