Summit Series (conference)
{{Short description|American non-profit organization}}
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{{Infobox organization
| name = Summit Series
| image = Summit Series logo 240.png
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| formation = 2008
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| type = Conference series
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| purpose = Business networking, philanthropy
| headquarters = Powder Mountain, Utah
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| region_served = Worldwide
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| website = [http://www.summit.co/ summit.co]
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Summit Series is an American organization that hosts conferences and events for young entrepreneurs, artists and activists. Events organized by the group include an annual invitation to a conference during which participants discuss topics including business practices, technological innovation, and philanthropy. Summit Series attendees have included Bill Clinton, Ted Turner and Richard Branson. Summit Series was founded in 2008 by Elliott Bisnow, Brett Leve, Jeff Rosenthal, Jeremy Schwartz, and Ryan Begelman.
Since its foundation, the organization has raised more than $2 million for charitable and non-profit organizations.
History
Summit Series was found in April 2008 by Elliott Bisnow, Brett Leve, Jeff Rosenthal, Jeremy Schwartz, and Ryan Begelman. The founders are involved in many operational aspects of Summit, from planning, design, and development for Summit Powder Mountain, to community curation, strategy, direction of musical and intellectual content programs.{{CN|date=September 2020}}
In addition, some of the partners are Co-Directors of the Summit Action Fund, which makes investments in startups that drive positive disruptive innovation. Their portfolio includes Uber, Warby Parker, and Change.org among others.{{Cite web|url=https://groupynetwork.com/jeff-rosenthal-summit-co-founder/|title=Jeff Rosenthal, Summit Co-Founder {{!}} Group Y|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-19}} Additionally, Rosenthal serves on the Board of Advisors for Qey Capital{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=244065946&privcapId=145025214&previousCapId=11810386&previousTitle=Lance%20Armstrong%20Foundation|title=Jeff Rosenthal: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=2019-04-25}} and he was a senior advisor to The Rise Fund.{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/1551659/meet-the-new-quartz-pros-jennifer-blanke-jessica-davidoff-jeff-rosenthal-roxanne-taylor-ryan-walsh/|title=Meet the new Quartz Pros: Jennifer Blanke, Jessica Davidoff, Jeff Rosenthal, Roxanne Taylor, Ryan Walsh|last1=Quartz|last2=Quartz|website=Quartz|date=15 February 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-04-25}} Prior to starting Summit Series, Elliot Bisnow co-founded a niche industry e-newsletter business called Bisnow Media.{{Cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/30under30/2009/profile_summit_series.html|title=30 Under 30: No. 19 Elliott Bisnow|last=Del Rey|first=Jason|date=2009-10-01|website=Inc.com|access-date=2019-11-06}} Summit is also a GP in Learn Capital, which focuses exclusively on investments into better and smarter learning. Summit was launched with an invitation-only event organized for young entrepreneurs to meet and gain advice from one another that was hosted at a ski resort in Park City, Utah and were attended by 19 people.{{cite news |title=Young entrepreneurs bond on the beach|work=CNET|author=Courtney McCarthy|date=November 25, 2008|url=http://www.cnet.com/news/young-entrepreneurs-bond-on-the-beach/|accessdate=January 8, 2014}}{{cite news |title=Summit Series Takes the Party to the Open Seas|work=Forbes Magazine|author=Steven Bertoni|date=April 6, 2011|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0425/focus-summit-series-branson-thiel-schmooze-cruise.html|accessdate=January 8, 2015}} Later in 2008, the group held a similar gathering in Mexico.{{cite web |url=http://www.inc.com/30under30/2009/profile_summit_series.html |title=30 Under 30 |date=2009 |work=Inc. Magazine |publisher=inc.com |accessdate=16 August 2011}} Initially, the organization did not have an official headquarters and the team moved between rented apartments in various countries worldwide.{{cite news |title=Elliott Bisnow brings other young entrepreneurs together in Summit Series |author=Annie Gowen |newspaper=Washington Post |date=4 January 2010 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/03/AR2010010301686_pf.html |accessdate=16 August 2011}}
In 2009, Summit was invited by the Obama administration to curate a meeting at the White House between senior officials and 35 young entrepreneurs.{{cite news |author=Susan Berfield |date=June 23, 2011 |title=Sun Valley for the Zynga Generation |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-06-23/sun-valley-for-the-zynga-generation}}{{cite news |title=A Mutual Aid Society for Young Entrepreneurs |author=Mark Cohen |newspaper=New York Times |date=9 July 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/business/smallbusiness/09bisnow.html |accessdate=16 August 2011}} In May 2010, Summit held DC10, a three-day conference in Washington, D.C. for 750 people with participants including former President Bill Clinton, Ted Turner, and John Legend.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daphne-oz/summit-series-dc10-what-t_b_578182.html |title=Summit Series DC10: What to do with 150 years of life |author=Daphne Oz |date=7 May 2010 |work=Huffington Post |accessdate=16 August 2011}} In April 2011, the organization hosted the Summit at Sea conference, where 1,000 young entrepreneurs took a chartered cruise ship from Miami to the Bahamas for a three-day conference featuring Richard Branson, Peter Thiel, GE CMO Beth Comstock,{{cn|date=September 2020}} and musical group The Roots.
