Podcast appearances and mentions of houston technology center

Steve Latham is the co-founder of DonateStock, a Houston startup that simplifies stock-based donations for both nonprofits and their donors. Steve and I discuss how DonateStock's platform has evolved to make a greater impact for nonprofit organizations. He also shares how he's seen the Houston innovation ecosystem evolve since his early days at the Houston Technology Center followed by decades of entrepreneurship within tech.

NASA's heat shield technologies have been adapted to make a superior protective enclosure for practical, affordable fire safes.

JAY STEINFELD founded and was the CEO of Blinds.com, the world's number one online window covering retailer. Boot-strapped in 1996 for just $3,000 from his Bellaire, Texas, garage, Blinds.com was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014.Jay remained as its CEO and later joined The Home Depot Online Leadership Team. After stepping away from these roles in early 2020, he teaches entrepreneurship at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business and has increased his involvement on numerous private company boards and serves as a director of the public company Masonite (NYSE: DOOR). He also supports numerous charities.Jay is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Technology Center. Active as an industry speaker on topics including corporate culture, core values, how to scale a start-up, and disruption, he has more than 100 published articles and writes a column for Inc.com.He also sings in the same barbershop quartet of which he's been a part of for nearly 50 years. He lives with his wife, Barbara, in Houston, Texas, and has five children and seven grandchildren whom he proudly refers to as his seven start-ups.Jay's book, “Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity” is a Wall Street Journal Best Seller. It was published on November 30, 2021 and is available for purchase now at all the usual places, including amazon.Visit Jay and download the first chapter for FREE at www.JaySteinfeld.com.The Mentor Projectwww.mentorproject.orgYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKgl...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMentorPro...LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/The-...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentor_projectHost: Dr. Ruth Gotian, educator | mentor | coach | speaker | author, The Success Factorwww.ruthgotian.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuthGotian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgotian/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RuthGotian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthgotian/ ClubHouse: @RuthGotian Panel of expertsDr. Deborah HeiserCo-founder and CEO of The Mentor Project. https://www.deborahheiser.com Devon Harris3x Olympian and original member of the Jamaican bobsledding team, featured in the movie Cool Runnings.www.devonharris.comSuzie KatzAward-winning photographer and founder of Photo Wings, which helps people think creatively through photography.http://photowings.org Dr. Bruce Y. LeeWriter, journalist, professor, systems modeler, computational and digital health expertwww.bruceylee.comJanice Lintz#1 change maker with a special passion to help the millions of people worldwide with hearing loss.https://janicelintz.com

Blinds.com founder, Jay Steinfeld, bootstrapped his company — with only $3,000 in 1996 — to a sizable competitor of the big box shops like Home Depot, who acquired the company in 2014. Jay was an early adopter of this thing called “the internet” and transformed his small retail business into the world’s #1 online blinds retailer as well as the leading e-tailer of hard-to-buy custom categories of home goods. Jay intentionally designed a successful exit to Home Depot that included him staying on to run Blinds.com for an additional six years after acquisition. Jay is a passionate advocate and frequent speaker on how company culture and authentic core values drive profitable growth. Throughout his journey, Jay identified four principles that guided his decision making in every aspect of business and life which lead to his continuous happiness and success. He calls them the 4Es: evolve continuously; experiment without fear of failure; express yourself; and enjoy the ride. Jay just packaged up his experience and the 4Es into his new book, Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity which was just released. He thinks business owners need to stop asking themselves how little they can do for their employees before they quit and start wondering how much more they can do, and why this is a smarter strategy. This is an amazing episode that shows how caring for the people in your company will scale your business to heights you never thought possible. What You Will Learn How Jay shifted his mindset in his business after a personal tragedy Why it’s super important to understand what your employees want (including their personal goals) The four Es that that turned Jay’s business into a multi-million dollar company and competitor to Home Depot How to stay true to your purpose and the true north of your business, while still balancing the mechanics of your finances and shareholders Jay’s strategy behind going with private equity shortly before selling to Home Depot How he maintained an 8% turnover rate in his company Why Jay stayed on with his company for six years after he sold The importance of trying new things, in general, and how that transfers to your business life How intention led Jay to create his legacy Why Jay is so passionate about humanity in business The surprising motivation behind Jay today as he moves forward on five boards, some on the NYSE Bio: JAY STEINFELD founded and was the CEO of Global Custom Commerce, which operates the world’s number one online window covering retailer Blinds.com. Bootstrapped in 1996 for just $3000 from his Bellaire, Texas garage, Global Custom Commerce was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014. Jay remained as its CEO and later joined The Home Depot Online Leadership Team. After stepping away from these roles in early 2020, he has increased his involvement on numerous private company boards and serves as a director of the public company Masonite (NYSE: DOOR). He also teaches entrepreneurship at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and supports numerous charities. Jay is an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Technology Center. Active as an industry speaker on topics including corporate culture, core values, how to scale a start-up, and disruption, he has more than 100 published articles. Jay is passionate about adhering to his core values, which he calls the 4Es: evolve continuously; experiment without fear of failure; express yourself; and enjoy the ride. They have helped him make every business decision that led to his success and have turned into his new book, Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity

