Kairos Society
Encyclopedia
The Kairos Society is an international student run organization of entrepreneurs and innovators from the top universities around the world. Founded by entrepreneur Ankur Jain
at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
, the organization supports programs at over 40 universities in 14 countries, working to foster high-growth entrepreneurship through the creation of innovative ventures. The current president is Victoria Schramm and CEO is Dylan Reid.
in 2008 by Ankur Jain
, an undergraduate at the Wharton School of Business in the wake of the global financial crisis. The name "Kairos" is the Greek term for "the opportune moment" and reflected Jain's motivations for starting the organization. Speaking on CNN, Jain acknowledged that the financial crisis had forced many of his classmates and colleagues to reconsider careers in finance and that many had begun to start their own companies, but were finding the support structure in the university did not exist. While membership was initially limited to students at the Wharton School of Business and later the University of Pennsylvania
, it soon expanded to a other top U.S. universities including Harvard, Stanford and MIT. According to their website, the organization runs programs at over 40 top universities including schools throughout China
, India
, Latin America
and Europe
. Jain, who served as President and CEO of the organization since its founding announced in 2011, at the third Kairos Global Summit he would be transitioning leadership of the organization to Victoria Schramm and Dylan Reid to serve as President and CEO respectively. Jain is currently chairman of the board.
and medicine
.
and Den Haag. Once accepted, fellows remain active so long as they are enrolled in school and upon graduate join the organization's active base of alumni. There are no membership dues.
of the Kauffman Foundation, Duncan Niederauer of the New York Stock Exchange
, Peter Diamandis
of the X-Prize Foundation, Bruce Mosler of Cushman & Wakefield, Admiral William Owens
, former Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
, and Maria Bartiromo
of CNBC
. Kairos invites mentors from diverse backgrounds to appeal to the various interests held by its members.
, the US Chamber of Commerce and the New York Stock Exchange
, the event brings together Kairos fellows from around the globe with world leaders across business, technology and politics to discuss pressing global challenges and innovative market-driven solutions. At the New York Stock Exchange, the most innovative student-run startups get to showcase their products and companies on the stock exchange floor to a group of international investors and executives. Awards, hosted by the organization's partners, are held for the most innovative student-companies, previous winners have been working in regenerative medicine, enhanced diagnostics, portable photovoltaics, physical computing and inexpensive biofuels.
and Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar
Ankur Jain
Ankur Jain is a philanthropist and entrepreneur, with a focus on leveraging innovation and entrepreneurship as a means to solve global problems....
at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
, the organization supports programs at over 40 universities in 14 countries, working to foster high-growth entrepreneurship through the creation of innovative ventures. The current president is Victoria Schramm and CEO is Dylan Reid.
History
The Kairos Society was founded at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 2008 by Ankur Jain
Ankur Jain
Ankur Jain is a philanthropist and entrepreneur, with a focus on leveraging innovation and entrepreneurship as a means to solve global problems....
, an undergraduate at the Wharton School of Business in the wake of the global financial crisis. The name "Kairos" is the Greek term for "the opportune moment" and reflected Jain's motivations for starting the organization. Speaking on CNN, Jain acknowledged that the financial crisis had forced many of his classmates and colleagues to reconsider careers in finance and that many had begun to start their own companies, but were finding the support structure in the university did not exist. While membership was initially limited to students at the Wharton School of Business and later the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, it soon expanded to a other top U.S. universities including Harvard, Stanford and MIT. According to their website, the organization runs programs at over 40 top universities including schools throughout China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Jain, who served as President and CEO of the organization since its founding announced in 2011, at the third Kairos Global Summit he would be transitioning leadership of the organization to Victoria Schramm and Dylan Reid to serve as President and CEO respectively. Jain is currently chairman of the board.
Mission
The stated mission of the Kairos Society is "advancing the world through entrepreneurship and innovation." In pursuit of this mission, the organization seeks to foster and develop innovation- driven entrepreneurship and high-impact enterprise through their international network of entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders. According to their website, the Kairos Society was founded on the notion the world's most pressing global challenges will create the future's most innovate new companies and hold's that the most successful ventures have always been built around societal needs. As a result, the organization targets new companies in emerging sectors including clean energy, healthcare, biotechnologyBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
.
Membership
Membership is by invitation only and requires a formal recommendation from one of the organization's many advisers or partners. Membership is currently limited to undergraduate students at affiliate universities. Once nominated, prospective fellows are invited to submit an application which is reviewed first by regional leaders and then the central organization before a decision is made and new appointments are announced in September. Fellows are given a unique membership number and credentials to the organization's private social service as well as access to regional Kairos events and the organization's international summits in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Den Haag. Once accepted, fellows remain active so long as they are enrolled in school and upon graduate join the organization's active base of alumni. There are no membership dues.
Mentorship
The Kairos Society provides an opportunity for students to be mentored from a network of industry leaders. These mentors have included Carl SchrammCarl Schramm
Carl J. Schramm an American economist and former professor, is President and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation devoted to entrepreneurship and education. The Economist has hailed Schramm as the "evangelist of entrepreneurship."A 1968 graduate of LeMoyne...
of the Kauffman Foundation, Duncan Niederauer of the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, Peter Diamandis
Peter Diamandis
Dr. Peter H. Diamandis , of Greek immigrant parents, is considered a key figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations...
of the X-Prize Foundation, Bruce Mosler of Cushman & Wakefield, Admiral William Owens
William Owens (Admiral)
William A. "Bill" Owens was an admiral in the United States Navy and later Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since leaving the military in 1996, he served as an executive or as a member of the board of directors of various companies, including Nortel Networks Corporation.-Early...
, former Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
, and Maria Bartiromo
Maria Bartiromo
Maria Bartiromo is an American television journalist, magazine columnist and author of three books. Bartiromo is a native of New York and attended New York University. She worked at CNN for five years before joining CNBC television...
of CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
. Kairos invites mentors from diverse backgrounds to appeal to the various interests held by its members.
Global Summit
Each February, the Kairos Society hosts its annual global summit in New York City. Presented in partnership with the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, the US Chamber of Commerce and the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, the event brings together Kairos fellows from around the globe with world leaders across business, technology and politics to discuss pressing global challenges and innovative market-driven solutions. At the New York Stock Exchange, the most innovative student-run startups get to showcase their products and companies on the stock exchange floor to a group of international investors and executives. Awards, hosted by the organization's partners, are held for the most innovative student-companies, previous winners have been working in regenerative medicine, enhanced diagnostics, portable photovoltaics, physical computing and inexpensive biofuels.
European Summit
In addition to the Global Summit in February, the Kairos Society holds a European Summit each April in Den Haag, The Netherlands. The summit, held in conjunction with the World Foresight Forum and the Hauge Center for Strategic Studies , focuses on the role of entrepreneurship and technological innovation in international economics, security and geopolitics. Like the global summit in New York, the European summit brings together Kairos fellows with global leaders though with a more geopolitical focus. Previous speakers and panelists have included Secretary of Homeland Security Tom RidgeTom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
and Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar
José María Aznar
José María Alfredo Aznar López served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...