Czech Startups Descending on San Francisco · Slovakia and Hungary). The whole tech week in Silicon Valley will be kicked-off with informal reception organized by the Czech Honorary

Page 1

Czech Startups Descending

on San Francisco

INDEX

Introduction by the Consul General........................1, 2

Czech Startups...............................................................1

Consul General Meets Mayors of West Coast............2

EU Parliamentarians in Sillicon Valley.......................3

News of Czech School of California.............................4

Czech Musician Hit the Bay Area Again.....................5

Jana Ašenbrennerová in LA........................................6

Sokol Family Camp.......................................................7

Several talented Czech startups, such as SynergyKit,

Corinth, Oscar Tech, Mailytics, PPC Bee, will introduce

themselves to investors and entrepreneurs at the Tech

Crunch Disrupt in San Francisco during the fourth week

of September. Similarly to last year, these young Czech

companies will market themselves during this popular

three-day convention on innovation and modern

technology. Their stay in San Francisco is organized and

supported by Czech government agency CzechInvest and

by the Czech ICT Alliance.

In addition, Czech startup SRTV, one-stop mobile app

development shop working with top-tier startups from Y-

Combinator and has developed more than 100 mobile

apps, will participate in the first SEC2SV conference

(Startups from Europe Come to Silicon Valley).

European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger will address

the SEC2SV delegates during his stay in the Bay area.

Officials from the Czech Ministry of Industry and

Ministry of Finance will also accompany Czech startups

to Nothern California.

Four Czech startups will also present themselves to angel

investors and venture capitalists during the Demo Day in

coordination with other Visegrad countries (Poland,

Slovakia and Hungary). The whole tech week in Silicon

Valley will be kicked-off with informal reception

organized by the Czech Honorary Consul Richard

Pivnicka at his residence for which he and his wife

Barbara deserve a big thank you.

Dear Friends in California,

What a wonderful display of unity and love Los Angeles

experienced this summer when Special Olympics took

place in late July. I would like to congratulate Czech

athletes who overcame their mental disabilities and

travelled around half of the world to compete at these

World Games. Regardless of their success on the field,

everybody was a winner. I am glad I was able to say hello

to them during their visit at the Consulate and meet their

leaders, Vlastimil Harapes, famous Czech ballet dancer,

and Martina Středová, national director of the Czech

Special Olympic Committee.

I look forward to our fall cultural season. Several

extraordinary Czech musicians will visit Nothern

California in coming months. For the first time in Bay

area, the renowned Czech violinist Jaroslav Svěcený will

perform at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo

Alto on October 30, 2015. Famous Czech saxophonist

Karel Ružička will entertain guests during his jazz

concert in Oakland on October 16. I also would like to

congratulate the Czech School in California for bringing

the popular Czech music band Mňága a Žďorp to

Cultural Arts Hall at JCC Palo Alto, on November 7.

In June, we welcomed the Deputy Minister of Education,

Jaroslav Fidrmuc, and the Czech Ambassador to the

United States, Petr Gandalovič, to Los Angeles where

they attended the annual conference of all Czech schools

in North America. For three days, teachers and school

directors listened to various presentations on how to

finance and support their schools, and exchanged many

ideas how to improve their teaching methods.

Cont‘ on page 2

Consul General with Mayor of Anaheim, Mr. Tom Tait

Autumn, 2015

.

Page 2

Consul General meets with several

Mayors on the West Coast

Since May, Consul General of the Czech Republic in

Los Angeles Michal Sedláček held a series of

meetings with highly-ranked representatives on the

West Coast. The most recent one was a discussion

with the Mayor of Anaheim, Tom Tait, on July 28,

2015. It was a courtesy meeting focusing on business

relations. Anaheim is known for Disneyland,

however, the recent success of Anaheim Ducks and

participation of two Czech players (Jiří Sekáč,

Tomáš Fleischmann) in Stanley Cup run was also

covered.

Early in July, Consul General Sedláček briefly

visited the capital of Arizona - Phoenix, which has

been the sister city of Prague since 1991. During his

private discussion with the Mayor of Phoenix, Mr.

Greg Stanton, he expressed his keen interest in

continuing and enhancing the cooperation between

the two sister cities, in the cultural, economic, and

trade areas. Arizona is currently experiencing

economic success, and several Czech businessmen

have established their operations there. The Czech

Republic appointed its Honorary Consul, Slobodan

Popovic there in October 2014.

