
Virtual Solve at MIT 2020
Annual MeetingVirtual Solve at MIT 2020
Watch all the videos from Virtual Solve at MIT 2020 on our YouTube channel.
In light of recent developments around Covid-19, we're transforming our annual in-person event into a powerful online experience that will convene, connect, and inspire Solve’s global community—our Solver teams, MIT faculty, and peer leaders from our Member organizations (which include eBay, HP, Ernst & Young, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and many more).
Solve Members will have the opportunity to:
Build momentum on Global Challenges: Dive into discussions with cross-sector leaders as we set out to find solutions to Solve’s 2020 Global Challenges, including our newly launched Health Security & Pandemics Challenge.
Access cutting-edge innovations: Connect directly with Solver teams to share strategic advice and new ideas. In collaborative working groups, you’ll learn about and workshop their innovative solutions.
Create impactful partnerships: Expand your organization’s social and environmental impact by partnering with Solver teams to scale their work.
Interested in attending? Become a Solve Member.
Looking for ways to make your virtual events more engaging? Check out Solve’s tips to host an engaging virtual event.
Featured Speakers

Cady Coleman
Former Astronaut, NASASession Speakers

Temie Giwa-Tubosun
Founder and CEO, LifeBank
Mary-Ann Etiebet
Lead & Executive Director, Merck for MothersHear from an Expert Panel of global public health experts in conversation about how communities around the world can prepare for, detect, and respond to emerging pandemics and health security threats, including COVID-19. Then, join the Deep Dive to dive into the Health Security & Pandemics Challenge in small breakout groups to explore a dimension of the Challenge.
Session Speakers

Jonathan Jackson
Chief Executive Officer, Dimagi
Tolullah Oni
Co-Director, Global Diet and Activity Research Group, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
Feng Zhang
Core Faculty Member, The Broad Institute
Suzanne M. Miller
Chief Medical Officer, Ventec Life SystemsKick off the Expert Panel with insights from Challenge leaders on progress made among the Early Childhood Development Solver teams and the Challenge at large. Then, continue the conversation in the action-driven Solver Brain Trust where participants will meet with one Early Childhood Development Solver team to provide advice and brainstorm opportunities for advancement, partnership, and investment.
Session Speakers

Anna Bertmar Khan
Acting Director, Program, Dubai Cares
Eric Brace
Director of Programs, Living First Languages Platform Company
Ruchit Nagar
CEO, Khushi Baby Inc.
Dinesh Krishna
Director of Strategy, Enabling Inclusion , Amar Seva Sangam
Luis Garza
Founder and CEO, Kinedu
Andrea Fahed
Education Officer, Lebanese Alternative Learning
Sindhuja Jeyabal
Co-Founder and CTO, Dost Education
Jim Gray
Research Scientist & Learning Lead, MIT Media LabMariana Luz
CEO, Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation
Carla Small
Co-Founder and CEO, EarlyBird Education-responsive.png)
Anastasia Elgina
Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships, OneSkyKick off the Expert Panel with insights from Challenge leaders on progress made among the Community-Driven Innovation Solver teams and the Challenge at large. Then, continue the conversation in the action-driven Solver Brain Trust where participants will meet with one Community-Driven Innovation Solver team to provide advice and brainstorm opportunities for advancement, partnership, and investment.
Session Speakers

Samuel Kellerhals
Co-Founder, Elpis Solar
Yuriko Oda
CEO, WheeLog
Kamil Shafiq
Co-Founder and CEO, POKET
Jérémy Lachal
Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders
Pedro Reynolds-Cuéllar
Research Assistant, MIT Media Lab
Lily Tsai
Faculty Director, MIT Governance Lab (GOV/LAB)
Rafael dos Anjos
Founder, RevelaGov, Professor, IFSP
C.D. Glin
President & CEO, U.S. African Development FoundationSession Speakers
Michael Niconchuk
Director of Research and Development, Beyond Conflict
June Sugiyama
Director, Vodafone Americas Foundation || Judge for the Innovation for Women Prize
Carlos Moedas
Trustee, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Joseph Muhlhausen
Head of Drone Data & System, WeRobotics
Suprita Makh
Impact Program Manager, Twilio.orgKick off the Expert Panel with insights from Challenge leaders on progress made among the Circular Economy Solver teams and the Challenge at large. Then, continue the conversation in the action-driven Solver Brain Trust where participants will meet with one Circular Economy Solver team to provide advice and brainstorm opportunities for advancement, partnership, and investment.
Session Speakers

