X Prize Founder, Best-Selling Author and Futurist Peter Diamandis to Make Canadian Speaking Debut at OCE's Discovery

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 1, 2013) - Dr. Peter Diamandis, noted futurist, X Prize founder and New York Times best-selling author will make his first Canadian appearance as the opening-day keynote speaker at OCE's Discovery conference.

"We are thrilled that Dr. Diamandis has agreed to bring his visionary insights on innovation, technology and business to Discovery," says OCE's President and CEO, Dr. Tom Corr. "This is an opportunity for the thousands of entrepreneurs, researchers and investors who attend Discovery to hear and learn from one of the most creative and provocative thinkers in his field."

Discovery takes place May 27 and 28 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building.

"I am honoured that Dr. Peter Diamandis will deliver the keynote at Discovery 2013; we are fortunate to welcome this visionary speaker," said Ontario's Minister of Research and Innovation, Reza Moridi. "His attendance reinforces Discovery's reputation as Canada's premier innovation showcase and I know that his insights will inspire innovations that will result in more jobs for young Ontarians."

At Discovery, Dr. Diamandis will share his thoughts on how disruptive innovation (a game-changing innovation that creates new opportunities in an existing market) in exponentially growing technologies including digital manufacturing, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and nanomaterials, will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than in the previous two centuries.

"As a place where innovators and investors gather to connect and learn, Discovery is the ideal venue to talk about the fact that all of the world's problems can be solved while presenting terrific business opportunities as well," says Dr. Diamandis. "I look forward to sharing my messages and hopefully inspiring people to think big."

Having obtained degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT and his MD designation from Harvard Medical School, Dr. Diamandis is currently Chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation, which leads the world in creating large incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs beneficial to humanity. The board of X Prize Foundation includes film director James Cameron, inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk, Google co-founder Larry Page and author/inventor Ray Kurzweil.

As co-founder (along with Kurzweil, a past Discovery speaker) and Chairman of the Singularity University, a Silicon Valley-based institution partnered with NASA, Google, Autodesk and Nokia, he counsels some of the world's top enterprises on exponential technologies and incentivized innovation to accelerate their business objectives.

Dr. Diamandis is also recognized as a leader in the commercial space arena having founded and run Zero Gravity Corporation, the Rocket Racing League and Space Adventures.

His 2012 book Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think (co-authored with Steven Kotler) was on the New York Times best seller list for nine weeks.

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X Prize Founder, Best-Selling Author and Futurist Peter Diamandis to Make Canadian Speaking Debut at OCE's Discovery