Craigslist founder to speak at coolTECH

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org, will be the keynote speaker at the Tampa Bay Tech Forum's annual coolTECH event slated for June 10 at Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry.

Newmark, 59, started Craigslist in 1995 as an event-listing website in San Francisco. It has since grown into a full-scale online classified service with more than 20 billion page views per month, serving 14.6 million visitors from 108 cities and 52 countries. During his Tampa presentation, he is expected to discuss the challenges he faced in creating Craigslist and his new venture, Craigconnects.org, which aims at “connecting the world for the common good.”

TBTF describes coolTECH, now in its fourth year, as the largest gathering of techies, industry leaders and innovators in the region, attracting more than 650 people each year. Attendees this year will be able to learn about emerging technologies in mobile, renewable energy and biotech, and see first hand industry-changing products and cutting-edge innovations.

Full-access registration, including the luncheon featuring Newmark, is $60 for TBTF members and $75 for non-members. To register or for more information, visit TBTF's website at www.tbtf.org.