TEDxTribeca

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Alexander Puutio, PhD

  Leadership Professor @ Harvard and strategist, specialized on human potential

  I believe leadership begins with curiosity: the willingness to ask, to listen, and to learn. Over the past decade, I have worked with senior leaders at the United Nations, Boston Consulting Group, national governments, and multinational organizations to navigate complexity and drive meaningful change. My research and teaching at Harvard, Columbia, and NYU Stern focus on the science of leadership, decision-making under uncertainty, and the habits that sustain high performance. My forthcoming book, Curiosity Code (Penguin), explores the link between intelligence and human potential. It examines how we think, and how that thinking shapes the world around us. I also write for Forbes, Fast Company, and Psychology Today, bringing research to life for broader audiences. Originally from Finland and now based in Brooklyn with my wife, three children, and our boxer, I remain endlessly fascinated by one question: what makes us choose, lead, and grow.

• Anne Abel

  Late-in-life author, social media influencer, storyteller, and mental health advocate.

  I believe stories can heal: the ones we tell, and the ones we choose to live. My first memoir, Mattie, Milo, and Me (2024), began as a love story between a mother, her son, and two rescue dogs. After growing up in an abusive home, I promised myself I would do better. When grief came knocking, a troubled dog named Milo became my unexpected teacher in patience, forgiveness, and the long road to healing. My next memoir, High Hopes (She Writes Press, 2025), begins at my first ever concert: Bruce Springsteen, at age 59. What started as a night out with my son and daughter-in-law became a spark that lifted me out of a lifelong depression; a year later, I followed his tour across five Australian cities and returned home changed. My words have reached more than 650,000 people and listeners around the world, and have been featured in Newsweek and more. I live in New York City with my husband, Andy, and our cavapoo, Wendell; still writing, still learning, still hopeful.

• Cécilia Jourdan

  Entrepreneur and community builder @Hello French

  I’m Cécilia Jourdan, a French-American entrepreneur and educator who sees language as a doorway to identity, curiosity, and self-discovery. Based between France and New York City, I’m trilingual and fascinated by how words shape who we become. I studied linguistics at NYU and Romance languages at Hunter College, blending this background with performing arts and digital storytelling to craft creative, human-centered learning experiences. In 2020, my wife and I co-founded Hello French to make learning French modern, inclusive, and real. What began as a small side project has grown into a global community of over two million learners. Through content, guides, and coaching, I help people not just speak French but connect with its mindset, humor, and emotion, discovering new sides of themselves along the way. Together, we also run J&P, a creative studio specializing in branding, storytelling, and design for mission-driven brands—helping them express who they are with cultural depth.

• Evan Rapoport

  Founder & CEO @ Amphibian, former AI Moonshots Lead for Google Brain

  I’m the founder of Amphibian, an innovation lab developing scalable solutions to improve people’s relationship with nature. Throughout my career in technology and philanthropy, I’ve worked to bridge my passion for the natural world with my technical expertise, and to help others find purpose-driven paths that benefit biodiversity. Before Amphibian, I spent a decade at Google, where I most recently served as Head of AI Moonshots at Google Brain and Lead Product Manager on Nature for Climate. While at Google X, I founded Tidal, a moonshot focused on sustainable aquaculture and ocean health. In the middle of my time at Google, I took a few years away to serve as the founding CEO of Oceankind, a philanthropic organization funded by Lucy Page. There, I built the team and developed a diverse and ambitious portfolio of catalytic grants and impact investments that continue to grow and create lasting impact. I also served as the Senior Technology Fellow at Conservation International.

• Frank McCourt

  Founder, Project Liberty | Executive Chairman, McCourt Global, Inc. Owner, Olympique de Marseille

  Frank H. McCourt, Jr. is a civic entrepreneur and executive chairman of McCourt Global, continuing his family’s 130-year legacy of combining community impact with strong financial results. He is the founder of Project Liberty, a $500 million initiative advancing a more equitable digital future through the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP) and the Project Liberty Institute, created with Georgetown University, Stanford University, and Sciences Po. Frank made two major investments of $100 million each to establish and expand Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. He owns Olympique de Marseille and previously owned the Los Angeles Dodgers. His work builds on generations of McCourt family infrastructure projects, including developments in Boston’s Seaport and major mixed-use projects across the U.S. and Europe. A Georgetown graduate, he is married to Monica McCourt and the father of seven. In 2024, he published Our Biggest Fight.