In mid-July, Consul General Sedláček traveled to

Alaska. This was the first official visits by

representatives of the Czech Republic to Anchorage

since 2008, this making it particularly appreciated by

the hosts and the local community. The meeting with

the Mayor of Anchorage, Mr. Ethan Berkowitz,

focused on the possibilities for expanding a mutually

beneficial relationship between Alaska and the Czech

Republic. Also, thanks to the growing number of our

fellow Czechs who chose to settle down in Alaska,

there is an increasing awareness at the local level

about the Czech Republic. Consul General’s visit

concluded with a meeting of our compatriots who

were holding their annual gathering of the Czech

Society Alaska, called “Picnic and Potluck”. The

event was attended by more than 100 guests.

Cont‘ from page 1

Klára Moldová, the supervisor of all Czech schools in

America, and Lucie Slavíková-Boucher, the president of the

world-wide organization Czech School without Borders,

also participated in the conference. I also would like to

thank Míša Žučková from Czech School in Sillicon Valley

for her interesting presentation regarding fundraising.

I also would like congratulate Lida Sandera, the president of

the Czech nonprofit organization SVU – LA, on receiving

the prestigious Gratias Agit Award from the Czech Minister

of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek in June in Prague.

After years of efforts, the modern Czech paintings will be

presented in Los Angeles. A unique exhibit will be launched

under the title “CzechInLA” on September 19th in Santa

Monica. The exhibit is organized by Aleš Knupp and his

Alex Art Gallery in Prague in cooperation with Marissa

Caichiolo from the Building Bridges Art Exchange. The

Czech Consulate cohosts an opening reception.

Another exhibit will open just a few days later at the Front

Gallery of the Consulate. A fantastic Czech photographer

Jana Ašenbrennerová, based in San Francisco and recipient

of several awards at the World Press Photo exhibitions in

recent years, will present her works focusing on Czech

themes. The Opening of the exhibit will be on Wednesday,

September 23rd

, at 6:30 pm and will be followed by a

screening of Forman’s film “The Firemen’s Ball”.

I am happy to report that the annual Czech That Film

Festival was a great success. Every screening in Los

Angeles was well attended and many of you came out to

meet director Andrea Sedláčková in person. I would also

like to thank Czech actors Eva Jeníčková and Jiří Mádl who

visited some of the 18 cities, where the festival took place.

The Czech That Film concluded in July in Seattle and I

would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the

financial supporters, volunteers and my staff here at the

Consulate who spent countless overtime hours preparing

this great event.

This is the last time you are reading these lines from me.

After four years of wonderful time here in California, I will

conclude my duties here by the end of October.

Consul General with Mayor of Phoenix (right) and

Honorary Consul Popovic (left)

I will be forever grateful for the privilege to serve here in

California and to meet so many wonderful people. I hope

we will remain friends even after I return back to my

homeland. My family already departed for the Czech Republic, and it is also time for me to say good-bye. Before

I leave, however, I hope to see you all at our cultural

events or at other occasions. To get more information, please, visit our website and like our Facebook page.

Michal Sedláček, Consul General

Trade, tech, and European Parliamentarians in Silicon Valley

Of the many high-profile meetings that a delegation from European Parliament had throughout Silicon Valley

and San Francisco over a few days in July, here is one that stands out: “Inspiring meeting w/

@CondoleezzaRice on TTIP. We agree it is about trade but also strengthening transatlantic ties.” That’s from

the Twitter feed of Dita Charanzová, who has served in the European Parliament since 2014. Formerly a

member of the Czech diplomatic corps, she is active on European and international trade issues. (TTIP stands

for Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, an agreement to be negotiated between the United States

and the European Union.)

The visit from the EU parliamentarians, who are all members of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Committee, was hosted by the Honorary Consulate General of the Czech Republic in San Francisco and Silicon

Valley. The focus: tech and start-ups, and how to bring some of the mojo that helps them flourish in the United

States back across the Atlantic. Along with the Czech representative, the delegation included parliamentarians

from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, as well as political advisers and administrative staff.

The itinerary included meetings at companies including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Cisco, and PayPal, and a

visit to Stanford University—which included a working lunch with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

During their meetings, delegates talked with Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO and cofounder of Yelp, as well as other

top company leaders, about consumer protection in the digital age. They spoke with Denis Brown, a senior

vice-president at SAP Imagineering, about cloud computing and IT security. They conferred with the Electronic

Frontier Foundation about regulatory cooperation in the field of consumer protection, and they met with

California state regulators for telecoms.

