Our Members and Alumni
Meet our Netcito community, a diverse group of highly successful entrepreneurs from around the United States.
Frankie Abralind is Executive Director of The Good Listening Project, a nonprofit that promotes good listening to support patient safety, nursing resilience, and physician wellbeing. Previously, Frankie served as the lead designer for the Innovation Hub at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital, where he worked on improving the healthcare experience for patients, staff, and visitors. Frankie studied design at Cornell University and earned his MBA from the University of Maryland.…
Life, as they say, comes full circle. Many moons ago, I earned my BS in Human Environment and Design from MSU and worked in sales for The North Face. While there, I volunteered and taught people with disabilities how to ski. Working with an underserved population is tremendously rewarding. This opened my eyes to the need for adaptive equipment to empower people of all abilities the freedom to explore the outdoors in comfort.…
Bilaal Ahmed is the founder of Linktank, a comprehensive roundup of events, organizations, and people in policy, advocacy, and research.
Nabeel is a visionary entrepreneur with 17+ years of extensive Marketing and Business Development expertise and has been part of 7 startups with4.5 successful exits. Nabeel is currently working on developing another tech-based startup, Tripli, a peer-to-peer social marketplace for travelersand locals. Nabeel is highly skilled in constructing and executing strategy, defining positioning and value propositions, increasing brand awareness, building partnerships, coaching high performance teams, developing and launching new products and services, and representing the company as a spokesperson.
I’m a father of 6, astrophotographer, student pilot, gamer, podcast host, and founder and CEO of a software quality assurance agency, JDAQA. We help custom software development and SaaS companies with their manual, automated, performance, and security testing efforts. We have an incredible team that flexes up to 60 people across the US and in the Philippines.…
Mazen is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience. Started his current digital agency (WebQuest) in 2014 as a one-man agency based in Dubai, and grew it to a staff of six full-time employees and 2-part-time admin staff with clients across the Middle East, Europe, and the US.
Mazen started his professional career as a technical instructor in 2002 when he taught networking and programming courses at a technical institute.…
Dave is currently the COO at Hitch! (HitchRides), a DC-based start-up with a digital dispatch and mobile payment platform for the Taxi industry. Since graduating from Bowdoin College with an Econ major and Comp Sci minor, Dave has been able to prove himself as a software engineer, private equity analyst and acquisition negotiator, sales engineer, client-facing enterprise software consultant, strategy consultant, and sales & BD manager.…
Allie founded her entrepreneurial design firm, Mind Into Matter, to help clients unlock their motivation and drive and build their lives around it. Sheis an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and leads Design Thinking workshops for General Assembly, Linktank and her own sessions. She also coaches one-on-one with clients to help them “design think” their lives.…
I started my agency, 9miles Media, back in 2008 when I was 14 years old. I sold my first WordPress website project to two realtors in Sonoma County, California for $450. They had no idea that my buddy and I were teenagers, but they went on to become some of the top brokers in the state and referred us to others.…
My name is Thomas Armstrong, and I just graduated from NC State University in Raleigh. I studied entrepreneurship and at the same time my brother and I built a digital marketing agency, 9miles Media, from 2 to 14 people based in downtown Raleigh. https://9milesmedia.com
I was introduced to Peter Mellen several months ago by a mutual friend, and he’s been an invaluable mentor to me.…
I’m the Co-Founder of Mission Collaborative, where we help people of all ages and backgrounds design more fulfilling careers through a 30-day online Fellowship. I’m passionate about making career information more equitable and accessible so that everyone can obtain the resources and the community needed to navigate the many career changes throughout their life successfully. My passion for career development started in college when I noticed that my peers approached their education pathways based on little to no information about how it would affect them long term.…
Jason Aviles is CEO of FLYOGI, LLC, Executive Director of Wilmington Placemakers Inc., Project Director of Wilmington Green Box and Co-Founder of Artist Ave Station. A graduate of the consciousness-based institution Maharishi University of Management (MUM), Aviles developed an original interdisciplinary course of study in Youth Development and Social Change. While attending MUM, Jason was introduced to Yoga and lost over 60 pounds.…
Zach started his career in the energy industry as a wholesale power market analyst at ICF International. He moved to a position as Director of Market Solutions at GridPoint Inc., an Arlington, VA based smart grid company, where he structured smart grid transactions while building one of the industry’s first comprehensive financial models. Zach left GridPoint in August 2009 to found Skyline Innovations with the idea of helping small and mid-sized businesses implement clean energy solutions through an easy to understand and implement shared savings model.
Kevin is a thoughtful digital strategist and creative manager with nearly 15 years of demonstrated experience across industry verticals. Led more than 100 creative and digital projects for corporations and non-profits, including AIG, Stryker, ASU, K12, and the Reagan Institute. Compassionate project lead that has managed teams across video production, brand identity, and digital marketing campaigns, with a depth of hands-on experience in web design and development.…
Guy is an entrepreneur driven by the passion to deliver awesome customer experiences. Guy was shocked by how many pain points he encountered as a custom home buying customer, and now Ziberty is on a mission to offer an amazing custom home buying experience.
Prior to starting Ziberty, Guy was a fighter pilot in the Air Force and a bank analyst at Capital One.…
Louis K. Becker started working for Charles J. Becker & Bros., Inc. in 1997 supporting operations and fulfillment. In Late 2000, Louis joined the sales team in Northern New Jersey, where he grew sales by focusing on supplying excellent service to the underserved Abbott programs. In 2005, Louis opened a new sales territory covering Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.…
Experienced business leader, huge music fan. Combined my lifelong passion for music with my business experience to lead Osiris, a music podcast network. We are growing into the go-to music podcast network. Over the past 10 years, as Senior Vice President at Hattaway Communications, I led the growth of a strategic communications firm, including client services, business strategy, management and business development.…
As the CEO of Social Tables, a fast-growing, DC-based, hospitality technology company, Dan has been described as a “relentless and focused entrepreneur” and recognized 40 Under 40 in the meetings industry by Collaborate Magazine and Connect Meetings. Dan started developing websites in his teens and through college for organizations including MTV Networks, Glaxosmithkline and the United States Tennis Association.…
Anirban has over 18 years of strategy, research and development, and implementation experience in physical and digital operations manufacturing, supply chain process improvement, and process automation services. He is the founding member of Amplo Global Inc., an AI-led Industry 4.0 risk management product company that powers AmploFly4.0, a platform that enables organizations to measure, assess and define 3 to 5 years of Industry 4.0 execution readiness.…
Jesse is a leadership facilitator and chef with almost 20 years of experience leading teams in the joyful art of making beautiful deliciousness. Jesse is a seasoned facilitator, leadership coach, and start up entrepreneur who is passionate about supporting people’s personal growth. At the intersection of these worlds of food and interpersonal development lives Sacred Kitchen, a place where preparing and sharing food are the key ingredients for creating powerful connections and beautiful relationships.…
Scott Bloom is Owner and Senior Property Manager of Columbia Property Management. CPM is a boutique firm specializing in a highly personal approach to rental management of single family homes, small multi-unit properties and large group houses. The CPM team manages about 100 rental units in Washington with an average rental amount of $2800 per unit.…
John is a computer science graduate with 15 years of experience within the commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) / software consulting space. John spent the first ten of those years working as a lead engineer architecting the US/Canadian/UK Census response capture systems. In that time, John also co-founded a medical software company called Capital Solution Design (CSD), with subject matter experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.…
Gore is an inventor, investor, and entrepreneur with more than 22 years of experience in real estate, technology, professional services, business finance and organizational leadership. He is an entrepreneur in all sorts of business and non-profit enterprises. He is a nationally recognized business leader in culture and innovation. His passion for engineering over the years has evolved into engineering great operations and companies, and most importantly, teams.…
Carly Poppalardo has been organizing her entire life. Being organized is the number one skill that helps Carly excel in everything she does—from day-to-day multi-tasking to life’s biggest and most daunting challenges. in November 2010, Carly melded her experience, education, and her entrepreneurial spirit to create and launch POP Organizing. It is Carly’spassion to help her clients find their perfect organizational fix, and to show them just how easy it is to live a stress-free, more productive life.
Julianne is a founder of Capital Fringe and has been with Capital Fringe since its founding in 2005. She leads and guides Capital Fringe’s vision, change and community. Julianne has grown Capital Fringe’s budget from $300,000 to over $1 million. She has grown and shaped programs that engage audiences and artists equally, creating a unique experience on and off the stage.…
Whitney Brimfield is the CEO of Spark Point Fundraising (www.spark-point.com), a full-service development firm with a commitment to equity and impact. Spark Point is the resource that nonprofits are hungry for – a whip smart, creative, and entrepreneurial thought partner that guides clients to a tailored, forward-looking strategy for achieving your desired growth and leverages decades of fundraising experience to ensure that your plan is properly implemented.…
Alex Budak is a social entrepreneur and professional faculty member at Berkeley Haas. Budak created and teaches a transformative course called “Becoming a Changemaker,” and is Executive Director of the Berkeley Haas Global Access Program. He co-founded and now advises the social enterprise StartSomeGood.com, which has helped over 1,000 changemakers in 50 countries raise over $10 Million USD.…
Stephen is a software executive and corporate and technology transactional attorney with more than 12 years of expertise in technology development and licensing matters, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Stephen is currently Co-Founder and CEO of Synapsify, a content ratings and analytics company. Previously, Stephen was a co-founder of both Kaggle and Fedbid, now a Revolution Growth portfolio company and is well versed in the legal and business aspects of emerging companies and their investors.
