10 August 2016 (Chicago) – SatelliteFinance announced today Mr. Mark Dankberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at ViaSat, Inc., one of America’s fastest growing technology companies, will be the keynote speaker at the SatelliteFinance Conference.

Since co-founding ViaSat in 1986, Mr. Dankberg has driven the company’s rapid growth, which included an IPO (VSAT) on the Nasdaq market in 1996 and, more recently, the announcement of ViaSat-3, which captured the attention of the industry through a combination of enormous network capacity and global coverage.

Jason Rainbow, Editor of SatelliteFinance, will interview Mr. Dankberg about the firm’s satellite broadband strategy, including his vision for ultra-high definition video streaming, in-flight internet service, affordable satellite Wi-Fi connectivity for emerging markets, and a range of maritime and enterprise applications.

The SatelliteFinance Conference will be held on Thursday, August 18, 2016 in San Francisco at the JW Marriott Union Square.  Attendees of this prestigious forum will gain practical information, exclusive insights, and a global perspective on the latest strategies and considerations driving financing, M&A, and corporate strategy in the commercial satellite industry.

William Jefferson Black, Publisher of SatelliteFinance, Transaction Advisors, and TelecomFinance and Managing Director of Finance Information Group, said, “This interdisciplinary conference will address the critical financial and business issues impacting the industry and explore opportunities in the private and public equity and debt capital markets for investment in the fast-growing market for connectivity."

Select participants in the conference include:

Steve Kaufman, Partner, Hogan Lovells
Carl Harris, Chief Operating Officer, Spire
Nathan Kundtz, CEO and President, Kymeta
Sunil Nagaraj, Vice President, Bessemer Venture Partners
John Serafini, CEO, HawkEye 360 and SVP, Allied Minds
Thierry Lefort, Consultant, Strategy&
David Abecassis, Principal, Analysys Mason
Christopher Baugh, President, Northern Sky Research
Sima Fishman, Managing Director, Euroconsult
Micah Walter-Range, Director, Space Foundation
Tim Rush, Senior Vice President, Space Projects, Marsh
Chris Kunstadter, SVP & Global Underwriting Manager, XL Catlin
Barry Matsumori, SVP, Business Development & Advanced Concepts, Virgin Galactic
Mike Safyan, Director of Launch & Regulatory Affairs, Planet
Brad Schneider, EVP & General Manager, Rocket Lab USA
Carissa Christensen, Managing Partner, The Tauri Group 
Paul Estey, Executive Vice President, Space Systems Loral
Tom Neary, Chief Financial Officer, Spaceflight Industries 
Bobby Machinski, Chief Executive Officer, Hera Systems
Steve Skladanek, President & Chairman of the Board, Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services
Mike Sullivan, Partner, Orrick
Fred Graffam, SVP Finance & Corporate Development, DigitalGlobe
Jason Juranek, CEO and CFO, Globecomm Systems
Gareth Keane, Senior Investment Manager, Qualcomm Ventures
Akshay Patel, VP, Strategy & Business Development, Planetary Resources