Ari Herstand, Singer/Songwriter
Since quitting his day job at Starbucks in January 2008, Minneapolis based Ari Herstand has played over 60 colleges, toured both coasts, performed Milwaukee's Summerfest and Austin's SXSW, opened for Ben Folds, Eric Hutchinson, Matt Nathanson and Joshua Radin and performed on Cities 97 Live from Studio C. The completely independent musician also started an artist development company, Proud Honeybee Productions, handling booking, publicity, publishing and management for other bands locally and around the country.
Kristopher Kelley, Kelley Green Biofuel
On a mid-sized organic bison farm in the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky lives a twenty-something year old green entrepreneur who is taking used grease and making biodiesel. Behind the beard and eccentric glasses, Kristopher Ray Kelley is the business man who has dedicated himself to the future of fuel. He first conceived the idea for Kelley Green Biodiesel in a entrepreneurship course in college; since then he has single-handedly built his biodiesel plant from scratch. Now, producing fuel, Kris is already working with Washington University in St. Louis to reuse the grease from dining services in their own campus vehicles.
Pushkar NORTH STAR Sharma, The BROWNSTAR Revolution
BROWNSTAR is a spoken-word duo based at the origin of the American revolution: in Boston, Massachusetts. A rising star in the Asian-American artistic community, BROWNSTAR merges high-energy comedy, personal memoir, and science fiction to ignite a discourse about the South Asian American community and give a generation its voice and song.
Yael Miriam, Performance Artist and Activist
An activist and performance artist, Yael's mission is to incorporate theatre methodologies to create lasting social change and practice Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. She aspire's to develop creative projects with global impact, to empower disenfranchised communities, reduce discrimination and promote peaceful co-existence.
Maya Tobias, Jewelry Designer
Maya Tobias is a Manhattan-based jewelry designer who also works in branding and marketing. Her jewelry is a collage of vintage and contemporary metal findings, chains and stones—producing a look that is unique, whimsical and bold.
Andras Forgacs, Richmond Management
Richmond Management has a global approach to venture capital. We invest in technology-enabled services and mobile technologies with applications in the US and across major emerging markets. Our portfolio companies are based around the world and operate on five continents. Whether bringing mobile healthcare solutions to Africa or mobile payments capabilities to South Asia, we believe that entrepreneurship and technology-driven solutions should know no boundaries.
Maya Enista, Mobilize.org
Maya Enista joined the Mobilize.org team in July 2005 as Chief Operating Officer of a small non-profit. Today, she is the Chief Executive Officer of a growing and innovative Millennial organization whose mission is to improve democracy by investing in Millennial-driven solutions.
Mobilize.org believes that in order to create long-term, sustainable and community based solutions to the challenges facing our generation, Millennials (young adults born between the years 1976 and 1996) must authentically engage their peers in identifying problems, proposing solutions, and most importantly, must work together to implement these solutions on their campuses and in their communities.
The Meridius, Roster McCabe
After a brief time together in an all-acoustic college bar band, Alex Steele (keyboard, vocals) Drew Preiner (guitar, vocals) and Michael Daum (guitar) began working on a new project with a new vision and direction. The style eventually settled into a funk rock reggae sound, with emphasis on solid songwriting and explosive performances. In September 2006, the trio released a demo called “Contradicting Gravity.” The short disc garnered some local attention in the Twin Cities, and word started buzzing around colleges and clubs. After a few member changes and additions, the band grew to a 6 piece and released their first full-length album, “The Rhythm/The Elements” in September 2007 to a sold out crowd at the historic Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN.
Gingerking Records, DJ and Producer
John Hilmes, Pixel Pinchers
do no harm // kaizen // evolve // create // life is a party // humanist // international buffet style polytheism