The Leading Speakers Bureau

Author & Chief Misfit

Alexa Clay is a writer, public speaker and researcher with a focus on subculture, informal economy and new economic thinking. She is the co-author of ‘The Misfit Economy’, a book that examines the role of creative thinking and ingenuity among society’s “misfits.” The Economist called the book “a paean to the quirkier members of society.” It was named a top business book by The Telegraph and the World Economic Forum. Alexa has appeared in Dazed Digital, on NPR’s Marketplace, The Takeaway, Australia’s morning show Weekend Sunrise and the Laura Flanders Show. ‘The Misfit Economy’ loosely inspired the NatGeo show Underworld Inc, for which Alexa was a consulting producer.

“Amid the characteristics that make a successful entrepreneur, one stood out: juvenile delinquency.”

[expand title=”In detail”] Alexa Clay was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the daughter of two anthropologists. She has been active in the fields of social business, technology studies, and social change. She has been an advocate for “inclusive innovation,” examining the ways in which entrepreneurs in the black market and informal economy are given access to economic opportunity. Formerly, Alexa led work focused on scaling social innovation at Ashoka and co-founded the League of Intrapreneurs, a network focused on scaling the movement of social intrapreneurship.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Alexa’s projects tend to utilize “misfit approaches” or philosophies – inspired by Nigerian spammers, performance artists, wise hermits, and tempered radicals working to transform our institutions from the inside. Alexa hacks, hustles and provokes systems in need of change. Some of her work is romantic, ephemeral and “pop-up,” while some is more systemic and long-term.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Alexa Clay is a fresh voice and fast-rising star with an edgy and thought-provoking message from the front lines of the often invisible creative economy.[/expand]

Watch a video presentation of Alexa Clay

Topics

The Power of Misfits

Do-It-Yourself Economy

Rise up Cubicle Warriors

Underground & Grassroots Innovation

Technological Change

Re-wiring the Spirit of Capitalism One Misfit at a Time.

Publications

2015
The Misfit Economy: Lessons in Creativity from Pirates, Hackers, Gangsters and Other Informal Entrepreneurs

Contact Alexa Clay for keynote speech:

To book Alexa Clay

Send an email
Or fill in the form below: