In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.
Boris Sofman
Boris Sofman is the co-founder and CEO of Anki, a robotics and AI company. Sofman holds a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. An engineer and researcher, Sofman has built a diverse range of robotic systems from consumer products to bomb-disposal robots. Their latest product that was recently released to the market, Anki Drive, was presented in the keynote of Apple's WWDC conference. Boris will be talking about his experience in creating Anki, and how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the modern world today.Moira Saxena
Moira Saxena is a senior at Gunn High School. She dances both outside of school and on the Gunn dance team, and will present dance as a means of artistic expression, communication, and cultural identity.Hunter Franks
Hunter Franks is the founder of the SF Postcard Project, which collects handmade postcards from people living in the Tenderloin, Central Market, Bayview, and Western Addition communities of San Francisco, and mails these postcards to random residents of the city. This encourages emotional connections and breaks down negative stigmas. Since its inception in April of 2013, the Postcard Project has expanded to about 200 active postcards. Hunter will be speaking about the inspiration behind the SF Postcard Project, and how compassion, interaction wonder are rekindled in communities through communication.Jean Fan
Jean Fan is the community manager at UnCollege, an organization that aims to help students hack their education experience through their gap year program. The UnCollege movement recognizes the weaknesses of a bland college experience, and provides mentoring and workshops to remedy the situation. Fan herself has taken two years off from Stanford University to realize her potential.Joe Lonsdale
Joe Lonsdale is an entrepreneur who majored in Computer Science at Stanford University and is involved in a variety of philanthropic and investment pursuits. He started off at Paypal and then went on to become an executive at Clarium Capital (Hedge Fund), co-found Palantir Technologies (multi purpose data-mining, and counter-terrorism software), and become the Chairman of Addepar (wealth management software). He is a veteran TEDx speaker about the global challenges that Silicon Valley can solve, including through man-machine symbiosis.Steven Tadelis
Steven Tadelis is an Israeli Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his Masters and Bachelors degrees in Economics at the University of Haifa, and the Technion, respectively, and his PhD at Harvard University. His research into E-Commerce has been featured in The Economist and has transformed how Ebay conducts business. Tadelis brings a wealth of knowledge about the field of economics and its confounding discoveries.Rob Best
Rob Best is the construction leader of Stanford’s Solar Decathlon program, a project dedicated to making energy-efficient innovations in housing. The Stanford Solar Decathlon program combines advancing technology with classic design to create architecture that is sustainable for the future. As the construction lead of the program, Best is responsible for “com[ing] up with realistic concepts of how to connect the pieces of the home and safely transport and reconstruct every detail”. He is currently obtaining his PhD at Stanford.Hen Mazzig
Hen Mazzig is the Campus Coordinator for the Northwest Chapter of StandWithUs, which promotes peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and counters misrepresentation and demonization of Israel. He served in the Israeli Defense Forces for five years as a liaison officer for humanitarian organizations servicing the West Bank and Gaza.Paul Warren
Paul Andrew Warren is a Stanford student from the Stanford Student Space Initiative. The SSI is a means for Stanford students to connect to the burgeoning field of aerospace through events, mentorship, and project development. He is a part of the Aeromedicine and Zero-G Experiment Teams, which perform space and high-altitude experiments in collaboration with NASA Ames and Stanford Medical School.Jeff Scheur
Jeff Scheur is a former English teacher who, after 15,000 papers, decided to change the status quo of education. He is the President and founder of NoRedInk, a web-based platform for learning grammar and writing skills. NoRedInk has found an investor in Google Ventures, and won the Citi $75,000 Innovation Challenge.Organizing team