Blinds.com founder, Jay Steinfeld, bootstrapped his company — with only $3,000 in 1996 — to a sizable competitor of the big box shops like Home Depot, who acquired the company in 2014. Jay was an early adopter of this thing called “the internet” and transformed his small retail business into the world’s #1 online blinds retailer as well as the leading e-tailer of hard-to-buy custom categories of home goods. Jay intentionally designed a successful exit to Home Depot that included him staying on to run Blinds.com for an additional six years after acquisition. Jay is a passionate advocate and frequent speaker on how company culture and authentic core values drive profitable growth. Throughout his journey, Jay identified four principles that guided his decision making in every aspect of business and life which lead to his continuous happiness and success. He calls them the 4Es: evolve continuously; experiment without fear of failure; express yourself; and enjoy the ride. Jay just packaged up his experience and the 4Es into his new book, Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity which was just released. He thinks business owners need to stop asking themselves how little they can do for their employees before they quit and start wondering how much more they can do, and why this is a smarter strategy. This is an amazing episode that shows how caring for the people in your company will scale your business to heights you never thought possible. What You Will Learn How Jay shifted his mindset in his business after a personal tragedy Why it’s super important to understand what your employees want (including their personal goals) The four Es that that turned Jay’s business into a multi-million dollar company and competitor to Home Depot How to stay true to your purpose and the true north of your business, while still balancing the mechanics of your finances and shareholders Jay’s strategy behind going with private equity shortly before selling to Home Depot How he maintained an 8% turnover rate in his company Why Jay stayed on with his company for six years after he sold The importance of trying new things, in general, and how that transfers to your business life How intention led Jay to create his legacy Why Jay is so passionate about humanity in business The surprising motivation behind Jay today as he moves forward on five boards, some on the NYSE Bio: JAY STEINFELD founded and was the CEO of Global Custom Commerce, which operates the world’s number one online window covering retailer Blinds.com. Bootstrapped in 1996 for just $3000 from his Bellaire, Texas garage, Global Custom Commerce was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014. Jay remained as its CEO and later joined The Home Depot Online Leadership Team. After stepping away from these roles in early 2020, he has increased his involvement on numerous private company boards and serves as a director of the public company Masonite (NYSE: DOOR). He also teaches entrepreneurship at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and supports numerous charities. Jay is an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Technology Center. Active as an industry speaker on topics including corporate culture, core values, how to scale a start-up, and disruption, he has more than 100 published articles. Jay is passionate about adhering to his core values, which he calls the 4Es: evolve continuously; experiment without fear of failure; express yourself; and enjoy the ride. They have helped him make every business decision that led to his success and have turned into his new book, Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity

