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Solve Challenge Finals 2017

Apella | New York City
The Solve Challenge Finals in New York City brought together selected innovators to pitch their solutions to a panel of expert judges and a live audience on Solve’s 2017 Global Challenges: (1) Brain Health, (2) Sustainable Urban Communities, (3) Women and Technology, and (4) Youth, Skills, & the Workforce of the Future....

Solve Challenge Finals 2017

The Solve Challenge Finals in New York City brought together selected innovators to pitch their solutions to a panel of expert judges and a live audience on Solve’s 2017 Global Challenges: (1) Brain Health, (2) Sustainable Urban Communities, (3) Women and Technology, and (4) Youth, Skills, & the Workforce of the Future. Those chosen by our judges became Solvers, who joined the Solve community to build partnerships with cross-sector leaders that help pilot, scale, and implement their solutions.

Watch the Solve Challenge Finals:

The Opening Plenary and Women and Technology Pitch Session

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The Sustainable Urban Communities Pitch Session

The Afternoon Plenary and Youth, Skills, and the Workforce of the Future Pitch Session

The Brain Health Pitch Session

The Closing Plenary

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Solving for everyone, by anyone: open innovation to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges  

We live in an era in which technological, climactic, and demographic changes present unprecedented challenges and opportunities. New technologies threaten to eliminate entire industries: nearly half of today’s jobs are at risk of becoming obsolete by the time young people enter the workforce. Furthermore, 7.5 billion people must be fed without depleting our planet’s food and water sources, and 90% of global population growth is concentrated in cities, heightening the need for sustainable urban communities. Brain disorders that impair mental health, social attachment, and economic productivity are increasingly common across all age demographics. And women and girls, especially in underserved areas, continue to experience inequalities that limit their participation in the growing digital economy.

Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts of Technology, leverages open innovation to identify and accelerate specific, actionable solutions to these global challenges. To kick off the 2017 Solve Challenge Finals, program participants will discuss how inclusive, grassroots approaches are essential to democratizing access to technological innovations and addressing the most profound challenges of our time.

Featured Speakers

Headshot of Alex Amouyel

Alex Amouyel

Executive Director, MIT Solve
Headshot of Jane Wurwand

Jane Wurwand

Co-Founder, Dermalogica and FITE
Headshot of Dominic Price

Dominic Price

Work Futurist, Atlassian
Headshot of Cynthia Barnhart

Cynthia Barnhart

Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Headshot of Katherine Maher

Katherine Maher

Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation
Headshot of Adaora Udoji

Adaora Udoji

Principal, Boshia Group

How can women and girls of all socioeconomic backgrounds use technology to fully participate and prosper in the economy? Read more about our Women and Technology Challenge.

Finalists

Headshot of Kristen Railey

Kristen Railey

Founder, Girls Who Build
Headshot of Jessica Hubley

Jessica Hubley

Founder & CEO, AnnieCannons
Headshot of Katharine Wolf

Katharine Wolf

Founder, Odetta
Headshot of Zara Nanu

Zara Nanu

CEO, Gapsquare
Headshot of Sydney Alfonso

Sydney Alfonso

Founder & CEO
Headshot of Asher Hasan

Asher Hasan

Co-Founder, doctHERs & Founder, Naya Jeevan
Headshot of ElsaMarie D'Silva

ElsaMarie D'Silva

Founder & CEO, Red Dot Foundation (Safecity)
Headshot of Hephzi Pemberton

Hephzi Pemberton

Founder, Kiteka
Headshot of Will Galvin

Will Galvin

Chairman, TruTrade
Headshot of Meena Palaniappan

Meena Palaniappan

Founder & CEO, Atma Connect
Headshot of Nasreen Alissa

Nasreen Alissa

Founder, Know Your Rights
Headshot of Tanya Henderson

Tanya Henderson

Founder and Executive Director, Mina's List, Peace is Loud
Headshot of Amrita Saigal

Amrita Saigal

Co-Founder, 100% Bio-degradable Sanitary Napkins from Banana Fibers
Headshot of Matteo Cera

Matteo Cera

Founder & CEO, HOGARU
Headshot of Roya Mahboob

Roya Mahboob

CEO, Digital Citizen Fund
Headshot of Shreya Shankar

Shreya Shankar

Co-Director, SHE++
Headshot of Priya Nirmal

Priya Nirmal

Developer, Erase All Kittens

Judges

Headshot of Kavita Gupta

Kavita Gupta

Founding Managing Partner, ConsenSys
Headshot of Obi Felten

Obi Felten

Head of Getting Moonshots Ready for Contact with the Real World, X
Headshot of Susan McPherson

