Stephen Ibaraki
Serial entrepreneur, investor, and futurist, Stephen’s accomplishments and global leadership positions with more than 100 programs / organizations and 300+ recognitions are too numerous to list. His leadership roles working daily with more than 1 million CEOs, Investors, Scientists with the world’s leading CEO, scientific, technical and financial organizations allow him a unique vantage point to oversee where transformative innovation and investments are heading in the coming years. Stephen is the visionary behind REDDS whose tireless work has positioned REDDS to take advantage of the globally unique superior intelligence received by the group. As a small sampling representing under 1% of Stephen’s current activities, he is the:
- Founder of UN ITU, AI FOR GOOD, adopted by governments, corporations, and academia, with 3+ billion reach, as the world’s largest AI innovation solutions program, startup Innovation Factory, and daily summit driving AI top innovative business solutions such as generative AI (BingAI, Microsoft Azure OpenAI, GPT4-5) across 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and empowering CEO-led impact programs for the benefit of humanity and Earth Ecosystems such as with KIN (Knowledge Impact Network) and Million PeaceMakers. Ongoing judge and Grand Finale judge from the founding of the #AIForGood Innovation Factory with the last Grande Finale winner announced at the July AIForGood 2023 in this news release.
- Founding member of WFP Innovation Accelerator advisory council in 2017 and with the November 2023 announcement of two portfolio startups winning the 1 million UK pounds prize each, top innovation Earthshot Prize. WFP is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, multiple awardee of Apple, Good, Fast Company awards for innovation.
- From 2009 serving in roles as: current ACM practitioner board (PB) and past chair / current ACM PB chair professional development committee (PDC) / current board PDC TechTalks committee / current board ByteCast committee / current board working group head on startups-entrepreneurship; ACM is the world’s largest computing organization. From 1989 serving in roles as: past CIPS President and Chair; CIPS founding fellow advising CEO; CIPS is Canada’s national ICT organization. From 2007, serving in roles as: founder and current vice-chair IFIP IP3, founder and current chair IFIP Industry Council; IFIP is the UNESCO-founded independent federation of national and international ICT organizations with CIPS, ACM, IEEE as some of the founders. From 2004 serving in roles as: NPA board member, NPA founding fellow; NPA is a global infrastructure ICT organization. From 2016 serving in roles as: IEEE CS board committee member; current IEEE TEMS board committee member and active keynote in IEEE TEMS conferences/summits; current IEEE RASSE conference organizer/designer and opening keynote for industry forum in 2021, 2022, 2023; advisor to IEEE Entrepreneurship; IEEE is the world’s largest technology organization.
- Founder of Fintech Ideas Festival, Technology Advisory Council, providing industry solutions ten years into the future for the top 100 CEOs representing nearly US $100 Trillion in managed assets where the CEOs invested in all the transformational tech solutions and startups identified from Stephen 2015 including blockchain, digital identities, mobile financial services, AI/ML, cybersecurity, biometrics, 5/6G, quantum computing, future of fintech, future of the workforce, privacy and data analytics, personalization and precision services, new user/consumer experience from the confluence of the digital / physical / biological. Stephen directed the CEOs into execution focused working groups, monthly innovation forums, private summits. The public facing parts of this private work is captured in an article Stephen wrote for IT World in January 2017, “Top CEOs and futurists on the future of financial services and technology”, a rare public video from January 2017 private CEO summit, where Stephen provides his foresight insights to questions. The President and chair of the CEOs technology group introduces Stephen, “Introduce Stephen Ibaraki. Stephen is the entrepreneur and chairman of the Fintech Ideas Festival, a tremendous help and a lot of the people are here today came through Steve’s connections and his work in the industry. Steve’s has a fantastic executive leadership career, distinguished advisor for startups and global fortune 500 companies and governments specifically on strategy, most recently organizing the current AI for Good Summit in Geneva in June 2017 with the United Nations ITU and XPRIZE.” There is a joint article written for the CEOs which also appeared with the United Nations in 2017, “Trending: AI in finance” by Stephen Ibaraki, founding chairman FSR technology advisory council and Hari Gopalkrishnan, managing director, platforms and technology Bank of America. Article from Forbes in 2019: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/04/17/is-financial-services-ready-for-broad-5th-machine-age-technology-adoption/?sh=46d1cec376cf Is Financial Services Ready For Broad 5th Machine Age Technology Adoption?
