Anousheh Ansari

Anousheh Ansari is the CEO of XPRIZE, a foundation that designs incentive competitions to address global challenges. She is an astronaut and high-tech entrepreneur. In 2006, she spent 11 days on the International Space Station, becoming the first female private space explorer, the first astronaut of Iranian descent, the first Muslim woman in space, and the fourth private explorer overall to reach space. Before joining XPRIZE, she co-founded and led Prodea Systems, an Internet of Things technology company that was recognized as one of Inc. magazine's 500 fastest-growing companies.