Council President Joins Kairos Summit Speakers to Encourage Collegiate Entrepreneurs

NEW YORK—Deborah L. Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, will be among the leading industry and policy professionals at the Kairos Summit April 3-4 to honor college-age entrepreneurs. Kairos Society, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2007 to foster an entrepreneurial culture among college students. Kairos provides the opportunity for the students to bring their innovations from dorm rooms to the center stage under the guidance and mentorship of today’s business leaders. In an age of economic and employment uncertainty, these young entrepreneurs are taking control of their own futures by building ventures that are likely to become the leading businesses of tomorrow. They work to build socially responsible ventures that are not only focused on doing well, but on doing good.

The event’s welcome addresses will be given by the 42nd president of United States, William J. Clinton, and William Gates Sr., co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, via video. Other successful leaders who will be addressing these young college entrepreneurs include Admiral Bill Owens, managing director of AEA Investors and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Bill White, president of Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Scott Mednick, founder of Legendary Pictures and Mandalay Entertainment; Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont; and Naveen Jain, CEO of Intelius Inc.

Ankur Jain, founder and president of Kairos Society, a sophomore at the Wharton School of Business, credits his father with giving him the tools to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur.

“My father instilled in me the idea that everyone can shape their own destiny; they can’t wait for things to happen, they have to make them happen,” said Jain. “There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Many of the successful enterprises were started during tough economic times. The passion of these young entrepreneurs with their innovative ideas can reinvent the American dream of building a better tomorrow.”

The Summit’s gala event will include a dinner on the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. There, more than 1,300 years of professional experience will converge with 500 of the country’s most innovative students. The gala will feature several panels and an awards ceremony, which will honor top student innovative ventures for their achievements.

“We are extremely fortunate to live in a country where we have the freedom to be innovative and entrepreneurial,” said Jain. “We owe this freedom to our forefathers and the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. For this reason, we are honored to host this event on the USS Intrepid, a symbol of this freedom.”

The Kairos Society’s advisory board is a who’s who of global leadership and includes event speakers Scott Mednick, Bill Owen and Bill White, along with Chris Kitze, founder of Xoom.com, and Rajat K. Gupta, managing director worldwide at McKinsey & Co.

All of the board members say they got involved with the organization because they believe in what the Society can do to foster tomorrow’s top entrepreneurs. In the words of Owens: “In this world, in which ‘everything is changing,’ I believe the spirit of entrepreneurship, open-minded capitalism and glowing global relations will be of the utmost value. I think that this Society believes in that spirit, and that it will do much to enhance these most promising students’ futures. I’m proud to be a small part of that!”

“I have been speaking to business and entrepreneur programs at colleges and universities for many years,” said Mednick. “In my interaction with these future business leaders, their thirst for knowledge and information from those who have been on the front lines has been insatiable. In putting together the opportunity to bring a breadth of business leaders together with these bright minds is not only a great idea but one that will help create a vibrant community of business leaders for years to come.”

“We’re proud to support an organization that has the potential to inspire and cultivate the next generation of business owners, innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Naveen Jain, CEO and founder of Intelius. “The students being recognized at this event demonstrate inspiring out-of-the-box thinking and bring new methodologies to the table. In today’s economy we can’t rely on what’s already been done, the only way to move forward is through innovation.”

Intelius and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum are the title sponsors for the Summit.

For information on attending the Kairos Summit or if you would like to schedule an interview with Kairos students, Summit speakers, or Kairos board members attending the event, please contact Steve Mnich at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 248.770.5887.

About the Kairos Society

The Kairos Society is a non-profit organization founded by a group of students designed to foster an entrepreneurial culture among college students based on three guiding principles: inspiration, experience and innovation. It is the organization’s goal to inspire students to become more entrepreneurial by bringing together the best undergraduates from across the country, the greatest entrepreneurial firms and the most passionate mentors. Currently, Kairos has brought together many of the top entrepreneurial students from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Stanford, Tufts, Duke, MIT, Emory, Furman, USC, Columbia, NYU, Babson, Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Northeastern, University of Michigan and Penn State.

About Intelius

Intelius is a leading information commerce company providing businesses and consumers with information to empower the decision-making process for peace of mind and security. To date, Intelius has gained more than eight million unique customers who use Intelius’ information to reconnect and protect their loved ones, businesses and assets. Intelius’ services include background checks, people search services, comprehensive employment screening services and an award-winning identity theft prevention product, IDWatch. Intelius is one of the top 100 most trafficked sites on the Internet, according to comScore/Media Metrix.

Learn more about Intelius screening products and services and Intelius’ business, news and policies.

About the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

One of the world’s largest maritime museums, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is housed aboard the 900-foot-long ESSEX class aircraft carrier Intrepid, which saw service during World War II, the Cold War and the Vietnam War. It also served as a prime recovery vessel for NASA during the Mercury and Gemini space programs before it was retired in 1974. Four years later, Zachary Fisher established the Intrepid Museum Foundation for the sole purpose of “saving the Intrepid for generations to come.” Listed in the National Park Service’s National Historic Landmark register, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum was opened as a symbol of peace and education in August 1982. The Intrepid underwent extensive renovations beginning in 2006 and returned to its home at Pier 86 in New York City in October 2008. It has since hosted President George W. Bush for its annual Veterans Day celebration and honored Bill and Hillary Clinton at its annual Intrepid Gala fundraising event. The Intrepid is an event space as well as a museum, and has served as a focal point during the annual Fleet Week celebration. The Intrepid produces a wide range of public programming, and is recognized worldwide as an historic icon that makes history come alive for visitors through its unforgettable series of dynamic and interactive exhibits. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is proudly supported by Bank of America.