THE 2013 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Tracy Palandjian
CEO, Social Finance USA
For more than a decade, Tracy has dedicated herself to building a more impactful nonprofit sector by re-imagining the role capital markets can play in enabling social progress. Inspired by her work with its sister organization in the UK, Tracy co-founded Social Finance, Inc. in January 2011. Social Finance is a 501(c)(3) organization focused on structuring and managing impact investments that will unlock capital to fund effective solutions and drive an outcomes-focused social sector. Core to this work is the Social Impact Bond, a financial instrument designed to deploy private investment capital to fund preventative social programs under the agreement that investors will be repaid from public funds if agreed-upon targets are met. Prior to Social Finance, Tracy was a Managing Director for 11 years at The Parthenon Group where she established and led the Nonprofit Practice and worked with foundations and NGOs to accomplish their missions in the US and globally. She is co-author of Investing for Impact: Case Studies Across Asset Classes, a report that provides an important view on the evolution of the impact investing industry. Prior to Parthenon, Tracy worked at Wellington Management Co. and McKinsey & Co. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Facing History and Ourselves, a member of the Board of Overseers at Harvard University and a Director of Affiliated Managers Group (NYSE: AMG). She also serves on the Investment Committee of Milton Academy. Tracy graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, with a B.A. in Economics, and holds an M.B.A. with high distinction from Harvard Business School where she was a Baker Scholar.
John Paul DeJoria’s rags-to-riches story exemplifies the American dream – once homeless, he struggled against the odds to achieve success, launching three global enterprises and paying it forward, living by his motto, “Success Unshared is Failure.” With just $700 he started John Paul Mitchell Systems, converting it into the largest privately held salon hair care line, and later turned a passion into success by founding Patrón, the world’s No. 1 ultra-premium tequila. A longtime activist for sustainable business practices and corporate responsibility, DeJoria makes these practices paramount as he continues to evolve and grow his businesses, and to inspire others.
John Paul Dejoria
Founder, Paul Mitchell Systems and The Patron Spirits Company
After studying industrial design and anthropology Arnoud founded the hybrid organization Mobile School / Streetwize. The organization combines a social-profit goal (informal education for streetkids) with a for profit business translating the children's street skills into unconventional leadership trainings for companies. 100% of the profits are reinvested in the programs for street kids. Using an entrepreneurial approach to tackle a global problem gave international recognition to the work such as: Ashoka fellowship, portfolio of international corporate clients, case studies in various business schools.Through a franchising network that uses mobile schools with an offer of specifically designed educational games the organization reaches out for street children all over the planet. Mobile School gives them what they need: boosting their self-esteem, detecting their talents and empowering them to become stronger to survive on the streets.15 years of experience and research on the streets taught us that many of these youngsters have an enormous power within themselves. In their struggle of life they translate the harsh reality of the streets consistently into opportunities to survive. Inspired by this knowledge Arnoud started up the business venture Streetwize that translates the children's street skills into unconventional leadership trainings for companies. This way Streetwize increases the authentic positive opportunity focus, the pro-active creativity, agility and resilience and the internal cohesion in teams bringing more strength for the business and their employees. 100% of the profits are reinvested in the Mobile School programs. Streetwize works for companies as Nike, Deloitte, DHL, etc Arnoud is an Ashoka fellow.
Arnoud Raskin
Founder, Streetwize and The Mobile School
THE 2013 TED-STYLE SPEAKERS
Andrew Yang is the Founder and CEO of Venture for America, a fellowship program that places top college graduates in start-ups for 2 years in emerging U.S. cities to generate job growth and train the next generation of entrepreneurs. Andrew has worked in start-ups and early stage growth companies as a founder or executive for more than twelve years. He was the CEO and President of Manhattan GMAT, a test preparation company that was acquired by the Washington Post/Kaplan in 2009. He has also served as the co-founder of an Internet company and an executive at a health care software start-up. He has appeared on CNBC, Fox News, TIME, Techcrunch, the Wall St. Journal, and many other media outlets. Andrew was named a Champion of Change by the White House for his work with Venture for America and one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business.” He is a graduate of Columbia Law and Brown University.I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.?
Jared Matthew Weiss is the Founder and Chief Storyteller at Overture.me, a new startup whose mission is to help the world get to know each other with simple, magical profile videos.
He has been speaking for companies and groups since the age of fourteen and featured on the Today Show, Bravo, Tyra, MTV, and more as an expert on relationships and interpersonal communication.
Andrew Yang
CEO & Founder, Venture for America
Jared Matthew Weiss
Founder and Chief Storyteller, Overture
Zhou Xian
Founder, Buy 42
Zhou Xian is the founder of Buy 42, the first online charity shop in China. She was trained under the Skills for Social Entrepreneurs program of the British Council, and has won several awards through the program. Buy 42 has been operating since 2010. The social enterprise takes donations from individuals, manufacturers, and resellers, and sells these products on the Buy 42 platform. The revenue Ms. Xian has generated has provided training and access to employment opportunities for over 80 million people with disabilities in China.
Ms. Xian's participation has been made possible thanks to the support of the British Council USA.
Nishith Acharya
Former Director, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurshup and Senior Adviser,
Department of Commerce; Former Executive Director, Deshpande Foundation
Nishith Acharya is a Senior Advisor at Northeastern University, and the former Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce under Obama Administration. Nish just left the Obama Administration, where he was appointed by President Obama as the Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce, where he led the President’s efforts to nurture economic growth through innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization. As part of his work, Nish managed the President’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship – a group of nationally known investors, entrepreneurs and university presidents. Nish also engaged with twenty-six federal agencies to provide over $100 million in funds to universities, research centers and companies to increase the commercialization of federally-funded research. He engaged with over 500 universities and colleges across the United States to boost their programs supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization.
Prior to joining Commerce, Nish served as Executive Director of the Deshpande Foundation, a prominent American philanthropy focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and scalability around the world. Nish led the Foundation's strategic planning, grant making, evaluation and advocacy efforts. Under his leadership, the Foundation’s “Sandboxes” – centers of innovation and entrepreneurship have become a leading international model for regional economic development. During his tenure, the Foundation created a Sandbox in India, which supported innovation and entrepreneurs to reach over one million people. Nish has also led the Foundation’s venture philanthropy, working to help scale Indian NGOs like Akshaya Patra and Agastya and the United Way throughout India. It also created Sandboxes to boost the economies of the Merrimack Valley cities of Lowell, MA and Lawrence, MA and New Brunswick, Canada. Nish serves as a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bretton Woods Committee, The Indus Entrepreneurs, and the Clinton Global Initiative. He also served as a Board member of Akshaya Patra USA and the United Way Worldwide Global Advisory Board.
Nish also served five years as a Presidential Appointee in the Clinton Administration, where he worked with the Administrator and Deputy Administrator of the US Agency for International Development for USAID programs in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, and has worked for Education Secretary Richard Riley and as Associate Director of Scheduling & Advance for the President. Nish Acharya is currently a Principal at Equal Innovation, LLC, a strategy consulting and investment group working with universities, governments, foundations and companies to assist them with innovation, entrepreneurship and globalization strategies. He is currently advising Northeastern University on its global education strategy and is a Senior Fellow with the Center for American Progress.
THE 2013 SPECIAL VIDEO ADDRESS
