Aaron Horowitz, Co-Founder, CEO, Sproutel

Aaron is a maker; from sculptures to business, he is fascinated with the process of taking an idea from concept to reality. His experience growing up with human growth hormone deficiency inspired a desire to bring empathy, design, and a patient-centered mindset to healthcare. He is the co-founder and CEO of Sproutel, maker of products that create behavior change and emotional support for children with illness.

Sproutel is best known for their work creating Jerry the Bear, a best friend for children with type 1 diabetes, and My Special Aflac Duck, a robotic companion for children with cancer. The White House and Barack Obama recognized Aaron as one of 50 honored makers in 2014. He holds a degree in Mechatronics and User Interaction Design from Northwestern University, a major he created to pursue a passion for understanding how people play with robots! Through his work, Aaron is on a mission to design technology with purpose. When unplugged Aaron is likely either sculpting or surfing.

Paul Soulellis, Founder, Director, Queer.Archive.Work

Paul Soulellis is an artist and educator based in Providence, RI. His practice includes teaching, writing, and experimental publishing, with a focus on queer methodologies and network culture. He is founder/director of Queer.Archive.Work, a non-profit residency, library, and publishing studio, and Department Head and Associate Professor of Graphic Design at the Rhode Island School of Design. Paul writes and speaks about art, design, and experimental publishing internationally, was a Design Insights speaker at the Walker Art Center in 2018, and was a featured speaker at the Eyeo Festival in 2019. Paul is also the founder of Library of the Printed Web, a physical archive devoted to web-to-print artists’ books, zines, and printout matter, now housed at MoMA Library in NYC.

Innovate Newport

Innovate Newport is a coworking space and private office provider with the goal of supporting the Greater Newport region as a driving ecosystem for business enablement and innovation. We provide flexible space, access to resources and a collaborative community that allows businesses to thrive. Cowork space provides an avenue for companies and entrepreneurs, from start-up and development to growth and maturity, to establish themselves in the local market space with a physical and/or online presence.