Susan McPherson

Founder & CEO, McPherson Strategies
Headshot of Kate Ahern

Kate Ahern

Director, Bain Capital
Headshot of Vanessa Grellet

Vanessa Grellet

Executive Director, ConsenSys
Headshot of Cady Coleman

Cady Coleman

Former Astronaut, NASA
Headshot of Katja Iversen

Katja Iversen

President and CEO, Women Deliver
Headshot of Katharina Borchert

Katharina Borchert

Chief Innovation Officer, Mozilla
Headshot of Laura Callanan

Laura Callanan

Founding Partner, Upstart Co-Lab
Headshot of Paul  Sznewajs

Paul Sznewajs

Executive Director, Ingenuity
Headshot of Leila W. Kinney

Leila W. Kinney

Executive Director of Arts Initiatives and of the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST)
Headshot of ​Rachel Goslins

​Rachel Goslins

Director, Arts & Industries Building, Smithsonian Institution
Headshot of Lawrence Yanovitch

Lawrence Yanovitch

President, GSMA Foundation
Headshot of Karen Appleton Page

Karen Appleton Page

US Enterprise Partnerships, Apple
Headshot of Cynthia Barnhart

Cynthia Barnhart

Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Headshot of Grace Puma

Grace Puma

Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Officer, PepsiCo
Headshot of Yannick Glemarec

Yannick Glemarec

Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme, UN Women

How can urban communities increase their access to sustainable and resilient food and water sources? Read more about our Sustainable Urban Communities Challenge.

Finalists

Headshot of Nicola  Gryczka

Nicola Gryczka

CEO, Gastromotiva
Headshot of Gabrielle Wimer

Gabrielle Wimer

Co-Founder, MealFlour
Headshot of Patrick Suen

Patrick Suen

Chief Executive Officer, Waterig
Headshot of Johanna Hoffman

Johanna Hoffman

Designer, Urban Fabrick Collaborative
Headshot of Danny Wright

Danny Wright

Executive Director, Gravity Water
Headshot of Grégoire Landel

Grégoire Landel

CEO, CityTaps
Headshot of Angel Kuye Oluwayimika

Angel Kuye Oluwayimika

Founder & CEO, Fresh Direct Nigeria
Headshot of Jim Chu

Jim Chu

Chief Executive Officer, UNTAPPED
Headshot of Komal Ahmad

Komal Ahmad

CEO, Copia
Headshot of You Wu

You Wu

Research & Product Lead, MIT
Headshot of Venkata Chamala Anil

Venkata Chamala Anil

CEO/Partner, Eesavyasa technologies PVT Ltd (Samhita Life Sciences)
Headshot of Subham Agarwala

Subham Agarwala

Co-Founder, Farm-ASSIST
Headshot of Edwin Kestler

Edwin Kestler

CTO, Flatbox, S.A.
Headshot of Elliot Roth

Elliot Roth

Founder, Spira
Headshot of Christopher Doroja

Christopher Doroja

Chief Executive Officer, StillFresh

Judges

Headshot of Chelina Odbert

Chelina Odbert

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Kounkuey Design Initiative
Headshot of Ryan Whalen

Ryan Whalen

Director, Initiatives and Strategy, The Rockefeller Foundation
Headshot of Kazunao Sato

Kazunao Sato

Senior Manager, Legacy Planning and Produce Department, Dentsu, Inc
Headshot of Hervé P. Duteil

Hervé P. Duteil

Managing Director, Regional Coordinator for Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainable Finance, Americas, BNP Paribas
Headshot of Laura Callanan

Laura Callanan

Founding Partner, Upstart Co-Lab
Headshot of Paul  Sznewajs

Paul Sznewajs

Executive Director, Ingenuity
Headshot of Leila W. Kinney

Leila W. Kinney

Executive Director of Arts Initiatives and of the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST)
Headshot of ​Rachel Goslins

​Rachel Goslins

Director, Arts & Industries Building, Smithsonian Institution
Headshot of Gunhild Stordalen

Gunhild Stordalen

President and Founder, EAT Foundation

Communicating for Change: Connect Your Big Ideas to Societal Action

How can stories motivate audiences to take action?

Join Atlantic Media Strategies for a workshop exploring how to engage and energize the right audiences around urgent societal issues. How can powerful stories enable you to reach new people and increase participation in your cause? What is the most effective call to action? Participants will leave this session with lessons for humanizing complex issues and fostering meaningful engagement and action over the long term.

Inclusion as Fuel for Innovation

Featured Speakers

Headshot of Ursula M. Burns

Ursula M. Burns

Founding Partner, Integrum Holdings
Headshot of Christina Vuleta

Christina Vuleta

VP, Women's Digital Network, Forbes Media
Headshot of Karl  Burkart

Karl Burkart

Director of Innovation, Media & Technology, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

How can every person improve their brain health and mental resilience? Read more about our Brain Health Challenge.

