Keynote Speaker: Caleb Harper, Principal Investigator and Director, Open Agriculture MIT Media Lab
Monday, May 20, 12:15 p.m.- 1:45 p.m. Ballroom AB
Caleb Harper leads a diverse group of engineers, architects and scientists in the exploration and development of future food systems. Harper’s research focuses in the areas of control environment design, actuated sensing, control automation and data-driven resource, energy, and biologic optimization. His group, together with strategic partners, is developing an open-source agricultural hardware, software, and data common with the goal of creating a more agile, responsive and collaborative food system.
Harper is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer (2015-2016) and a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) New Vision for Agriculture Transformation Leaders Network (2015-2016). His work has been featured by TIME, WIRED, The Economist, National Geographic, The Smithsonian, Huffington Post, Popular Science, IEEE and TED.
Prior to joining the Media Lab in 2011, Harper worked professionally as an architect designing and developing data centers, health-care and semi-conductor fabrication facilities. He has consulted with multiple international development agencies, including USAID, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the Delhi Development Authority on high-density urban development projects.
Opening Day Speaker: Alex Kenjeev, President, O’Leary Ventures
Tuesday, May 21, 12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m. LFI Live, Booth 5455
As president of O’Leary Ventures, Alex Kenjeev negotiates with, oversees and mentors a portfolio of rapidly growing businesses across many industries.
He also co-founded a software company that was acquired three years later for more than $100 million. Alex is an investor on CNBC’s Make Me a Millionaire Inventor, a frequent contributor on CTV and a bit of a weird dude.