The fifth edition of the Edison Awards in Fort Myers will honor a man known as the godfather of artificial intelligence and an innovator in higher education. And the event, taking place April 2-3 at Caloosa Sound Convention Center in downtown Fort Myers, offers so much more to those residing near the winter home of Thomas Edison and the surrounding communities of Southwest Florida, said Frank Bonafilia, executive director of the Edison Awards.
Founded in 1987, the Edison Awards were held at various venues in New York City through 2019. A series of conversations between Bonafilia and former Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson led to moving the awards in 2021 to Fort Myers, where the city and Lee County each contribute $50,000 per year in taxpayer funding to the event, and have committed to doing so through 2027 as part of a five-year agreement.
“The Edison Awards is the Oscars of innovation,” Bonafilia says. “Clearly when we made the trip from New York to Fort Myers, we believed we could build a bridge from Fort Myers to the rest of the world and from the rest of the world to Fort Myers. You’ve got the spirit of innovation that has always lived there.”
Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of software company Nvidia — and known for being the “godfather of AI” — and Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University and education innovator, will be honored as the 2025 Edison Achievement Award Honorees.
“What’s remarkable about Jensen is he started out working at Denny’s,” Bonafilia says. “He came up with this idea … He was a gamer. And he thought that there was a better way to process data or graphics. The way it has been designed is completely different. It has efficiencies in it that nobody had ever thought of. They realized how fast data could move through this. That’s where artificial intelligence comes from. It really has changed the game.”
As for Crow, he changed national and international perceptions of Arizona State, drawing more than 100,000 students who take classes from around the world.
“He changed ASU from the No. 1 party school to the No. 1 innovation school for 10 years running,” Bonafilia says. “It enables anybody, through online access and virtual reality and working to creating classes, to meet the schedules of working professionals.”
This year’s award ceremony will draw approximately 500 executives and innovators from worldwide companies, Bonafilia said, giving the region a special networking opportunity.
“It has really energized the region to think differently,” he says. “To act differently. To consider a future where it doesn’t have to be built in Fort Myers. But we sure would like to understand what they are doing and how they can make the region a better place.”
There will be a forum for 85 area high school students to participate in, as he says, “reimagining what Lee County will look like in the next 20 years. The students will focus on some of the challenges the region has; one of the things happens to be more STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) type careers. A lot of students, they know science. They know technology. This is a chance for them to showcase their skills, give us fresh ideas and give them a certificate to show they have done it.”
Dozens of innovations also will be on display, and Lee Health will be showcasing one of them. With a state grant of $1.1 million, the region’s largest health care provider developed a mobile health unit it deployed for the first time to northwest Cape Coral last fall, giving Pine Island residents easier access to health care following Hurricane Milton.
“What makes this thing unique is it’s a 36-foot unit that supports an advance provider, a nurse and a customer service representative,” says Michael Nachef, chief of staff for Lee Health.
The unit has dual redundant power, two types of generators and 5G high-speed internet connectivity from two providers in case one of them fails. Lee Health partnered with engineering company Black & Veatch, a longtime Edison Awards sponsor, in developing the unit.
“As we conceived it, we thought it could be put in a location for a number of days at a time if needed,” Nachef says. “Right now, we’ve been stationing it in Lehigh Acres at Veterans Park. When you’re not having hurricane season, we’re using it as a family alternative medicine clinic. We’re now looking at opportunities to deploy it in different locations.”
That’s just one of dozens of innovations that would be showcased at the Edison Awards, Bonafilia said.
The Hyperion XP-1 by Hyperion Motors, a hydrogen-powered super car, will be on display. It has zero emissions, 450 to 1,000-plus miles of range and rapid refueling. It has more than 1,800 horsepower, can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.24 seconds and can reach a top speed of 228 mph.
There are just two catches. The car sells for $2.5 million, and there aren’t any hydrogen fuel tanks in Southwest Florida. But the cost should only go down, and fuel tanks would spread as more hydrogen cars come online, said Angelo Kafantaris, CEO of Hyperion.
“Yes, the car’s expensive,” Kafantaris says. “But also, it’s very easily scaled in large volume.”
A decade ago, Kafantaris had been hoping and waiting for mainstream automobile manufacturers to get more serious about developing hydrogen-powered vehicles. Toyota and Kia each sell them, but only in California and Hawaii.
“The more I waited, the less it happened,” Kafantaris said. “I figured I would have to do it myself. We’ve been spending over a decade building 24 different pieces of IP for the company. Vehicles, power systems and refueling.”
Bringing that technology to the Edison Awards will boost Hyperion’s exposure, he said.
“What I’m excited about with the Edison Awards is, first of all, Thomas Edison is the pinnacle of American ingenuity. I grew up looking up to his genius. To be recognized at the awards is an honor; it’s just another feather in our cap. We’re honored to have the car there. We’re hoping to get as many people as we can in the technology space to learn about the car.”
