Rebecca A. Fannin

Rebecca Fannin is a CNBC contributor, author, and a media founder. She is well known for spotting global innovation and tech trends early on. Her forward-looking books - Silicon Heartland, Silicon Dragon, Startup Asia, and Tech Titans of China - have been translated in 10 languages and favorably reviewed and cited by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, The New York Times and Time. A public speaker and commentator, she’s spoken at Brookings, Harvard and Oxford, among others, and appeared on CNBC, BBC, CNN, and Bloomberg.
She currently contributes to CNBC and its Disruptor 50 report. She also runs Silicon Dragon as her own venture, hosting a regular online show Ask A VC, publishing a newsletter, and holding regular events in leading hubs for a membership community. Previously a Forbes columnist for 10 years and a writer for Harvard Business Review, CEO and Worth, she has profiled many global business leaders, including Jack Ma of Alibaba. She also has contributed to several thought leadership reports.
During the dotcom boom, she became an international editor at Red Herring in San Francisco. She then led her to follow the venture capital trail from Silicon Valley to Asia's emerging markets and became one of the first American journalists covering China’s entrepreneurial boom, and later the growth of Southeast Asia and India.
In 2010, she formed media, events and membership platform, Silicon Dragon Ventures, covering innovation and investment trends. Originally from Ohio, she resides today in Silicon Valley and New York City. Her most recent book, Silicon Heartland, brings Rebecca back to her homeland to explore the region’s comeback from the Rust Belt and to discover the roots of her own journey.