Velodyne Lidar Announces Free Virtual Summit, Disruptive Women Powering Our Autonomous Future

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) today announced the Disruptive Women Powering Our Autonomous Future Summit featuring prominent female executives and engineers discussing the future of AV technology and the critical role of women in making it all possible. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell from Michigan’s 12^th District and Laura Major, Chief Technology Officer of Motional, are the featured keynote speakers. The summit will address the positive impact of elevating women into positions of power within the AV industry and the importance of supporting girls through Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) programs.

The summit takes place on March 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT. It is a free virtual event delivered through a state-of-the-art conference platform. For more information and to register, please go to: Disruptive Women Powering Our Autonomous Future.

The AV industry is set firmly on course to alter the fabric of global infrastructure and society. Yet, women are severely underrepresented in the automotive industry – particularly in executive and engineering roles. With women making up only 20 percent of all college engineering students, it is key to educate and inspire the current and next generations of women in these fields.

The event emcee is Selika Talbott, a Professorial Lecturer at American University who formerly worked as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Department of Transportation Administrator and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator.

The summit’s expert-led sessions are designed to educate, inspire and deliver actionable insight. In addition to the keynotes, the agenda includes a fireside chat and panels. The fireside chat features leading tech executive, Claire Delaunay, Vice President of Engineering at NVIDIA. The chat is moderated by Leslie J. Allen, News Editor at Automotive News, where she supervises the newspaper’s coverage of new mobility.

The panels include a diverse group of powerhouse women who will share their experiences and wisdom. Panelists are from Aptiv, Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender & Leadership, Commission on the Future of Mobility, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, May Mobility, Nissan North America, NVIDIA, STEER, Toyota North America, Velodyne Lidar and Zoox.

The panel sessions are:

• Disruptive Women in the Driver’s Seat, sponsored by Partners for Automated Vehicle Education

• The Female Engineer’s Perspective on Navigating the Future of AV Tech, sponsored by SAE International

• STEM as The Critical Starting Point for Equal Representation in AV Tech, sponsored by Berkeley Lab

• Eliminating Hidden Bias in Autonomy and Beyond, sponsored by Women in Autonomy

“The autonomous vehicle industry is evolving rapidly and representation is critical. Fortunately, all of us can play a role in shaping what the AV world will look like so that it reflects and serves our society as a whole,” said Sally Frykman, Chief Marketing Officer, Velodyne Lidar. “The summit is a must-attend event for everyone, where we can all learn from female thought leaders in the automotive and technology industries.”

About Velodyne Lidar

Velodyne Lidar (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) ushered in a new era of autonomous technology with the invention of real-time surround view lidar sensors. Velodyne is the first public pure-play lidar company and is known worldwide for its broad portfolio of breakthrough lidar technologies. Velodyne’s revolutionary sensor and software solutions provide flexibility, quality and performance to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, including autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), smart cities and security. Through continuous innovation, Velodyne strives to transform lives and communities by advancing safer mobility for all. For more information, visit www.velodynelidar.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including, without limitation, all statements other than historical fact and include, without limitation, statements regarding Velodyne’s target markets, new products, development efforts, competition. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," “can,” "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside Velodyne's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include Velodyne's ability to manage growth; Velodyne's ability to execute its business plan; uncertainties related to the ability of Velodyne's customers to commercialize their products and the ultimate market acceptance of these products; the uncertain impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Velodyne's and its customers' businesses; uncertainties related to Velodyne's estimates of the size of the markets for its products; uncertainties regarding government regulation and adoption of lidar for pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and smart city applications; the rate and degree of market acceptance of Velodyne's products; the success of other competing lidar and sensor-related products and services that exist or may become available; Velodyne's ability to identify and integrate acquisitions; uncertainties related to Velodyne's current litigation and potential litigation involving Velodyne or the validity or enforceability of Velodyne's intellectual property; and general economic and market conditions impacting demand for Velodyne's products and services. Velodyne undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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