Kurt Cavano's brainchild and start-up -- TradeCard is the technology and services firm that has automated the procurement process for corporations from order through settlement.

While many of us have been busy making sense of the daunting array of information technology applications promising to automate and integrate all stages of enterprise processes, Kurt Cavano has brought to market functioning solutions for the very heart of commerce itself - transactions.

"We are causing a fundamental shift. [We are] asking people to go from a paper-based to an electronic world, from a manual to an automated process.
This is something that normally takes a long time to accomplish, and in the short three years that we have been at this, we have already got hundreds of companies on our side."

Up to 70 miscellaneous bits of paper were often necessary to manage a single shipment of goods. This manual "financial supply chain" means that purchase orders, invoices, packing lists, letters of credit and other documentation have to be faxed, shipped or e-mailed around the world, with countless mistakes and misunderstandings. It's a process that makes up about 5% of the costs associated with trade transactions, says Gartner.

Join the Technology Committee for this privileged opportunity to peak into the future of the digital economy as Kurt shares his innovative insights into international trade, cash management, wholesale banking and other aspects of the emerging digital economy. He will share his expert views on what we may expect as these trends continue to mature - focusing on Asia and the unique opportunities and challenges of different Asian markets. He will review the status of national and regional trade initiatives which promise to further standardize and therefore facilitate automated transactions among national markets.

As chairman and CEO of New York-based TradeCard, Kurt Cavano has spent five years creating a mini-revolution, trotting the globe to the tune of 1.5 million miles. The result - in addition to Continental Airlines Platinum Infinite Elite status - is that TradeCard has gone from zero members to over 800 in 20 countries.

These companies include some of the world's top retailers and brand owners, with combined sales of over $100 billion USD. By logging into TradeCard through just a web browser or interfacing through their ERP systems, these companies are able to automate and manage billions of dollars in transactions with their suppliers.

Mr. Cavano has grown TradeCard from a startup to an established company with offices throughout the United States, Asia and representation in Brussels forging key partnerships in the banking, insurance, inspection, and logistics industries. Under Cavano's leadership, TradeCard has evolved from a stand-alone software application to an internationally launched, web-based B2B fulfillment and settlement network with customers processing billions of dollars in purchase orders through the TradeCard network.