Nicole Bassett
Co-Founder, The Renewal Workshop
Adi Reza Nugroho
CEO, Mycotech
Stephanie Benedetto
Co-Founder and CEO, Queen of Raw
Anirudh Sharma
Co-Founder and Lead Scientist, MIT Media Lab
Javier Larragoiti
Co-Founder & CEO, Xilinat
Garry Cooper
CEO, Rheaply
Miranda Wang
Co-Founder and CEO, BioCellection Inc
José Manuel Moller
Founder and CEO, Algramo
Mari Pantsar
Director, Carbon-Neutral Circular Economy, Sitra_240x240-responsive.jpg)
Liz Rodgers
VP of Sustainable Product, NikeKick off the Expert Panel with insights from Challenge leaders on progress made among the Healthy Cities Solver teams and the Challenge at large. Then, continue the conversation in the action-driven Solver Brain Trust where participants will meet with one Healthy Cities Solver team to provide advice and brainstorm opportunities for advancement, partnership, and investment.
Session Speakers

S. Atyia Martin
CEO & Founder, All Aces, Inc.
Mauricio Cordova
Founder, Faircap CIC
Saba Khalid
Founder, Aurat Raaj
Abhilasha Purwar
Founder and CEO, Blue Sky Analytics
Katherine Clayton
Co-Founder and CEO, OmniVis Inc
Diana Yousef
Founder and CEO, change:WATER Labs
Jonathan Jay
Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
Aditya Kulkarni
Founder & CEO, CareNX Innovations Private Limited-responsive.jpg)
Romina Libster, MD, MSc
Investigator and Staff Scientist, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Gabriella Hernandez
Business Development and Investor Relations Manager, Salauno
Johannes Boch
Project Manager, The Novartis FoundationHear from an Expert Panel of sector experts in conversation about how marginalized populations access and create good jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for themselves. Then, join the Deep Dive to discuss one of the following Challenge dimensions: Supporting Small and New Businesses, Social Safety Nets for all Workers, or Durable Skills for a Changing Market.
Session Speakers

Erik Brynjolfsson
Schussel Family Professor & Director, MIT - Sloan School of Management, MIT - Initiative on the Digital Economy
Amir Banifatemi
Chief Innovation and Growth Officer, XPRIZE || Judge for The AI for Humanity Prize
Pedro Cunha
Director, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation || Judge for The Gulbenkian Award for Adult Literacy
Philip Gaskin
Vice President of Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Cindy Pace
Vice President, Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, MetLifeFeatured Speakers

Pita Taufatofua
Olympian, TongaSession Speakers

Abhilasha Purwar
Founder and CEO, Blue Sky Analytics
Melinda Marble
Executive Director, Patrick J. McGovern FoundationHear from an Expert Panel of sector experts in conversation about how marginalized girls and young women can access quality learning opportunities to succeed. Then, join the Deep Dive to discuss one of the following Challenge dimensions: Increasing Access & Retention, Education to Employment Pipeline, Reducing Gender-Based Barriers, and Gender-Responsive Learning.
Session Speakers

Anjali Sastry
Senior Lecturer, System Dynamics, MIT Sloan School of Management
Shaloo Garg
Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups, Microsoft
Lucy Lake OBE
Chief Executive Officer, CAMFED International
Tiffany Drake
Executive Director, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Obama Foundation
Cynthia Breazeal
Associate Professor, Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media LabHear from an Expert Panel of sector experts in conversation about how to produce and consume low-carbon, resilient, and nutritious food for all. Then, join the Deep Dive to discuss one of the following Challenge dimensions: Supporting Small-scale Producers, Greener Large-scale Agriculture, Supply Chain Practices, and Low-Carbon Diets.
Session Speakers

Konrad Brits
CEO, Falcon Coffees
LaKisha Odom
Scientific Program Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
Sunny Reelhorn Parr
Head of Philanthropy, The Kroger Co., The Kroger Co. Foundation & The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation
Ujunwa Ojemeni
Senior Energy & Finance Expert, Office of the Commissioner for Energy & Mineral Resources, Lagos State NigeriaHear from an Expert Panel of sector experts in conversation about how every woman, new mother, and newborn can access the care they need to survive and thrive. Then, join the Deep Dive to discuss one of the following Challenge dimensions: Access to Care, Infectious Disease Control, Gynecological Health, and Mental & Emotional Health.
Session Speakers