To wrap up the visit, they participated in a roundtable at the Neumann Center in Redwood City. They listened,

learned, and made concrete plans for ideas gleaned from the visit. Here are three takeaways from that

conversation: From Richard Pivnicka, attorney and Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic—the value

of the 80 or so accelerators in the Bay Area that have worked with European companies; from Roman Horáček,

co-founder of Czech ICT Incubator in Silicon Valley—the value European companies have realized from

establishing a presence in the United States, even if the company’s ultimate decision is to stay local; and from

Barbara Pivnicka, Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic—the epiphany that comes with the “Valley Pivot,”

when startups arrive here and realize how incredibly different the U.S. market is from anything they have

experienced in the EU, so they decide to change their business plans and find a successful business model.

Richard Pivnicka

Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic

Page 3

Delegation from the European

Parliament with Honorary Consul

General of the Czech Republic Richard

Pivnicka (right) and Honorary Consul

of Slovak Republic Barbara Pivnicka

Dear Students, Families, Friends and Supporters of the Czech School of California,

We welcome you all back from your summer breaks! Whether you were at home, traveling within the U.S. or

abroad, we hope you all had an enjoyable and, most of all, relaxing past couple of months!

For us, the end of the summer means busy fall planning! And as September approaches, we are already

putting the finishing touches on organizing our third annual Open House and first day of classes, which this

year will take place on September 13th, at the JCC in Palo Alto. The Open House is a wonderful opportunity

for new parents to meet the teachers, our School's speech therapist, administrators, as well as for returning

students to reconnect with the entire staff and friends from previous semesters. The event promises to be both

informative and fun for all (especially for the kids, for whom we have some special games planned to kick off

this school year!).

Also in the works - this October, the School is once again proud to highlight our country's extensive musical

history, by helping to organize two incredible concerts for the community.

The first, a Czech jazz concert - the first of a series under the umbrella "Czech Jazz SF" - which is taking

place on October 16th

at 8pm in Oakland, featuring world-renowned saxophonist Karel Růžička, Jr.

and Ondřej Pivec on the organ, who will be joined by Ray Obiedo on guitar and Billy Johnson on drums. For

more information and tickets, please visit: www.czechjazzsf.org.

The second, a classical music concert, taking place on October 30th

at 7pm in Palo Alto, showcasing violin

virtuoso Jaroslav Svěcený and the extraordinary pianist Václav Mácha, who will be playing pieces by beloved

composers including Beethoven and Czech favorites, including Dvořák, Smetana, Suk and Svěcený

himself. For more information about this concert, please visit our School's website.

Page 4

Autumn News of Czech School of California

And last, but certainly not least, the School wants

you all to please "Save the Date" for our "2015

Czech Gala of Northern California," a benefit

event for the Czech School, which is taking place

on Saturday, November 7th

at the JCC in Palo

Alto. We're excited to announce that this year's Gala

attendees will be treated to the popular Czech

musical group "Mňága a Žďorp," and will get to

savor traditional Czech svíčková, Staropramen on

tap, as well as a variety of Czech baked goods - all

while supporting our School and helping us raise

much needed funds to expand upon the good work

we do. But that's not all! For our children, we've

planned a simultaneous "Movie Night," right on the

JCC campus, where the children will have their own

food and entertainment that evening. We like to

think of it as our "mini Gala". It's an evening

nobody will want to miss!

As always, we invite you to visit our website for

more information about all of our programs, events

and ways to get involved, and we look forward to

seeing you in the classroom or at one of our events

soon.

On behalf of the entire Czech School team,

Linda Janourova-Tang Co-Chair of the Board of Directors

Page 5

After sunny summer break and with a step into the autumn

period, the Bay Area will welcome again several well-

known Czech musicians.

The month of October will be opened by a spectacular jazz

concert of famous Czech saxophonist Karel Růžička and

his co-player Ondřej Pivec on October 16, 2015,

at 8:00 pm in Piedmont Piano Company (1728 San Pablo

Ave., Oakland, CA). This event is presented by the Czech

Jazz in SF organization. In partnership with the Czech

School of California, the Czech Jazz in SF has one simple

purpose: to introduce music-loving audiences in the San

Francisco Bay Area to the Czech Republic's finest jazz

artists.

