STEPHEN B. KATSAROS
Chief Executive Officer and Founder “Less talk, more action. So many ideas die in a boardroom, in endless meetings, or on a dry erase board. Talking through the company’s future is important, but you can’t let it drag on. Once a decision is made you’ve got to be fearless and move it forward. It may fail. If it does, you wipe off the dust and go out there and fail again. Keep going until you succeed.” Stephen B. Katsaros is Chief Executive Officer, Chief Inventor, and Founder of Nokero International, Ltd. He graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1996. He began his career with a number of inventions for competitive and recreational skiers. In 1994, while still pursuing his BSME, he founded Odessa Design, and his invention, risers for alpine skis, sold over 40,000 units and inspired a change in the way that most recreational ski technology is designed and manufactured. Katsaros became a Registered Patent Agent in 2001. In addition to his other ventures, he works in product development and helps others protect their creations and intellectual property, representing inventors and assisting them in the process of filing patents. In 2003, Katsaros founded RevoPower, where he also served as Chief Technical Officer. He spent five years developing the tools and methodology to obtain patents for a motorized wheel for bicycles. Their creation was the first bicycle wheel containing an engine. The efficient engine allowed the motorized bicycle to travel at speeds of over 20 miles per hour while maintaining a fuel efficiency of 175 miles per gallon. In 2007, he invented products for HaberVision, including the eliminator fan module, a device that is able to automatically activate a tiny fan inside ski goggles to reduce humidity and prevent them from fogging up. The company also produced a line of eco-friendly toys for children. In 2012, after inventing a portable solar light bulb marketed to the 1.5 billion people worldwide that live without electricity, Katsaros founded Nokero, short for “no kerosene.” He recognized that so many people in third world economies have to rely on kerosene-powered lanterns that release toxic fumes and can cause severe burns. Nokero designs affordable solar technology for powerless communities. Katsaros serves as an Advisory Board Member and Business Incubator Advisor for the Bard Center for Entrepreneurship. He was awarded the B.F. Goodrich Collegiate Inventors Award as an Undergraduate National Winner in 1995. For his work at Nokero, Katsaros was a 2012 World Design Impact Prize finalist. In January 2012, he was featured as 8th among a list of 33 Idea Mensch Entrepreneurs Who Make the World a Better Place.
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