Finalists

Headshot of Tara Thiagarajan

Tara Thiagarajan

Founder and Chief Scientist, Sapien Labs
Headshot of Fahad Al Saud

Fahad Al Saud

Founder, Tomo
Headshot of Albert Kwon

Albert Kwon

CEO & Co-Founder, AUGMENTx
Headshot of Oliver Thornton

Oliver Thornton

CEO and Founder, Coding Autism
Headshot of Jay Newton-Small

Jay Newton-Small

CEO, MemoryWell
Headshot of Nihal Satyadev

Nihal Satyadev

CEO & Co-Founder, The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer's
Headshot of Oren Miron

Oren Miron

Reseach Associate, Harvard Medical School
Headshot of Kristina Saffran

Kristina Saffran

CEO & Co-Founder, Project HEAL
Headshot of William Hamilton

William Hamilton

Co-founder, Mimerse
Headshot of Bea Arthur

Bea Arthur

CEO, The Difference
Headshot of Emma Yang

Emma Yang

Founder, Timeless
Headshot of Michael Niconchuk

Michael Niconchuk

Director of Research and Development, Beyond Conflict
Headshot of Sean Mayberry

Sean Mayberry

Founder & Executive Director, StrongMinds
Headshot of Randall Davis

Randall Davis

Co-Founder, DCTclock
Headshot of Vic Strecher

Vic Strecher

CEO, JOOL Health and Univ. of Michigan
Headshot of Tanjir Soron

Tanjir Soron

Founder, Learn to Care

Judges

Headshot of Corinna Lathan

Corinna Lathan

CEO, Co-Founder, and Board Chair, AnthroTronix, Inc.
Headshot of Olivier Oullier

Olivier Oullier

Professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Aix-Marseille University
Headshot of Rebecca Brachman

Rebecca Brachman

Runway Fellow, Cornell Tech, Cornell University
Headshot of Alvaro Fernandez

Alvaro Fernandez

CEO & Editor-in-Chief, SharpBrains
Headshot of Sarah Lenz Lock

Sarah Lenz Lock

Senior Vice President for Policy, AARP; Executive Director, Global Council on Brain Health, AARP
Headshot of Laura Callanan

Laura Callanan

Founding Partner, Upstart Co-Lab
Headshot of Paul  Sznewajs

Paul Sznewajs

Executive Director, Ingenuity
Headshot of Leila W. Kinney

Leila W. Kinney

Executive Director of Arts Initiatives and of the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST)
Headshot of ​Rachel Goslins

​Rachel Goslins

Director, Arts & Industries Building, Smithsonian Institution
Headshot of Arshya Vahabzadeh

Arshya Vahabzadeh

Chief Medical Officer, Brain Power; Innovation Officer, Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy
Headshot of Kenneth Kaplan

Kenneth Kaplan

Senior Advisor, Initiative for Health Systems Innovation, MIT Sloan School of Management

How can disadvantaged youth learn the skills they need to prepare them for the workforce of the future and thrive in the 21st century? Read more about our Youth, Skills, & the Workforce of the Future Challenge.

Finalists

Headshot of Richard R. Rowe

Richard R. Rowe

Founder & CEO, Open Learning Exchange, Inc.
Headshot of Clary Castrission

Clary Castrission

CEO, 40K Plus
Headshot of Clare Sutcliffe

Clare Sutcliffe

Executive Director, Raspberry Pi Foundation
Headshot of David Sweeting

David Sweeting

Founder, The Urban Platform Studio
Headshot of Nathan Murphy

Nathan Murphy

CEO & Founder, JobHack
Headshot of Patrick Meier

Patrick Meier

Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Flying Labs
Headshot of Allison Sanders

Allison Sanders

Research and Partnerships Coordinator, Baan Dek Foundation
Headshot of Muhamad Iman Usman

Muhamad Iman Usman

Co-Founder/ Chief Product Officer, Ruangguru
Headshot of Amanda Simandjuntak

Amanda Simandjuntak

Co-founder, Markoding
Headshot of Jacob Bronstein

Jacob Bronstein

Founder & CEO, WordScientists, LLC.
Headshot of Zhihan Lee

Zhihan Lee

CEO, BagoSphere
Headshot of Mona Mourshed

Mona Mourshed

President, Generation
Headshot of Taj Pabari

Taj Pabari

Founder, Fiftysix Creations
Headshot of James Centenera

James Centenera

Co-Founder and CEO, TULA Philippines
Headshot of Janine Teo

Janine Teo

CEO, Solve Education!
Headshot of Rebecca Novak

Rebecca Novak

CEO, Code Nation
Headshot of Fabrice Filachet

Fabrice Filachet

Education and Social Mission Manager, Passerelles Numeriques
Headshot of Paul Falzone

