Brian Hart, Founder, Black-i Robotics &
Richard Hart, Chief Product Designer, Black-i Robotics
When keynote speaker Brain Hart lost his son to a roadside ambush in Iraq, he channeled his grief into creating an affordable robot that defuses bombs so the troops don’t have to. With his brother Richard as chief product designer, and start-up capital from John’s military benefits, the two founded Black-i Robotics. The result?: Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New” and “Top 100 Innovations of the Year.”
Mark Norman,
President & Chief Operating Officer, ZIPCAR
Zipcar forces people to think differently about daily transportation needs. The convenience of the self-service model, using the Internet, mobile technology, text messaging and RFID-enabled cards puts members in control of when, where and what car they drive. Zipcar has gone from a $2 million niche service to an expected $100 million
mainstream business.