The California Experience – SWITCH 2026 Pre-Event

Join us for an evening where West Coast meets the Lion City, and we bring two of the world’s most connected innovation ecosystems to come together for one evening. Taking place on the eve of SWITCH 2026, the California Experience is an exclusive networking reception bringing together the California delegation of the 2026 California–Singapore SWITCH Trade Mission with Singapore-based investors, government representatives, and business partners. This is a great opportunity to engage directly with eight leading California organizations spanning universities, economic development agencies, and innovation infrastructure - and to discover the partnership, research, and investment opportunities available across one of the world's most dynamic innovation ecosystems. ## The California Delegation includes Southern California Wine Country EDC - One of only 3 accredited economic development organizations in California, fostering sustainable growth and innovation across life sciences, aerospace, and beyond University of California, Riverside - A strategic gateway for international institutions and companies entering the U.S. market, backed by a comprehensive Soft-Landing Platform San Diego State University - A leading public research university driving innovation and entrepreneurship, with strong partnerships across defense, maritime, aerospace, and AI Aggie Square - UC Davis's new innovation district combining world-class research and clinical expertise to accelerate breakthrough technologies. Murrieta Innovation Center - Southern California's premier life sciences and health technology incubator, offering a soft landing for international startups City of Riverside - An award-winning, internationally accredited team driving FDI attraction, smart city development, and growth across advanced manufacturing, climate and energy, healthcare and biotech, aerospace and innovation-driven enterprises. UC Berkeley Bakar Labs - UC Berkeley's flagship incubator supporting innovation in life sciences, energy, and materials Contra Costa Transportation Authority - A leader in autonomous vehicle technology, operating GoMentum Station, one of the nation's largest AV proving grounds Event Agenda 6:00 PM | Registration 6:30 PM | Welcome Durwin Ho, Managing Partner, StartupX 6:32 PM | Introduction Maria Li, Director of Ecosystem Integration, National AI Group (Lorong AI) 6:38 PM | Welcome Remarks Emily Desai, Chief Deputy Director, Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) 6:43 PM | Welcome Remarks George Ayache, Senior Commercial Officer & Digital Attaché, U.S. Embassy Singapore 6:48 PM | California Partners Sharing 7:25 PM | A Word from Guest of Honor Minister of State Dinesh Vasu Dash 7:30 PM | Networking Reception & Dinner 8:30 PM | Wrap Up & Goodbyes Meet the Speakers Emily Desai - Chief Deputy Director California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development Emily Desai was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as the Chief Deputy Director at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). Under the direction of the GO-Biz Director, Emily oversees all aspects of the organization, which is responsible for the state’s economic strategy. Prior to her time at GO-Biz, Emily served the U.S. Congress as a Senior Project Manager for international affairs, trade, and national security at the U.S. Government Accountability Office where she led high-impact reports, testimonies, and briefings for Congressional leaders to act on emerging regulatory challenges. Emily was appointed by Secretary Gina Raimondo to serve on the U.S. Investment Advisory Council and appointed by Ambassador Katherine Tai to serve on the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She is a 2024 U.S. Presidential Leadership Scholar. Emily grew up in Arizona and graduated summa cum laude and with honors from the University of Arizona. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from U.C. Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. George Ayache - Senior Commercial Officer & Digital Attaché U.S. Embassy George Ayache currently serves as the Senior Commercial Officer and Digital Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore. In this capacity, he oversees a diverse portfolio of sectors, including information and communications technology (ICT) and digital services, financial services, franchising, design and construction, water, maritime, and land transportation infrastructure, as well as the SelectUSA program, which promotes foreign direct investment into the United States. Prior to his current appointment, George served as a Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City from July 2022 to July 2024. Before joining the U.S. Commercial Service, he spent more than five years as an International Trade Compliance Analyst in the Enforcement and Compliance unit of the U.S. Department of Commerce, specializing in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. George holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and French from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and a Master of Arts in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. His academic expertise focuses on international politics and economics, and he is a native Spanish speaker. Dinesh Vasu Dash - Minister of State Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash is the Minister of State at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Manpower, as well as Mayor of South East District. Prior to joining politics, Dinesh was the CEO of the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), an agency that focuses on supporting seniors and nurturing the Community Care Sector. There, he operationalised government policies to enhance the health and wellbeing of Singaporeans, particularly our seniors. He expanded the scope and scale of senior care facilities and launched multiple media campaigns to combat ageism in Singapore. He was instrumental in the successful rollout of Healthier SG, a preventive health programme, where over 1.2 million enrolled Singaporeans benefit from today. Before AIC, Dinesh played a pivotal role as the overall head of operations in MOH during the COVID-19 pandemic. There, he mobilised the public and private sectors to deal with the crisis.  He was the chief architect of the National COVID-19 Vaccination campaign, resulting in one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, which in turn resulted in a very low death rate due to the virus. Register now to be part of this exclusive evening, with the opportunity to connect directly with each delegation throughout the night. Come for the California experience. Stay for the connections that could take you across the Pacific. Hosted by GO-Biz The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. StartupX StartupX is a global innovation partner for those building what’s next. We collaborate with corporates, governments, and startups to launch ventures, scale businesses, and drive bold transformation. Since 2018, we’ve supported startups from 110+ countries and partnered with some of the world’s most forward-thinking companies. Founded by entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders, we built StartupX to challenge the status quo of how innovation gets done in Asia. Community Partner: Lorong AI Lorong AI is Singapore’s AI community hub, borne out of the National AI Strategy 2.0. We bring together AI practitioners across government, industry, research and the broader ecosystem, providing a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange. Get involved: Learn more about Lorong AI | Speaker Sign-up | WhatsApp Community | LinkedIn | X Priority Access for Investors & Business Partners As this event is curated to support meaningful connections between the California delegation and Singapore's business community, priority will be given to businesses, academic institutions, government representatives and others actively exploring opportunities with California. We appreciate your understanding if we're unable to accommodate all requests, and sincerely thank you for your interest.