Paul Falzone

Executive Director, Peripheral Vision International
Headshot of Tariq Fancy

Tariq Fancy

Founder, The Rumie Initiative
Headshot of Godwin Benson

Godwin Benson

Co-Founder and CEO, Tuteria

Judges

Headshot of Kevin McAndrew

Kevin McAndrew

Senior Director, Social Innovation Partnerships, Save the Children
Headshot of Melissa Beaumont Lee

Melissa Beaumont Lee

Foundation Manager, Atlassian [Youth, Skills, & the Workforce of the Future Coalition]
Headshot of Lisa Neuberger Fernandez

Lisa Neuberger Fernandez

Managing Director, Accenture
Headshot of Cynthia McCaffrey

Cynthia McCaffrey

Director of the Office of Global Innovation, UNICEF
Headshot of Lucy Ashman

Lucy Ashman

Global Director of Social Innovation, Teach For All
Headshot of Tom Fletcher

Tom Fletcher

Global Strategy Director, Global Business Coalition for Education
Headshot of Azita  Berar Awad

Azita Berar Awad

Director of Employment Policy, International Labor Organization
Headshot of Larry Berger

Larry Berger

CEO, Amplify
Headshot of Nafez Dakkak

Nafez Dakkak

CEO, Queen Rania Foundation
Headshot of Dana Stepp

Dana Stepp

Global Education Vertical Manager, HP

Partnering to create a solutions marketplace

The challenges the world faces today are too complex and multi-dimensional to be solved by one sector or one actor alone. Governments recognize the need to involve private actors – whether corporations, foundations, NGOs, or social entrepreneurs – to address local and global issues. Cross-sector partnerships are key to Solve’s problem-solving methodology: it is only through building and convening a community of cross-sector leaders and change-makers that the best solutions designed by our Solvers can be supported and accelerated. To conclude the 2017 Solve Challenge Finals, program participants will discuss how cross-sector actors can work together and partner to create a solutions marketplace where good solutions to address the challenges of our time are funded and implemented.


Featured Speakers

Headshot of L. Rafael Reif

L. Rafael Reif

President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Headshot of Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Headshot of Katja Iversen

Katja Iversen

President and CEO, Women Deliver
Headshot of Sarah Lenz Lock

Sarah Lenz Lock

Senior Vice President for Policy, AARP; Executive Director, Global Council on Brain Health, AARP
Headshot of Mark Reading [Old]

Mark Reading [Old]

Head of Foundation, Atlassian
Headshot of Luis Alberto Moreno

Luis Alberto Moreno

President, Inter-American Development Bank
Headshot of Her Excellency Mrs. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

Her Excellency Mrs. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

President of the Republic of Mauritius
Headshot of Premal Shah

Premal Shah

Co-Founder and President, Kiva
Headshot of Guilherme Leal

Guilherme Leal

Co-Founder, Natura
Headshot of Julie Bishop

Julie Bishop

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs

Featured Speakers

Headshot of Alex Amouyel

Alex Amouyel

Executive Director, MIT Solve
Headshot of Jane Wurwand

Jane Wurwand

Co-Founder, Dermalogica and FITE
Headshot of Dominic Price

Dominic Price

Work Futurist, Atlassian
Headshot of Cynthia Barnhart

Cynthia Barnhart

Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Headshot of Katherine Maher

Katherine Maher

Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation
Headshot of Adaora Udoji

Adaora Udoji

Principal, Boshia Group
Headshot of L. Rafael Reif

L. Rafael Reif

President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Headshot of Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Headshot of Katja Iversen

Katja Iversen

President and CEO, Women Deliver
Headshot of Sarah Lenz Lock

Sarah Lenz Lock

Senior Vice President for Policy, AARP; Executive Director, Global Council on Brain Health, AARP
Headshot of Mark Reading [Old]

Mark Reading [Old]

Head of Foundation, Atlassian
Headshot of Luis Alberto Moreno

Luis Alberto Moreno

President, Inter-American Development Bank
Headshot of Her Excellency Mrs. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

Her Excellency Mrs. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

President of the Republic of Mauritius
Headshot of Premal Shah

Premal Shah

Co-Founder and President, Kiva
Headshot of Guilherme Leal

Guilherme Leal

Co-Founder, Natura
Headshot of Julie Bishop

Julie Bishop

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
Headshot of Ursula M. Burns

Ursula M. Burns

Founding Partner, Integrum Holdings
Headshot of Christina Vuleta

Christina Vuleta

VP, Women's Digital Network, Forbes Media
Headshot of Karl  Burkart

Karl Burkart

Director of Innovation, Media & Technology, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

Silver

Vice Impact
Forbes
SAP Next-Gen
PepsiCo