Sara is a Co-founder of Orate, focusing on sales and marketing. Orate is an online marketplace that helps event organizers find speakers on any size budget. Some highlights:
– Early stage startup that went through an accelerator during the first quarter of the business’s existence
– Raised a seed round during (and a little after) that time
– Transitioning now from an almost 100% manual process to moving the process online to be automated, piece by piece
Isabelle Carbonell, the founder of IzacaProductions LLC, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who documents social, whimsical, ethnographic, and environmental stories around the world. She has worked with NationalGeographic, taught at Carnegie Mellon University-Qatar, and otherwise carries her two eyes with her on journeys around the world in search for stories and adventure. Currently, she has just finished her first feature “OneHundred Fires/Somos Buzos,” and she is working on her second feature”The Camel Race” for Al-Jazeera Documentary Channel, among other projects.…
Originally from Sparta, NJ, Jon went to Wake Forest University in North Carolina and majored in Business. After graduation in 2004 he moved to Arlington, VA and took a sales job with the management consulting company Corporate Executive Board. He started there as an inside sales rep and quickly moved up in the organization into outside sales, then sales management with larger and larger teams.…
I’m a Partner at Onbench, a professional services firm that builds and scales software teams for brands, startups, and services companies.
Previously at Hulu I built two internal product suites focused on subscriber growth as well as defined product strategy to enhance the film experience. Prior to Codecademy, where I was product managing content, and CIX, my own endeavor, I worked at GLG Share as a consultant to startups, at a YC-startup in product marketing, learned some interesting stuff during business school, and cut my teeth in the entertainment industry.…
Ali is a snack and bicycle aficionado with a passion for discovering connections and helping people find better ways to do things. She is the founder and Snack Curator of Snack Packers, a healthy snack delivery service that improves workplace wellness and productivity. Prior to this venture, she spent eight years developing creative online marketing strategies to help more than thirty social cause organizations attract traffic and acquire engaged supporters.
Philippe Chetrit began his career in the film industry as a writer/director in NYC. He soon noticed an opportunity in representing freelance artists in NY and opened a small media development firm. After running his company for 5 years and experiencing fourfold growth, Philippe decided to pursue an MBA at Babson College because of its entrepreneurial reputation.…
Brian is the CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of Brainsy, Inc., a venture backed company that enables organizations and entrepreneurs to create private label expert networks. Prior to that, Brian was VP for Business Alliances at Promontory Interfinancial Network (PIN), where he joined as part of the initial executive team and before the company had a service to offer.…
Brandon Clark is the founder of BFS. He serves as the firm’s Principal Accountant managing all engagements and the day-to-day operations of the firm. He began working as an accountant in public practice in 2008. Brandon has worked for a Big Four multinational accounting firm, a regional accounting firm, and most recently, for BFS’ predecessor firm – John Wall & Associates.…
I am Larelle Clarke, founder, and CEO of Ditch the Wait. Wife, mom of three, and self-taught entrepreneur of the Lean Startup model. Before starting my business, I worked nearly 15 years as a HUD contractor and DC government Public Housing employee. I am a native Washingtonian, traveler, and foodie. I am a lover of cultural exploration and all things business.…
Elizabeth Clubb is the founder and CEO of myFloc™ and is more than a bit obsessed with changing the way we think about aging. An eternal optimist and passionate learner, she is doing her part to create the world in which she wants to live since the best is yet to come.
She has more than 25 years of experience in strategy and innovation and is an avid student of emerging business models and technologies.…
Michael is passionate about business, growth, and community issues. He received his undergraduate degree in Sociology from Virginia Tech, after which he began working in HR for MicroStrategy in McLean, VA. Michael then spent some time working for two DC-based technology trade associations. During this time, Michael received a Masters in HR from Marymount University and a Masters in Adult Learning from Virginia Tech.…
Frontpoint challenges convention by bringing the world home security it can trust and feel great about. Great service has become a lost art, and we’re here to bring it back to the forefront, where it should be. It’s the reason we’re consistently ranked as the #1 security company in the country. Ross is the senior executive leading the creation of Frontpoint’s new strategy & Analysis function with accountability for building new marketing channels (digital and traditional) and optimizing the full customer acquisition funnel (marketing and sales).
Dave Conley is a former AOL tech exec who introduced millions to the internet for the first time. After corporate, he joined the government, and as an entrepreneur, started several companies. After losing 150lbs and rebooting his life, today Dave is an inspirational speaker and author. His new book is about living a kick-ass midlife.
Dan Cook, the founder of Minca, a technology company dedicated to transforming construction payments for the better. With a background in civil engineering, I have a deep-rooted passion for reshaping the construction industry through innovation.
Minca’s journey began in April with the help of Pioneer Square Labs, a Seattle-based venture studio, and Fortive, a company that acquired my previous venture, Gordian, in 2018.…
As the CEO of CollaborateUp, Richard works to accelerate collaboration among businesses, governments, and non-profits when they work together to solve big problems. During his career, Richard has worked across the private, public, and civil sectors to co-create high impact solutions to shared problems at lower cost and in less time than traditional approaches. Over the course of his career he has worked with many of the firms in the Fortune 500, the US Department of Defense, the US Agency for International Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, US Chamber of Commerce, and numerous large and small non-governmental organizations.…
Ali Cudby teaches a proven method to transform the customer culture for retail companies and other businesses that sell primarily to women. With Ali, businesses lay a strong foundation for building the deep relationships customer crave as the antidote to isolation in the modern economy.
The result?
Customers are inspired to buy more often and refer like crazy, while businesses thrive and change customers’ lives.…
I’m the owner of Sure Optimize, a data analytics company specializing in marketing with data. We help chief marketing officers improve the customer experience, bring in more customers and retain customers using data. I’m a single-owner working with a couple of contractors for implementation. I have a strong background in enterprise software and data systems. I’ve also gained experience in digital marketing through my CTO startup experience and working with marketing organizations in Sure Optimize.…
I’m a former journalist-turned-humanitarian-attorney, and prior to starting Lightning Fruit (a web development company based here in DC), I worked almost exclusively for non-profits and government entities. I started developing websites freelance in college to make some spending money, and stayed on top of it as a hobby over my years of trying to save the world.…
My primary passion is the intersection of art and business. For the past seven years I have run a successful part time fine art wedding photography business, An Endless Pursuit, with my wife, Bernadette. Our dream has always been to take this full time to allow more creative control with our time and a more flexible lifestyle with our children.…
Bob started and currently owns DCPizza on 19th St. NW. Previously, he has opened a California Tortilla in Rockville, MD and Chinatown, D.C.. Before that he opened maid services in Roswell, GA, Sterling , VA and Rockville, MD. Bob graduated from SUNY at Buffalo with an accounting degree and worked for Dreyfus and Lord Abbott, in Manhattan, before becoming an entrepreneur. …
Charles is the CEO and Co-Founder of Linked Senior, Inc, the first resident engagement solution for the senior housing market. His passion for seniors and the long term care industry started with his relationship with older members of his family and the thesis he wrote while attending Georgetown University: The nursing home institution, a Foucauldiam paradigm.…
Gregg DeMammos is a transformational coach who takes his clients’ ambitions and leverages them to co-create powerful personal growth and relationships that exceed their expectations while creating breakthrough results. He’s committed to people living happy, successful lives and creating wonderful, sourcing relationships at home and the office.
Prior to becoming a coach, Gregg was a successful artist manager who specialized in getting recordings into movies, television shows and commercials.…
Andrii is an enthusiastic, ambitious and goal-oriented entrepreneur with lots of interesting ideas. His core interest is innovation–something that hasn’t been done before. Andrii is currently working on a service that links companies’ POS, CRM or loyalty program with customers via mobile phones without developing an app (mobile wallet technology).
Fred Dent, CFA, started Dent Asset Management in 1997. He is a frequent speaker and commentator on financial topics that inspire and educate. For eight years, he was the resident financial analyst on CBS affiliate WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge with his popular and informative segment, “Dollars and Dent.”
Fred earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University.…
My name is Martin Dinev and I am one of the proud owners of Next Generation Movers Inc. I was born in Bulgaria, and embarked on my American Dream Adventure back in 2005. My 2 friends and I launched Next Generation Movers in 2021, following my stint as an administrative assistant at another moving company. Foremost, I am a proud father of 2 beautiful kids and a somewhat great husband. …
Residential Real Estate Professional helping clients to purchase, sell and invest in homes. Extremely knowledgeable on local real estate market and ever-changing financing options available to buyers. Possess a very systematic and proven approach to selling homes for the best possible price in the least amount of time.
Specialties: First Time and Move Up Home Buyers and Sellers
Sathya Elumalai, the visionary Founder and CEO of Aidar Health, is on a mission to
revolutionize healthcare. A dedicated advocate for patient-centric innovation, Sathya leads with a passion to enhance lives through technology. With a rich background in healthcare and a commitment to transformative solutions, he pioneers advancements that empower individuals on their health journeys.
