Steve Mariotti believes in the power of entrepreneurship to eradicate poverty and transform society.

An entrepreneur, teacher, author and lifelong student, Mariotti is best known for starting the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) based on the insights he gained from teaching in some of New York City's toughest public schools in the '80s. Through his own teaching and through NFTE's international, Mariotti has helped more than a million students discover the power of business ownership. Verne Harnish, founder of the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization, now known as Entrepreneurs' Organization, and the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs, called Mariotti "one of the greatest teachers of our time."

From the World Economic Forum in Davos to the pages of the New York Times, Mariotti has spent decades fighting for the rights of entrepreneurs everywhere. 

A native of Flint, Michigan, he graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has also studied at Harvard University, Stanford University, and Brooklyn College.