TEDxPresidio - Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez

Alex Velez & Nikhil Arora
Co-Founders
Back to the Roots

Nikhil Arora: A Phi Beta Kappa scholar, Nikhil is a May 2009 summa cum laude graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, from the Haas School of Business and Department of Political Science. Prior to founding Back to the Roots in 2009, Nikhil spent time involved in business development and operations advisory. He also spent nearly six months in 2007 studying and working at the University of Ghana, Legon to setup a campus-wide recycling program for the 30,000-person campus. Since co-founding Back to the Roots, Nikhil has been named one of BusinessWeek's Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25, one of the Top 25 Social Entrepreneurs in America, UCLA's Opportunity Green Top 25 Green Company Leaders, 2010 Social Venture Network Social Innovation winners, and 2010 Hitachi Young Entrepreneur Winners. Nikhil also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Sage Mentorship Project.


Alejandro Velez: In addition to founding a 1000+ member non-profit & largest student-run organization at CAL, The Sage Mentorship Project, Inc. (www.sagementors.org), being awarded the Chancellor's 2009 Public Service Award and being named the 2009 UC Berkeley Alumni Association Undergraduate of the Year, Alejandro Velez spent time in investment banking and business development with Morgan Stanley and Qualcomm. Alex is a May 2009 summa cum laude graduate of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business with a degree in business administration and a minor in education. Alex has also been named 2010 PODER Magazine's 20 Influential Hispanics Under 40, one of BusinessWeek's Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25, one of BusinessWeek's Top 25 Social Entrepreneurs in America, UCLA's Opportunity Green Top 25 Green Company Leaders, 2010 Social Venture Network Social Innovation winners, and 2010 Hitachi Young Entrepreneur Winners . Alex is originally from Medellin, Colombia and is also a proud Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer survivor.

Recorded Live at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre April 2, 2011.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

event video by: http://repertoireproductions.com/

• Category

  Education

[Christina Fan]

I love how they are so connected to their community and are obviously driven to be as sustainable as possible. Their dedication on the idea of interchange and working with partners is refreshing, they seem to really work on giving back. What will they tackle next?

[mpdubbs]

i thought they could have been more well prepared. their talk was at times awkward and strange but the idea was cool and sound. way to go!

[Jay Tee]

Not everyone with great ideas are excellent public speakers... it took courage for these guys to do it!

[vgmackan]

what you lists here as negatives acually turns aound and makes the talk more engaging and makes their story pop. A very charming presentation in my opinion.

[Jermacide1]

Mushroom kits have been available for years. You just buy it, keep it in a cool place, spray it with water every now and then, viola, mushrooms. I don't understand how using recycled coffee grounds makes a difference really. But congratulations to these guys for growing a business out of nothing.

[nooper]

THIS is the American dream and American ingenuity at work. And how ABSOLUTELY FITTING, that these two bright, young entrepreneurs are ethnic minorities. This kind of business innovation, sustainable business through maximizing your partners' value, is what can save the economy, and is really the future of America.

[Mike Graf]

They keep getting the hookup from everyone else. Cant wait to see how they act when they're millionaires.

[Kuvter]

This: Home Aquaponics Kit: Self-Cleaning Fish Tank That Grows Food

Check it out on Kickstarter now (23 days to go)!