Sathya Elumalai, the visionary Founder and CEO of Aidar Health, is on a mission to revolutionize healthcare. A dedicated advocate for patient-centric innovation, Sathya leads with a passion to enhance lives through technology. With a rich background in healthcare and a commitment to transformative solutions, he pioneers advancements that empower individuals on their health journeys.
Nick is a serial entrepreneur and content management expert. After building and selling 2 CMS-based ventures, he now runs a digital agency and actively invests in new ventures where digital marketing can create an advantage. Nick is a technical marketer focused on opportunities driven by search and user experience. He has designed, built, and scaled applications in almost every tech stack and codebase.…
Eugene Evans is a pioneer of the interactive entertainment industry and is best known as an entrepreneur for his roles at several start-up’s and in large gaming and media companies including Electronic Arts and Viacom. Eugene has extensive knowledge of the global gaming industry having held positions in strategy, business, marketing and product development and activities on almost every emerging platform throughout his career.…
Sonja Faison runs business development and marketing for LinksoftInnovate LLC, a boutique IT consulting and software development firm. Aspart of the entire suite of services Linksoft offers its clients, Sonja also taps into her network to connect Linksoft clients with revenue or financing partners. Prior to joining Link soft as part-owner, Sonja has worked in sales and financial analysis capacities in commercial banking, and in business and product development capacities in the internet advertising industry.…
Lindsay is a Maori / Australian actor, writer, musician and entrepreneur with 20+ years in business, film and television. Lindsay’s first entrepreneurial endeavor began as a suicide prevention program he started at 16 in Australia that he subsequently grew into becoming the National Youth Theatre Company of Australia. During this time he maintained a career as a working actor in many theater, film and television roles.…
Darius has a passion to leave a mark on the world. Focusing on projects that have a social impact. Currently, leading two business under the MindSquare name. First, MindSquare Education is an online tutoring/learning platform which connects students to tutors. The focus is primarily on students with learning disabilities and special needs. MindSquare Health, helps student athletes who may have had a concussion, providing online assessments and connecting them to providers that can help.…
Ted has spent his 35-year career building, working with and leading collaborative teams committed to achieving positive financial and social impact. As CEO of Ageless Innovation, Ted is focused on accelerating the growth and impact of the JOY FOR ALL brand, that he and his former Hasbro team spun out and acquired from Hasbro in 2018.…
Ian became the Executive Director of the William James Foundation in 2005. The organization changed its name from the William James Foundation to the Mentor Capital Network in 2014. The MCN connects and coordinate mentors to support entrepreneurs who are launching business that have integrated their values into how they make money. Ian has started or been a charter member of more than a dozen for-profit and not-for-profit ventures, mostly focused on helping community organizations be more effective in their use of information.
Ric Fleisher has more than 25 years of experience in business development, sales and technology. He has been involved with 8 start-ups. These ventures have included ID verification, networking hardware, speech, streaming video, collaboration, intelligent agents and RFID. He has helped build early stage technology companies in Software, Hardware and Service areas. His current start-up, Urgent.ly, connects people with an urgent or top of mind need to the nearest party that can meet it.…
Daniel Patrick Forrester is the Founder and CEO of Thruue. As an author, strategist, and navigator of organizational and cultural change, Daniel regularly challenges leaders to be guided by“big ideas” and act purposefully to realize the intended impact. The drive and ideas behind Thruue come directly from his book, “Consider”, which is informed by decades of reflective thinking and strategy consulting with for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Sarah Frimpong is the CEO and Founder of Wellfound Foods in Washington, D.C. Wellfound is grounded in the simple idea that people shouldn’t have to compromise quality for convenience. Since 2013, Sarah has grown Wellfound from serving a hand full of coffeeshops in the region to providing full-scale distribution of fresh grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, and breakfast meals to a network of over 50 tech-enabled vending machines and wholesale clients.…
Carlos Garcia is an attorney, real estate investor, salesperson and brokerage owner. Carlos and his wife, Lucinda Eng, manage Eng Garcia Grant & Co (EGGC), a residential and commercial real estate sales team covering Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia and operating under the Keller Williams brokerage umbrella. EGGC has sold over $100,000,000 worth of real estate in each of the last 5 years and is on track to top $150,000,000 in 2017.…
Jenn has 17 years of experience in learning & development, leadership development, organizational development, and leadership coaching. Jenn started her own company, Ambition LLC, in February 2012 and has a vision of growing the company to a small-to-mid-size business. At her previous job, Jenn was a senior manager with a staff of 30 and led (and grew) multi-million dollar projects.
Jared graduated in 2012 with a BS in Information Systems and Operations Management from George Mason University. Immediately after college, he took a job with a large IT company as a business analyst working on financial ERP software. Jared decided that working all day in database software and a sea of cubicles was not for him and was immediately looking for a way out.…
I am the Founder & CEO of Linq Consulting Services, a female-focused, Virtual Assistant Matchmaking company. Linq is designed to help business owners reclaim their time and up-level by building in an “extra set of hands” that high performers are searching for with the help of a Virtual Assistant. By working with an Assistant in the Philippines, our clients are able to find highly skilled help while still keeping the labor cost in check.…
Emily P. Goodstein combines her love of digital media with her extensive grassroots organizing background to help clients scale quickly and sustainably. Emily’s work helps organizations fulfill their missions, leveraging a multichannel approach to meld offline and online tools, including social media strategy, web and email outreach, fundraising, user experience consulting, and content marketing. Goodstein brings over 15 years of nonprofit advocacy, fundraising, marketing, and organizing experience to her work.…
With 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, and software development, Tyler is known for being at the forefront of emerging communications strategies and tactics. An expert in the lean startup methodology, Tyler’s skill in applying agile development principles to marketing challenges has made him a sought-after partner for businesses seeking to expand their digital presence.…
Having grown up in the Bay Area, I’ve been fasciated with entrepreneurship from a young age and interested in technology’s potential to address societal challenges. I began my career at Bain in consumer consulting, where I developed a passion for brands that create human-centric experiences. This interest led me to Apple, where I designed store experiences.…
Lisa brings two decades of experience in charitable gift planning, fundraising, and philanthropy to her role as senior vice president for institutional Advancement and ExternalRelations at World Learning. In this position, she leads the nonprofit’s efforts to cultivate strategic partnerships with donors, foundations, and corporations through high-impact resource development initiatives. Lisa’s deep connection to WorldLearning stems from her participation in the Experiment in InternationalLiving, with which she travelled to Spain and Mexico as a high school student.…
Kevin Hailstock is a web entrepreneur twice over and has been self-employed since the age of 23. In 2001, shortly after 9-11 and post “.combubble”, he co-founded Web Emerse, a web development company, and more recently Insightful Art, which makes it easy for everyday people to create digital art pieces online by providing building blocks based on the recipient’s personality.…
Kurt’s core philosophy is that in order to succeed, a business needs a focused mission, an inspiring vision, and a sophisticated strategy articulated in a manner relevant to the entire organization. He emphasizes the importance of working with a clear set of tightly defined objectives, targets, and time lines that are reinforced with clear, consistent, and frequent communication to ensure effective execution.…
My real name is John, but I go by Jason. I am 48 years old, live in Leesburg, I have no kids and miss my dog! I am the youngest of 6 (5 older sisters). Yes, I was spoiled by my father! I was born in Buffalo, NY and love to ski. I come from a long line of restaurateurs and absolutely love to cook.…
Mike is a respected visionary leader within the flourishing renewable energy industry. Experienced entrepreneur and business strategist who has played a key role in starting two successful energy companies. He has been instrumental in developing business growth strategies from start-up level to maturity, including originating no less than 30 successful partnerships within the private and public sectors.…
Brian brings over a decade of startup executive experience to the table. Prior to launching MāKā, Brian oversaw the ideation, creation, launch, and operation of three distinct and disparate companies; athletics, mobile app, and facility automation technology.
