We launched NationSwell.com in December 2013 as part of our mission to elevate the greatest solutions to our national challenges. Since then, we’ve told more than 2,000 stories about people across the country who are bridging the opportunity divide, advancing national service, preserving our environment and making government work.
The NationSwell All-Stars are the most inspiring changemakers we featured in our first year. From a Navy SEAL who is using his war wounds to help fellow soldiers, to the founders of GirlTrek and the street doctor who is bringing medical care to the memeless, these are the people offering creative and impactful solutions.
Last month, the All-Stars joined the NationSwell Council, a membership network and events series for professionals committed to service, for “A Celebration of Service” in New York City. Support them by watching the above video and reading these original stories on NationSwell.com, then share your ideas in the comments below or on this story’s call to action.
We’re partnering with NBCUniversal to support the greatest innovators who are tackling some of the nation’s most critical issues. Tell us who you think the next biggest changemaker in America is by nominating them to be a 2015 NationSwell AllStar.
Tag: innovators
America’s Heartland: Where Innovation Is Taking Root
If Anheuser-Busch, the brewing company based in St. Louis that’s known for Budweisers and Clydesdales, held a hackathon, attendees would probably dream up the next big app for beer lovers, while overlooking the areas in real need of disruption, like water optimization.
That’s the thinking of Terry Howerton, CEO of the Chicago-based incubator TechNexus. Howerton joined Noah Lewis, managing director of GE Ventures, and Ting Gootee, Chief Investment Officer of Elevate Ventures at last month’s SXSW panel Reinventing America: Betting Big on the Heartland, which was moderated by Paul Noglows, executive producer of the Forbes Reinventing America Project. The conversation between investors making big bets on innovation in the Midwest was part of the Rise of the Rest road trip celebrating entrepreneurship across America.
Here, three important takeaways:
The Midwest is the next Silicon Valley.
The region has a higher density of Fortune 500 companies than anywhere else in the world, accounting for 19 percent of the country’s GDP, yet it receives just 5 percent of venture capital funding — making it a virtually untapped market that’s ripe for innovative thinking. “I really do believe we are going to solve the bigger problems – water, energy, healthcare, transportation. It’s not going to be about the next taxi app or the next Meet Up,” Noglows said.
The middle of the country isn’t lacking in entrepreneurial success stories.
For instance, ExactTarget, an email and mobile marketing technology company, was sold in 2013 to Salesforce for $2.5 billion. The panelists explained how co-founder and CEO Scott Dorsey, started ExactTarget in Indianapolis not only because that’s where he wanted to raise his kids, but also because employee loyalty was stronger there than in Silicon Valley, where the vast majority of his competitors were based.
But, there’s still big challenges preventing the Midwest from becoming an entrepreneurial hub.
The lack of direct flights, and venture capitalists being unwilling to deal with a layover or possible connection delay. To illustrate what a big deal this is, Noglows described how, at The Innovation Summit hosted by Forbes last year, the Indiana secretary of commerce got a standing ovation after announcing a new direct flight from San Francisco to Indianapolis.
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Meet 3 Young Innovators Who Could Make The World Cooler — Literally
Miles Barr wields the power of invisibility and draws energy from the sun. George Ban-Weiss can make the temperature drop in an entire city. And Emily Cole harnesses light to transform matter.
The three 30-somethings aren’t members of Marvel’s latest squad of superheroes. They’re part of a different high-powered team: MIT’s 35 Innovators Under 35.
Every year, MIT Technology Review Magazine picks 35 young problem-solvers to feature on its list, which includes scientists, inventors or entrepreneurs working on groundbreaking tech advancements in fields such as medicine, computers, data mining and robotics.
At least three of the members of this year’s list — Barr, Ban-Weiss and Cole — are working on new ideas that could help fight global climate change.
INVISIBLE MAN
Miles Barr, a 30-year-old entrepreneur, wants to turn every cell-phone screen into a solar panel without anyone noticing the difference.
He’s the cofounder of a company called Ubiquitous Energy, which is developing transparent — effectively invisible — solar panels. The technology’s implications for mobile devices are potentially transformative. No more battery-life worries: Every time you use your phone or tablet outside, it would be drawing power from the sun.
Barr also envisions larger-scale applications, like replacing entire windows with power-generating, transparent solar panels. The technology could mean less reliance on energy from fossil fuels, meaning less pollution overall.
SILVER SURFER
George Ban-Weiss, a 33-year-old professor in the University of Southern California’s school of engineering, came up with a simple idea to cool down Los Angeles: Paint roofs silver.
Black roofs soak up rays from the sun, making buildings hotter and heating up the air. Cool roofs — ones that reflect sunlight rather than absorb it — can make a measurable difference in the temperature in a city.
After Ban-Weiss presented his findings on cool roofs to the mayor of Los Angeles, the city passed a law requiring cool roofs for all new or refurbished roofs on residential buildings. It’s a change that could mean people in L.A. will have to run their air conditioners a little less, and the city will feel even cooler.
WONDER WOMAN
Excess carbon dioxide is making the planet hotter. But the harmful gas could be put to good use: making plastics, so says Emily Cole. The 31-year-old is the chief science officer at a company called Liquid Light, which is working on ways to convert CO2 into more useful chemicals.
Cole has helped develop technology that uses light to trigger reactions converting carbon dioxide into over 30 different chemicals. Liquid Light is focusing on ethylene glycol, which is used in plastics manufacturing, as it’s first commercial product.
Click here to meet the rest of MIT’s 35 Innovators Under 35.
MORE: These 10 States Are Leading the Way in Solar Power. What’s Their Secret?