Jessica "Jessie" Noel Garcia

Born: Unknown

Country of Birth: USA

Nationality: Cuban/American

Ethnicity: Hispanic

Lehigh University BA global Studies, Entrepreneurship & Women's Studies 2012; Master of Engineering-Technical entrepreneurship 2013; Stanford University Latino Entrepreneurship Fellowship 2015

" “My family sought out a better life in the U.S., and they found entrepreneurship to be their driver to success,” she says. “I saw how hard they had to work for a dollar.” (lemelson.org); “Start with what you have. If what you have is a pen and paper, that’s further than the person who’s just left it up in their head.. . .Get scrappy until you can move faster,” she says. “It’s an endurance game, not a sprint.” (lemelson.org); "As a collegiate rugby player, my coach didn't recognize the signs and symptoms of my concussion and let me keep playing. As a result, I suffered post-concussive symptoms for six months. When I went to find a device on the market that would have alerted me to my injury, I simply couldn't afford the $200 impact sensing mouthguard that was available. Out of frustration with my own injury, I became dedicated to making head injury awareness more affordable to all people. We began our research in development in 2013 and haven't looked back." (pennovation.upenn.edu); "I love a great hike on a new trail; exploring the outdoors always re-centers me and provides a new adventure." (pennovation.upenn.edu); “Everything around you was once an idea, and was made by someone no better than you or I. If they can do it, so can you!”(nextfab.com); "So there’s this underlying assumption that men are ambitious, and that women aren’t innately like that. Just knowing that mindset, I now go into meetings and say, “We’re building a rocket ship here at Tozuda. I’d love for you to join. If you don’t, that’s okay. We’re going to keep building our rocket ship.” (medium.com); "Also, I brought my dad to trade shows early on because I needed an extra person, and everyone would go shake his hand first. And he would say, “No, this is her business.” It’s definitely affected me, but I don’t take that personally. I’d rather be underestimated, and then just kill them with competence." (medium.co); "Our first entry to market, the Cabezon, attaches to hardhats in the construction industry. Two additional sensors, the Nitron and the Shipoh, are being developed for the sporting goods and shipping industries, respectively." (engineering.lehigh.edu); "By failing fast and often, I know I'm closer to finding the solution I'm looking for." (engineering.lehigh.edu); "Inevitably, roadblocks pop up, and the key in each case is to find the detour...always find the detour." (engineering.lehigh.edu); "

— Jessica "Jessie" Noel Garcia

Field of Study: Inventor

Institution/Corporation: Tozuda Inc; Lehigh University

Degrees & Memberships: Member: Kappa Alpha Theta-Epsilon Rho; Stanford's Latino Entrepreneurship Leaders Initiative Fellow

Awards: Rising Safety Star Award, Iternational Safety Equipment Association; 2020 National Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, National US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; 2020 40 Under 40 in Philadelphia, AI Dia News; 2019 Product of the Year Award, RAD Girls Philadelphia; 2019 Cool Idea Award, ProtoLabs; 2018 named to the 10 Startups to Watch, Philadelphia Inquirer; 2013 iPrize Award Recipient, Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity, & Innovation

Achievements: after suffering a concussion she founded Tozuda Safety & designed the Head Impact Indicator a nonelectrical mechanical device that attaches to the back of any type of helmet & is used to detect potential concussions;