His first foray into the startup world was with Eastbanc Inc. Brian was originally hired as a real estate development project manager in Washington, DC.…
Dr. Craig Hillman is currently the Senior Vice President of GaitBetter. He previously served as Director of Product Management of New and Emerging Technologies and Director of Software Development for Ansys. Dr. Hillman joined Ansys after a successful acquisition of DfR Solutions in 2019, which he founded and was the CEO. Prior to acquisition, DfR Solutions was recognized as the leader in simulation software for electronics, with over 75% of the Top 50 electronic OEMs as its customers.…
Turner is admittedly a bit of a fitness and nutrition geek, which serves as the genesis for The Vegetable & the Butcher (“V&B”). Turner initially developed V&B to satisfy an unfulfilled void in his life, but has realized that quite a few people share the same need. V&B is a hybrid restaurant/food retailer focused on serving prepackaged, portion-controlled healthy meals for takeout in a convenient format.…
Jennifer Hong is a human trafficking (forced labour and sexual exploitation)expert at the U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Her office is responsible for the U.S. government diplomatic and domestic TIP efforts, which include the annual Trafficking in Persons Report publication and President’s Interagency Task Force on TIP. The annual Trafficking in-person report has been hailed as the “gold-standard” of trafficking by governments, media, and civil society.…
Dennis is currently the President of Plynty. Plynty, LLC was founded to address the retirement crisis in America through the use of innovative technologies. We believe that financial advice should be easy to access and understand, and that people should have complete control over the decisions that guide their future. Plynty is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEM Corporation, a diversified services firm based in Herndon, VA.…
Rebecca Horton is a designer with a focus on customer experience. Rebecca spent the last six years working with a variety of organizations, large and small, established and just starting up, helping them think about how to delight customers and get new ideas off the ground. In 2013, Rebecca launched a design platform called Trestles with a local friend.…
Michael is the Co-Founder of MusicBox and owner of online print companyPrintSquares. Michael is also the Head Men’s Varsity Soccer Coach of returning back-to-back State Champions, Green Hope High School. He’s also the Host for Raleigh’s RAW: Natural Born Artists Showcase. When Michael is not working with MusicBox, Green Hope or RAW, he coaches multiple premier travel soccer teams for the North Carolina powerclub CASL.…
Nick is the founder and CEO of ProperExpression, a digital marketing agency focused on B2B SaaS and Ecommerce. A growth-oriented marketing strategist with more than 15 years of experience, Nick is an expert in devising and executing innovative digital strategies for complex organizations and has created tens of millions of dollars in net new revenue for his clients.…
Seasoned business professional with extensive general management, consulting and investment banking experience in financial services in emerging markets. Co-founded – PayKii – a U.S. financial technology provider focused on enabling cross border bill payment. We connect remittance providers and financial institutions with local billers around the world through a single hub enabling individuals living abroad to pay utility bills for their family back home.
Daven is the founder of Ntensify, an eCommerce solution that allows mobile gaming companies to profit from merchandise through on-demand manufactured 3D printed collectibles. Ntensify has launched collectible products for the #1 Apple App store game, Deer Hunter, from Glu Mobile(5M+ downloads in 1 week), as well as with the #1 YouTube original channel, Mondo Media (which has over 1.5B video views), in addition to many other brands.…
Michael Johnson is CEO of Clear Law Institute, which provides (1) Continuing education webinars for lawyers, HR professionals, compliance officers, and accountants, and (2) Online compliance courses and learning games for organizations’ employees. Michael previously co-founded and served as co-CEO of BrightlineCompliance, which provided online courses to more than1.5 million employees of over 600 organizations. Michael sold Brightline to a private equity group in 2007.…
Sean Jones was President of Revolution Payments, a full-service payment provider for Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Government (B2G) companies that require a provider who can support the qualifications required for Level-2 and Level-3 Processing. Integrity, hard work and lots of energy have helped Sean become the person he is today. Growing up, Sean turned what many would think of as setbacks into successes, from being poor and homeless into a successful salesman.…
After 12 years in corporate sales leadership I was laid off and started my own business shortly thereafter. Jerry’s Kitchen, a modern-American food truck rolled onto the streets of Philadelphia in August of 2014 serving breakfast and lunch on the corner of 33rd and Arch Streets in University City. The truck would also regularly serve at local festivals and street fairs.…
Praveen Kathpal is CEO of Motor, a fast-growing company that helps electric utility companies accelerate consumer EV adoption. He previously served as VP of New Business at AES Next and as VP of Market Applications at Fluence, a leading energy storage technology and services company. He has served as chair of the Energy Storage Association board of directors.…
Pierre Kattar is an Emmy Award-winning video journalist and filmmaker. As a backpack journalist, he reports, writes, shoots, edits and produces news videos and documentary films. Based in Washington, D.C., Pierre is available to travel for assignments.
Since 1999, Pierre’s work has won numerous awards including two Emmys, a Peabody, Scripps Howard Foundation, Casey Journalism Center and three RTNDA Edward R.…
Mike Keymer is an engineer and business leader with broad experience helping small companies grow and thrive. As Manager of the New Ventures practice at Right Start Group, Mike has helped many startups and early-stage companies with strategy, IP, sales and marketing, product development, and financing needs. In 2013, Mike co-founded Topspin Labs, a business incubator focused on helping established companies commercialize their technologies for new markets by founding new startups to pursue those opportunities.…
David is a co-founder of Omniscient Digital, a premium content marketing agency helping B2B software companies growing organic traffic and leads. He also serves as head of Growth at People.ai, implementing a freemium product-led growth motion to their suite of products, and previously served as a growth product manager and marketer at HubSpot for 6 years, helping them grow the freemium business.…
Shainoor Khoja is the founder and CEO of Thrive Community, an innovative, digital platform that keep seniors connected and engaged with their families and caregivers. She also leads Better Business Enterprise, a strategic management consultancy with a focus on utilizing technology for social impact in emerging markets.
Shainoor has spent the past two decades driving social and economic development in critical fields, particularly healthcare and education in some of the world’s most challenging environments.…
Kam is a Fitness and Nutrition Coach in Washington, DC, and an aspiring entrepreneur since he was 19. He recently launched an alcoholic beverage company. Although seemingly counterintuitive, the idea was bred from a mission to strike a balance between responsible drinking and living a health-conscious lifestyle.
Being an athlete in college taught him a lot of similar values necessary to become successful as an entrepreneur.…
Robert Kinsler is the founder and CEO of United Fray and Publisher of District Fray Magazine. As a lifestyle services and media company, Fray is on a mission to Make Fun Possible by creating and sharing fun things to do. Working across social sports, events, and media, Fray builds communities, fosters relationships, and creates value for our members and partners.…
Allison Kirsch is the Chief Operating Officer of FI Consulting. Over the last 6 years, she has played a central role in FI’s growth to more than 50 professionals through the strategic development, coordination, and oversight of the company’s operations, human resources, and finance functions. Allison’s focus on organizational development has allowed for scalable growth while maintaining FI’s core principles.…
Dorothy is an operations and finance executive with over 20 years experience in the sports, media and professional services industries including CBS Sports, FOX Sports, NBC, Scripps Networks and CBS Radio, as well as Deloitte in NYC. She has a BA in Accounting/Economics from Long Island University, and professional certificates in Human Resource Management from Villanova University and Executive Women in Leadership from Cornell University.…
Peter is a native of Washington, DC and splits time professionally between his two favorite cities, DC and New York. Peter is COO of the District’s Capital Fringe, a non-profit organization centered on incubating artists in the performing arts. Peter is also Co-Founder and CXO of Blender, an upscale collaborative workspace targeted at established entrepreneurs and small businesses.…
Demetrios has more than 20 years of experience helping enterprises get value from their data as a software developer, architect, strategist, and technology executive. Prior to founding Silectis, he was the CTO at a predictive analytics company building terabyte scale solutions to optimize pricing and campaign targeting, a strategy consultant at Bain & Co., and a director in Gartner’s technology consulting practice.…
Will began his career in real estate straight out of college. In 2003 he co-founded a company specializing in the purchasing of distressed real estate and grew it into a significant business. After selling his partnership interest 5 years later, Will and Joe completed their first real estate transaction together. As the volume of their transactions grew, Valor Development was formed.…
Former Division I athlete who fell in love with the practice of yoga while training for the NFL. Been in the yoga business since 2009 and recently opened a Hot Power Yoga Studio in Bethesda, MD. I’m privileged to work with people of all ages, from different backgrounds, lifestyles and levels – including olympians, professional athletes, top business executives, sports teams on the collegiate and high school levels and “normal” people like me.
Michael Lennon is an innovation architect with deep experience assisting large-scale organizations to innovate and transform their systems, their management practices and their staff. A former consultant with IBM, PwCCand the World Bank, he has worked in more than 25 countries. In 2008, Mr.Lennon co-founded Adlenn—a consulting firm specializing in equipping public managers to fulfil their mission by engaging the public in the novel, participatory and performance-driving ways.
Eric Levitan is the founder and CEO of Vivo, a digital health and fitness company focused on improving quality of life and independence for people 55 and over. Launched in April 2020, Vivo offers online, live and interactive small-group strength training classes with measured outcomes. Vivo leverages a scientific approach to building strength and function through individualized feedback from a live trainer while also providing social support and building community that drives an average monthly customer retention of 98%.…
Felix Brandon Lloyd is Co-Founder and Chief Dad of Zoobean, provides web services to help libraries and schools better engage families and facilitate reading programs for their communities. In April 2014, Felix and Zoobean Co-Founder Jordan Bookey were featured on the ABC television show “Shark Tank” through which they gained an investment from businessman Mark Cuban.…
Chad is trying to make Philadelphia a better city through his sustainable and design-centered real estate development company Postgreen Homes. Chad is interested in urban planning, green building, modern architecture/design, community building, and bringing a better quality building for both living and working to the average earners of Philadelphia. Chad is focusing on the urban neighborhoods of Philadelphia surrounding center city and connected by public transit.…
Rusty Luhring is founder and CEO of Luhring SurvivalWare, which was launched in 2002 to fill a need he saw in the small business market. Thisneed was for a tool to help manage cash flow, to plan ahead in good timesand be confident in decision-making, but also to help out in the bad timeswhen survival is at stake.…
Walker Lunn is an environmental entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Grid Waste, an online exchange for waste and recycling services that helps waste generators reduce wastes, cost, and the environmental impact of waste collection logistics. He is the Founder of EnviRelation, LLC (now Devoured), the leading food waste composting service provider in the Washington, DC metro region.…
Rachan’s experience includes 8+ years of programming and 5 years in online advertising. He has worked both for startups and large organizations. AliveJuices isRachan’s first foray into running one. Rachan was inspired to get into the food/health business after his father had a stroke in 2009. Along with his family, he created homemade juices for his father using Ayurvedic guidelines.…
June is a business development, strategy and operations consultant to federal contractors in construction and wireless infrastructure. June has an early stage, bootstrapped software product in use by three existing clients. June has a 20-year background spanning financial services, emerging tech, supply chain and international logistics, commercial real estate and development, construction and wireless, with experience in high growth companies as well as Fortune 500.