Katja Iversen
President and CEO, Women Deliver
Catherine D'Ignazio
Assistant Professor of Urban Science & Planning; Director, Data + Feminism Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology || Judge for The AI for Humanity Prize
David Sarley
Senior Program Officer, Global Delivery Programs, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation || Judge for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funded AwardWe will livestream our closing plenary from 2:45 - 4:30 PM ET, so anyone, anywhere can tune in to access insightful speakers:
- A fireside chat between MIT President L. Rafael Reif and Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors, who will discuss leadership in the face of the global Covid-19 crisis, and solving world challenges, like climate change.
- A performance from Yo-Yo Ma, the world-renowned cellist, who will explore how to find inspiration and connection while physically apart and discuss the link between art, culture and technology.
- The Solve Investor Showcase, which will include Solver pitches and an announcement of the first investments of Solve Innovation Future, a groundbreaking philanthropic venture fund.
Featured Speakers

L. Rafael Reif
President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Yo-Yo Ma
Cellist, Curator of the MIT Solve Arts and Culture Mentorship Prize-responsive.jpg)
Mary Barra
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors CompanySession Speakers

Sanjay Sarma
Vice President for Open Learning, MIT
Noubar Afeyan
Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna
Priya Lakhani
Founder and CEO, CENTURY Tech
Ray A. Rothrock
Executive Chairman, RedSeal, Inc.
Carrie Morgridge
Vice President and Chief Disruptor, Morgridge Family Foundation
Joseph Deitch
Founder, The Elevate Prize Foundation
Carolina García Jayaram
Founding Executive Director, The Elevate Prize FoundationHosted by Morgridge Family Foundation and Penn Foster
The pandemic has dramatically highlighted fault lines in our economy, and accelerated the need for workers to adapt in order to survive and thrive. Hear from a panel of work of the future leaders about what can be done to accelerate, reactivate, and create viable pathways to employment.
Session Speakers

Carrie Morgridge
Vice President and Chief Disruptor, Morgridge Family Foundation
Michelle R. Weise
Chief Innovation Officer, Strada Institute for the Future of Work & SVP, Strada Education Network
Rachel Wexler
SVP, Market Advisory Services , Penn Foster
Becky Takeda-Tinker
Chief Educational Innovation Officer, Colorado State University System
Angela Jackson
Chief Ecosystem Investment Officer, Kapor EnterprisesHosted by Solve
Join us for a round-table discussion on how universities worldwide are supporting the next generation of social innovators and entrepreneurs, even in the midst of a rapid shift to (entirely) virtual education.
Hosted by Solve
Join us as we explore successful local models for sustaining rural America through workforce opportunities, food systems, and social cohesion. In this session we will share examples from Solve’s Indigenous Communities Fellows and Solve members, and discuss opportunities to scale and replicate these and other solutions across rural communities, both tribal and non-tribal.
Session Speakers

Nonabah Lane
Co-Founder, Navajo Ethno-AgricultureHosted by MIT, Innospark Ventures, and XPRIZE
Join this interactive session to hear how AI is already being used for the betterment of humanity and what the future holds. Participants will brainstorm opportunities to further leverage AI and big data to deepen social impact, and will learn from fellow researchers, practitioners, and funders who are working to build and support the future of AI and big data.
Session Speakers

Amir Banifatemi
Chief Innovation and Growth Officer, XPRIZE || Judge for The AI for Humanity Prize
Glen Comiso
Senior Director for Institute Affairs, Office of the President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Venkat Srinivasan
Managing Director, Innospark Ventures
Catherine Havasi
Research Scientist, MIT Media LabHosted by MIT ReACT
Join MIT ReACT in an interactive roundtable to explore and define agile models for higher education for refugee and internally displaced learners around the world in the face of modern global challenges. Participants will share best practices and learn from fellow researchers, practitioners, and funders across the refugee education ecosystem.
Session Speakers

Admir Masic
Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
Philip Reuchlin
Director of Programs & Strategy, Andan Foundation || Judge for The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee InclusionHosted by Corning Capital and Someone Else's Child Foundation
This two-part discussion focuses on supporting social entrepreneurs. First, funders discuss how they are adjusting financing entrepreneurs in the difficult economic conditions brought about by COVID-19. Second, a social entrepreneur and a foundation leader share how their innovative partnership model helped successfully address a community need. Co-hosted with CCC Alliance and Someone Else’s Child Foundation.
Session Speakers

