G. Nagesh Rao has worked in the Public, Private, and NGO sectors over the last 20+ years. He is well known for co-developing programmatic endeavors such as i6 (Green) Challenge, Patents for Humanity, VT-Arc Additive Manufacturing Prize Challenge, AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassadors Program, SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, and USAID’s-SBAR Program. Furthermore he has worked on IP-Portfolios, Global Strategies, Consumer Products, and Technology R&D, for a variety of leading SMEs over the years. Nagesh is a 2004 Mirzayan Fellow of The National Academies and a 2016 USA Eisenhower Fellow. His credentials include a BSc from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a MSc from Albany Law School-Union University, and a MBA from University of Maryland-College Park, as well patent bar certified to practice Patent Law from the US Patent and Trademark Office.