After undergrad I spent four years as a US Air Force officer, then moved into the energy business where I spent 30 years in a range of IT, commercial, financial and public/government affairs roles, obtaining my MBA early in that journey. After retiring I led a Compass Pro Bono consulting project, then joined Samaritan Ministry as Operations Director.…
As a health coach, Kerrie creates a safe and supportive environment that allows her clients to explore their current symptoms and health challenges and discover alternative approaches to healing. She founded Live in Rhythm with a desire to inspire others to new levels of health and happiness in their life.
Michelle brings more than 18 years of experience from the communications, digital marketing, e-commerce, and marketing strategy disciplines. Michelle has worked on both the corporate and consulting agency sides focused on corporate growth strategies, acquisitions, and the articulation of Internet growth and marketing strategy to a wide range of constituencies.
Currently, Michelle is CEO and Founder of Make Your Mark Digital with responsibility for the vision, strategy, and growth of Make Your Mark.…
Filmmaker, producer and media consultant Jeff Martini of Martini Media Solutions has over 25 years of experience in digital storytelling, and just passed his six- year anniversary as a preferred vendor of Capital One. Jeff and his team have created successful soup-to-nuts videos for many strategic efforts for Visa, Capital One, Louis Vuitton, and non-profit groups such as the CCHS Foundation, the Young People’s Chorus of NYC, Porto Charities and Trinity School at Meadow View.…
An engineer by training, worked most of my life in finance and technology (IT Auditing, Banking), and currently running an online fashion label (tag) business. From Amsterdam (The Netherlands) originally, lived in New York from 2006-2014, and now almost 3 years in Philadelphia. I love building and growing my own business. I approach many tasks and challenges with a focus on process and data analysis.…
Sean Martin McDonald is the CEO of the Social Impact Lab (SIMLab) CIC, the makers of FrontlineSMS and FrontlineCloud. He is the Founder of the Capture the Ocean Project and the FrontlineSMS:Legal Project. Sean joined SIMLab in 2010 and works with organizations all over the world to figure out how to use mobile technologies to increase their social impact.…
David designs, implements, and advises partners on unique multinational,cross-sector development investments in Africa, the MiddleEast, CentralAsia, South East Asia, and Latin America. He serves his partners (including start-up social enterprises, Fortune 100 executives, global NGOs, and community-based organizations) in the pursuit of innovative approaches to market-led and participatory development. He has worked extensively with multinational consumer products, agricultural, food and beverage, extractive, and pharmaceutical companies.
Charles grew up in NYC and graduated from Johns Hopkins and BostonUniversity School of Law, where he focused on juvenile justice and public interest. After law school, Charles spent a year in Italy before working for four years as a teacher, coach, and assistant principal at one of DC’s lowest-performing public schools in Anacostia. After teaching, Charles started his own small law practice and helped found a successful legal services corporation for the disabled, where he worked until Co-Founding GoodWorld in July of 2014.…
Andy is the owner of Development Solutions Global, the company behind the Christian Inspirations & Papier de Maison greeting card and stationery brands, which generates $2-$3m in annual sales. Andy also has particular expertise in sourcing & producing products in China, with over 15 years of experience.
Andy is a small business enthusiast, who loves helping people connect, learn and grow.…
Peter Mellen is an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience working in online business and commercial real estate. He is Founder and CEO of Netcito, a network of peer advisory groups for entrepreneurs.
Previously, he co-founded Edison|Wright, where he launched one of the first PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) programs in the world to finance clean energy projects in buildings through voluntary property tax assessments.…
I am a third generation native Washingtonian, born and raised on Capitol Hill. I believe in putting people first and giving all I can to my community. Honesty, open communication, and continuous learning are what I am most passionate about. After high school at Elizabeth Seton in PG County, I earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration at Temple University’s Fox School of Business in Philadelphia.…
Margot Biane Merrick is Co-founder and Co-CEO of TheLoopVillage.com – a virtual, online community targeting senior isolation. The Loop Village is an online platform that offers one-on-one companions, live virtual travel events and classes as well as a cafe so “you never eat alone again”. The Loop Village is gaining massive traction in the Age Tech space with its mission is to improve the lives of millions around the world.…
Dan is the founder of NextGenAngels, a collection of investors under the age of 40, which aims to be the ‘most entrepreneur-friendly angel group in the world.’ Prior to co-founding NextGen Angels, Dan was InvestmentDirector at CIT Gap Funds. Previously, Dan was Vice President at the New Vantage Group, an early-stage investing company, where he led more than20 investments.…
Jim loves to build, create, innovate and problem-solve. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Rochester. After undergrad, Jim worked as an Examiner at the US Patent & Trademark Office. While working as an Examiner, Jim attended law school on a part-time basis to earn his JD. Jim has since been in private practice for over
15 years, preparing and prosecuting patent applications, for the most part, in the business methods space.…
ANGELA MONACO JEWELRY, founded by Philadelphia-based jewelry designer Angela Monaco, is a Rittenhouse storefront and fine jewelry brand centering on connection with intuition and spirituality, and reverence for the natural world.
Designer and entrepreneur Angela Monaco has been designing baubles and beautiful, distinctive jewelry for twenty years. Her artful combinations of gems and precious metals are consistently being reimagined with a goal of connection—connecting with others, and helping others to feel more deeply connected with themselves.…
GO2 is a full-service growth agency focused on data-driven design and marketing. We work with clients to create and implement strategies that will help their business grow and thrive fast. All of the services offered by GO2 are tailored to fit our clients needs no matter where they are on their journey. I built and developed GO2 from the ground up, basing our methodology around the values of ideas-led, media-neutral, integrated, and multi-disciplinary growth hacking strategies.…
My background is in tech sales and I spent 20+ years working in reseller channels across the UK and Europe.
After spending a few years in Sales and Marketing consultancy I could see the way digital engagement was changing the buying cycle. Utterly bored with corporate sales I decided to change.
I could see the huge potential in SEO but not how I could apply my existing skills and experience.…
Born and raised in Uganda and USA. Studied Accounting Information system and graduated with an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
I keep a day job as an Information Security and Systems Auditor supporting public and private organization clients within the USA and overseas.
3 years ago, embarked on Real Estate business and we are on our second property which is a multi-unit building that has just been remodeled to market as a boutique style short term rental to corporate and professional clients.…
Demond is a husband and father with a background in business process improvement. He has always wanted to work for himself and do something he loves to do. Demond enjoys cooking, so he decided to start a business that pertains to bbq, Streetside BBQ.
Before launching Streetside BBQ, Demond has a proven track record and thirteen plus years in the area of supply chain management, logistics, transportation and process improvement across a variety of businesses including, but not limited to, health care services, utilities, power, information technology and services and the chemical industry.…
Paul is CEO at 3Advance, an agile development team specializing in real-time apps that are UX-focused, AI-driven. He’s worked with some of DC’s largest non- profits and a host of startups – at all stages of funding. He founded InGame Fantasy, DC SportsTech, Arlington Celtic (REC soccer team), and is now working on a product that combines the lessons and connections made from all of this experience.…
I am a DC native and Co-founder of SolarRetina. Our company uses solar data, crowd-sourced from solar citizens, to provide needed intelligence and analysis to electric utilities, grid planners, and grid operators. Aside from our own special algorithms and analytical capabilities, part of what makes us unique is that we provide a mechanism for citizens to perform a small act (sharing their solar data) that, in aggregate, can have a significant impact on moving the needle on solar.…
Jason Nellis is the founder of Overachiever Media, a small firm dedicated to online video and social media marketing. Jason previously worked on theDigital Distribution team at PBS and was also Communications Lead atFosterly. Prior to PBS, Jason worked on both technology and content teams at Hulu. Jason earned his BA from Northwestern University.
Michael Nelson is a Co-Founder of IntimacyIVF. Prior to this full-time role, Michael worked for over 14 years in international development at the Inter-American Development Bank. During this period, Michael worked his way up from Research Assistant in Washington DC to Chief of Operations for the Bahamas office. Among other leadership responsibilities, he led multi-agency assessment and response teams in response to natural disasters, winning several awards from the institution including the President’s Award and 2 Team Awards.…
Hector has worked with hospitality technology for over 17 years and is currently a Director of Product Strategy with Oracle. Simultaneously, Hector has co-founded Pet Connect, a platform that addresses the core needs of pet ownership, while providing proactive relationship marketing, community engagement, and e-commerce by connecting the Buyers and Sellers of the pet community.
