A Chat with Andy Wilson: Innovator; Entrepreneur; Executive Director, The Alliance for Southern California Innovation about the power of innovation and community

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Andy Wilson.

Andy Wilson is a leader in the Southern Californian innovation ecosystem and has started, led or invested in more than two dozen tech start-ups. In addition to leading the Alliance as its Executive Director, he serves on the City Council (currently as Vice Mayor) for the City of Pasadena and he is a founder of Innovate Pasadena (www.innovatepasadena.org), which is dedicated to advancing the Eastside of Los Angeles as a vibrant innovation center for deep tech.

Previously, as founder of Momentum Ventures, an early stage tech accelerator and venture fund, he personally led more than a half dozen SoCal tech start-ups and invested in almost a dozen others. He previously held senior executive roles (President, SVP Product, CIO, COO) at Overture Services (acquired by Yahoo! for $1.6Bn), RiverOne, Bowne & Co and RR Donnelley & Sons. He has extensive board experience in not-for-profit and community organizations such as Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena Heritage, the Gamble House and STEAMCODERS. He is a regular speaker at entrepreneurs' events and business schools and was named one of the 50 Most Innovative Men in the San Gabriel Valley.

Andy holds an engineering degree with honors from Dartmouth College and received his MBA with a concentration in operations and technology management from Harvard Business School.

He lives in Pasadena down the street from Caltech in a 1911 Arts & Craft home with his wife Liz, two school-aged boys Spencer and Dylan and his rescue dog Gandalf. He has a passion for walking and California wines...especially Napa cabs.

TO WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW, CLICK ON THIS MP4 file link