In April 2013, Summit purchased Powder Mountain,{{cite web|title=Why Buy A House When You Can Buy A Mountain?|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/06/18/192674659/why-buy-a-house-when-you-can-buy-a-mountain|publisher=NPR|accessdate=30 April 2014}} the largest ski resort in America, for a reported $40 million.{{cite web|title=Yep, Summit Series Just Raised $40 Million to Buy That Mountain|url=http://betabeat.com/2012/03/summit-series-bought-powder-mountain-utah-40-million-03012012/|publisher=The New York Observer|accessdate=30 April 2014}}{{cite news |title=New Owner for Powder Mountain|work=ESPN|author=Madison Khan|date=December 11, 2012|url=http://xgames.espn.go.com/skiing/article/8734048/utah-powder-mountain-now-new-ownership|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609165114/http://xgames.espn.go.com/skiing/article/8734048/utah-powder-mountain-now-new-ownership|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 9, 2013|accessdate=January 8, 2015}} Summit relocated its headquarters to Powder Mountain later that year.{{cite news |title=Startup Summit Group buys a mountain|work=Wired Magazine (UK)|date=October 28, 2013|author=Joao Medeiros|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2013/10/start/a-startup-with-high-ambitions|accessdate=January 8, 2014}} The organization hosted its first event at the resort, Summit Outside, in July 2013.{{cite news |author=Steven Bertoli |date=July 31, 2013 |title=Summit Outside: What Happens When 900 Entrepreneurs Go Camping Atop Powder Mountain? |work=Forbes Magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2013/07/31/summit-outside-what-happens-when-900-entrepreneurs-go-camping-atop-powder-mountain/ |accessdate=January 8, 2015}} Summit is developing a sustainable residential community named Summit Powder Mountain on the mountain. Plans for Summit Powder Mountain include 500 homes and a village of comparable density, a recording studio, conference lodge, startup incubator, and an innovation laboratory. The project was never developed, totally failed and was sold in 2023 to Reed Hastings.{{Cite web |last=MacLellan |first=Lila |title=The young creators of a 'TED meets Burning Man' conference bought a $40-million mountain in Utah to build a Davos for hipsters. What could go wrong? |url=https://fortune.com/longform/summit-powder-mountain-utopia/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Fortune |language=en}}
Operations
The organization’s focus is to build a community in which attendees support and inspire each other to achieve personal, business, and altruistic goals. Attendees of Summit events have included Zappos.com chief executive Tony Hsieh,{{Cite web |title=Tony Hsieh |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyhsieh/}} music executive Russell Simmons, former football player Dhani Jones,{{cn|date=September 2020}} musician Imogen Heap, and founders from YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.{{cite news |title=Uninhibited Conference Attracts Young CEOs |author=Bridget Carey |newspaper=The Miami Herald |date=7 November 2009}}
In addition to offering keynotes and discussions at its conferences, Summit offers recreational and sporting activities to participants including whitewater kayaking, skydiving,{{cite news |title=Good Fellas |author=Grayson Schaffer |newspaper=Outside Magazine |date=14 June 2010 |url=http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/Good-Fellas.html |accessdate=16 August 2010}} and shark-tagging..{{cite news |title=Peter Thiel, Kristen Bell And Summit Series Community Are Saving Sharks |first=Kym |last=McNicholas |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kymmcnicholas/2011/07/26/peter-thiel-kristen-bell-and-summit-series-community-are-saving-sharks/ |work=Forbes |date=26 July 2011 |accessdate=11 September 2011}}
=Charitable activities=
Summit Series is focused on philanthropy and has raised more than $2 million for charities and non-profits. Its charitable activities include a partnership with the United Nations to raise funds for the Nothing But Nets anti-malaria campaign.{{cite press release | title=Summit Series Announces Spontaneous Philanthropy Drive | publisher=Business Wire | date=4 April 2009}} The Summit Series held an auction to support the campaign, offering a private meeting with Ted Turner and Kofi Annan to the winner, and ultimately raised more than $150,000. In July 2009, Summit Series members met at the home of Russell Simmons to brainstorm with President Clinton and to raise money for the Clinton Foundation. The event raised $265,000.Following its Summit at Sea conference in 2011, the organization raised more than $800,000 for The Nature Conservancy to create a marine protected area in the Bahamas.{{cite news |title=One year after entrepreneurs gather for Summit at Sea, nearly $1 million is raised to protect the ocean|work=The Next Web|author=Courtney Boyd Myers|date=March 19, 2012|url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/03/19/one-year-after-entrepreneurs-gather-for-summit-at-sea-nearly-1-million-is-raised-to-protect-the-ocean/|accessdate=January 8, 2015}}
=Summit Series Action Fund=
Summit Series invests in startup companies through its Summit Action Fund. Companies the fund has invested in include Uber, and Warby Parker.{{cite news |author=Courtney Boyd Myers |title=Entrepreneurial events firm Summit Series acquires Utah's Powder Mountain ski resort for $40m |work=The Next Web |url=https://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2013/05/07/exclusive-summit-series-inks-the-40-million-dollar-deal-on-powder-mountain/ |accessdate=January 8, 2015}}
References
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External links
- {{Official website|http://www.summit.co}}