Manifesto by Our Team
Not the kind you shout about.
The quiet kind.
The invisible kind.
The kind that rebuilds slowly,
surely, again and again.
We’re inviting stories that speak to the after.
Ideas born not from comfort,
but from collapse.
Solutions forged not in perfection,
but persistence.
Because resilience isn’t a trait.
It’s a pattern.
One we can learn, share, and live by.
Join us on
Sept 28, 2025
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Ideas & Storytellers
Powering a Resilient Future
Cole Ashman is the Founder and CEO of Pila Energy, creators of the Pila Mesh Home Battery, a sleek, plug-in energy storage system that transforms everyday appliances and spaces into smart, resilient power hubs. Pila is designed to bring energy independence to renters, owners, homes, and businesses alike. With a background in smart home IoT and energy infrastructure, Cole previously led hardware product development at SPAN and contributed to flagship energy products at Tesla, including Powerwall and Backup Gateway.
Forging Untouchable Worth
Michelle Sung is a classical flutist who has performed with leading orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall. After a traumatic brain injury stripped her of her fine motor skills, she was told there was no cure. Defying the odds, she used neuroplasticity to retrain her brain, making a full recovery and returning triumphantly to the stage. This profound journey through loss and resilience ignited a new purpose. Today, alongside her music career, Michelle works in health tech, designing products that support mental health and recovery. What once felt like the end of her story became the beginning of a new one, driven by empathy and a mission to help others heal.
Reimagining Public Education
As Principal and Chief Innovator of Milpitas High School, Greg Wohlman draws upon over 26 years of educational leadership forged in some of the world's most unique environments, from remote, fly-in schools in the Alaskan Bush to the heart of Silicon Valley. This diverse journey shaped his core philosophy: that strong, supportive communities are the key to success, a belief he now puts into action by championing a “Culture of We” where student voice and well-being are paramount. Now guiding initiatives at a new Innovation Campus, Greg is dedicated to reimagining the K-12 experience, ensuring that education becomes profoundly relevant and empowering for every student preparing to navigate a rapidly changing world.
What Must Remain Human
Miqdad Jaffer is a Product Leader at OpenAI, driving innovation in API developer products with a focus on multimodal AI. With 18 years of experience building products at some of the world’s most successful companies, he previously served as Head of AI Products at Shopify. Recognized as one of the world’s leading AI executives and an AI product educator, Miqdad’s work has been featured in TechCrunch, MIT’s AI Podcast, Fast Company, The Globe and Mail, and Spotify. He was named one of Business Insider’s “Top 100 People to Follow in Artificial Intelligence” and has earned numerous other awards and accolades for his contributions to the field.
Permission to Build
Farhan Hossain is a product design engineer who works at the intersection of rigorous hardware, advanced manufacturing, and human-centered design. He helped build Apple’s Vision Pro program from early concept to mass production and is named on a portfolio of patents spanning head-mounted systems, input, and sensing. He has since founded and advised startups and is currently in YC S25 building technologies for the future of human–machine interfaces. Farhan’s practice is simple: design for people and the world they touch, make things that last, and share knowledge openly.
Reinventing our Life in the Age of Intelligent Companions
Aishwarya currently leads the Developer Relations - Growth at Fireworks AI. She was previously at Microsoft for Startups as a Senior AI Advisor to help Y Combinator startups build machine learning solutions, leveraging core Microsoft/ OpenAI products. Prior to this, Aishwarya was working as a Data Scientist in Google Cloud and before that an AI & ML Innovation Leader at IBM Data & AI. She holds a post-graduate in Data Science from Columbia University.
Human in the loop
“XJ” Zhang is a business leader who bridges finance, growth, and innovation to scale intelligent enterprise systems. He has led multi-billion-dollar equity investments, brought AI- powered software from roadmap to market for leading mobility companies, and deployed enterprise intelligence software across organizations with tens of thousands of employees. As Head of Growth at Apex.AI, an autonomous software pioneer, he forged high-impact partnerships and launched cutting-edge products that make vehicles and robots smarter and safer. He holds a master’s degree from Stanford University, where he co-founded two tech startups and published research on the future of mobility.
Weaving the Invisible
Ziyuan ‘Zoey’ Zhu is a designer and creative technologist working at the intersection of design, art, and emerging technology. At IDEO, a global design company committed to fostering social impact with human-centric design, she helps teams tangibly explore the future of product experience with creativity and technologies, including AI, spatial computing, and data visualization. Her works have been featured in SXSW, iF Design Trend Conference, MIT Museum, SF Design Week, IDSA, NY Climate Week, and more. Beyond her digital realm, Ziyuan is a multimedia and textile artist, translating data and digital graphics into weaving patterns to create new forms of storytelling. She holds a dual degree in architecture studies and computer science from MIT.
The Invisible Blockages Preventing Who You’re Meant to Become
Kurtis Lee Thomas is a #1 best-selling author and founder of Breathwork Detox, a modality voted #1 Corporate Wellness Provider of 2023 by HR Manager Magazine. He’s been featured on The Today Show for making a profound impact on mindfulness and wellbeing in some of the top fortune 500 companies such as Nike and NASA. Kurtis is a committed Mental Health Advocate who published the #1 new release, HOW TO THRIVE IN THE AGE OF ANXIETY. He’s currently the Chairman of Just Breathe Foundation and works with top global brands, athletes and celebrities, to help bring awareness and solutions to the mental health epidemic that currently plagues our families, and our employees.
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Our Partners
We’re grateful to our partners who share our vision and help turn bold ideas into unforgettable experiences.
Our Team
The TEDxMilpitas team is a group of volunteers leading an independently organized, non-profit initiative licensed by TED.
