Will you be first in line for an autonomous vehicle? Once fifth-generation wireless technology is in place, self-driving cars are just one 5G-powered innovation that will shake up how we live and work. Experts say 5G is ushering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

If Radha Sharma gets her way it may be sooner than later. Sharma is Senior Manager of Municipal Engagement with Verizon Wireless and serves on the steering committee for Joint Venture’s Wireless Communications Initiative.

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August 13, 2019 - Nearly 550,000 Silicon Valley students will head back to school this week and next. Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies has compiled a snapshot of Silicon Valley’s educational landscape by the numbers. On average, families spend close to $700 for supplies and clothing - a hardship for 30% of Silicon Valley. Plus, of households earning less than $35,000 annually, only 75% have internet access, leaving 41,000 Silicon Valley children without internet access at home. Fifty-six percent of eighth-graders were proficient in math compared to 37% in California overall. The high school dropout rate was 8% in 2018, 2% lower than for the state. High school graduation rates increased to nearly 87% as did the share of students meeting University of California or Cal-State University entrance requirements. Read the release

August 2, 2019 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released its second-quarter 2019 report on Silicon Valley commercial space. The total amount of office, industrial, and research and development (R&D) space under construction has continued to rise, even as new buildings have been completed. “Demand for all types of space, including office, industrial, and R&D, has driven this development and brought vacancy rates down, especially near public transit where rates are 67% higher,” said Rachel Massaro, Vice President and Director of Research.

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August 10, 2019 - Mark your calendar for the 16th-annual State of the Valley conference February 14, 2020 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. Last year a capacity crowd of Silicon Valley leaders filled the convention center for reports on the economy, trends and challenges, and a changing investment landscape. Watch for details soon!

August 10, 2019 - What happens when you put tech companies at the same table with local government to address Peninsula transportation issues? The Manzanita Talks, a series of discussions convened by Joint Venture, is doing just that, in order to explore alternatives to the first-and last-mile problems plaguing commuters. Elected officials from across the Peninsulahave teamed up with Facebook, Google, Intuit, LinkedIn, Tesla, Palantir and Genentech in an effort to streamline the usual miasma of processes.

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August 10, 2019 - Why choose a career in organized labor? David Bini, a member of the board of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, points to personal experience, having worked his way up from an apprentice, enjoying the protections and benefits of union jobs. "In the non-unionized industry, wage theft is pervasive. Every other construction job you go to you'll find somebody who's not getting their entire paycheck," Bini said. "We need to remain vigilant and continue to enact ordinances that plug those gaps."

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Comprehensive information and data about the Silicon Valley ecosystem is available at www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

Data and charts from the Silicon Valley Index (and more) are presented on an interactive website that allows users to explore Silicon Valley trends.

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