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Alain Sylvain

Alain Sylvain

Keynote Speaker: Founder & CEO of Sylvain, a strategy and design consultancy provoking progress for companies, people and society at large

  • Speaking Fee:
    Live Event Fee: $10,000 - $20,000
    Virtual Event Fee: Contact us for details
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Alain Sylvain Biography

Alain is the Founder and CEO of Sylvain, a strategy and design consultancy that provokes progress for companies, people and society at large. Clients include Google, American Express, Airbnb, Spotify, BlackRock, Samsung, Pepsico, Diageo, Hilton, AB InBev, IKEA, GM, Sonos, the NBA and others. Founded in 2010, the company is headquartered in NYC, with offices in Amsterdam and Richmond, VA, and is a Certified B-Corporation.

Alain is a partner and investor in several ventures, including Master + Dynamic, a design-driven, premium audio brand, So Choice Softworks, a mobile gaming company, Lilo, an açai bowl company, and PetMio, a smart pet food startup. He is on the board of Plus Pool, an ambitious project to build the world’s first floating, filtering swimming pool in NYC harbor, a founding member of Kindred, and a member of the New York City Mayor’s Creative Council. Alain is also an active contributor to various non-profit initiatives around the world including the Lower East Side Girls Club, The Bowery Mission and Anseye Pou Haiti.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Alain Sylvain and other top speakers and celebrities.

Alain Sylvain Speaking Topics

What Brands Can Learn From Beyonce

Brands used to promise abstract aspirations and fantasies. Now, to succeed, brands need to provide ruthless utility. And much like Queen Bey, great brands have changed to be much less superficial and much more useful.

Wellbeing 2.0

First, we wanted brands that raised our social cachet. Then, we looked to brands that profiled our personalities. So what’s next? In this thought-provoking keynote, Alain Sylvain, Founder and CEO of Sylvain Labs, will look at how future consumers will want brands that make us feel good about ourselves because they do good for the world. Through a series of examples, he will explore how brands can connect with their customers on a personal and emotional level to inspire a new sense of well being.

From Waze to the Beyhive: The Power of the Collective Ego

How technology has the power to nurture a sense of trust amongst users, creating a hive-like mindset that provides real value.

Technology is helping to create a collective mindset, where masses of people are sharing observations, instincts and power. It’s a connection amongst strangers that is rooted in trust and ultimately creates collective value and power. Drawing from the story of Waze and other sources of inspiration like science and pop culture, Erin Clift, Global Marketing and Partnerships at Waze, and Alain Sylvain, founder and CEO of Sylvain Labs, will discuss how technology has the power to unite individuals into a collective ego

The Power of PolyCulture in Innovation

There are more than 1,000 types of bananas in the world, subdivided into 50 groups, but more than 95% of the bananas sold in the U.S. are Cavendish. As perfect as the Cavendish is, a single disease could wipe them all out. As humans, we are hardwired for sameness, which means that diverse teams need to work harder. But that same friction creates the perfect conditions for innovation.

What Matters More - the innovation or the context?

We live in a world where AI, VR and the connected home are becoming a way of life, but why now? Iterations of these technologies have been surfacing since the 1950s, yet it’s only now that we are really seeing them become a standard of modern living. Alain Sylvain, CEO of Sylvain Labs explores the critical factor influencing tech success today: Optimus Time.

Optimus Time is the window when forces are aligned for the ideal introduction of a new behaviour, product, or idea. It's the reason why incredible products fly or fail. So much of the conversation around innovation and invention has been invested in questions of ingenuity and creativity, but what about time?

Ultimately, Optimus Time is a way for us to wrap our minds around the ripeness of ideas – products, brand experiences, or even pop culture phenomena. A framework for us to build stories against, to test within our gut whether an idea feels like it is right or not. And in this instance, a way to ask if the realities of a technologically advanced world jibes with life as we see it.

In his presentation Alain will explore the relevance of Optimus Time in the tech evolution, its impact on some of the most exciting brands today - Spotify, Google, Netflix among others - and how brands can harness the theory of Optimus Time for tomorrow’s innovations.

Alain Sylvain Videos

Alain Sylvain: Understanding Power Languages
Alain Sylvain (Sylvain Labs) - The Exploitation Of Purpose | OnBrand
Ep. 95: Design Strategist Alain Sylvain

How do I book Alain Sylvain to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Alain Sylvain for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Alain Sylvain, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Alain Sylvain or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Alain Sylvain for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Alain Sylvain, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a live event is $10,000 - $20,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Alain Sylvain, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Alain Sylvain speak about?

Alain Sylvain is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Business, Entrepreneurship, Literary, Design and Business Leadership.

