Edison Awards Announces 2023 Lewis Latimer Fellows

Program designed to celebrate, connect and bring together a community of innovative Black thought leaders

FORT MYERS, Fla., April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Edison Awards is honored to announce its 2023 Lewis Latimer Fellows. In its second year, the Lewis Latimer Fellowship program is a bespoke, innovation "curiosity sandbox," designed to inspire, connect, accelerate and enable Black thought leaders with world-shifting ideas.

"We are excited to welcome the new class of Latimer Fellows and we look forward to immersing them into an incredible learning experience," said Jon Cropper, co-founder of the Lewis Latimer Foundation. "This unique opportunity provides customized curriculum for each Fellow based on their dreams and goals, and gives access to Edison Awards' amazing and global community of innovators."

Meet the 2023 Lewis Latimer Fellows:

• Dr. Lisa Dyson - Founder of Air Protein, a NASA-inspired technology that converts elements in the air into sustainable protein that eliminates compromise between taste, nutrition and climate threat. She is also Founder of Kiverdi, a CO2 Biotech company.
• D. Fox Harrell, Ph.D. - Professor of Digital Media, Computing, and Artificial Intelligence in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Comparative Media Studies Program, and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at MIT, as well as Director of the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality.
• Jacquelle Amankonah Horton - Founder and CEO of Fave, a new social platform & marketplace dedicated to recognizing and rewarding superfans.
• Shameik Moore - American actor, singer, and music artist launching a new innovation and e-commerce platform designed to build economic and cultural development in African-American communities.
• Ian Randall - Co-Founder, President & CEO of MagLev Aero Inc., an innovative aerospace technology startup in Boston that is developing a novel electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing(eVTOL) Air Vehicle Platform.
• Soton Rosanwo - Soton is an entrepreneur, science fiction writer, and artist. Her company, Centinel, utilizes patent-pending technology to provide claims-free coverage for hard-to-insure risks, like climate or event disruption.

The Lewis Latimer Fellowship channels the spirit of one of Thomas Edison's principal collaborators Lewis Latimer who helped Edison refine his vision of the lightbulb and design the schematics and patent applications. The program pairs modern-day Lewis Latimers with modern-day Edisons to guide and nurture them on their entrepreneurial and innovation journey. Throughout the one-year program, the Fellows are immersed into a bespoke learning experience that includes field trips to innovation hubs, regular calls with mentors and advisors, pitch support, capital and corporate strategic introductions, and so much more.

"Just one year since the initial launch of the Latimer Fellowship and things are going great," said Carmichael Roberts, co-founder of the Lewis Latimer Foundation and Edison Achievement Award Winner 2022. "The first cohort has been excellent, and the programming has been stellar. I can only imagine continued success considering the quality and promise that our new class brings. Lewis Latimer himself would be extremely proud to see the Fellowship in action."

For more information on the 2023 Latimer Fellows and Edison Awards, please visit http://www.edisonawards.com. Applications for the 2024 awards and Lewis Latimer Fellowship will open Summer 2023.

About The Edison Awards:
Established in 1987, the Edison Awards are dedicated to recognizing, honoring and fostering innovations and innovators. Named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), the annual competition honors excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation. Past award recipients include Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and leaders of global corporations such as Coca-Cola, Genentech, General Electric, IBM and Campbell Soup Co. In 2021, the Edison Awards introduced the inaugural Lewis Latimer Fellowship program designed to celebrate, connect and bring together a community of innovative Black thought leaders. www.edisonawards.com.

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