Leading global tech thinkers land in Brisbane

The chartered Myriad Air flight from Silicon Valley to Brisbane has now landed ahead of the Myriad Festival.

Some of the world’s most acclaimed innovators, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, who were on the plane, will be participating in the event.

Innovation Minister Kate Jones welcomed Myriad Air passengers to Queensland, including President Barack Obama’s former tech co-chair and entrepreneur, Tony Conrad; former CIA officer and national security adviser Yael Eisenstat; and Olympian and entrepreneur Ian Thorpe.

“Myriad is a celebration of creativity and innovation, and through Myriad Air we’ve brought some of the world’s greatest innovators and investors to Queensland to collaborate with locals,” Jones said.

The Queensland Government chartered a Qantas Boeing 747 for the Myriad Air flight, linking Silicon Valley to Brisbane for the second Myriad Innovation festival.

“Myriad Air was one of the biggest mid-air networking events ever staged and I’m confident that the connections that began on board will continue through the Myriad Festival and beyond to deliver some great results for our state,” Jones said.

Myriad, which opens on Thursday, May 17, brings to Brisbane a stellar line-up of local and international talent and expertise.

“Myriad is a fantastic opportunity for start-ups, innovators and entrepreneurs from across Australia and the world to come and enjoy all Queensland has to offer, while connecting with many of our innovation leaders from across the state,” Jones said.

“We recognise that to create the jobs of the future here in Queensland we need to invest in innovation and think outside the box.

“That’s why we’ve invested more than half a billion dollars in innovation and we’re getting involved in great projects like Myriad to create opportunities for Queenslanders.”

Myriad CEO Martin Talvari said Myriad Air was bringing together many investors who are delving into the Australian innovation scene for the first time this week.

“Meaningful relationships are formed out of great shared experiences, and flying a charter Down Under works pretty well,” he said.

“We have big ambitions to grow Myriad to an event that attracts tens of thousands of people from around the world and for our guests from Silicon Valley to become investors in Australian businesses.”

Myriad 2018 will be held from 16–18 May at the Royal International Convention Centre at the Brisbane Showgrounds.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/JackF

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