On October 30, 2015, at 7:00 pm, Lucie Stern

Community Center (1305 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto) will

host another Czech violin virtuoso, Jaroslav Svěcený. Mr.

Svěcený recorded more than forty-one compact discs with a

wide range of world violin repertoires. He will present

various works of world-known composers such as

Beethoven, Dvořák, Suk, Smetana as well as his own piece

called “Prague Phantasy for Violin Solo”. He will be

accompanied by pianist Václav Mácha. They will also

perform in Los Angeles on November 1st, in San Diego

November 3rd

, and in Las Vegas on November 5th

.

Mňága a Žďorp will be last but definitely not the least of

the “must-see” cultural events during this fall period of the

musical performances. You might have heard of this popular

Czech band with roots from Valašsko region thanks to their

number one song “Hodinový Hotel” or the debut album

“Made in Valmez”. If not, you should not hesitate any longer

to experience this alternative rock music collection and

attend on November 7 at 6:30 pm in the Cultural Arts

Hall (San Antonio Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303). More

importantly, the whole event will be enriched by a taste of

the real Czech cuisine heritage. Do not miss the opportunity

to taste a traditional Czech beer or compare the quality of

the genuine Moravian wine samples with the famous

California products. Moreover, the legendary Svíčková will

be offered as well.

We hope that this unique insight into our autumn music

performances has enticed you and we look forward to

seeing you in the audience!

Czech Musicians Hit the Bay Area Again

Violinist Jaroslav Svěcený

Page 6

World Press Photo Winner Jana

Ašenbrennerová Exhibits at the Czech

Consulate’s Front Gallery

What great fun Sokol members had when they

teamed up with the Czech School of California,

on June 6th

for its first combined picnic at Lake

Chabot in Castro Valley. Jana and Bohousek

Botcha greeted Sokol members at 11 am with a

fire pit that was hot and ready to go for grilling

delicious steaks, sausages and chicken. Around

2 pm the Czech School of California joined us

for their Children’s Day to help them celebrate

the end of the Spring Semester with games,

contests and prizes for the children. Sokol

members assisted in running ten different

activity stations where students participated by

“fishing” for points, racing in potato sacks and

reaching into a bag and had to naming the item

they pulled out in Czech.

Sokol members celebrated their heritage by

singing Czech folk songs while Bohousek

Botcha played the ukulele (now that is an

international twist). The approximately 55

adults and children all agreed it was a huge

success and that we should do it again next year.

Helenka Livingston

Specializing in social documentary and praised by

many experts and critics, a Czech photojournalist, Jana

Ašenbrennerová, will be opening an exhibition of her

work on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 6:30

PM at the Front Gallery of the Consulate General

of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles (10990

Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90024).

In 2003, after studying directing at the Film Academy

of Miroslav Ondříček in Písek, she relocated to the

United States to continue her education at San

Francisco State University. In collaboration with

nonprofit organizations, Jana documents humanitarian

efforts in Africa and Asia, and most recently in

Democratic Republic of Congo. She dedicates most of

her time to her own independent projects and

freelances for Reuters. At the Consulate Jana will

present photos related to the Czech Republic.

Jana Ašenbrennerová will be in person at the opening

of the exhibition, which will be followed by a

screening of Czech cult film of Miloš Forman

“Firemen’s Ball”.

Don’t miss this exceptional cultural evening and the

opportunity to talk in person to the award winning

photographer Jana Ašenbrennerová, the winner of 2014

World Press Photo and series of Czech Press Photos

(2010, 2012, 2013).

Fun in the Sun

at Lake Chabot

Lake

Chabot

Picnic

and

Games

Czech

Journalist

Photograp

her Jana

Ašenbre-

nnerová

Our annual Sokol Family Camp, sponsored by the Pacific

District, took place this year during the week of July 19-26

at its usual location – Camp Fresno Jr. at Dinkey Creek

(elevation 5,987 ft), located 13 miles east from Shaver

Lake.

Pacific District has been sponsoring this camp since 1969

and it remains our most popular and enduring event, this

year in its 47th year. We had a total of 49 campers – 34

adults and 15 children – which is about average attendance,

although not all campers stayed the full week. The camp is

open to all – members and non-members – but Sokol

members have priority. About half of our campers are

Czech speaking, a few are French, and of course everyone

speaks English.

The camp is a wonderful place for families and singles

alike. Children love having playmates. There is always a

group to join, a conversation to take part in. While all of the

camp buildings are very rustic, all comforts of home are

there. It's the best of both worlds.

