America's next generation of innovation is being misdirected.

The majority of innovation in our nation is not going toward tackling our most pressing challenges.

Trapped within the confines of traditional educational institutions, companies, and startup ecosystems, our smartest individuals find their creativity diverted toward problems that are not vital for our nation.

A major cause of this diversion is the loss of popularity of ideals that once spurred innovation and societal growth, ideals like religion, patriotism, and family, within our nation's most important institutions and ecosystems. These ideals, and the companies they inspired, led to some of the most monumental successes in our history. Ford Motor Company's affordable automobiles and good wages that transformed manufacturing, Boeing's patriotic drive that built the aircrafts that won WWII, and NASA's Apollo Program that put a man on the moon.

Where is the new healthy ecosystem for pioneers aiming to embark on our most important quests? And how do we aid our most brilliant minds in engaging in less-traveled, yet more vital, areas of innovation?