Speaking

Obi speaks on innovation, diversity and inclusion, and mental health. She has spoken at numerous technology and entrepreneur conferences, as well as private gatherings of CEOs and philanthropists. She was interviewed twice on stage at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen conference. She delivered the opening keynote at Chautauqua Institution, where previous speakers included FDR, Hillary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She has guest lectured at INSEAD, Stanford University and UC Berkeley.

How can we apply technology to help solve the big challenges of our times, such as climate change and healthcare? How can we create an innovation culture in any organisation, from small to large? How do we deal with failure gracefully? How do we learn fast? How do we bring the brightest, most diverse people to the table to invent the future we want to live in? How do we create a future of flourishing minds for all?

Obi is represented by Washington Speakers Bureau. If you would like Obi to speak at your event, please visit https://www.wsb.com/speakers/obi-felten/

For podcasts, please use the contact form to get in touch.

Selected talks by Obi

EventType of engagementTopics
ASU+GSV Summit, San Diego, 2021 & 2022Panel discussion
Mental health
Bits & Pretzels, Munich
2020		Interview with Miriam Wohlfarth at Germany’s largest tech conferenceInnovation
Catalyst Girls in Tech conference, San Francisco
2017		Keynote at women in tech conferenceInnovation, diversity & inclusion
Changemaker Chats, San Francisco
2018		Fireside chat with Kati Schmidt, Q&A with women in techDiversity & inclusion, careers in tech
Chautauqua Institution, New York
2017		Opening keynote of summer season at venerable NY institution (previous speakers include Hillary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg)Innovation
CPS Lectures, San Francisco
2019		Talk at San-Francisco-based discussion seriesInnovation
CPS Lectures, San Francisco
2020		Obi interviews Dr. Sam McLean on the Heroes Health Initiative, a project to support the mental health of frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.Mental health
CPS Lectures, San Francisco
2020		Obi interviews Jessica Powell on her book “The Big Disruption”Life in Silicon Valley
CPS Lectures, San Francisco
2020		Obi interviews Stephen DeBerry on disparity by designInnovation, diversity & inclusion
Devex World
2020		Interview with Catherine Cheney at global development conferenceInnovation
Falling Walls, Berlin
2020		Panel with Miranda Wolpert, Shuranjeet Singh, Megan Jones Bell on a new superscience for mental healthMental health
Federal Reserve, Chicago, 2022Keynote at leadership summitInnovation
Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit, Laguna Beach CA
2017, 2016		2017 interview with Michal Lev Ram
2016 interview with Leena Rao		Innovation
Hello Tomorrow, Paris
2015		Opening keynote at deep tech entrepreneur conferenceInnovation
Helmholtz Horizons Symposium, Berlin
2018		Closing keynote at summit for European scientists and science policy makersInnovation
INSEAD, Paris
2012-2020		Various MBA guest lectures with Prof Annet ArisInnovation
Investec Entrepreneurs Summit, London
2010		PanelInnovation
ITV global employee conference, London/virtual 2021Talk & fireside chat at internal conference of UK broadcasterInnovation
Jacques Delors Institute Conference, Berlin
2016		Keynote “Lessons from Silicon Valley and Europe”
See my blogpost for transcript in English		Innovation, Silicon Valley culture
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies / Stanford Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Palo Alto
2021		Keynote followed by conversation with Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli
with introductory remarks by former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Video		Innovation, mental health
Learn Capital Summit, Utah
2019		Keynote/Q&A at Learn Capital’s annual summit for their founders/CEOs and partnersInnovation
Lesbians Who Tech, San Francisco
2017		KeynoteInnovation, Diversity & inclusion
London Tech Week, London
2020		Panel at Global Leaders Innovation SummitInnovation
McLean Technology in Psychiatry Summit, Boston
2020		Talk on tech-enabled mental health measurement at Technology in Psychiatry Summit, organised by McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical SchoolMental health
Milken Institute Future of Health Summit
2020		Panel on mental health innovation organised by nonprofit, nonpartisan think tankMental health
Milken Institute Global Conference
2020		Panel at on role of philantropy in mental healthInnovation, philantropy
OneMind Brain Waves podcast, 2021Conversation with Brandon Staglin and Dr. Helen Herrman on the impact of the pandemic on mental health. Mental health
OneMind At Work Conference, CA
2020		Panel on mental health innovation
Mental health
Oxford Union, Oxford
2018		Talk followed by Q&A with Oxford University studentsInnovation
Rolemodels, Berlin
2017		Interview with Isa Sonnenfeld as part of the Rolemodels series.Innovation, diversity & inclusion
Signals Academy, Berlin
2020		Keynote at annual founder summit organised by Signals venture capital firmInnovation
Silicon Valley Comes to the UK, London
2020, 2016		2016 Talk ‘Inside the Moonshot Factory’
2020 Fireside chat with Sherry Coutu, Q&A with female scale-up founders		Innovation
Singularity University, Mountain View, CA
2017		Closing keynote at Singularity summer programmeInnovation
Skoll World Forum, Oxford
2016		Session host & moderator ‘Leapfrogging Development: How New Technologies Will Accelerate Change’ featuring social entrepreneurs Sarah Martin, Jim Taylor, Andreas Raptopoulos, Sly Lee, Juliana RotichInnovation, social entrepreneurship
Smithsonian The Long Conversation, Washington DC
2018		Michael Govan interviews Obi Felten
Obi Felten interviews Michael Hill		Innovation
Stanford University, Palo Alto,
2012-2015		Guest lectures at d.school
Innovation
Stanford University, Palo Alto, 2022Guest lecture in biodesign courseMental health
Stern Stewart Institute Summit, Germany
2020		Talk at private gathering of German CEOsInnovation
Stifterverband Forschungsgipfel, Berlin
2017		Invite-only innovation & science summit with German business, science and politics leaders
Talk at ‘Inner Circle 2: Neue Wege für Innovationen – Wer übernimmt das Steuer?’ (in German)
Interview (in German)		Innovation
Tech Inclusion summit, San Francisco
2017		Firesite chat with Mary GroveInnovation, diversity & inclusion
The Philantropy Network Summit
2019		Talk at private gathering of philantropistsInnovation
Thomas Mann House, Los Angeles
2020		Fireside chat with Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, hosted by Milena MertenInnovation, Silicon Valley
Trove.co team offsiteKeynote at company all hands offsiteInnovation
UBA Forum, Berlin
2017		Opening keynote (in German) at summit on the environment for industry and policy makers hosted by Umweltbundesamt (Federal Ministry for the Environment)Innovation
Udacity Intersect, Mountain View, CA
2018		Closing keynote at annual summitInnovation
University of California Berkeley, CA
2015, 2019		Executive MBA guest lecturesInnovation, Diversity & inclusion
Villa Aurora Salon, Berlin
2017		Talk followed by Q&A moderated by Alison Smale, New York Times correspondent (in German)Innovation
Wired UK, London
2014		Talk at UK tech conferenceInnovation
Women 2.0, San Francisco
2014		Keynote at women in tech conferenceInnovation
Women Techmaker Summit, Mountain View, CA
2016		Talk at women in tech conference “On Bravery: How to kill good things to make room for truly great ones”Innovation, diversity & inclusion, careers in tech
World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, San Francisco
2017		Keynote at global conference of TV and film producersInnovation
Zinc podcast, 2021Conversation with Zinc fellow Iain Jordan on building mental health tech ventures RecordingMental health, venture building

Selected speaking engagements

“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

– Thomas Edison (maybe)