When you hear the words “company culture,” what comes to mind? Workplace culture is a hot issue these days, especially as it relates to jobs and the so-called “Great Resignation.” What do employees really want: freedom, tangible perks, a more inviting company culture? CEO and Entrepreneur Jay Steinfeld shares his story of success and expertise when it comes to corporate culture.  “If you want to do things of consequence, if you want to build consequential things, I think you must first help people become consequential.” - Jay Steinfeld, on improving company culture. On today's episode of the Taxgirl podcast, Kelly is joined by Jay Steinfeld to chat about corporate culture and the impact it can have on a company's workforce. Jay was the founder and CEO of Global Custom Commerce, which operates the world's number one online window covering retailer, blinds.com. Jay bootstrapped the company in 1996 from his garage with just $3,000; Global Custom Commerce was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014. Jay remained the company's CEO, and later joined The Home Depot's Online Leadership Team.  After stepping away from these roles in early 2020, Jay has increased his involvement in numerous private company boards and serves as a Director of the public company, Masonite. He also teaches Entrepreneurship at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business, and supports numerous charities. Jay is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Technology Center.     Listen to Kelly and Jay talk about company culture and the Great Resignation:How did Jay start his business, how did it grow, and how did he make a name for himself in the booming world of tech and entrepreneurship? Jay says he frequently tells entrepreneurs to “experiment without fear of failure.” Experimentation is necessary and key to evolving and growing any venture. When he began his company in the 90's, it was before even Amazon was born. He built his business one step at a time, and gave himself permission to fail. The idea of failure can be terrifying for small businesses because of the heavy stakes on the line. How does Jay advise small or startup businesses to experiment and take risks with confidence? What does Jay wish he'd known before he started his business in the 90's?  How did Jay approach hiring decisions while growing his business? How can business owners know when to expand hiring, even when finances are tight?  Did dynamics change when Jay sold his business to Home Depot? Jay shares how the transition went: the CFO said they'd expected him to get tired of them and quit after 90 days, but Jay stayed on for 7 years after the acquisition.   Jay explains the idea of business “love languages” and how to find harmony with team members of different strengths, disciplines, and personalities.  When Jay's company reached significant milestones over the years, how did they impact the company (and the way Jay ran the company)? Jay details his definition of success and the way it informs his strategic choices in both workplace culture and business operations.  Kelly asks Jay to describe the moments when he “felt” successful along the journey of growing his business. He shares he felt many of those moments over the years, though sometimes the impact of his success came to him retroactively.  As the head of a growing business, Jay says he often felt he was seen as intimidating or scary, which greatly bothered him because he genuinely wanted everyone's voice and feedback.  How does Jay feel employee's thoughts on their superiors plays into today's Great Resignation? What advice does he have for companies to make their management teams more approachable and receptive? Jay says what people want most is autonomy. Why not give more generosity to employees? More traction, more upward mobility? More transparent conversations?

In this episode I interview a remarkable entrepreneur, Jay Steinfeld, who launched a business from his garage and turned it into the largest online business in his industry. Jay's story is for anyone who's interested in learning what it takes to build a successful business and find meaning, joy and purpose from your work regardless of your product or service. JAY STEINFELD founded and was the CEO of Global Custom Commerce, which operates the world's number one online window covering retailer Blinds.com. Boot-strapped in 1996 for just $3,000 from his Bellaire, Texas, garage, Global Custom Commerce was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014. Jay remained as its CEO and later joined The Home Depot Online Leadership Team. After stepping away from these roles in early 2020, he has increased his involvement on numerous private company boards and serves as a director of the public company Masonite (NYSE: DOOR). He also teaches entrepreneurship at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business and supports numerous charities. Jay is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Technology Center. Active as an industry speaker on topics including corporate culture, core values, how to scale a start-up, and disruption, he has more than 100 published articles. His book, “Lead from the Core: The Four Principles for Profit and Prosperity” will be published November 30, 2021. It is available now for pre-order on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Core-Principles-Profit-Prosperity/dp/195329572X/ref=nodl_

In this episode, Hall welcomes Hubert Vaz-Nayak, Co-Founder and President of the Chicago Booth Angels Network of Texas. The Chicago Booth Angels Network (CBAN) of Texas was formed by Booth alumni in Texas who came together to identify and invest smartly in startups. They focus on early-stage companies that are looking for a diverse, high caliber of investors who can leverage their capital, expertise, and global networks to the advantage of the companies they invest in. As part of the global CBAN organization, they also have access to the broader CBAN investor network.   CBAN Texas is an inclusive organization that encourages all accredited investors to consider participating in their investment opportunities and events. They consider investing in businesses from anywhere in the United States and invest in a broad range of industries.   Hubert began his career in India working on the launch of Pepsi and 7Up across the country. After graduating from the University of Chicago Booth Business School, he worked with large technology companies including Motorola, BMC Software, and AT&T Wireless where he pioneered several wireless services we all use today. As a management consultant with Accenture and KPMG, he advised the management teams of several Fortune 100 companies.   Hubert also has a strong start-up track record. He came up with the idea and wrote the original business plan for Convergys, which grew into a $3B public company. He then went on to co-found Eclipse Networks, which went from 2 to 400+ employees in less than 12 months. He led the turnaround and repositioning of Dynamicsoft that was acquired by Cisco Systems. Moving to Houston, he was initially Director of the Tech startups at the Houston Technology Center, where he advised over 30 startup companies. Hubert is a board member of TIE Houston and TIE Houston Angels, the world's largest entrepreneurship organization. He is also currently the CFO of a rapidly-growing social media startup called Aapoon, which is focused on the Indian market. Hubert is an active angel investor investing in multiple startups around the country and remains an advisor to many of them.   Hubert discusses the state of startup investing and his investment thesis. He advises investors and entrepreneurs and discusses some of the challenges they face. You can visit the Chicago Booth Angels Network of Texas at , and via LinkedIn at .  Hubert can be contacted via email at , and via LinkedIn at .  Music courtesy of .

