December 5-6, 2023
San Diego, CA
The annual WEAR Conference examines the significant breakthroughs and new opportunities made possible through the integration of textiles and technology through wearables. This event regularly brings together key players from across the smart fabrics, e-textiles, and wearable tech marketplace to hear the latest updates on market dynamics & industry innovations, wearable and smart fabric standardization, intellectual property and data collection, textile technology, wearable healthcare and wellness, and more.
At the 2023 event:
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Alberto Peralta is a visionary in the field of wireless power and data systems, serving as the Chief Technology Officer at NuCurrent. With a career spanning over a decade, he drives advancement of wireless technology across the consumer, industrial, and medical sectors.
Under his leadership, NuCurrent has become a global authority, transforming 500M+ devices worldwide. This milestone earned the company recognition as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in 2023.
As a lead inventor of NuCurrent’s extensive patent portfolio (350+ patents granted or pending), he charts the technology roadmap & plays a pivotal role in shaping industry-wide standards. His active participation in wireless power standards bodies (e.g. AirFuel and Wireless Power Consortium) underscores his dedication to propelling the industry forward.
After graduating with a BSEE from Purdue University in 2012, Alberto's joined NuCurrent as the company's first employee, focusing on antenna design and integration within wireless power systems, RF amplifier design featuring ASK/FSK circuitry for in-band communication, and fault detection control. This work was foundational for his role as key architect and contributor to NuCurrent's IP portfolio, which forms the cornerstone of the company's successful licensing model. He is set to earn a Master's in Engineering Management and Business Administration from Northwestern University in Dec. 2024, a testament to his dedication to lifelong learning.
Diana Wyman is Executive Vice President of AATCC, a professional association and standards development organization for the global textile industry. A self-proclaimed textile nerd, Diana has been involved in all aspects of textile testing—from managing a contract lab to developing specifications for a retail brand. She has participated in the standards development process as both staff and volunteer for AATCC as well as textile-related committees of ASTM, IEC, IPC, and ISO. Diana holds degrees in Fashion Merchandising, Textiles, and Business Administration; she is currently pursuing a PhD in Fiber and Polymer Science. Mili John Tharakan is a seasoned inventor-business leader who has been practicing in the field of Smart Textiles since 2004. She founded and led the Smart Textiles Innovation Lab at Welspun (one of the largest home textiles manufacturers in Asia) and went on to develop, manage and launch Smart home Textile products on the global market. Her experience spans across both academia and industry. She currently works with the Smart Textile Alliance to establish standards for the industry. She has been a Smart Textile evangelist for over a decade and is keen to support companies who are exploring this emerging technology.
Creative research scientist with 10+ years of experience leading a multi-discipline team focused on building foundational scientific expertise in soft materials and transitioning technology towards cutting edge capability for future military applications. Areas of technical expertise include Stretchable / Flexible Electronics, Liquid Electronics, Colloids, Inorganic Nanoparticles, Plasmonics, Metamaterials, Organic Photonics, and Additive Manufacturing of Functional Materials.
David Weiss serves as Senior Vice President, Player Matters of the National Basketball Association. He leads a team that is responsible for the strategy, finances, technology, and operation of all player health matters for the NBA and its affiliates. This includes the health aspects of the NBA’s response to COVID-19 including the development of the health and safety protocols for the NBA’s 2019-20 season restart in Orlando and subsequent seasons.
Weiss manages league health programs related to infectious disease, a league-wide electronic medical records system, an injury data and analytics program, cardiac screening, concussion, and league health- and performance-related Committees, including the Wearables Committee and the NBA’s Sports Science Committees, along with a public-private research portfolio in these areas. He also plays an active role in the league’s mental health programs, anti-drug program, and other topics related to the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Players Association.
Weiss joined the NBA in 2012, and previously was associated with the law firm of Skadden, Arps in New York. Named to SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 list in 2016, he is a graduate with honors from both Dartmouth College and The University of Michigan Law School.
Teddy Seyed is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he also leads the Future of Wearables Team. He completed Canada's first Entrepreneurial Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Calgary, where he also recieved a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Computer Science.
Teddy's work blends research that creates new forms of intelligent, interactive textiles with a focus on realizing commercial applications that can advance the field globally. Teddy's award-winning work has been featured in places such as Forbes Magazine, MIT Tech Review, Gizmodo and others.
Dr. Clayman consults on a wide variety of proactive and reactive matters related to the chemistry of polymers and materials.
