Highlights and Reactions from Day One of #BIF9 in Providence

Highlights and Reactions from Day One of #BIF9 in Providence

The first day of the Business Innovation Factory's #BIF9 summit is well underway, and Trinity Repertory Theater is abuzz with innovation, collaboration, and excitement stemming from the day's 16 speakers -- and over 400 attendees taking part.

According to BIF, the summit marks "nine years of connecting, collaborating and experimenting has brought us to a simple conclusion — innovators are wired differently. One of the nation's most renowned storytelling gatherings, the BIF Summit provides innovators with the space to be curious and crazy, get inspired and collide with unusual collaborators."

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Following the first morning's program, BIF Founder and Chief Catalyst Saul Kaplan told GoLocal, "All the storytellers have been fantastic, but I think it was great the way Doug Ulman kicked off the event talking about reinvention, and cancer survivorship, being the ultimate reinvention -- both of individuals like himself who have recovered from cancer, and LIVESTRONG itself which is recovering from the Lance Armstrong debacle to do incredible work...I thought he set the tone perfectly."

Presenters this morning included Whitney Johnson, Easton LaChappelle, Stacy Pearsall, Rosanne Haggerty, Howard Lindzon, James Doty, and Evan Ratliff.

Josh Catone with Mashable told GoLocal, "It's a fascinating mix of people. What's interesting is that coming from a tech and journalism background, it's not just about tech. You learn lessons you can apply broadly across disciplines. There are things here that are universal, that I can apply to my work but that are coming from a doctor, or a police chief, or a discipline you might not have collided with in everyday life."

Highlights from Day One 

Howard Lindzon, Co-Founder and CEO of StockTwits, talked about "three things that matter", which he said were that "we live in an era of social leverage" currently, following a world of "financial leverage" -- and "social media is just one tool in your arsenal."

As his number two, Lindzon declared that in this new era, "punch a banker, hug a developer." Or better yet, "punch your developer, hug a designer."

Lastly, he said that the new area was all about "connecting the dots...reading the tea leaves."

Dr. James Doty, who presented following Lindzon, noted that "a neurosurgeon who studies compassion must be an oxymoron" -- but that's just what he talked about.

"I know about suffering, I'm a feminist, I'm a humanist," said Doty, adding, "The reason I'm here today is that someone showed compassion to me."

Following his presentation, Doty told GoLocal, "There are extraordinary people, topics, and conservations here today. I get to think more deeply about my own issues and what I'm investigating in perhaps a different way."

BIF by the Numbers -- and More

Curious about who takes part, and what takes place?  See here for last year's BIF 8 by the numbers.

And if you want to know what's going on right now -- and tomorrow -- watch the livestream here.

Presenters this afternoon are Xiao Xiao, Peter Hirshberg, Ping Fu, Deb Mils-Scofield, Scott Heimendinger, Bruce Nussbaum, Dava Newman, and Paul van Zyl.

For more information, and who's presenting tomorrow, go here.