Speaker Bio

Mr. Hidary will address the use of innovation prizes to help create and deploy breakthrough technologies. Mr. Hidary will also discuss his involvement in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE and the Freedom Prizes. These two prizes - one for innovation and one for deployment -- are paving the way for other such clean tech incentive programs. Mr. Hidary will also give an overview from InnovationPrizeCentral of other prize concepts and structures.

Jack Hidary built his career as an entrepreneur in the finance and technology sectors and is currently focused on clean energy technology and policy. Hidary co-founded Vista Research in 2001 as an independent financial research company serving institutional investors. Hidary sold Vista to the Standard & Poor's division of McGraw-Hill in April of 2005.

In 1995, Hidary co-founded and served as President and CEO of EarthWeb/Dice. He raised three private rounds of equity and completed a record breaking IPO. Under Hidary's leadership, EarthWeb/Dice earned the prestigious Business Week Info Tech 100 award as the third fastest growing IT Company. Dice.com is currently traded on the NYSE under ticker DHX.

Committed to community and philanthropic causes, Hidary has received several industry and community awards as well as being recognized as a Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum, Davos. Hidary is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Clinton Global Initiative.

Hidary has been particularly involved in issues of energy and transportation. He is Chairman and Co-Founder of the Freedom Prize Foundation, which provides monetary prizes to cities, schools and other entities that can most reduce their petroleum use. The Freedom Prizes were mandated by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Title X: 1008).

In New York City, Hidary was a leading proponent of switching over the taxi fleet to high mileage hybrids. Hidary serves as Chairman of SmartTransportation.org, a non-profit dedicated to promoting clean energy and transportation policy in the US.

Hidary studied philosophy and neuroscience at Columbia University and was then awarded a Stanley Fellowship in Clinical Neuroscience at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under the fellowship, Hidary conducted research in functional neuroimaging using techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to study brain and disease states.

Hidary serves on several boards including BT Global Services and Trickle Up. A frequent keynote speaker, Hidary has presented at venues including the business schools of Yale and Columbia.