Carlos Pereira
CEO and Founder, Livox International LLC
Nathan Corning
Impact Programs Coordinator, CCC Alliance
Josh Cohen
Managing Partner & Co-Founder, City Light Capital
Lopa Desai
Managing Director, Niraat Family Office
Michael Christian
Managing Director, Someone Else's ChildHosted by the League of Intrapreneurs
At Solve, we talk a lot about social entrepreneurs, but many in the Solve Community are in fact intrapreneurs: the courageous and important allies who work from within larger organization supporting social impact innovation. Intrapreneurs bring entrepreneurial grit together with political savvy to harness the assets of their organizations for positive impact. Join this session co-hosted by the League of Intrapreneurs to discover The Intrapreneur’s Compass. In this time of uncertainty, this compass can help you clarify your purpose, focus on what matters most, and, importantly, maintain your personal resilience during the journey.
Session Speakers

Maggie De Pree
Co-Founder, League of IntrapreneursIan Howatt
Intrapreneur & Director of Strategic Design & Business Performance, City of Edmonton, Canada
Antionette Klatzky
Director, Eileen Fisher Institute and Host of Women Together
Michelle Khuu
Co-Founder, Enablers Network at Victorian Public Service
Jake Hirsch-Allen
North America Workforce Development and Higher Ed System Lead, LinkedInFeatured Speakers

Cady Coleman
Former Astronaut, NASA
Pita Taufatofua
Olympian, Tonga
L. Rafael Reif
President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Yo-Yo Ma
Cellist, Curator of the MIT Solve Arts and Culture Mentorship Prize-responsive.jpg)
Mary Barra
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors CompanySpeakers

