Suggestions
Jason Eichenholz
Startup Founder - Entrepreneur - Inventor - Board Member - Why Not Change The World?
Jason Eichenholz is a pioneering entrepreneur and innovator in the field of laser and optics-enabled technologies, particularly in LiDAR applications for autonomous vehicles.12 He co-founded Luminar Technologies and serves as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO), where he is responsible for research and development of new products, product roadmap, and bringing Luminar's technology to market.12
Eichenholz holds a Ph.D. in Optical Science and Engineering from CREOL – The College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida, and a B.S. in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.14 He is a prolific inventor with 82 U.S. patents to his name.2
Career Highlights
- Co-founder and CTO of Luminar Technologies, a sensing technology company for autonomous vehicles12
- Former CEO and founder of Open Photonics, an open innovation company for optics and photonics technologies14
- Served as Divisional Technology Director at Halma PLC and CTO at Ocean Optics Inc.1
- Principal investigator for Air Force and DARPA funded research and development programs14
Achievements and Recognition
- Fellow of SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics) and Optica (formerly OSA, Optical Society of America)12
- Member of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame2
- Recognized as one of MIT Tech Review Innovators Under 352
Eichenholz's work has contributed to various applications, including battlefield explosives detection, early cancer detection, and environmental studies.2 His LinkedIn username is jasoneichenholz, where he describes himself as a "Startup Founder | Entrepreneur | Mentor Capitalist | Inventor | Board Member | Autism Advocate".3
Highlights
As a dad to 17 year old son with Autism, I have become a strong advocate for those with special needs. The services cliff at age 21 for a child with special needs is real! To address this, we have created a not for profit called Jonathan's Landing Foundation to build the world preminent adult living facility based on two equal pillars, live and work. We have a mission to build a home for these "kids" providing 500 affordable living units and to create 5000 jobs, and have a long list of partners joining us to create this magical place.
But why wait untill we build that to #whynotchangetheworld
Last night marked the launch of a new program, called #EventsWithJonathan. This is a program where groups servicing special needs individuals are invited to bring their members to attend sporting events inside the more intimate and supporting environment of a corporate suite rather than out in the general seating areas.
My idea is to make these events more accessible and inclusive for those who might struggle with the noise, lights and crowds of a major sporting event. I realized despite having been invited to countless games in suites or floor tickets in Orlando at the Amway Center, Explora Stadium and the University of Central Florida Bounce House, I have never brought Jonathan. It would simply be too hard. I know too many special-needs parents like me who would never even consider bringing their kids to a Magic game. Last night, we changed that paradigm. Some kids made it a quarter, some made it to halftime, others stayed and laughed the whole game.
The suites are donated by corporate partners who aren't using their suites that night as well as the Orlando Magic. Last night's suites were donated by our generous anchor partner Construction Unlimited and IOA Insurance Services. The City of Orlando will be partnering too. It's a true win-win.
Tonight's guests were two chapters of Best Buddies Florida. The UCF chapter and Best Buddies Titusville. Jonathan went to his first sporting event with Best Buddies last year so it only seemed natural to invite them as our inaugural guest. It was a truly Magical night.
We have a list of about 30 organizations in Orlando that could benefit from this type of experience ranging from those with Autism, Down's Syndrome, visual impairment, Cerebral Palsy, kids in the hospital and even Veterans with PTSD.
If you have a connection to somebody who has a suite and you think they would want to participate in the program or if you know of a special needs organization that you think could benefit from a night or day like this, please let me know. We will be doing Magic and Orlando Solar Bears games this year.
A friend of mine said to me the other day, this is one of those ideas that you ask why hasn't anybody thought of this before, it just makes sense. My vision is that this model gets replicated at countless stadiums around the world.
#inclusion #Specialneeds #autismawareness #notbroken