In times of crisis, you'll see the rise of amazing companies, and Xenex, a company that is the world leader in UV technology-based infection prevention strategies and solutions, is one of them. You may not have heard of Xenex, but the next time you visit a hospital, there's a good chance a Xenex robot will have cleaned your room before you checked-in. Xenex's Robots are making the world a better place by destroying the microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections, and have seen a huge increase in demand since COVID-19 became an everyday word in the United States. In this episode of Innovation Calling, we talked with Xenex's Co-Founder, Mark Stibich to talk about this amazing technology, and what makes it so unique and effective, in addition to learning more about what's changed for this business since this pandemic struck, and where we can see their robots outside of hospitals, plus so much more. Here's the official episode breakdown: 5:36 - Understanding Xenex’s background, and where the idea was first born. 8:14 - Digging deeper into the technology, and why this product is so amazing. Who was able to determine that this type of light could actually kill bacteria at a deeper level? 11:35 - When it comes to understanding a higher frequency, is that the wavelength is lower, which allows it to penetrate smaller organisms, or what is it exactly that makes it so much more successful? 13:09 - With the emergence of COVID, how has demand changed, and what’s been one of the biggest obstacles that Xenex has had to overcome to keep up? 17:49 - When it came to supply chain issues and part issues suddenly not becoming available, how were they able to overcome with the new issues? 19:10 - Does this then change the trajectory of the business, and when you’re in the midst of a pandemic with a product that can make such a huge difference, how do future products change? 21:19 - With the main product using light at such a high frequency does it cause harm to humans? 23:47 - Are Xenex’s robots meant to replace the cleaning staff, or is this something that simply enhances the cleaning experience? 28:47 - What makes Xenex’s disinfection techniques so unique, and what kind of rate can they clean rooms in addition to the quality of the cleanliness? 31:42 - Is it possible technology like this will go past the hospital especially as we see companies taking sanitizing more seriously? 34:25 - What kind of lifespans do the robots have? 36:03 - As the light bursts out, is there a limit on the efface over distance or is it like a lightwave where it can go miles and miles? 36:47 - Can something like this be used in sports stadiums? 40:17 - Xenex was actually invited to participate in an incubation program at the Houston Technology Center. What was that experience like for starting and growth? 42:30 - How important was it for someone to find the partners who understood the technology and could grow with it? 43:08 - When first growing, what kind of objections were hospitals providing as they were trying to implement the product? 47:08 - The great story about how all of the robots get named, and how some people get creative with the names. Want to learn more about Xenex? Visit xenex.com or contact Mark directly at mark@xenex {dot} com.

WELCOME WILSON, Chairman of the Board of Welcome Group, and the author of, "ALWAYS WELCOME", joined us to discuss his book, some of our American Presidents, and his views on being successful in business and in life. From His Website: "Mr. Wilson has been a real estate developer in Texas for fifty-seven years beginning with his first project in Galveston County, which is now the incorporated City of Jamaica Beach (1,600 home sites). He was also the developer of Tiki Island in Galveston County, now an incorporated City of 1,200 home sites. In total, Mr. Wilson developed 8,000 home sites in four counties in Texas. In addition to planned communities and industrial property, Mr. Wilson was a developer of apartments; retail centers; office buildings, including two-22 story buildings in downtown Houston; and a hotel, the fifth Marriott Hotel ever built (1965). Mr. Wilson was recently inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. In the last few years, he also received the Distinguished Alumnus from the University of Houston, the UH Bauer College of Business and the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, Texas Business Icon from the National Real Estate Forum magazine, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Houston Technology Center, the Distinguished Service Award from CoreNet Global and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Business Journal."

