In her compelling TEDxBoston talk, “To reimagine the future we don’t just need inventors—we need deployers,” Vanessa Chan advocates for a transformative shift in how we approach innovation. While inventors are crucial for generating groundbreaking ideas and technologies, Chan emphasizes that deployers—the individuals and organizations responsible for implementing these innovations—are equally vital. She highlights the importance of bridging the gap between invention and practical application to create meaningful change in society.
Chan illustrates her points with real-world examples, showcasing how deployers can leverage existing inventions to address pressing challenges in areas like sustainability and healthcare. By fostering collaboration between inventors and deployers, we can accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions. Ultimately, Chan’s call to action envisions a future where creativity and practicality merge, enabling society to harness the full potential of human ingenuity for the greater good. Through her insights, viewers are inspired to recognize the crucial role of deployment in shaping a better tomorrow.
Watch the video by TEDxTalks
Author Video Description
Our systems of training PhD students are failing to move breakthrough inventions from the lab to adoption. In fact, 97% of academic patents fail to reach the market. Look not further than the universal symbol for innovation: the light bulb. This is a commercialization success story not an invention success story. Thomas Edison’s success and recognition with the light bulb exemplified the need for ecosystem development to reach scalability and deployment. In the modern era, our clean energy transition will require many leaps in innovation. To deploy complex systems change, the Department of Energy introduced Adoption Readiness Levels (ARLs) to complement Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), focusing on value proposition, market acceptance, resource maturity, and license to operate. Examples included hydrogen and offshore wind, where collaboration and system innovation were crucial to get innovation out of the lab and through demonstration scale. This approach calls for a shift in education to include real-world skills and a mindset for collaborative ecosystem building to ensure successful commercialization. Vanessa Chan is an accomplished entrepreneur, angel investor, speaker and educator renowned for her expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship at the intersection of technology and business. She is the inaugural Vice Dean of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Engineering School and the Jonathan & Linda Brassington Professor of Practice. Under President Biden, Vanessa served as the Chief Commercialization Officer at the U.S. Department of Energy and the Director of the Office of Technology Transitions. In this role, she was instrumental in nationally advancing clean energy technologies, notably through the “Pathways to Commercial Liftoff” reports, which provided roadmaps for decarbonizing various sectors, including geothermal and hydrogen. Her impact was recognized through her inclusion as one of the world’s 100 most influential business leaders in climate in Time100’s 2024 list. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
About TEDxTalks
TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere — celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED’s format and rules.
Video “To reimagine the future we don't just need inventors–we need deployers | Vanessa Chan | TEDxBoston” was uploaded on 06/11/2025 to Youtube Channel TEDx Talks