Luis Solis

Born in Washington DC to recently arrived Guatemalan emigres, Luis Solis is a hispanic Forrest Gump with a modest measure of intelligence and abundant optimism. He has been blessed with exceptional opportunities to make a difference for others: as a US Senate intern he escorted 108-year old Annie Ducher to meet President Jimmy Carter; during college he co-founded COPUS to educate the US House of Representatives on the value and need for grants and loans to assist ambitious students with limited financial resources to attend leading Private colleges; and later, he arranged the acquisition, and subsequent IPO, of VANs shoes to create one of the earliest Gen X global brands. From tech turnarounds and private equity to growth executive at GE Capital, Luis invests himself in creating "the new": new ventures, new models, new channels and new growth opportunities.

Luis coaches and advises senior executives, Boards, and executive committees on how to achieve innovation readiness and connectedness. His corporate experience exceeds 100 engagements with measurable benefits in the 100s of millions.

A resident of Boulder, Colorado, Luis graduated from Stanford University's MBA and JD programs after an honors experience in Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Because he seeks to share his experience, he writes. Because he can contribute to the future of Innovation leadership, he frequently speaks at conferences, corporate gatherings, and on-line via web-telethons. "Innovation Alchemists" is his first book. More about Luis at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lfsolis