Chris is a solo founder of a tech startup (though he does have a friend ready to come on as CTO once he is funded). The company was incorporated in 2013and has been running a beta in a web app version for the last few years.LincSphere then brought on two technology companies as equity partners-one of them is an app development company which opened the doors for their mobile pivot.…
I am a diplomat’s daughter and have been fortunate to have lived all over the world. I have witnessed first hand many cultures, beauty, and hardships. I attended college in the United States (Purdue University) and the foundation for my career was with American Express where I was in middle market sales, large market account management; and then led our knowledge management division in Team Amex before being recruited into our first Six Sigma blackbelt cohort where we applied the defect reduction methodology to improving services as opposed to products.…
Dave is currently VP of Sales and Enterprise Solutions at The David AllenCompany, accountable for top-line growth and enhancing operating and financial performance within the B2B business. Dave is an entrepreneurial executive with a startup (software, training, sales, professional services) and sales management and consulting experience and a proven background in organizational change and HR capital management.…
I spent the first 20 years of my life at Kripalu Center, a not for profit yoga center in Massachusetts. I was basically a renunciate most of that time, receiving an allowance but no income. Re-emerging into the working world in 1996 was very challenging with two young children. Work got as hard as delivering newspapers for awhile; but over time with love and support from friends and family, I was able to start an organic mattress company which has been flourishing for the past 10 years.…
An expert in leadership, communications and social media, Dale Nirvani founded Good World after seeing a need for giving to become a more meaningful experience for the giver. Before founding Good World, Dale worked extensively with nonprofits, corporations and foundations across the United States and in her native New Zealand to help them deliver cutting-edge programs and campaigns to help strengthen them internally and as effective agents of change.
Zach is the original founder of Short Order. Zach grew up in a household where his mother published textbooks on Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks (remember Fireworks?) As a child, he couldn’t sleep, so he would stay up all night listening to old-time radio from people like Hitchcock and Orson Welles, as well as silly comedies like Fibber McGee and Molly and The Great Gildersleeve.…
Nakapan is the Founder and Head Instructor of the Academy for Body Efficient Tactical Arts [BETA Academy]. A life-long martial artist he has over 25 years of experience training, teaching, and competing in the arts. He established BETA Academy in 2009, and today the school has become Washington DC’s premiere source for professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu instruction in the Nations Capitol.…
Matt has been a serial entre(and intra)preneursince high school. He founded two companies, the most current one being an enterprise data integration platform. He founded numerous internal industry projects, such as one of Army’s first modern analytics platform, and he has led a number of bigger efforts as well, such as the network operations suite of solutions covering the entire tactical U.S.…
Rob Pierson is a growth-marketing specialist with a proven record in product optimization and marketing strategy development and implementation. He was the Chief of Staff at Trustify, a company that lets you hire a private investigator, on demand, in small and inexpensive blocks of time to do surveillance on anyone or anything. Rob served as the former head of marketing for Bellhops, which he led from seed to Series A ($6MM).…
Cosminais a business development expert and devoted entrepreneur-at-life whose experience is firmly rooted in the technology and sustainability sectors. She is passionate about transformative entrepreneurship as an avenue for international development and is pursuing that driving interest from one thrilling opportunity to another. She fell in love with coaching and leadership development while doing sustainable business consulting at the Centre for Synchronous Leadership in London.…
Peter J. Porretta, principal architect, brings a unique sensibility to architectural design. Growing up in the family construction business, he learned to appreciate the full scope of talents needed to execute an architectural concept through the challenges of the construction process to completion.
His design philosophy derives from that of the Roman architect Vitruvius, who famously wrote that a building should have “firmness, commodity, and delight.” A building should perform; it should provide a return on investment; and it should be a pleasure to view and to occupy.…
Adrienne is Co-Founder & CEO of MotherNation, a social support and advocacy community for Mothers. Prior to founding MotherNation shortly after the birth of her daughter, Adrienne spent years in the legal, management, talent development and coaching space. She began her career in private practice as a corporate attorney at Pillsbury later specializing in technology transactions at Cooley.…
Aparna Pujar is the Founder and CEO of Zemplee, the world’s first AI powered tool to help caregivers care better for their elderly in Home or in Senior Living communities. Zemplee offers a IOT/AI/ML based solution to facilities and homes that transforms living environments into digital caring envinroments through a passive remote monitoring system. Aparna has an extensive experience working in Fortune 100 Companies in Product leadership roles, including Product Strategy, Product Management, Product Development and General management -with focus in eCommerce, Media, Healthcare, Big Data and AI.…
Ann Quinn has spent more than two decades advising privately held companies, nonprofits and family foundations that are facing the challenges of developing and implementing an organizational strategy, building organizational capacity, delivering mission and services or facing a funding event.
Ann brings real-world experience and a pragmatic process to guide organizations as they understand where they are, where they want to go and how to get there.…
Russ Rands is an innovation leader applying more than 13 years of innovation and strategic business consulting experience at Fortune 1000 organizations, with particular emphasis on developing growth strategies that leverage open innovation models, including grand challenges, kickstarts, accelerators, lean startup, design thinking and co-creation opportunities.
While working full time as an IT consultant, Ranjith moonlights as a part-time entrepreneur. Ranjith previously helped found two businesses and recently started an Indian meal delivery service called FlyingCurry. While trying to streamline FlyingCurry, Ranjith started to optimize delivery and discovered an opportunity to simplify the way food is ordered and delivered. Ranjith’s latest delivery venture is LobbyHop, which has a mission to ‘enable little freedoms’ for its customers.…
Victor incubated Decision Science at the NewSchools Venture Fund, where he was Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Victor was formerly Senior Advisor on Innovation to the President of Georgetown University and Deputy Mayor of the District of Columbia, where he oversaw the city’s $1+ billion education budget and helped put in place many reforms. Victor was also previously an elected member of the D.C.…
I like making things. In the last 15+ years, I’ve played a significant role in building and leading a movement to engage patients and consumers more fully in their health and healthcare through digital technology. Perhaps your doctor’s office or health plan has recently added a “patient portal”? Or maybe you track your activity through a Fitbit or another digital device?…
Haley got her start in DC on Capitol Hill working for two Members of Congress. During her time on the Hill, she discovered her passion for yoga and the practice. After completing her 200hr yoga teacher training, Haley left the Hill to teach yoga and work for Vegetable and Butcher as their Community Manager. She worked to build out and manage V+B event based marketing and Brand Ambassador program.…
As Co-Founder/CEO of Kimball, Matt is running sales, product management, customer service, and anything not software development. In March 2019, he successfully closed the sale of ReactiveOps to a prominent Boston-based private equity firm, and exited as Founder/CEO. ReactiveOps does two things: DevOps consulting and outsourced operations, where they act as their client’s “outsourced, in-house” ops team.…
Aaron Rosenthal is the founder and chief executive of Golfswell, LLC. With a passion for golf and business, Aaron left his career in public service to serve the game of golf. Golfswell is a technology company tackling golf’s biggest problem: the amount of time it takes to play. Golfswell provides traffic management software to golf courses to speed up play and saves players and courses time and money.…
Ben graduated from Duke in 2000 with a degree in Public Policy Studies. At the advice of a much-respected professor, following college graduation, Ben went on to Harvard’s “Radcliffe Publishing Course”-to pursue his love for writing and reading. Since then, Ben has worked as a Web Developer, Professional Ski Instructor, Sales Executive, and Consultant to Fortune 500CFOs.…
Samantha (Sam) Scaffidi is the founder of Project Sweat, a community of fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and like-minded individuals seeking more in the relentless pursuit of reaching their potential — more sweat, more change, more progress, & more connection. Sam is also a Senior Instructor at SoulCycle in NYC. She graduated from Towson University with her B.S.…
Nicholas Schmidt is the CEO of SolasAI, a compliance-focused AI software platform that identifies and mitigates bias and discrimination in algorithmic decisioning. He is also the Artificial Intelligence Practice Leader at BLDS, LLC, where he provides expert guidance in the application of economics and statistics to questions of law and regulation. As head of the AI practice, Nick focuses on algorithmic fairness, explainable AI, and ensuring robust model governance practices.…
Jessica Schnabel was born near the sea in New York and moved to Philadelphia as a young adult, where her business, BloodMilk, is currently based. Having graduated with an MFA in creative writing from the New School in 2007, Jess pivoted into designing jewelry accidentally after an unexpected loss as a method of coping. Her work seeks to both inspire others, as well as to soothe their own grief through thoughtful design as well as story-telling.…
Mitsi Sellers is an international development specialist with nine years of experience driving business growth and social impact across fifteen countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Mitsi is principal and founder at Effect LLC, which offers business and NGO clients growth strategies and efficiency gains through new business development, strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement. She is a certified partnership broker and associate of The Partnering Initiative, a specialist program of the international Business Leader’s Forum based in the UK.