- Founding chair YPO Impact Advisory Board and YPO EU Impact Summit Advisory Board, creating workable business solutions for the world’s largest opportunities/challenges and focused on purposeful leadership / business / capital & investments / innovation. YPO: 35K CEOs, US $9 Trillion annual revenue (ranking 3rd in GDP if considered a country) across 150+ countries, 500 chapters, employing 22 million. With work underway since May 2019, the first summit Oct 2020 and continuing as chair impact advisory board with first global impact summit (YPOGIS2023 in Feb 2023) and continuing in 2024 and beyond;
- Recipient of 21 Microsoft Global Awards (18 MVP Awards), 40+ overall recognitions, with six years MVP 2018-2023 in AI, with the world’s largest and top corporation in technology and advising Microsoft under NDA since the 1970s, recognizing decades of lifetime achievement, global–leadership, entrepreneurship, investments, disruptive innovation. As noted by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in award citations, “We recognize and value your exceptional contributions and commitment to technical communities worldwide. By sharing your real-world expertise and technical skills, you demonstrate outstanding technical community leadership. Thank you.” Judging as MVP, the largest youth innovation Award program, the Imagine Cup which empowers 2+ million students over 20 years. From Microsoft news release in Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior 2023, “The Imagine Cup Junior is more than a competition. It is a learning journey that empowers students to develop their skills in AI and other technologies. These students have shown us how AI can be used for good, to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems and create a better future for everyone. I’m proud to be a part of this journey and congratulate all the competitors – and winners — for their remarkable achievements.” Stephen Ibaraki, Founder, UN AI for Good and Imagine Cup Junior 2023 judge. Spotlighted by the Microsoft’s MVP program in 2023 for Stephen’s mentorship global contributions in serving startups, innovation and entrepreneurship: “Stephen’s mentorship initiatives have been pivotal in propelling entrepreneurship and innovations that yield significant societal benefits. His dynamic involvement spans a wide spectrum of communities, including CEOs, UN agencies, scientific/engineering entities, investors, media outlets, social media platforms, and more. He says, “Mentorship, or ‘support’ for innovation, entrepreneurship, and startups occurs at many levels. Initially, building awareness, directing freely available resources and open startup platforms, helping grow the startups presence, providing advice, supporting investment, helping startups to scale”… article continues with examples from Imagine Cup, #AIforGood Innovation Factory, WFP Innovation Accelerator, CEO Leadership Alliance, non-profit organizations IEEE TEMS, ACM, CIPS. Invited advisor, mentor, investor for the Microsoft Startup Founders Hub, founded in 2023.
- Active investor, investment / innovation / foresight advisor, serving on investment committees. Examples: Global Chair and managing general partner REDDS Capital; Adastral Funds; Southern California Master Fund (SCMF-CEO led funds of Funds); DTGO/MQDC; T&B Media Global; Terasaki Institute Biomedical Innovation (TIBI); serving on the investment selection committee for the new Canadian government sovereign funding renewed venture capital catalyst initiative (VCCI) adding up to 1.4 billion in the VC ecosystem. Canada in ranked in the top 5 in VC in the 38 countries of the OECD. Government announcements on the renewed VCCI: VCCI , Funds of Funds selection committee , Minister announcement of Fund of Funds , Minister announcement on Inclusive Growth Stream Funding. For VCCI, examples of current contributions: Member of the Canadian government’s renewed Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative (VCCI) selection committee for the fund of funds and inclusive growth streams. See a letter of thanks outlining his work here on the Inclusive Growth stream 1 and here on the Funds of Funds stream. From the Minister,” I would like to personally thank you for your participation on the renewed Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative (VCCI) selection committee for the inclusive growth stream. Your report to the Deputy Minister of Economic Development was provided to me for my consideration and review. I appreciated the recommendations the committee developed on the selection of funds for the VCCI program, which demonstrated thoughtful deliberation and consideration. I particularly welcomed the recognition of the significant role of enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canadian venture capital as part of a market-driven investment program. As a member of the selection committee, you took on an important role contributing your expertise, insights, and leadership. Your industry experience provided a valuable lens through which to assess the applications, supporting the Government of Canada in its efforts to enhance access to capital to support Canadian entrepreneurs. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my thanks and extend my personal appreciation for the time and effort you committed to support the renewed VCCI.”
- Examples of recent activities (at the time of profile creation: 23-11-13) for fall 2023: Host/moderator supporting organizer for O’Reilly Generative AI for Government superstream summit; opening keynote and conference organizer/designer IEEE RASSE 2023 Conference Industry Forum; MC for the private YPO UNGA summit; moderator/speaker for 6th Annual CEO LOP Summit co-hosted by Salesforce; Mentor and AMA (Ask Me Anything) for CEO Leadership Alliance OC AI region AI course; Plenary speaker at UNAOC’S 2nd Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence “Towards the World of #OneHumanity” on Human Centered AI
- Contributor to Forbes / Cognitive World and IT World Canada on leading new investments, innovation, entrepreneurship.
- Stephen conducts interviews with global experts since the 1970s appearing with news channels, Forbes, IT World Canada, ACM, IEEE/IEEE TEMS, IFIP, NPA, CIPS, KNVI, The Brand Called You (and their 20+ platforms) and more.
More here on lifetime achievement for innovation, investments, entrepreneurship as CIPS Founding Fellow and in LinkedIn.
