David Petite

Intro

David Petite is an inventor born in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribe. He is also a founder of the Native American Intellectual Property Enterprise Council, a non-profit organization helping Native American inventors and communities.

Career

A challenging childhood encouraged David to become self-sufficient. He founded his first R&D company, which failed due to a lack of resources. Still not discouraged, David encountered an "angel investor" who believed in David's potential to succeed. With this help, David founded SIPCO (the Smart IP Company). SIPCO has been at the forefront of exchanging data over wireless means.

Inventions

David is one of the early innovators of wireless networking technology that enables multiple applications to operate over a shared network, similar to how the Internet and mobile phones work today. David also gives back to his community by developing communications technology for assisted living facilities.

Perspective

When David's first company failed, he made a personal commitment to better his life. "I learned to see failures as great lessons," he said. David offers advice to aspiring young innovators to "Look in the mirror and say 'I am going to make a difference for the people around me' and you will be rewarded."