Camp Director Otto Notzl, who is also the Pacific District

Men's Physical Director and Activities Director, does a

wonderful job planning activities and organizing camp life.

He always has something interesting planned for the

children – the treasure hunt being a particular favorite.

Every year we go on our traditional group hike to Dinkey

Dome. This is a difficult hike because there is no trail, but

it's so worth it! Our destination is always the base of

Dinkey Dome, where there is a large waterhole with a

waterfall. The water is ice cold, but there are always a few

brave ones that jump in anyway. Further up is a beautiful

rock bed polished smooth by the creek, full of rock

formations, shaped by the waterflow over hundreds of

years.

Fishing and mushroom hunting are other popular activities,

and sometimes we have workshops in Czech cooking. This

year Jara Dušátko, president of Sokol San Francisco, taught

us how to make "bramboráky" – Czech potato pancakes.

Na shledanou! Until we meet again next year!

Yvonne Masopust President, Pacific District

2015 Sokol Family Camp

at Dinkey Creek

Page 7

Hiking

activities

at Sokol

Family

Camp at

Dinkey

Creek

CALIFORNIA CZECH AND

SLOVAK CLUB IN 2015

*California Czech and Slovak Club has been very busy

this year. Our traditional Spring Feast – Jarni Slavnost

had this time a very special guest – a magician . The

main hall of Elks Lodge in Walnut Creek welcomed Mr.

Vaclav Havlik, world known magician from Los

Angeles. First the guests joined to sing Czech, Slovak

and American anthems. Czech singer Lianka Brown was

performing some great evergreens and many well-known

Slovak folk songs. As usually, people enjoyed true

Czech specialties – the pork roast with sauerkraut and

dumplings, known as “vepřo-knedlo“, real Hungarian

goulash and vegetarian ratatouille. The highlight of the

afternoon was, of course, a great Magic Show. Guests

circled the stage to have a better view but still nobody

could guess how were the tricks done and how in the

world the white doves appeared.

We are in full preparations for our next big event, 2015

Christmas Luncheon, which will take place on

November 7th

from 11am to 4pm in Elks Lodge

Walnut Creek. The main attraction will be the

performance by folklore group Karicka who will visit us

from San Diego. There will be more musical guests and

Pavel Soltys will have an interesting presentation called

„Prague, Oklahoma ... and other places“ about american

towns with Czechoslovakian names and history. We also

heard from the grapevines that Saint Nicholas, or Svaty

Mikulas, and his companions, will make their appearance

as well. Everybody is welcomed.

Please visit www.californiaczechslovak.com or

www.bayczech.com for details how to purchase tickets

and enjoy the show.

Barbora Soltys President

September 2015 October 2015

September 23, 2015 at 6:30 pm - Opening Exhibition of Jana

Ašenbrennerová with screening of “The Firemen’s Ball”

(10990 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90024)

RSVP at [email protected]

October 16, 2015 at 8:00 pm – Jazz Concert of Karel Růžička

and Ondřej Pivec in Oakland

(Piedmont Piano Company; 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA)

$20 in advance / $25 at the door

To purchase tickets, visit www.czechjazzsf.org

September 26, 2015 – Sokol Walk of Health

(Redwood Reg.Park, Oakland Hills)

For more information contact www.sokolsf.org

October 17 – 18, 2015 - Trip of Sokol SF to Lawn Program in

Czech and Slovak House

(Balboa Park, San Diego)

For more information contact www.sokolsf.org

October 30, 2015 at 7:00 pm – Violin Concert of Jaroslav

Svěcený at Lucie Stern Community Center

(1305 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto)

To purchase tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com ($15/person)

November 2015

November 7, 2015 at 11:00 am – Christmas Luncheon of Czech

and Slovak Club in Elks Lodge

(1475 Creekside Dr, Walnut Creek, CA 94596)

For more information visit www.californiaczechslovak.com or

www.bayczech.com

November 7, 2015 at 6:30 pm – Czech Gala of Nothern

California with Mňága a Žďorp Concert

(Cultural Arts Hall, San Antonio Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303)

Tickets: $70 at www.eventbrite.com

For more information: www.czechinstitutesf.com

CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

10990 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100

Los Angeles, CA, 90024-4879

Phone: (310) 473-0889 Fax: (310) 473-9813

www.mzv.cz/losangeles