Statue of Nikola Tesla to be unveiled Saturday December 7 December 06 2013
A statue of the inventor Nikola Tesla - equipped with free Wi-Fi and a time capsule to be opened in 2043 - is set to be unveiled in the Silicon Valley this Saturday, December 7th.
The statue is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign organized in May 2013 by Northern Imagination, a Palo Alto, CA based company started by entrepreneur Dorrian Porter. The campaign raised over $127,000 in 30 days from 722 people and included a final hour contribution of over $20,000 to help it cross the finish line from an anonymous family foundation. No one on the fundraising team expected to see the final funds come in on the last day.
During the campaign Northern Imagination produced a short cartoon using GoAnimate imagining what it would be like for Nikola Tesla to pitch modern VCs which rapidly spread in the start-up community on social media, reaching over 230,000 views. While commented as "true" and "funny", the cartoon also hinted at the broader need to balance breakthrough innovation and the economics of venture capital.
The statue was sculpted by local Menlo Park, CA artist Terry Guyer and cast using the lost-wax bronze casting method by Artworks Foundry in Berkeley, CA. Local Palo Alto developer Harold Hohbach is providing the commercial property on which the statue will be seen and accessible to the public.
The inclusion of free wi-fi is fitting for Nikola Tesla, who some say dreamed of creating a more efficient system of wireless power for the entire planet. Nikola Tesla's inventions are widely credited as a critical part of the foundation of modern electricity transfer and wireless data transmission.
"This unique project pays respect to a great inventor who never had the historical recognition he deserved," says project organizer Dorrian Porter. "But it also is intended to inspire the entrepreneurs who come to the Silicon Valley to think big and selflessly - as Tesla did - on important opportunities like energy and wirelessly. The free exchange of information and affordable access to sustainable energy have the potential to solve the critical issues of poverty and education, and inspire peace."
The event is scheduled for Saturday, December 7 from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm at 260 Sheridan Avenue in Palo Alto, California and will also be live streamed.
Supporting Silicon Valley companies of the project include GoAnimate, Nvidia, First Republic Bank (Menlo Park), and TVU networks.
More details about the event can be found at www.teslastatue.com or by contacting Northern Imagination.
The statue is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign organized in May 2013 by Northern Imagination, a Palo Alto, CA based company started by entrepreneur Dorrian Porter. The campaign raised over $127,000 in 30 days from 722 people and included a final hour contribution of over $20,000 to help it cross the finish line from an anonymous family foundation. No one on the fundraising team expected to see the final funds come in on the last day.
During the campaign Northern Imagination produced a short cartoon using GoAnimate imagining what it would be like for Nikola Tesla to pitch modern VCs which rapidly spread in the start-up community on social media, reaching over 230,000 views. While commented as "true" and "funny", the cartoon also hinted at the broader need to balance breakthrough innovation and the economics of venture capital.
The statue was sculpted by local Menlo Park, CA artist Terry Guyer and cast using the lost-wax bronze casting method by Artworks Foundry in Berkeley, CA. Local Palo Alto developer Harold Hohbach is providing the commercial property on which the statue will be seen and accessible to the public.
The inclusion of free wi-fi is fitting for Nikola Tesla, who some say dreamed of creating a more efficient system of wireless power for the entire planet. Nikola Tesla's inventions are widely credited as a critical part of the foundation of modern electricity transfer and wireless data transmission.
"This unique project pays respect to a great inventor who never had the historical recognition he deserved," says project organizer Dorrian Porter. "But it also is intended to inspire the entrepreneurs who come to the Silicon Valley to think big and selflessly - as Tesla did - on important opportunities like energy and wirelessly. The free exchange of information and affordable access to sustainable energy have the potential to solve the critical issues of poverty and education, and inspire peace."
The event is scheduled for Saturday, December 7 from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm at 260 Sheridan Avenue in Palo Alto, California and will also be live streamed.
Supporting Silicon Valley companies of the project include GoAnimate, Nvidia, First Republic Bank (Menlo Park), and TVU networks.
More details about the event can be found at www.teslastatue.com or by contacting Northern Imagination.