Entrepreneur Pete Kadens knows the power of partnerships. That's how he made his fortune in the solar and legal cannabis industries. That's how he funded post-secondary education for entire high schools in Toledo (OH) and Chicago. And now Pete unveils how a partnership between employers, colleges, and students could produce generations of debt-free, career-ready professionals while lifting communities out of poverty and boosting the life trajectory of every child in America without further taxing our already stretched taxpayers. Pete Kadens is a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, dedicated to igniting pathways out of poverty through equitable access to education. In 2019 Pete founded HOPE Toledo (OH) in his hometown to ensure that Toledo Public School children, and a parent, could go to college or trade school for free. He also founded HOPE Chicago in 2021, the largest place-based scholarship program in the country that will spend $1B over a decade sending underserved Chicago families to college or trade school. HOPE Chicago was twice featured on 60 Minutes in 2022. Before focusing on these charitable endeavors, Pete had an 18-year career as CEO at both SoCore Energy and Green Thumb Industries in Chicago before retiring in 2018. He created over 5,000 jobs and over $5B in shareholder value across the companies he started. Pete was the 19th person ever to be inducted into the Chicago Innovation Hall of Fame and in 2023 he was named the Humanitarian Award Winner for the Holocaust Museum. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx