A Day of Innovation, Insights and Inspiration at the First Annual Transatlantic Technology Summit

On May 9, we had the pleasure of welcoming an exceptional group of thought leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, and students to the Transatlantic Tech Summit 2025 — hosted in collaboration by GABA NextGen, the Stanford German Student Association, and the Global Shapers Community San Francisco Hub.

The first panel — “The Tech Frontier: What’s Next for Innovation & Industry?” — was recorded live as a Silicon Zombies Podcast, moderated by Nick Larson. The conversation featured sharp insights from Sara Zare (AI Investor & Entrepreneur);
Matt Domo, (Co-Founder of Amazon Web Services AWS); Carmen Amo Alonso, Ph.D., (Schmidt Science Fellow & AI Researcher at Stanford University);
Daniele Gammelli, Ph.D., (Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University); and
Andreas Traube, (Director, Health Industries & Life Sciences, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft).

A highlight of the day was the GABA NextGen Award Ceremony, honoring Omar Shaya, Founder & CEO of Please Platforms Inc., for his inspiring vision and leadership. The award was presented by: H.E. Consul General Oliver Schramm (German Consulate General, San Francisco) and Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner, Lord Mayor of Heidelberg. 

The afternoon panel, “Beyond the Algorithm – AI’s Role in Society and Digital Trust,” brought even more thought-provoking discussion, led by moderator Brian Sparkes, with panelists Tobias Peyerl (OpenAI) ; Johannes Hatz (Founder of JOVEX AI) ; Rachna Dayal (Sugati Ventures) ; and Vineet Jain (Wild Tree Ventures).

For more great pictures of the event, please see our event photo album here.

We also appreciated insights from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, showcasing their role in driving innovation across health and life sciences.

A heartfelt thank you to all our speakers, moderators, and attendees for making this day such a success. The level of engagement, expertise, and community spirit was truly inspiring.