This Guy Just Made Opening Coconuts a Whole Lot Easier By inventing a low tech cutting device that easily rips through the coconut's fibrous shell.

Entrepreneur: Dave Goodman, 38, inventor of the Coco Jack, a cutting device that rips through the fibrous shell of the young Thai coconut for access to the water and meat.

"Aha" moment: A music prodigy who attended the Juilliard School's pre-college division, Austin-based Goodman was only 19 when he formed Wild Ginger Philharmonic, a nonprofit orchestra. But five years later, when Wild Ginger's reputation began to peak, Goodman was on the verge of a burnout. His cure included working on a biodynamic farm and adopting a raw-foods regimen heavy on Thai coconuts.

"I quickly realized that one bad stroke with a cleaver while opening these coconuts could end my career as a musician," Goodman says. He envisioned a sharp opening device with a long handle to keep hands out of harm's way.