TED
International · TED@IBM, 2017
Watch David’s signature TED talk ↗David Katz · Founder & CEO, Plastic Bank · Keynote speaker
Drawing on his experience founding Plastic Bank, David Katz challenges leaders to question limits, take ownership and build something people believe in.
A BIG IDEA.
A WORLDWIDE CONVERSATION.
Selected speaking and conversation appearances—not institutional endorsements.
International · TED@IBM, 2017
Watch David’s signature TED talk ↗
Washington, D.C. · Spring Meetings, 2019
Photo: World Bank / Grant Ellis
London · 2020
Watch the conversation ↗WHEN THE VISION IS CLEAR,
BUT THE NEXT STEP ISN’T
Your next breakthrough may begin with an assumption someone finally questions, an idea someone dares to voice or a responsibility someone chooses to own.
David Katz founded Plastic Bank by seeing possibility where others saw waste, then bringing people together to build what didn’t yet exist. He knows the distance between believing in an idea and getting people to believe enough to act.
He brings that experience into your room, challenging people to think beyond the familiar, recognize the power of their contribution and take ownership of what comes next.
The question becomes personal: What could I make possible, and what am I waiting for?
Find the right conversation for your audienceIN THE ROOM
BC Chamber of Commerce
“David's engaging & inspiring speech provided valuable insights that carried through the rest of the week's sessions, contributing significantly to the overall success of the summit.”
Global Alumni Reunion · November 2023 · Excerpt
“Using a natural, extemporary delivery, David was able to captivate our audience in a way that left a lasting impression.”
“As a public speaker, David possesses a rare ability to articulate complex issues with clarity and authenticity. He brings a unique perspective that goes beyond the traditional business narrative, challenging the audience to think differently and encouraging them to consider the broader implications of their actions. His narrative is not just about success, but a deeper purpose.
Using a natural, extemporary delivery, David was able to captivate our audience in a way that left a lasting impression.”
THREE KEYNOTES. A CHALLENGE TO WHAT COMES NEXT.
A clear need. A human connection.The most powerful conversations connect a bigger possibility to something deeply personal: the part each of us can play.
David shapes each keynote around your audience’s ambitions, the assumptions holding them back and the decisions ahead. His stories bring the possibilities to life. His questions bring the responsibility home.
From waiting for certainty to taking a meaningful next step.
For organizations whose ambition is being held back by familiar assumptions or a habit of waiting for direction.
David shares the thinking behind beginning an enterprise that seemed impossible. Through the experience of building Plastic Bank, he explores how people can question inherited limits, take ownership within a shared vision and begin creating before the whole path is clear.
Ask about Unlearning ImpossibleAUDIENCES EXPLORE HOW TO
Best suited to
Leadership gatherings, company-wide meetings, entrepreneurial audiences and organizations navigating change.
A vision becomes powerful when people see their place in it.
For leaders who need more than agreement: they need people who choose to contribute.
Plastic Bank required people with different needs and perspectives to take part in something larger than themselves. David draws on that experience to explore leadership as an invitation: making purpose personal, connecting contribution to a shared ambition and building belief through action.
Ask about Give Them Something to Believe InAUDIENCES EXPLORE HOW TO
Best suited to
Executive meetings, company gatherings, sales conferences, association events and culture conversations.
Find opportunity in what others overlook.
For organizations looking for a different way to see an established problem.
Plastic Bank began with a shift in perspective: discarded plastic had value, and the people gathering it could participate in an economy built around that value. David uses that experience to explore how innovation begins with a better question, a human need and a model that gives people a reason to participate.
Ask about The Prosperity EffectAUDIENCES EXPLORE HOW TO
Best suited to
Innovation forums, business conferences, entrepreneurial audiences and brand or strategy teams.
SPECIALIST CONVERSATION
The enterprise behind the TED talk.
For audiences focused specifically on plastic, circularity and social enterprise, David explores the model connecting collection with income, social benefits and recycled materials, and the people who make that exchange possible.
Best suited to sustainability, packaging, circular-economy and social-enterprise events.
Ask about Plastic as MoneyKeynotes
·Moderated fireside chats
·Leadership conversations
START WITH YOUR PEOPLE
For founders and teams questioning inherited limits. Explore ownership and beginning before every answer is known.
See Unlearning ImpossibleFor leaders connecting individual contribution with shared ambition. Explore Give Them Something to Believe In.
Explore the leadership keynotesFor business audiences exploring enterprise and opportunity. Start with David’s TED talk and The Prosperity Effect.
Explore the founder’s perspectiveSEE THE MESSAGE IN THE ROOM
Explore David’s live keynotes and conversations, then see his recent media interview and specialist talk below.
Start with David’s signature TED talk, then explore his live keynotes and conversations below.