Wilson is Chairman of the Board of Welcome Group, LLC, which, as landlord, owns eighty-seven manufacturing and other industrial facilities in Texas comprising just less than 4 million square feet of space. He has been a real estate developer in Texas for sixty-one years beginning with his first project in Galveston County, which is now the incorporated City of Jamaica Beach. Welcome was recently inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame.  In the last few years, he also received the Trailblazer’s Award from the American Advertising Federation of Houston, the Crusader’s Award from Houston Neighborhood Centers, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Houston Technology Center, the Distinguished Service Award from CoreNet Global and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Business Journal. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Partnership where he was a long-time Chairman of its Higher Education Committee. Welcome and his wife, Joanne, will soon celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary with their five children, sixteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. https://welcomegroup.com

Walter O'Brien is the inspiration of the popular CBS TV show, Scorpion. The show is based on the life of the real Walter O'Brien.  On today's episode the real Walter O'Brien share how the show is inspiring a new generation of geniuses to tap into their full potential. We also dive deep into how matching IQ and EQ on your team is the key to unlocking it's full potential. In today's episode we discuss IQ versus EQ, situational matching, focusing on your strengths, outsourcing your problems, effective problem solving, how to build successful projects, staying on the pulse of trends and technology, being a visionary, communicating the future, inspiring kids with science, finding focus, Artificial Intelligence, VI, and much more.Walter O'Brien (aka “Scorpion”) is a top computer scientist, businessman and the Founder and CEO of Scorpion Computer Services, Inc. Walter O’Brien and his company are the inspiration behind CBS’s top tech-drama, Scorpion.Walter O'Brien was born in 1975 in Clonroche, Ireland, where he grew up on a dairy farm. O’Brien’s interest in computers began while attending computer science classes at his primary school, St. Patrick's National School. His parents bought O’Brien his first personal computer, an Amstrad model CPC464, when he was just nine years old. When he was 13 years old, his family moved to Rosshaven, Ireland, where O'Brien started Scorpion Computer Services to provide computer consulting and security services. After graduating from the prestigious Sussex University with a degree in Artificial Intelligence, he moved to the United States. Scorpion Computer Services moved to the U.S. in the late 1990s and became what it is today: A global think-tank-for-hire that solves any funded problem with a budget over $10K. Like a super butler at your service - someone whom you outsource any problem to that is not your core competency - the company provides solutions for some of the world’s most complex problems.In September 2014, CBS premiered the first season of Scorpion, which attracted more than 26 million viewers. O’Brien is as an Executive Producer for the series and regularly contributes to story development, providing insight on technical problems and how he would solve challenges presented in the show's scripts.Now in its fourth season, O'Brien said he introduced the idea for the show to executive producer Scooter Braun to attract talent to his company, inspire young children to pursue STEM fields and to encourage all generations to celebrate intelligence. O’Brien also founded Scorpion Studios and is credited as a Technical Advisor on the blockbuster Spiderman: Homecoming, co-produced by Sony's Columbia Pictures and Disney's Marvel Studios.In April of 2017, O’Brien became the youngest recipient of the Humanitarian Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in philanthropic ventures which create positive societal change. His other philanthropic works are numerous, including Code Wars, California State Science Fair, MENSA, MIT Technology Review, the Junior Achievement Conference, Project ECHO, Superhero Brain and Houston Technology Center. He also received C-Suite Quarterly's Visionary award in 2017 and funded Kilkenny’s Taxi Watch, a suicide-prevention program that has saved more than 130 lives since its inception in 2014. Often appearing on CNBC, Fox News and CBS as an expert on computer security, O'Brien has contributed to XPRIZE selection as part of XPRIZE Visioneering.Interview Segments - This is where you can find each section of the interview.Intro / About Walter: 1:01 minutesInterview: 7:02 minutesRapid Rire Questions: 56:09 minutesConcierge Up: http://conciergeup.com/Scorpion Computer Services: http://www.scorpioncomputerservices.com/Scorpion Studios: http://scorpionstudiosinc.com/Scorpion on CBS: https://www.cbs.com/shows/scorpion/