• Haideh Hirmand, MD

  M.D., F.A.C.S., Award-Winning Plastic Surgeon, SkinLabRx founder

  I am an aesthetic plastic surgeon and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian with over two decades of experience focused on achieving meticulous, natural results. Trained at Harvard, my background in genetics and molecular biology informs a scientific approach to aesthetic medicine. I pioneered Aesthetic Synergy—integrating surgical and non-surgical techniques for age- and person-appropriate rejuvenation—and a shape-preserving approach that enhances each individual’s unique features. My work and philosophy have been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Elle, Allure, and Netflix’s Explained. In 2010, I founded SkinLabRx by Dr. Hirmand , a center of excellence in regenerative aesthetics, offering injectables, stem-cell-inspired therapies, and advanced technologies to activate the body’s own healing power—advancing the concept of Regenerative Intelligence for lasting beauty and vitality.

• Javier Aguera

  Serial inventor & CEO of Pandora's box

  I’m an inventor and social entrepreneur with a deep passion for humane technology design. I currently serve as the CEO of Pandora’s Box, a social venture creating tools to support a healthier transition into adolescence in today’s digital era. At 16, I co-founded Geeksphone, the first European smartphone maker to introduce Android in 2009 and later the first worldwide to launch FirefoxOS. Its spin-off, Blackphone, was named a TIME Invention of the Year. I’ve also launched ventures aimed at protecting journalistic integrity, improving dream and sleep quality, and enabling edge AI and cybersecurity in critical industrial IoT applications. I’m a former Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center and Sesame Workshop, and I hold an MS in Integrated Design, Engineering, and Management from MIT. Currently, I’m an Adjunct Professor and Course Lead for Decision Making at IE New York College. PS: I'm an open book... except for my Spanish tortilla and sangria recipes.

• Jen Chiang

  Tech founder, social entrepreneur & HR guru.

  I’m the founder of WearOpal, a safety-tech company focused on personal safety through discreet, fashion-forward wearables. Inspired by my experience as a survivor, I set out to design a personal safety smart ring that can silently alert 911 and emergency contacts. My mission is to empower others and integrate safety seamlessly into everyday life. I’ve worked in Human Resources across fashion and technology at Brunello Cucinelli, Uber, and Hypebeast, focusing on organizational development. I graduated from Columbia Business School, where I developed a thoughtful approach to innovation rooted in empathy and lived experience. My work explores how technology and design can restore agency and hope, especially for women and marginalized communities. I believe that safety is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that technology, when designed with empathy, can help us reclaim our sense of freedom and confidence in the world.

• Najat Khan, PhD

  BioTech leader CEO @Recursion

  I believe the future of medicine lies where science meets data; where bold ideas meet deep purpose. As Chief R&D and Chief Commercial Officer at Recursion, I help lead a team using AI, machine learning, and one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to discover and develop new therapies for patients who need them most. The goal is always impact focused. Before joining Recursion, I served as Chief Data Science Officer and Global Head of Strategy & Portfolio for R&D at Johnson & Johnson, where we embedded AI and digital health across the research and development process. I have been influential in founding industry consortia, including DISRUPT and the AI in Structural Biology Consortium and serve on the board of the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. I am passionate about building teams fluent in both science and technology, transforming how we bring medicines to the world and inspiring more women to lead boldly in spaces that are still evolving.

• Yuval Ariav

  Investor @Symbol VC, founder, and professor.

  I believe the best ideas begin before the world agrees with them. I am the Founder and Managing Partner of Symbol, a first-check VC focused on pre-consensus investments: companies built on conviction long before validation. Over the past 15 years, I have helped startups grow from seed to strength and guided them into maturity. I was the first investor and board member in Next Silicon, FundGuard, Assured Allies, and Sightful. Before Symbol, I co-founded Fundbox and helped lead Onavo as head of product and chief architect until its acquisition by Meta. These experiences taught me that real innovation thrives in uncertainty; the hardest problems often lead to the most enduring solutions. I divide my time between Tel Aviv, New York, and San Francisco, and teach at Columbia University, where I explore the intersection of data, AI, business, and society. Above all, I remain driven by curiosity, collaboration, and the pursuit of ideas that shape what comes next.