The passionate educators and innovators behind the Young Extraordinary Odyssey workshop.
Lily Safrani is defined by her ability to apply strategic vision and an innovative, hands-on approach to solving complex, real-world problems. A highly successful serial entrepreneur, she has launched and led enterprises in both the tech and consulting sectors, notably as the Founder and CEO of ExO Speakers and a Contributing Architect at ExO Works, where she focused on disruption and innovation.
Yet, her most powerful ventures apply this same exponential mindset to the world of learning and community. Early in her career, she demonstrated this spirit by launching Sarah and David Interactive, a publishing company that created a full curriculum that taught Hebrew reading and writing. Inspired by her deep immersion in Silicon Valley culture, she successfully championed the creation of The Innovative School, a progressive elementary school in Miami Beach.
This entrepreneurial problem-solving reached a personal peak during the 2020 lockdown when she co-founded Camp Howland. This innovative "driveway summer camp" was born out of the immediate need to provide structure and social interaction for neighborhood children while creating purpose for home-bound college students—a true example of leveraging existing resources for a high-impact community solution. Currently, Lily is applying this drive to her latest initiative, the YXO (Young Extraordinary Odyssey) workshop for teens, continuing her focus on cultivating the next generation of innovators.
As the Chairman of OpenExO and a global best-selling author of Exponential Organizations and ExO 2.0, Salim is one of the world's most sought-after business strategists who presents globally to the leaders of many of the world's largest companies and Heads of State.
His book "Exponential Organizations" is considered by many to be the go-to guide for 21st century organizations. He has shown that organizations adopting his ExO attributes deliver 40x shareholder returns.
Formerly a Founding Executive Director of Singularity University and VP at Yahoo, Salim provides a unique, macro vision of how to implement 10X improvements for both massive business success and large-scale social impact. He also sits on the board of the XPrize Foundation.
He is the Founder and Chairman of OpenExO, which helps companies to implement the lessons from Exponential Organizations by emulating the world's fastest growing companies. They inspire innovators to replace incremental innovation with 10X improvements, implement groundbreaking technologies and profitably achieve large-scale social impact.
He is excited about the opportunity to participate in the YXO (Young Extraordinary Odyssey) workshop to help bring key concepts related to his work in disruption, innovation and exponential growth to a younger audience.
Natasha Tsakos is an award-winning director, performer, and producer pioneering the intersection of arts, technology, innovation, and space exploration.
Natasha's expertise spans performance, space and human transformation:
Space & Innovation: She is the founder of SPACE WONDERS, the first theatrical company for space—developing experiences born from the medium of space and felt on Earth. Her flagship production, Paraboles, is the first research-driven performance in microgravity and cultural prototype for life beyond Earth.
Global Impact: She has captivated audiences across six continents, from TED and the Super Bowl with Cirque du Soleil to the G20 Summit, Discovery Channel, and Tribeca Film Festival. She speaks at global platforms including the United Nations General Assembly and Google, exploring how the convergence of arts and technology drives human transformation.
Strategic Partnerships: Drawing on experience with NASA, MIT, and the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, Natasha brings a research-driven approach to artistic innovation.
Natasha is passionate about inspiring the next generation:
Singularity University: Natasha is a graduate of Singularity University's Global Solutions Program (2015) at NASA Research Park, focused on accelerating technologies and global grand challenges; and winner of SU's Global Impact Competition (Google/NASA-sponsored).
Youth Engagement: Natasha has spent years translating "showmaking" into a practical toolkit for young creators offering workshops in storytelling, experiential design, and creativity-with-technology (from TV workshop like Telemundo's Protagonista de la Novela, to in-person workshops at DASH, Arts Directors Club, and Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex). She also speaks to student audiences, most recently sparking a room of 300 eleven-year-old girls at Space Center Houston about the future of artistic experiences in space.
Education: BFA, Theatre (New World School of the Arts / University of Florida), plus continued study and training across tech and aerospace-adjacent programs, including a NASA certificate of training (Chamber Flight to FL250), MIT's New Space Economy program, NASA L'SPACE Certificate of Completion, and studies with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS).
Her mission is to create extraordinary experiences, on this planet and beyond, that inspire wonder and awaken new ways of being.
Reserve your teen's spot for the February 28th Young Extraordinary Odyssey workshop in NYC.
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