For over a decade, the Corporate Startup Stars (CSS) and Startup Ecosystem Stars (SES) Awards have served as the “Oscars of Innovation“, setting the global standard for corporate-startup collaboration and innovation ecosystem development. After 11 successful years in Europe, primarily hosted in Paris at institutions like the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC, our flagship events are moving this year to the historic heart of Silicon Valley.
I’m thrilled to announce that CSS and SES will be held at Stanford University on November 12, 2026.
This move marks a significant evolution for the platform, cementing a new and powerful chapter. The 2026 Awards Ceremony and high-level Open Innovation workshops will take place at Stanford University’s Mackenzie Room, Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center.
The new location comes with a strong partnership with the Stanford ecosystem, including the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) and the Stanford Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) institute. This collaboration ensures the program is at the forefront of the innovation debate, with a critical new focus on how AI is being deployed at scale within large organizations and policy-making.
We are excited to welcome prominent Stanford faculty members and speakers who will shape the conversation. The full list of speakers will be announced soon.
The event will bring together approximately 200 senior leaders, including corporate innovation executives from Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000 companies, and public policymakers focused on technology and innovation.
Furthermore, we are expanding the platform into a multi-day program, which includes dedicated workshops to maximize the value of the trip to Silicon Valley.
Join us as we bridge our long-standing global open innovation platform with the deep technological expertise and forward-thinking spirit of Stanford University.