Temie Giwa-Tubosun
Founder and CEO, LifeBank
Mary-Ann Etiebet
Lead & Executive Director, Merck for MothersMichael Niconchuk
Director of Research and Development, Beyond Conflict
June Sugiyama
Director, Vodafone Americas Foundation || Judge for the Innovation for Women Prize
Carlos Moedas
Trustee, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Joseph Muhlhausen
Head of Drone Data & System, WeRobotics
Suprita Makh
Impact Program Manager, Twilio.org
Abhilasha Purwar
Founder and CEO, Blue Sky Analytics
Melinda Marble
Executive Director, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Sanjay Sarma
Vice President for Open Learning, MIT
Noubar Afeyan
Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna
Priya Lakhani
Founder and CEO, CENTURY Tech
Ray A. Rothrock
Executive Chairman, RedSeal, Inc.
Carrie Morgridge
Vice President and Chief Disruptor, Morgridge Family Foundation
Joseph Deitch
Founder, The Elevate Prize Foundation
Carolina García Jayaram
Founding Executive Director, The Elevate Prize Foundation
Jonathan Jackson
Chief Executive Officer, Dimagi
Tolullah Oni
Co-Director, Global Diet and Activity Research Group, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
Feng Zhang
Core Faculty Member, The Broad Institute
Suzanne M. Miller
Chief Medical Officer, Ventec Life Systems
Anna Bertmar Khan
Acting Director, Program, Dubai Cares
Eric Brace
Director of Programs, Living First Languages Platform Company
Ruchit Nagar
CEO, Khushi Baby Inc.
Dinesh Krishna
Director of Strategy, Enabling Inclusion , Amar Seva Sangam
Luis Garza
Founder and CEO, Kinedu
Andrea Fahed
Education Officer, Lebanese Alternative Learning
Sindhuja Jeyabal
Co-Founder and CTO, Dost Education
Jim Gray
Research Scientist & Learning Lead, MIT Media LabMariana Luz
CEO, Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation
Carla Small
Co-Founder and CEO, EarlyBird Education-responsive.png)
Anastasia Elgina
Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships, OneSky
Nicole Bassett
Co-Founder, The Renewal Workshop
Adi Reza Nugroho
CEO, Mycotech
Stephanie Benedetto
Co-Founder and CEO, Queen of Raw
Anirudh Sharma
Co-Founder and Lead Scientist, MIT Media Lab
Javier Larragoiti
Co-Founder & CEO, Xilinat
Garry Cooper
CEO, Rheaply
Miranda Wang
Co-Founder and CEO, BioCellection Inc
José Manuel Moller
Founder and CEO, Algramo
Mari Pantsar
Director, Carbon-Neutral Circular Economy, Sitra_240x240-responsive.jpg)
Liz Rodgers
VP of Sustainable Product, Nike
S. Atyia Martin
CEO & Founder, All Aces, Inc.
Mauricio Cordova
Founder, Faircap CIC
Saba Khalid
Founder, Aurat Raaj
Katherine Clayton
Co-Founder and CEO, OmniVis Inc
Diana Yousef
Founder and CEO, change:WATER Labs
Jonathan Jay
Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
Aditya Kulkarni
Founder & CEO, CareNX Innovations Private Limited-responsive.jpg)
Romina Libster, MD, MSc
Investigator and Staff Scientist, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Gabriella Hernandez
Business Development and Investor Relations Manager, Salauno
Johannes Boch
Project Manager, The Novartis Foundation
Erik Brynjolfsson
Schussel Family Professor & Director, MIT - Sloan School of Management, MIT - Initiative on the Digital Economy
Amir Banifatemi
Chief Innovation and Growth Officer, XPRIZE || Judge for The AI for Humanity Prize
Pedro Cunha
Director, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation || Judge for The Gulbenkian Award for Adult Literacy
Philip Gaskin
Vice President of Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Cindy Pace
Vice President, Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, MetLife
Anjali Sastry
Senior Lecturer, System Dynamics, MIT Sloan School of Management
Shaloo Garg
Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups, Microsoft
Lucy Lake OBE
Chief Executive Officer, CAMFED International
Tiffany Drake
Executive Director, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Obama Foundation
Cynthia Breazeal
Associate Professor, Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab
Konrad Brits
CEO, Falcon Coffees
LaKisha Odom
Scientific Program Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
Sunny Reelhorn Parr
Head of Philanthropy, The Kroger Co., The Kroger Co. Foundation & The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation
Ujunwa Ojemeni
Senior Energy & Finance Expert, Office of the Commissioner for Energy & Mineral Resources, Lagos State Nigeria
Katja Iversen
President and CEO, Women Deliver
Catherine D'Ignazio
Assistant Professor of Urban Science & Planning; Director, Data + Feminism Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology || Judge for The AI for Humanity Prize
David Sarley
Senior Program Officer, Global Delivery Programs, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation || Judge for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funded Award
Samuel Kellerhals
Co-Founder, Elpis Solar
Yuriko Oda
CEO, WheeLog
Kamil Shafiq
Co-Founder and CEO, POKET
Jérémy Lachal
Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders
Pedro Reynolds-Cuéllar
Research Assistant, MIT Media Lab
Lily Tsai
Faculty Director, MIT Governance Lab (GOV/LAB)
Rafael dos Anjos
Founder, RevelaGov, Professor, IFSP
C.D. Glin
President & CEO, U.S. African Development Foundation
Michelle R. Weise
Chief Innovation Officer, Strada Institute for the Future of Work & SVP, Strada Education Network
Rachel Wexler
SVP, Market Advisory Services , Penn Foster
Becky Takeda-Tinker
Chief Educational Innovation Officer, Colorado State University System
Angela Jackson
Chief Ecosystem Investment Officer, Kapor Enterprises
Nonabah Lane
Co-Founder, Navajo Ethno-Agriculture
Glen Comiso
Senior Director for Institute Affairs, Office of the President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Venkat Srinivasan
Managing Director, Innospark Ventures
Catherine Havasi
Research Scientist, MIT Media Lab
Admir Masic
Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
Philip Reuchlin
Director of Programs & Strategy, Andan Foundation || Judge for The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion
Carlos Pereira
CEO and Founder, Livox International LLC
Nathan Corning
Impact Programs Coordinator, CCC Alliance
Josh Cohen
Managing Partner & Co-Founder, City Light Capital
Lopa Desai
Managing Director, Niraat Family Office
Michael Christian
Managing Director, Someone Else's Child
Maggie De Pree
Co-Founder, League of IntrapreneursIan Howatt
Intrapreneur & Director of Strategic Design & Business Performance, City of Edmonton, Canada
Antionette Klatzky
Director, Eileen Fisher Institute and Host of Women Together
Michelle Khuu
Co-Founder, Enablers Network at Victorian Public Service