Shannon D. Sentmanis a nationally recognized expert in the field of high-performance, green buildings. As a founder and principal at SOL VISTA, he applies this expertise to assist real estate owners and users with preparing and implementing plans that enhance asset value through high-performance initiatives and onsite renewable energy generation. Before co-founding SOL VISTA, Mr Sentman worked as an attorney, federal lobbyist, and strategic consultant with the national law firm Holland &Knight, where he built a successful practice counselling private and public clients on sustainability-related matters.…
Sema is a serial entrepreneur with close to 20 years of experience in healthcare. She co-founded and led Surgo Foundation and Surgo Ventures, where she led the development of analytic products that solve health problems with greater precision. She was Initiative Lead at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she brought innovations in data, consumer insights, and product introduction into large-scale health programs globally.…
Aspire helps companies build better workplaces by providing customized incentives for employees. Our technology assesses individual employee workplace needs and designs creative benefits and incentive packages around them. Ultimately, we strive to combat employee turnover by creating engaging and personalized workplaces.
I am Semil, swimming in the SEO sea since 2005. I moved to Canada in 2019 from India. Begun my career in affiliate marketing then moved to client facing the agency and now most of the work I do as a white label for agencies based in the US & UK. I also worked as a consultant and have a very good experience with work large SEO and development teams.…
I’m Ammar, which means builder in Arabic. It’s fitting because I love building things. From a burger rating app to a summer internship program for college students I’ve built lots of things over the past 20 years. I’m currently a number 2 in a public relations firm. I have helped us transition from freelancer to boutique agency.…
Masha Sharma has 20 years of professional experience. She has co-founded and is currently serving as the Chief Technology Officer of RealAtom, a modern, all-in-one loan management SaaS platform designed specifically for $3B commercial real estate lending industry. She is a member of the Forbes Technology Council where she shares her expertise in information technology, product development, and startups.…
Jana Sharp is the founder and principal of Sharp Insight, LLC, a strategic consulting firm devoted to supporting mission-driven organizations in measuring and strengthening their impact. She is responsible for the vision and management of Sharp Insight and providing each engagement with strategic and content oversight. Jana is well regarded by her clients for her collaborative work style, deep knowledge of evaluation theory and practice, interactive facilitation, and her personal investment in their organizations.…
Carrie, a medical illustrator and health educator, has a particular interest in conveying the first-person perspective of vulnerable patient populations through virtual reality storytelling. After completing her master’s in Biomedical Visualization in 2016, she founded her company Embodied Labs, with the goal of revolutionizing the way health care providers, caregivers, and patients learn about human health.
Co-founder and CEO of Modus Create, Inc., a digital consultancy that provides enterprise training and mobile product development for clients such as Ogilvy PR Worldwide, Bloomberg, NBC/Universal, Time, Inc., Level3, Intuit, and many others. Patrick has over 15 years of entrepreneurial and consulting experience leading new product development engagements for early-stage companies and technology-enabled enterprises.
Rich Siegel founded MainLineDelivery in 2008, an app and delivery service for high end restaurants in the Philadelphia suburbs. After growing to over 5 million in annual revenue and over 200 drivers in 4 states, MLD was acquired by Square to become part of Caviar in 2016. Rich also founded Cleaversoft in 2008, a software development company making iPhone apps and games.…
Dave Simnick is the co-founder and CEO of SoapBox Soaps, a company with a mission to empower customers with the ability to change the world through everyday, quality purchases. SoapBox products are currently shelved in hundreds of stores across the United States and beyond. As an Eagle Scout, Dave’s dream was to found for-profit companies with a social mission at their core.…
My name is Mary Smith and I am a psychotherapist. I have been practicing in the DC area for over 6 years. I see individuals and couples working through anxiety, depression, and relational issues. I work from a holistic framework, incorporating every aspect of the mind, body, and spirit. I am eccentric, ADHD, and very passionate about helping people.…
Shawn Smith is the Chief Executive Officer for 1 True Health. He has over 35 years of experience in corporate operations, executive management, sales/marketing, and business development, primarily in the healthcare, public health, emergency response, humanitarian aid, and information technology industries. Shawn has a proven ability to understand market requirements and to design and deliver strategic solutions.…
I am an Aerospace Engineer that has turned greeting card entrepreneur. My career started in the Department of Defense and grew within large defense contractors. I left my engineering career as the Senior Manager of a department of 150 systems and software engineers. I joined my sister in a greeting card company, we had been building together since I was working on my MBA in 2006.…
Rob Sokol graduated from the Seattle University Matteo Ricci college with majors in pre-law and International Relations, specializing in economics and Chinese. He moved to China for two years to learn the language. While there, he managed Fosters Beer for the city of Nanjing and developed new business relationships across the province. From China, Mr. Sokol moved to Washington, DC, where he began working at the Library of Congress as the creative director for the Librarian.…
I’m Faton Sopa, the Co-founder/CEO of Manaferra, an SEO Agency for Education.
I have started my career in 2005 as self-taught developer and then I gradually moved to SEO as part of the agency we founded along with my partner (Granit Doshlaku) in 2014. I do have a marketing education background (BA and MA), and Digital Marketing is a field where I connected the dots between my technical abilities and marketing education.…
Hi, I am Juliana! I first moved to the DMV 21 years ago from the Midwest, following a career path in environmental policy. I worked a little over 10 years in the field, specializing primarily in marketing communications – my most senior position as Senior Marketing Manager of Oceana, an international ocean conservation group headquartered in DC.…
Jamey Stowell is a professional leadership coach, strategy consultant, and group facilitator. Jamey served in a variety of leadership roles at Georgetown University, African Leadership University, and INSEAD, designing academic and professional development curricula with some of the top strategy and business professors in the world. He is part of an elite group of facilitators who lead the renowned Interpersonal Dynamics course in the Stanford MBA program, and is a certified executive coach in the Six Domains of Leadership model used at Duke Fuqua School of Business.…
Justin Sullivan has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry as a tradesman, cost estimator, consultant, and business owner. This ground-up experience has enabled him to successfully execute projects of diverse sizes and backgrounds – from small residential renovations to large-scale government facility endeavors. He has worked with clients including the US National Park Service and the Department of Homeland Security, where he played a critical role in establishing new strategies to improve and manage the environmental and economic performance of their facilities and building Finding a lack of qualified ‘green’ and customer-oriented builders and consultants in the marketplace, Justin founded Impact Construction and Consulting, LLC.…
Swatee Surve, Litesprite Founder & CEO, is a pioneer in the field of Health Entertainment and has led the development and launch of disruptive technology-based healthcare businesses for Microsoft, Nike, T-Mobile, Premera Blue Cross and Eastman Kodak. These commercialization projects led to several patents including Nike’s first wearable technology patents. She is one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s Innovators of the Year and is recognized as an international healthcare leader by organizations such as the U.S.…
My name is Tareq Tahboub and I currently own and operate Trafford Security, a cybersecurity firm focused on offensive security, specifically penetration testing and red team engagements for clients ranging from the federal government to Fortune 500 companies. I’m now at the point where I’m looking to grow my business by hiring quality talent as well as looking to develop a SaaS solution to complement our service offerings.…
Laura Taylor is an expert communications strategist and founder of GaiaGroup PR. Laura and her firm specialize in assisting organizations, from publicly traded companies to non-governmental organizations, develop award-winning and effective communications programs. Laura is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience in communications with profitable businesses and global agencies, having managed programs, teams, and budgets for brands such as Sprint Nextel, General Electric and more.…
Le-Marie Thompson is a technologist passionate about innovation and its transformative effects on local communities. She founded Nettadonna in 2012, a sustainable product development company committed to global stewardship of technology practices that foster responsible management of the world’s resources. Ms. Thompson has professional experience leading the development of innovative products and services in the wire-line, wireless and satellite industries.…
Eric Tobias is founder and principal of a soon to be launched boutique law firm, TobiasCounsel, PLLC. As both in-house and outside counsel, Eric has drafted and negotiated complex technology transactions including those involving cloud services, SaaS, reseller/OEM and distribution relationships, technology development, university tech transfer, manufacturing, outsourcing, joint ventures. Eric has spent almost his entire legal career serving emerging growth companies, many of whom are at the intersection of media and technology or offer products or services to large, risk-averse or highly regulated customers in media, healthcare or financial services.…
Manifest is Anuraag’s third startup and second in the 401(k) industry. He became passionate about helping people save for retirement, while helping restructure IL’s pension liabilities. Over the last three years, Manifest has transferred $500M+ in assets and is now building the pipes between the providers.
