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Vivek Wadhwa

Tech guru and academic Vivek Wadhwa challenges the common wisdom on innovation, architect Donald MacDonald designed the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, and social entrepreneur Kalimah Priforce‘s specialty is the power and limits of technology for bringing change to disadvantaged communities. All three will be speaking at Uncharted: The Berkeley Festival of Ideas, the very first ideas festival to come to the Bay Area.

Wadhwa, Vice President of Innovation and Research at Singularity University and Fellow at the Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, will explain why “everything you know about entrepreneurship is wrong.”

MacDonald will be in conversation with commentator and journalist Felix Salmon, who, on hearing he would be getting a private tour of the new Bay Bridge prior to Uncharted simply tweeted “Creating Awesome!” They will discuss the symbolism and power of bridges. As well as designing the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, MacDonald was the first architect to work on the design of the Golden Gate Bridge since its construction in the 1930s.

Meanwhile, Priforce will be talking about the power and limits of technology for bringing change to disadvantaged communities. The provocative subject of Priforce’s presentation? “Would an app have saved Trayvon Martin?”

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Kalimah Priforce. Photo: Nancy Rubin

In addition to Wadhwa, MacDonald and Priforce, there will be conversations on robotics, income inequality, mass extinction, the 2014 mid-term elections, creativity, the continuing relevance of the humanities, civil rights and much, much more during the two-day Uncharted festival, which is being produced by Berkeleyside. The festival includes lively hands-on workshops and a fabulous party with good food, wine and live music at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive.

Meet the many other fascinating speakers who will be at Uncharted, and register to attend at the Uncharted website. (Don’t delay: Early-bird discounts end Sept. 27.)

Uncharted is delighted to be partnering with the following sponsors: AutodeskPanoramic InterestsMechanics BankDeYoe Wealth ManagementBerkeley Repertory Theatre, GreenerPrinterUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeley Startup ClusterDowntown Berkeley Association, and KQED.

Visit the Uncharted website for all information. Follow Uncharted on Twitter and on Facebook to keep in touch with new speakers and program information.

Tracey Taylor is co-founder of Berkeleyside and co-founder and editorial director of Cityside, the nonprofit parent to Berkeleyside and The Oaklandside. Before launching Berkeleyside, Tracey wrote for...