Jack D. Hidary built his career as an entrepreneur in the finance and technology sectors and is a leading expert on innovation across several industries.

In 1995, Jack co-founded and served as President and CEO of EarthWeb/Dice. He raised three private rounds of equity and completed a record breaking IPO and secondary for a total raise of $150+ million. Under his leadership, EarthWeb/Dice earned the prestigious BusinessWeek Info Tech 100 award. Dice is the leading IT job board today and is listed on the NYSE as DHX.

Jack is the founder and Chairman of Samba Energy, the leading marketplace for commercial solar projects and financing. Samba's marketplace has driven down the cost of commercial solar and thus increased the ROI for companies using the market for their solar programs.

Today, Jack is particularly involved in issues of energy and transportation. He is the co-founder of the $10 million Auto X Prize (www.xprize.org) which challenged competitors for a 100 mpg car that can be manufactured at scale. The first X Prize of $10 million was awarded to Paul Allen's team for reaching space with no government support. Jack serves on the board of trustees of the X Prize.

In addition, he was the co-architect of the successful "Cash for Clunkers" program. The aim of this program was to stimulate the economy by promoting auto sales and reduce America's dependence on oil. Congress funded the program at $3 billion and the program swapped out 700,000 vehicles in eight weeks with an average increase in MPG of more than 60 percent. Cash for Clunkers contributed a significant portion of GDP growth for Q3 '09 at a critical time in the US economy.

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

He serves on several boards including the advisory council for the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). Jack is chairman of the National Lab Network, an educational partnership including the Gates Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and leading companies committed to improved science education.

Jack 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, he 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.

Business Leaders, Philanthropy, Aspen Ideas, Environment & Sustainability, Sustainability, Creative Thinking, influential, interesting, influencers, Leadership, Creativity, Aspen Ideas Festival - 2010 Speakers, Business & Economics, Economy & Finance, Economics, Big think, Media Professionals, Social Media & Networking, Social Media, Science & Technology, Digital Marketing, Science, Technology Policy, Technology, Internet & Technology Industries