Today's Extraordinary Women Radio episode is with Leisa Holland-Nelson. Leisa was honored and named one of Houston’s most Influential Women, she is a senior fellow in the American Leadership Forum, one of Mass Mutual’s Most Powerful Women,  a celebrated Entrepreneur by Houston Technology Center, an ABC/Channel 13 Woman of Distinction and a 2017 Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Breakthrough Woman. Wow! Leisa shares her journey from her 25 year career in the NYC Fashion industry to launching into tech space in Houston, where she’s spent the past 13 years - as a leader and an influencer. She loves tech and will tell you why in today’s episode! As Leisa declares – “Tech is the new Black!” We talk about riding the wave of life changes, resiliency, creating community and loving on your customer! Leisa is the author and voice of Women Mean Business – a weekly segment focusing on extraordinary women,  which is seen on-line on The Businessmakers Show and heard on 20 radio stations across the US. Amongst all of her significant philanthropic work that she does in the Houston area, Leisa was the co-founder of ContentActive, an award winning web, content development and mobile app company – which she recently merged with Astoundz – where she now serves as Chief Marketing Officer and is responsible for Marketing, Business Development, Client Relationship Management and HR. Leisa has great stories and shares great wisdom. Enjoy! www.astoundz.com, Twitter: @lhnelson  

Walter O'Brien (hacker handle: "Scorpion") was a high IQ child prodigy who started programming computers at age nine. Walter founded "Scorpion" when he was 13 years old as he recognized that he could bring together other smart talented engineers from around the world and using a little E.Q. (Emotional Intelligence) and a scientific project management approach they could solve not only technical problems but life problems.   O'Brien is a frequent public speaker for IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and teaches as a mentor with the Founder Institute, the world's largest idea-stage incubator. O'Brien has worked with the world's largest mutual fund company, Fujitsu, Microsoft-Trados, Oracle Corporation, Baltimore Technologies, and Critical Path. Walter serves as chairman or board member for Houston Technology Center, Strike Force Solutions, Talentorum Alliance, Lawloop and previously has served on the boards of American Environmental Energy, Starglobe and Toin Corp. In addition, O'Brien is frequently called on by news media, the government, and the federal court system for his technology expertise.

Walter O'Brien (hacker handle: "Scorpion") was a high IQ child prodigy who started programming computers at age nine. Walter founded "Scorpion" when he was 13 years old as he recognized that he could bring together other smart talented engineers from around the world and using a little E.Q. (Emotional Intelligence) and a scientific project management approach they could solve not only technical problems but life problems.   O'Brien is a frequent public speaker for IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and teaches as a mentor with the Founder Institute, the world's largest idea-stage incubator. O'Brien has worked with the world's largest mutual fund company, Fujitsu, Microsoft-Trados, Oracle Corporation, Baltimore Technologies, and Critical Path. Walter serves as chairman or board member for Houston Technology Center, Strike Force Solutions, Talentorum Alliance, Lawloop and previously has served on the boards of American Environmental Energy, Starglobe and Toin Corp. In addition, O'Brien is frequently called on by news media, the government, and the federal court system for his technology expertise.

Walter O'Brien (hacker handle: "Scorpion") was a high IQ child prodigy who started programming computers at age nine. Walter founded "Scorpion" when he was 13 years old as he recognized that he could bring together other smart talented engineers from around the world and using a little E.Q. (Emotional Intelligence) and a scientific project management approach they could solve not only technical problems but life problems.   O'Brien is a frequent public speaker for IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and teaches as a mentor with the Founder Institute, the world's largest idea-stage incubator. O'Brien has worked with the world's largest mutual fund company, Fujitsu, Microsoft-Trados, Oracle Corporation, Baltimore Technologies, and Critical Path. Walter serves as chairman or board member for Houston Technology Center, Strike Force Solutions, Talentorum Alliance, Lawloop and previously has served on the boards of American Environmental Energy, Starglobe and Toin Corp. In addition, O'Brien is frequently called on by news media, the government, and the federal court system for his technology expertise.

Dr. Jim Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, and Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University. He is also the founder and principal of NanoJtech Consultants, LLC, which performs technology assessments for prospective investors. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Syracuse University and his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic and Organometallic Chemistry from Purdue University. Jim went on to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University. He served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina for 11 years before joining the faculty at Rice where he is today. Jim has received many awards and distinctions in his career. He was named among the 50 Most Influential Scientists in the World Today by TheBestSchools.org in 2014, among The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch.com in 2014, and Scientist of the Year by R and D Magazine in 2013. Jim is the recipient of the NASA Space Act Award, Feynman Prize in Experimental Nanotechnology, the Houston Technology Center’s Nanotechnology Award, and the Purdue University Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Jim is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.