Trained as a chemist, Dr. Clayman leverages her knowledge of chemistry and polymer science in projects related to medical devices, consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, contamination analysis, and material compatibility. She has assisted clients with materials specifications, formulation changes, product safety assessments, end-use testing, and failure analysis.
Dr. Clayman has extensive experience in the characterization of materials, with a focus on analytical chemistry, using tools such as FTIR, GC-MS, LC-MS, and NMR to investigate species on a molecular level, to GPC and MALDI-ToF to investigate larger polymeric materials. She has experience with electroactive polymers, porous materials, biodegradable polymers, and adhesives, among other common commercial plastics used in consumer products, building materials such as polymeric pipe, and implantable medical devices.
Founded in 1982, Pickering Laboratories Inc. manufactures product testing solutions used for both the initial product development as well as ongoing quality and materials testing. Our line of artificial body fluids includes our proprietary human mimics, such as eccrine and apocrine perspiration. We have expanded our product line to include saliva, urine, lung fluid and blood. These complex solutions are the perfect choice for evaluating wearables under actual wear conditions. Pickering Laboratories also manufactures body fluids made to official product testing specifications from AATCC, ISO, DIN, BS, EN and other worldwide standards organization. Our analytical chemistry expertise and quality manufacturing ensure outstanding batch reproducibility and precise formulations. Custom formulations are also routinely produced with the same guarantee of precision and reproducibility. Our customer base uses our artificial body fluids in a wide range of applications including: durability studies, colorfastness testing and other assorted medical applications.
Bio to come!
Dan Ledger is founder and principal at Path Collaborative, an advisory and research firm working at the broader intersection of wearable technology, connected health, IoT and machine intelligence. Path Collaborative is a network of industry experts who help OEMs and service providers in the wearable technology space with product strategy, partnerships, go-to-market planning, and technology differentiation.
Prior to forming Path Collaborative, Dan was a principal at Endeavour Partners where he led a great deal of work and research on wearable technology. He has advised numerous startups, larger service providers, and OEMs on product definition, service design, ecosystem strategy, and go- to-market planning within this space. Dan has appeared on NPR, Bloomberg and CNN talking about the future of wearable technology. His research in wearable technology has been covered by GigaOm, The Guardian, Fast Company, Fortune, Forbes, TechRepublic, and CBS. Dan has multiple engineering degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and a Masters degree from MIT.
Teddy Seyed is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he also leads the Future of Wearables Team. He completed Canada's first Entrepreneurial Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Calgary, where he also recieved a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Computer Science.
Teddy's work blends research that creates new forms of intelligent, interactive textiles with a focus on realizing commercial applications that can advance the field globally. Teddy's award-winning work has been featured in places such as Forbes Magazine, MIT Tech Review, Gizmodo and others.
Tom Martin is a professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he is the co-director of the Virginia Tech E-textiles Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
His current research includes electronic textiles, location-based applications, and interdisciplinary design teams for pervasive computing. Martin is vice-chair of the IEEE Technical Committee for Wearable Information Systems and has published more than 50 refereed technical articles. In 2006 he was invited to the White House to receive the NSF Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his research in e-textile-based wearable computing.
Pankaj Kedia is a Tech Intrapreneur turned Early-Stage AI / Deep Tech Investor, Venture Partner, CXO Advisor and Board Member.
As a Tech Intrapreneur, Pankaj played pivotal roles in incubating a range of businesses at Fortune 100 companies over the last 25+ years. At Qualcomm, Pankaj founded and led the wearables business to a 9-figure franchise, establishing Snapdragon Wear as the premier brand in the industry. Previously at Intel, Pankaj defined and launched the industry's first modern laptops and expanded Intel beyond the PC with the launch of the industry's first modern tablets, handhelds, and smartphones.
Pankaj is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of 2468 Ventures, a Venture Partner at VU Ventures, a Deal Partner at Ganas Ventures, and is a Board Member and CEO Advisor to numerous early-stage start-ups. As an angel investor in 100+ Early-Stage and Series A companies, Pankaj is focused at the intersection of AI / Deep Tech and targeted verticals including Healthcare, Industrial, Energy, Finance, and Consumer segments.
Pankaj also serves on the non-profit boards of the Salvation Army Kroc Center and Wearable Tech Ventures, is an Exec On Deck Fellow, a member of the Operators Guild, and a founding member of the Round community. He is currently enrolled in the Stanford LEAD innovation program, has an MBA from The Wharton School, an MS from the University of Michigan, and a BS from the Indian Institute of Technology.
Bio coming soon!
