Dan Keston believes in ideas you can touch. For nearly two decades, the Keston Family Endowment has fueled innovation at USC’s Information Sciences Institute, not by funding abstract theory but by backing ideas on the brink of becoming real. Each year, ISI researchers compete for the chance to move their prototypes into the world, from deepfake detection tools to advanced retinal imaging technologies. The endowment gives them the rarest resource in science: breathing room.

Rooted in a family legacy of building, from homes across Los Angeles to breakthrough technologies, Keston’s approach is hands-on, impact-driven, and deeply personal. He sees ISI as a launchpad not just for products but for purpose-driven science. In his view, true innovation is not just about novelty. It is about giving researchers the freedom to dream, the tools to build, and the support to bring meaningful solutions into everyday life.