Who is the agent for Alain Sylvain?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Alain Sylvain for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Alain Sylvain for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Alain Sylvain or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Alain Sylvain is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Business, Entrepreneurship and Literary. The estimated speaking fee range to book Alain Sylvain for live events is $10,000 - $20,000. Please contact us for virtual event fees. Alain Sylvain can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Vince Kadlubek, John McWhorter and Tory Burch. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Alain Sylvain for an upcoming event.

Alain Sylvain Speaking Topics

  • What Brands Can Learn From Beyonce

    Brands used to promise abstract aspirations and fantasies. Now, to succeed, brands need to provide ruthless utility. And much like Queen Bey, great brands have changed to be much less superficial and much more useful.

  • Wellbeing 2.0

    First, we wanted brands that raised our social cachet. Then, we looked to brands that profiled our personalities. So what’s next? In this thought-provoking keynote, Alain Sylvain, Founder and CEO of Sylvain Labs, will look at how future consumers will want brands that make us feel good about ourselves because they do good for the world. Through a series of examples, he will explore how brands can connect with their customers on a personal and emotional level to inspire a new sense of well being.

  • From Waze to the Beyhive: The Power of the Collective Ego

    How technology has the power to nurture a sense of trust amongst users, creating a hive-like mindset that provides real value.

    Technology is helping to create a collective mindset, where masses of people are sharing observations, instincts and power. It’s a connection amongst strangers that is rooted in trust and ultimately creates collective value and power. Drawing from the story of Waze and other sources of inspiration like science and pop culture, Erin Clift, Global Marketing and Partnerships at Waze, and Alain Sylvain, founder and CEO of Sylvain Labs, will discuss how technology has the power to unite individuals into a collective ego

  • The Power of PolyCulture in Innovation

    There are more than 1,000 types of bananas in the world, subdivided into 50 groups, but more than 95% of the bananas sold in the U.S. are Cavendish. As perfect as the Cavendish is, a single disease could wipe them all out. As humans, we are hardwired for sameness, which means that diverse teams need to work harder. But that same friction creates the perfect conditions for innovation.

  • What Matters More - the innovation or the context?

    We live in a world where AI, VR and the connected home are becoming a way of life, but why now? Iterations of these technologies have been surfacing since the 1950s, yet it’s only now that we are really seeing them become a standard of modern living. Alain Sylvain, CEO of Sylvain Labs explores the critical factor influencing tech success today: Optimus Time.

    Optimus Time is the window when forces are aligned for the ideal introduction of a new behaviour, product, or idea. It's the reason why incredible products fly or fail. So much of the conversation around innovation and invention has been invested in questions of ingenuity and creativity, but what about time?

    Ultimately, Optimus Time is a way for us to wrap our minds around the ripeness of ideas – products, brand experiences, or even pop culture phenomena. A framework for us to build stories against, to test within our gut whether an idea feels like it is right or not. And in this instance, a way to ask if the realities of a technologically advanced world jibes with life as we see it.

    In his presentation Alain will explore the relevance of Optimus Time in the tech evolution, its impact on some of the most exciting brands today - Spotify, Google, Netflix among others - and how brands can harness the theory of Optimus Time for tomorrow’s innovations.

Alain Sylvain Videos

Alain Sylvain: Understanding Power Languages
Alain Sylvain (Sylvain Labs) - The Exploitation Of Purpose | OnBrand
Ep. 95: Design Strategist Alain Sylvain
Alain Sylvain: What matters more, the innovation or the context ...

Alain Sylvain Reviews

  • 3. "Alain is one of the best speakers in the world of branding. He's a regular crowd favorite at our yearly brand marketing conference in Amsterdam. We never hesitate to invite Alain back because his talks are always original, provocative, and relevant to a wide range of trends and talking-points within the marketing and creativity industry. Not many speakers can effortlessly blend in social psychology, business, history, and pop culture into their talks like Alain does. So if you’re looking for a uniquely thought-provoking speaker to add to your conference program, Alain should be first on your list”
    Head of Content, OnBrand - Nov 04 2020

  • “Alain has a one-two punch appeal as a speaker. He is engaging on stage (or Zoom) and he has genuine curiosity backed by substance. The combination produces thoughtfully customized talks that respond to the room. He delivers the complete opposite of rote speeches that are more about the speaker's brand than the audience and is always a great addition to the event.”
    Kindred - Nov 04 2020

  • “We’ve been delighted to have Alain Sylvain as a two-time speaker at the Adobe 99U Conference. He offers a unique birds-eye view of culture that connects and contextualizes a huge range of mediums and moments, in a way that few other speakers can. Alain’s talks have been highly rated by our audience for both his fresh, yet pragmatic, insights and his engaging onstage energy.”
    99U Conference - Nov 04 2020

Alain Sylvain News

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