At 19, Kentarou Siejak is already testing what can happen when students are given real responsibility instead of simulated experience. As president of Elevate at ASU, organizer of TEDx ASU, and a Venture Cafe Phoenix ambassador, he is building opportunities for students to work on ambitious projects, develop professional relationships, raise capital, and learn by actually doing the work.

That approach was tested early. When TEDx ASU lost its venue with only three weeks remaining, Kentarou and his team had to rebuild sponsorships, secure a new location, and begin marketing almost from scratch. The resulting event brought together hundreds of attendees and a team of roughly 80 students—an experience Kentarou now sees as training for much bigger projects ahead.

Throughout the conversation, Kentarou returns to one skill: resourcefulness. Whether he is finding sponsors, connecting experts, building partnerships, or helping students find mentors, his instinct is to ask who needs to be in the room and how to reach them. His larger goal for Elevate isn't simply helping students build résumés. It's helping them develop enough confidence, experience, and relationships to eventually build things of their own.

For Arizona's innovation ecosystem, Kentarou represents something worth paying attention to: a generation of students who don't necessarily want to wait until graduation to participate. His vision stretches from Arizona campuses to global—and even interplanetary—problems, but the starting point remains local: give young people meaningful work, connect them with people who can help, and create enough momentum for them to eventually create opportunities for others.

• Why Kentarou believes resourcefulness is one of the most important skills for innovation
• How the TEDx ASU team responded when its venue disappeared three weeks before the event
• How students can turn college organizations into laboratories for real-world experience
• Kentarou's approach to sponsorships, partnerships, and aligning incentives
• Why understanding psychology and sociology can make someone a better salesperson and leader
• How mentors can expand what young entrepreneurs and innovators believe is possible
• Why Kentarou wants students to eventually leave Elevate and build something of their own
• What changes when leaders begin planning in decades—or even centuries—instead of quarters

Kentarou Siejak is an Arizona State University student, president of Elevate at ASU, organizer of TEDx ASU, keynote speaker, and ambassador for Venture Cafe Phoenix. His work centers on connecting students with real-world projects, mentors, partnerships, and opportunities that allow them to develop as builders and leaders while they are still in school.

Venture Cafe Phoenix: An Extraordinary Podcast explores the people, stories, and relationships shaping Arizona's innovation ecosystem.

Hosted by Alex Koupal, the podcast features conversations with founders, innovators, investors, educators, executives, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders working to make Arizona a place where ideas grow, businesses thrive, and meaningful connections happen.

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