Ann Makosinski

19-year-old student inventor

Ann Makosinski is a 19-year-old student inventor and speaker. Her first toy was a box of transistors, and from there her love of inventing grew. She started participating at her local science fairs in grade 6, and in grade 10 she got the inspiration for her project when her friend in the Philippines failed her grade because she had no electricity or light to study with at night. Ann made the Hollow Flashlight, a flashlight that runs off the heat of the human hand. Ann won numerous awards at the Intel Science and Engineering Fair, and ultimately won her age category at the 2013 Google Science Fair. She is currently in talks to manufacture and distribute her flashlight.

Her next invention was created out of necessity after listening to her high school friends complain about their hot coffee taking too long to cool down, and their phones always running out of battery. Ann invented the eDrink, which converts the excess heat of your drink into electricity, which can give your phone or iPod a boost of energy. The eDrink won awards at the 2015 Intel Science and Engineering Fair. In total, Ann completed 10 science fairs in 7 years.

Ann has been featured in numerous media outlets - including two appearances on the Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon in 2014 and 2015. In 2015-2016, Ann was named the global brand ambassador for Uniqlo’s fleece line, completed her 5th TEDx talk, and was awarded the 2015 SEA Award (Sustainable Entrepreneurship Award) in Vienna, which Obama received in 2014. Ann also was the recipient of a $50,000 Quest Climate Change Grant from Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic.

Finally, Ann was chosen to be one of Teen Vogue’s Global Earth Angels (An Eco Activist Saving the Planet), and Popular Science named Ann “Breakout Young Inventor of the Year”. She also spoke at Singularity University in San Francisco and the International Designers of America conference in Detroit that summer. Whew, Ann had a busy year (while attending uni!).

Ann kicked off September 2016 with a keynote for a private event for the Pictet Bank in Geneva, as well as speaking for the Thrival Festival in Pittsburgh and the We for She Event in Vancouver. After taking 6 months off to recover from a rather horrid case of encephalitis (inflammation of the cerebellum - you don’t want it), she spoke in May 2017 at the ISEF Alumni Entrepreneurship panel. The rest of Ann’s 2017 Calendar includes speaking at the Global 4H Convention, the Youth Entrepreneurship Conference, and then at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Ann has been named as one of Times 30 Under 30 in 2013, and one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2017. Ann is a global ambassador for the AAT Project and has also been chosen as a youth influencer for McCann Erickson. She is currently working on a new secret invention and battling the many pesky legal fees that come with acquiring patents. She also just completed campaigns for Five Star and Lenovo, and worked with WE Canada for Canada 150. In August, she will be embarking on a two week expedition to the North West Passage on a boat as part of Canada’s 150 anniversary. Ann enjoys walking her cat and watching old (1920’s - 1960’s) films in her spare time.