TEDxSydney 2012 unveils entrepreneurial speaker line-up

A range of entrepreneurial speakers are set to take to the stage at TEDxSydney 2012 this weekend, including Jeremy Heimans, co-founder and chief executive of social enterprise Purpose.com.

TEDx is a grassroots spinoff of TED, a US-based annual ideas festival that typically attracts a diverse range of people including chief executives, scientists, philanthropists and creatives.

Speakers have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Sir Richard Branson.

TEDx, meanwhile, is a program of local events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

TED provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individually licensed TEDx events are self-organised. In Australia, TEDx is licensed to Remo Giuffré of Remo General Store.

Giuffré says like all TEDx events, TEDxSydney is a not-for-profit event. TEDxSydney 2012 will take place this Saturday at Carriageworks, a venue located in the suburb of Eveleigh.

“The brands and people associating with TEDxSydney are all closely aligned to TED’s core focus of Ideas Worth Spreading, and are all thought leaders in their respective fields,” he says.

Similarly, TEDxSydney executive producer Janne Ryan describes this year’s speakers as “change agents”.

“Many are making discoveries that will transform and define our 21^st century local, regional and global worlds,” Ryan says.