Professor Emanuel Sachs has spent his career moving back and forth between academia and industry. He has co-founded or otherwise been involved in seven start-up companies based on his inventions and co-inventions, including three that went public, one that was acquired by a public company, and three that are still private. Professor Sachs is committed to teaching and has brought innovative methods to the teaching of invention, the engineering sciences, design, and manufacturing.

Jessika Trancik is a Professor at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research examines the dynamic costs, performance, and environmental impacts of energy systems to inform climate policy and accelerate beneficial and equitable technology innovation.