Mission

H2 is the premier leadership network for the technology industry, connecting a trusted global community of leaders to support startup ecosystems around the world. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Silicon Valley with chapters globally in major technology markets worldwide, its mission is to advance education and leadership development in the fields of digital entrepreneurship and innovation.

In direct support of its mission, H2’s operating model consists of three core facets designed to create unique valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange:

• Network: global member community consisting of industry executives and entrepreneurs from leading startups and global firms.
• Programs: core initiatives to drive ongoing leadership development and knowledge sharing around key industry themes.
• Content: exclusive focus on digital domain and topics relevant to informing company and executive level strategies.

H2 operates as a global nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code.

Within the fast-evolving and global arena of digital, startup leaders are navigating an increasingly dynamic and competitive arena. Even as the boundaries of what is possible within a digital context continue to expand, they are faced with applying the right skillsets and information at the right time to both capture addressable opportunities and defend competitive positions. The development of informed company and executive level playbooks is essential to developing winning strategies across a range of areas, spanning:

• Digital Competencies: core functions (e.g. product, revenue, partnerships) and areas (e.g. mobile, social, data) critical for building and scaling digital businesses.
• Industry Sectors: industry segments and verticals (e.g. education, health and fitness, financial services) ripe for innovation or transformation.
• Global Markets: major markets worldwide with collective addressable user base of 4B+ Internet-connected users across PC and mobile platforms.

A trusted global community of/for digital leaders can play a valuable role in driving playbook success, from design through implementation. In May 2010, a community initiative called Hemisphere was started in Silicon Valley, London, and Singapore with the goal of connecting senior executives within the digital industry to share best practices. In November 2011, it was formally launched as a network called H2 (alluding to the combination of atomic elements fundamental to growth) with an expanded mandate including the development of a global peer member network of senior leaders across key digital centers worldwide and programs focused on education and leadership development. Today, H2 operates in ten major global hubs across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia with ongoing investments in its operating model towards achieving its longer-term mission.