As you are reading this, I’m on my way to New York for an entrepreneurial extravaganza this weekend and I’m certainly pumped about this one. For 48 hours I’m going to be interviewing, hanging out and covering some amazing events and people from the Kairos Society Summit/Gala to the YES Movie Premier mixed in with a little Gary Vaynerchuk.
The message is clear. Even in this down economy there is success and amazing entrepreneurs around every corner. From the young to the young-at-heart, it is going to be an amazing expedition and I can’t wait to share stories, lessons, and interviews with all of you on The Rise To The Top.
Here are three you should know about who I will be interviewing this weekend.
1. Gary Vaynerchuk: The social-media, wine-library, out-spoken, Internet-celeb. He just signed a SEVEN (yes, that would be over $1,000,000) book deal, has been rocking Twitter with close to 150,000 followers, and his Wine Library TV draws 80,000+ viewers a day to watch the wild man talk wine. Gary is a living example of passion, how to monetize passions and building brands.
You can find out more about Gary at Wine Library TV and GaryVaynerchuk.com
2. Louis Lautman: Visionary, filmmaker, awesome human being: I like to call Louis my bizarro (made up word, go with it) long-lost brother. Louis started the Young Entrepreneur Society and then went on a quest to interview young entrepreneurs making millions at a young age. The result is “The YES Movie” which will be making its east coast premier this weekend. Guaranteed to fire you up.
You can find out more at Young Entrepreneur Society and The YES Movie
3. Ankur Jain: Entrepreneurial advocate, student, leader: Ankur started the Kairos Society designed to be an exclusive entrepreneurial tribe of top college students. He has an incredible advisory board and his hosting the first ever “Kairos Society Summit” aboard the USS Intrepid in NYC this weekend with 500 of the top college entrepreneurs attending as well as the “Top 100 Student Companies In America” being honored.
You can find out more by checking out the Kairos Society
Here is a bit more about the weekend festivities:
Kairos Summit Brings Together the Top Collegiate Entrepreneurs with World Leaders & Industry Icons to Help Reinvent the American Dream in These Tough Economic Times
Invite-only event to be held on April 3-4 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York
New York, NY– Kairos Society, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2007 to foster an entrepreneurial culture among college students. Kairos is providing the opportunity for the students to bring their innovations from dorm rooms to the center stage under the guidance and mentorship of today’s business leaders. In an age of economic and employment uncertainty, these young entrepreneurs are taking control of their own futures by building ventures that are likely to become the leading businesses of tomorrow. These entrepreneurs are building socially responsible ventures that are not only focused on doing well, but doing good.
The event’s welcome addresses will be given by the 42nd President of United States of America, William J. Clinton, and William Gates Sr., co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, via video. Other successful leaders who will be addressing these young college entrepreneurs include Admiral Bill Owens, CEO and Chairman of AEA Holdings ASIA & former Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff; Bill White, President Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Scott Mednick, co- founder of Legendary Pictures and Mandalay Branded Entertainment; Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont; Bill Condit, former CEO of The Boeing Company; Joe Plumeri, CEO of Willis Group Holdings Limited; and Naveen Jain, CEO of Intelius Inc.
Ankur Jain, founder and President of Kairos Society, a sophomore at the Wharton School of Business, credits his father with giving him the tools to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur.
“My father instilled in me the idea that everyone can shape their own destiny; they can’t wait for things to happen, they have to make them happen,” said Jain. “There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Many of the successful enterprises were started during tough economic times. The passion of these young entrepreneurs with their innovative ideas can reinvent the American dream of building a better tomorrow.”
The Summit’s gala event will include a dinner on the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. There over 1300 years of professional experience will converge with 500 of the country’s most innovative students. The gala will feature several panels and an awards ceremony, which will honor top student innovative ventures for their achievements.
“We are extremely fortunate to live in a country where we have the freedom to be innovative and entrepreneurial,” said Ankur. “We owe this freedom to our forefathers and the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. For this reason, we are honored to host this event on the USS Intrepid, a symbol of this freedom.”
The Kairos Society’s advisory board is a who’s who of global leadership and includes Scott Mednick; Chris Kitze, founder of Xoom.com; Bill White, President of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Rajat K. Gupta, Managing Director Worldwide at McKinsey & Co.; and Bill Owens, former U.S. Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff. Along with Mednick, Kitze and White will be speaking at the Summit.
All of the board members say they got involved with the organization because they believe in what the Society can do to foster tomorrow’s top entrepreneurs. In the words of Bill Owens: “In this world, in which ‘everything is changing’, I believe the spirit of entrepreneurship, open-minded capitalism and glowing global relations will be of the utmost value. I think that this Society believes in that spirit, and that it will do much to enhance these most promising students’ futures. I’m proud to be a small part of that!”
“I have been speaking to business and entrepreneur programs at colleges and universities for many years,” said Mednick. “In my interaction with these future business leaders their thirst for knowledge and information from those who have been on the front lines has been insatiable. In putting together the opportunity to bring a breadth of business leaders together with these bright minds is not only a great idea but one that will help create a vibrant community of business leaders for years to come.”
“We’re proud to support an organization that has the potential to inspire and cultivate the next generation of business owners, innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Naveen Jain, CEO and founder of Intelius. “The students being recognized at this event demonstrate inspiring out-of-the-box thinking and bring new methodologies to the table. In today’s economy we can’t rely on what’s already been done, the only way to move forward is through innovation.”
Intelius and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum are the title sponsors for the Summit.
ABOUT THE KAIROS SOCIETY
The Kairos Society is a non-profit organization founded by a group of students designed to foster an entrepreneurial culture among college students based on three guiding principles: Inspiration, Experience, and Innovation. It is the organization’s goal to inspire students to become more entrepreneurial by bringing together the best undergraduates from across the country, the greatest entrepreneurial firms, and the most passionate mentors. Currently Kairos has brought together many of the top entrepreneurial students from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Stanford, Tufts, Duke, MIT, Emory, Furman, USC, Columbia, NYU, Babson, Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Northeastern, University of Michigan, and Penn State.
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