Deanna launched 3 Stories Communications in 2016, from the top floor of her DC rowhouse, on the principle that inclusion is the key to helping organizations share their stories of impact and build strong and supportive internal cultures. She honed this belief over 17 years at social change firm Vanguard Communications, where she was a member of the leadership team, built the brand practice and developed award-winning, inclusive campaigns that strengthened organizations and changed behavior around some of our most pressing health and environmental issues.…
Bill Uniowski is a co-founder and COO of Zinnia, a therapeutic support platform for dementia care. Prior to founding Zinnia, Bill held a variety of strategy and operations roles at various media technology startups. He was CEO of The Cube, a leader in live-streaming video focused on the youth sports market, which was sold to Tribune Publishing.…
I am one of the Co-Founders of Vegetable and Butcher (“V+B” for short). V+B is a DC-based early stage food-tech startup, empowering on-the-go professionals to reach peak mental and physical performance. We provide genuinely healthy food that nourishes and fuels the mind & body. Life gets busy. We make food simple. Prior to co-founding V+B, I spent time with Sweetgreen and Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, most widely known for Rasika, 701 and Bibiana.…
Chris is Managing Partner at Heleos Development (http://www.heleos.co). Heleos’ mission is to build affordable and sustainable multifamily housing and communities, all targeting net-zero energy performance. The company has numerous Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financed projects under development. Chris has more than 18 years of real estate development, legal, tax credit finance, and project management experience and has developed and/or owned over 500 units of housing in the Washington, DC region.…
Daphney Vick is the visionary Founder & CEO of Carefluent, a groundbreaking startup that is revolutionizing in-home care with a focus on cultural competence. Recognizing the profound impact of cultural, social, and linguistic compatibility, Daphney established Carefluent to address the critical need for suitable matches and meticulous matching criteria in caregiving. Motivated by her personal journey of seeking quality care for her father, she remains steadfast in her commitment to removing barriers to access and creating better outcomes and experiences for both care recipients and caregivers.…
Selena is a digital strategy consultant, coach and creative entrepreneur who has consulted with brands like Disney, Discovery, HSN, Crowdrise, Green Flower, Hired, and Carbon38. After building/scaling strategy teams in the agency world, she launched her digital strategy company Orthris in 2014 with a focus on mixing data + creativity to create sustainable organic growth. She’s also the host of the PermissionLESS podcast and builder of eComm brands.…
Co-founded a spectroscopy & nanotech company to commercialize SERS sensing technology from the University of Maryland that was acquired by Metrohm Raman in December 2017. As the co-founder focused on analysis, design, market research, and business development, was instrumental in:
- cultivating partnerships and relationships to develop a thorough understanding of the competitive landscape;
- acquiring over $500k in grants, including an NSF Phase I SBIR and Maryland Innovation Initiative Phase III;
- prosecuting the patent and developing robust intellectual property defenses through trade secrets and contracts;
- acquiring and using market research to guide corporate strategy;
- pivoting the company from defense to biotech to forensics through literature analysis & primary market research;
- drafting corporate agreements, sales contracts, and licensing deals, including use by police for fentanyl & heroin detection;
- and negotiating and finalizing the details of the M&A agreement with Metrohm Raman.
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Lisa Conners Vogt ACC, CPC is Founder and Principal at Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. She is an Executive Coach and Business Strategist who partners with entrepreneurial leaders to elevate all aspects of their lives. She works with private clients and with organizations to create and facilitate leadership development through group and individual coaching sessions. Her 30+ year career as a leader with financial, non-profit, federal consulting and telecom organizations, and many years as an entrepreneur, position her to address a wide variety of organizational and career challenges.…
I’m a serial entrepreneur. In 2006 my wife and I started Printfresh Studio, a textile design business creating artwork for the apparel industry (the artwork that goes on dresses – but you didn’t know there’s a whole bunch of companies doing just that :). That business was pretty successful and eventually grew to just under $3M/yr in revenue.…
My name is Anu Vora, and I’m originally from Cincinnati, OH. I moved to Philly in January of 2019 and am working to grow my team at AdmitAlly, an Education Tech company that I’ve been building since January of 2018. We help high school students connect with current undergrads for 1-on-1 mentorship in the college application process.…
Pranav was born and raised in the Midwest and misses it every now and then. As Founder + CEO of Hugh & Crye (a Washington, DC based online retailer of men’s shirting) he turned concept to launch and is behind the character, direction and growth that is Hugh & Crye. Recently profitable, Hugh & Crye has drawn the attention of premier press such as GQ, Forbes, and the Washington Post.…
Ryan is a co-founder of Lescault & Walderman, Inc. (LWI), a consulting firm providing bookkeeping, virtual CFO, and consulting services to law firms, non-profits, government contractors, construction firms, restaurants, and general professional services. Ryan started LWI in 2006 as a student at the University of Maryland. In its early years, the business experienced typical growing pains, but eventually settled into a model centered on attracting talented staff in a low overhead/virtual workforce environment.…
John started his own tech venture at the age of 13 designing, manufacturing, and programming products and wearables and as an electronics consultant. He co-founded MiiCare with Founder Kelvin Summoogum at age 18 and simultaneously went on to get his degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in Silicon Valley before staying with MiiCare full-time as Head of Engineering.…
Sammy Wegent is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mindless Inc. (dba Freestyle+), a content and game developer that has built the world’s first improv and hip-hop-inspired, science-backed, AI-driven mental fitness gaming portal. He has worked in Entertainment and Education for over 25 years with a successful stint at Zynga, a pioneer in social gaming. There, he served as a game designer and narrative designer for several top titles, including the CityVille and FarmVille franchises, which have been played by hundreds of millions of people.…
I am the founder of MarketGenesis, a B2B marketing agency that provides growing companies a full-service mix of strategy, tactics, and production. As a pioneer in B2B digital marketing, I created award-winning vision, strategies, and tactics for brands such as Comcast, Ricoh, Reed Business, uPenn, Campbell’s, Heartland Payment Systems, and Smiths Group, as well as many early-stage startups.…
Neal Weinstock is the founder and CEO of Soliddd Corp. a company based upon breakthroughs in optics. He is the inventor of Soliddd’s stereo vision correction for macular degeneration. The company’s technology platform enables a number of applications in the fields of electronically adjusted vision correction, virtual reality near-eye displays, no-glasses 3D displays, optical films, super-high-pixel-density displays, and 3D and virtual reality photography.Prior to starting Soliddd, Neal was Chief Business Officer at PLLX3, Inc., a venture created to commercialize 3D technology expertise residing in the physical effects production business of Lucasfilm Ltd.…
Jedidiah Weller is renown for his passion in product development; his motivational workshops in the Startup ecosystem, and his global advocacy for greater transparency in the technology industry. Jedi and his team at OpenForge have been pioneering new ways of designing digital solutions; integrating cross- disciplinary teams, and sharing common knowledge across technology companies in various verticals.…
Enlai is an experienced Customer Success Manager with over 15 years of experience in driving customer loyalty, being a customer advocate, and exceeding customer expectations. Essentially making customers happy! The first and most important step in this is developing a deeply trusting relationship with your customers. Enlai has proven his ability to do so, by being able to expand inside sales for his own companies at Talent Insight(0-4k in monthly recurring revenue) and Enterprise Strategy Corporation(240K to 1.75 million annually), and in his management consulting roles(generated over 4 million inside sales).
Alison Whitmire is the President of Learning in Action, a company committed to revealing derailing blindspots and creating awareness resulting in breakthroughs. She is an authority in the Emotional and Relational Intelligence, which focuses on our innate capacity to be in relationship with others, even in times of conflict, and how we can develop that capacity through conscious awareness and intention.…
Zach Wilson is an entrepreneur with experience delivering information- driven innovation. Founder and CEO at UUorld, Inc., a mapping and data visualization software company, he led customer development and product strategy. UUorld created cutting edge software to explore spatial trends through an immersive geobrowser, which made it easy to create 3D, animated maps.
Motivated by a passion to understand global and local trends, UUorld helped clients understand and explain data through maps and interactive visual user experiences.…
Melinda Wittstock is Founder and CEO of Verifeed, a mobile and social platform for real-time vetting and validation of original crowd-reported content and social media posts. Verifeed helps brands, campaigns and media attract and retain targeted, committed consumers around relevant, trustworthy, interactive content. Melinda is a serial entrepreneur, award-winning journalist and executive, her award-winning career spanning BBC, ABC, CNBC, Times of London and more.…
Seasoned faith-based non-profit leader for 20 years in inner city Paterson, NJ and Washington, DC, specializing in social entrepreneurial solutions for the underserved notably for under and unemployed, including homeless, adults. Ordained Episcopal Priest having served parishes in Washington, DC and Paterson, NJ, but presently serving exclusively as ED of Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington (SMGW), an independent but faith-based organization providing non-sectarian social services.…
Kathleen Wolff is a communications and management consultant with 25+ years’ leadership in business strategy, broadcast journalism, filmmaking, and multi-media production for private industry, non-profit associations, and media organizations. Earlier in her career, Kathleen worked as a television news correspondent and anchor at ABC News, Fox News Channel and WABC-TV in New York City. She has also been a contributor to broadcast news segments on CBS News 60 Minutes and National Geographic Explorer.…
Rahama Wright is the Founder and CEO of Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty a social impact company she created after serving in the Peace Corps. The DC-based enterprise develops shea butter creams, balms, and soaps that create living wage jobs for women in Ghana. Her entrepreneurial journey spans bootstrapping to securing her first round of venture capital investment from Ron Lauder and Dick Parsons, and landing deals with Whole Foods Markets & MGM Resorts International.…
Dr. Mike is the Founder of Big League Performance + Rehab, a lifestyle therapy brand. Dr. Mike grew up in New York, and his life was centered around sports (mainly baseball). Like most young athletes, he had big dreams of going pro one day, but saw those all come crashing to a halt his sophomore year.…