TED@IBM · 2017
David’s signature talk
The idea behind Plastic Bank: finding value in what others discard, and connecting enterprise with human opportunity.
Watch on TED
GLOBAL INNOVATION FORUM · LONDON 2025
Live keynote · 28:58
Leadership, ownership and innovation: a live keynote about challenging the limits we inherit and beginning to create.
Watch the keynoteORGANIC PRODUCE SUMMIT · 2022
Conference keynote · 17:59
A conference keynote connecting business-model innovation, environmental action and economic opportunity.
Watch the keynote
TALKS AT GS · 2020
In conversation · 17:03
A moderated conversation about building Plastic Bank and the relationship between business, plastic collection and opportunity.
Watch the conversationNOAH CONFERENCE · ZURICH 2021
Panel discussion · 16:36
A panel discussion with business and investment leaders about the role of companies in addressing plastic waste.
A DIFFERENT FORMAT. THE SAME FOUNDER’S PERSPECTIVE.
For organizers exploring a media conversation or a focused session on circularity and social enterprise.
ONE NEWS PH · MONEY TALKS
Media interview · 8:59 · Published October 2026
A conversation with Nikki De Guzman about connecting plastic collection, economic opportunity and business participation.
Watch the TV interviewEPR FORUM · MANILA 2026
Specialist talk · 16:40 · Published October 2026
David’s perspective on extended producer responsibility: recognizing the value of collected materials and the people behind them.
Watch the Manila talkAFTER THE CONVERSATION
Event-host reflections and clearly attributed feedback on the talks.
Global Innovation Forum · London 2025 · Excerpt
“It was bold, provocative and deeply human. His ability to reframe ‘impossible’ through vivid storytelling and real-world impact left the room energised and thinking differently about what innovation truly means.”
“I had the pleasure of collaborating with David for the 2025 Global Innovation Forum, one of the world’s leading events on innovation and future thinking.
David delivered his session in a truly unique way and unlike anything else on the programme. It was bold, provocative and deeply human. His ability to reframe ‘impossible’ through vivid storytelling and real-world impact left the room energised and thinking differently about what innovation truly means.
Attendees consistently told us his talk was one of the most memorable of the event. Beyond his powerful message, David is kind, positive and incredibly easy to work with. He is a speaker that is genuinely invested in making the experience meaningful for everyone involved.”
Post-event feedback · October 2024
“The story of Plastic Bank is inspiring and the results, very compelling.”
LEADERSHIP & PARTNERSHIPS
Reflections on David’s leadership and Plastic Bank partnerships—not keynote testimonials.
“We are grateful for our journey together.”
“David made it possible for us to act.”
“Our partnership with Plastic Bank has been invaluable.”
MORE THAN A REHEARSED MESSAGE
David’s style is direct, personal and grounded in the work. He connects the experience of building Plastic Bank to the questions your audience is facing, rather than asking every audience to fit the same story.
The planning conversation starts with your goals: who will be in the room, what they are navigating and what you want them to think about or do differently afterward.
Additional conversations and time with attendees can be discussed as part of the event plan.
Planning an event? Get the bio, photographs and organizer resources.
Start with your audience
Photos: World Bank / Grant Ellis
View the original photographs

A LIFE IN THE MAKING.

WHERE THE IDEA MEETS REAL LIFE.
THE PERSON BEHIND THE PURPOSE
David Katz is the founder and CEO of Plastic Bank, a TED speaker and an entrepreneur who chose to pursue an idea many would have considered impossible: connecting the value in discarded plastic with income and opportunity for the people collecting it.
Building that idea meant more than starting a company. It meant questioning familiar assumptions, asking others to believe in a different future and finding a way forward before every answer was clear.
That experience shapes the way David speaks about leadership. He brings the conviction of someone who has built, the humility of someone still learning and a belief that people can contribute far more than they realize.
On stage, he connects the ambition to change the world with the choices in front of each of us: what we notice, what we believe, what we take responsibility for and what we are willing to begin.
His work begins with possibility. His invitation is personal: What is mine to change?
Explore David’s work at Plastic BankPOSSIBILITY, PUT INTO PRACTICE
Plastic Bank connects plastic recovery with income and opportunity for collection communities. These company-reported totals put the scale of that work in perspective.
Collectors since 2013
Kilograms of plastic collected
Plastic bottle equivalents
Cumulative company-reported figures since 2013, checked October 27, 2026. Collectors and kilograms rounded down.
Bottle equivalents are a comparison of weight—not a count of actual bottles. Conversion: 1 kg = 50 single-use 500 ml bottles.
LET’S START WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
Tell us about your event, the people in the room and the challenge or opportunity bringing you together. We can explore which conversation is the right fit.
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