ALEX LIDOW

Chosen because: Alex Lidow, 62, is an entrepreneur and a physicist with a Ph.D. from Stanford University who wants to take the silicon out of Silicon Valley. His 9-year-old company in El Segundo, Calif., Efficient Power Conversion, is working to transition products reliant on silicon-powered chips -- including lidar sensors -- to faster, more efficient and less expensive gallium nitride chip technology. The result could lead to more powerful and cheaper lidar sensors, enabling automakers and suppliers to develop commercial autonomous vehicles faster.