BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Innovate New Albany - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://innovatenewalbany.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Innovate New Albany
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260107T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260107T130000
DTSTAMP:20260423T013104
CREATED:20251227T014543Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T014543Z
UID:10000430-1767783600-1767790800@innovatenewalbany.org
SUMMARY:Lessons from California:  Insights from a Boomerang Startup Entrepreneur
DESCRIPTION:Our 1st TIGER Tale of 2026\n7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH 43054\nWednesday 1/7/26\, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm\nBe ready to interact with our featured entrepreneur\, J.D. Davids\, our interviewer\, Jamie McKee\, and your fellow participants.  \nPlease arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends. \nAfter 28+ years building companies\, raising capital\, achieving successful exits and navigating multiple innovation cycles in California\, Jeff (J.D.) Davids made the decision to return to the Midwest where he started out. What he discovered surprised him. \nIn this interview-style TIGER Tale\, J.D. shares real-world observations from a career spent inside startups\, venture capital ecosystems\, and growth companies—contrasting what works on the coasts with what’s already quietly working here at home. Rather than theory or tactics\, this conversation focuses on lived experience: why the Midwest has far more untapped potential than most people realize\, why great companies\noften go unnoticed\, and why storytelling—not hype—plays a critical role in attracting talent\, capital\, and opportunity. \nThis session is designed to be both educational and entertaining\, offering practical insight through stories that resonate more deeply than any slide deck ever could. \nCome curious. Leave with a clearer perspective on what’s possible. \n*************** \nJeff (J.D.) Davids is a founder and seasoned entrepreneur with more than 28 years of experience building venture-backed startups in California\, where he raised over $100 million in venture and corporate funding. He has served on the leadership teams of eight VC-backed companies as CEO\, COO\, or CFO\, resulting in six successful exits and over $1 billion in completed corporate finance transactions. \nJ.D. is the founder of DealMaker Academy\, which has trained more than 3\,500 entrepreneurs nationwide. Graduates of the program have gone on to raise over $260 million in funding. Now based in the Heartland\, J.D. focuses on strengthening regional venture ecosystems through education\, events\, and data-driven reporting. He leads the Ohio Venture Pipeline\, a semi-annual report and event series that tracks and promotes venture-style investment activity across Ohio. Since 2022\, the Ohio Venture Pipeline has built a proprietary data lake cataloging more than 920 deals totaling $5.9 billion in capital raised. \nJ.D. also authors investment and industry research reports for Ohio Life Sciences\, Illinois Bio (iBIO)\, and BioForward Wisconsin. A U.S. Marine veteran\, J.D. has received Congressional recognition for his work training veterans who are entrepreneurs. J.D. is a graduate of The Ohio State University. \nWebsites:\nhttps://www.jddavids.com/\nhttps://www.ohioventurepipeline.com/ \n*************** \nJ.D. will be interviewed by Jamie McKee\, a founder and executive operator with experience building\, scaling\, and exiting technology-driven companies across industrial\, infrastructure\, and advanced manufacturing sectors. \nJamie is currently the CEO of Galvanix\, where he leads the development and commercialization of clean\, domestic critical-metals production technologies designed to strengthen U.S. supply-chain resilience. \nPreviously\, Jamie served as CEO of StormImpact\, guiding the company through a critical growth phase by building core business infrastructure\, advancing business development\, and professionalizing internal operations. Under Jamie’s leadership\, StormImpact achieved meaningful commercial traction and enterprise value growth\, culminating in a successful acquisition in April 2025. \nJamie’s leadership experience spans business strategy\, operations\, finance\, compliance\, and organizational development\, with a strong emphasis on building scalable systems\, international business structure\, and aligning teams around execution. He has worked closely with investors\, customers\, and strategic partners to translate technical capability into commercial outcomes. \n*************** \nLike all TIGER Events\, this TIGER Tale is FREE. \nTimeline: \n11:00 am – Coffee\, Snacks\, & Socializing \n11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing \n11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”) \n12:05 pm – Hand-off to Jamie and J.D. \n1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing \n\n\n                \n                        Name*\n                            \n                            \n                                                    First\n                                                    \n                                                \n                            \n                            \n                                                            Last\n                                                            \n                                                        \n                            \n                        Email*\n                            \n                        Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event\, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs\, video\, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.\n								\n								I AGREE\n							\n          \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n            \n        \n                        Δ
URL:https://innovatenewalbany.org/new-event/lessons-from-california-insights-from-a-boomerang-startup-entrepreneur/
LOCATION:INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION\, 7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH\, 43054\, United States
CATEGORIES:TIGER Tale
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://innovatenewalbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Headshot-JD-Davids-and-Jamie-McKee-TIGER-Tale-for-website-010726.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR