Innovation Amplified: How the OSU Battelle Center Sparks Growth Through Partnership
2025-02-07 11:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speakers, Dan Kelley & Lisa Frazier, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Description, as provided by our speakers:
What is the Ohio State Battelle Center for Science, Engineering, and Public Policy and why are we necessary? i.e., What’s the gap that we fill? What’s our value proposition?
The Battelle Center is the connection point at OSU between world class scientific research and education with public agencies, organizations, and employers. We will be of value to the innovative employers of Central Ohio by connecting them with the exact faculty and students who will help to drive their mission and achieve their goals.
How does the Battelle Center foster innovation in Central Ohio?
Through our mission-serving activities, Specifically: experiential learning, career pipelining, and applied research & development.
We help companies, agencies, and organizations in Central Ohio to best utilize the resource that exists in the form of a world-class research university with a mission toward improving the prosperity of the citizens of the state. To that end, we train students from a wide range of disciplines to work together to solve problems and contribute to the public good through an integrated, innovative, problem-solving approach. We then help those students and employers in the region to get connected for mutual benefit. Additionally, we connect research to the real world.
How can you/members of the Innovate New Albany network help your own organizations while also supporting the Battelle Center? Bring us your challenges and wicked problems. Tell us what the characteristics of your ideal hires are. Through a membership with the center, you can present to students, connect with research labs, and engage with student consulting teams.
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Dr. Dan Kelley is an academic leader and scholar with a proven ability to create impactful programs through strategic partnerships. With a career spanning world-class scientific research, technical education leadership, and teaching across all levels of higher education, Dan bridges the gap between academia and industry. He has driven workforce development initiatives that prepare Ohio’s talent for cutting-edge employers and delivered meaningful results at the intersection of science and policy. Known for fostering collaboration and innovation, Dan’s insights inspire action and progress. Join him to learn how he transforms challenges into opportunities that empower communities and drive lasting impact.
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Dr. Lisa Frazier is a Senior Researcher at the Battelle Center, tackling complex challenges at the intersection of technology and human health. With expertise in health policy and a focus on equity and social justice, she applies cutting-edge research methods to inform decision-making and drive meaningful change. A leader on impactful projects like the NIH-funded HEALing Communities Study, Dr. Frazier’s work spans opioid policy, Medicaid, reproductive health, and more. A dedicated educator and award-winning scholar, she empowers future leaders to solve society’s toughest problems through structural innovation and public policy.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Dan & Lisa
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*
FirstLast

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Increased Customer Experience = Increased Profits!
2025-02-14 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Andy Shockney, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In this TIGER Talk, Andy Shockney will provide a plan for improving your customers’ experience when consuming or obtaining your products or services.
Who Should Come: self-challenging business owners and CEOs who are seeking to build the value of their businesses.
Please come prepared to:

discuss your business’s current performance
specify where you want performance to improve
make a commitment to an action plan to improve profitability

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Andy Shockney is President and Co-Founder of What Box Consulting Group. Andy’s focus in consulting is on strategic planning and customer experience. His passion is to discover and unlock growth in businesses and leaders.
Prior to starting his consulting firm, Andy was Director of Strategic Planning with Thirty-One Gifts. While at Thirty-One, he also led the customer experience team on a journey from forty million to seven-hundred million in sales.
Andy is also an adjunct lecturer at The Fisher School of Business at The Ohio State University where he teaches Marketing Projects 4204 – Marketing Capstone for Seniors.
Learn more about the capabilities of Andy’s consulting firm at www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Andy
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*
FirstLast

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Unlock the Secret to Making Products Customers Will Love
2025-02-19 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Urko Wood, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a reliable way to differentiate your products and
services from the competition?
Actually, there is.
The key to successful differentiation lies in focusing on what truly
matters to your target customers. By asking the right questions, understanding what
they want to accomplish, and where their needs remain unmet, you can unlock new
opportunities for growth.
Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) is a breakthrough approach that flips traditional market
research and the front end of innovation on its head. It’s uniquely effective at helping
entrepreneurs and business leaders uncover the key, hidden needs that drive customer
decisions, thereby enabling them to create differentiated growth strategies and products
with strong market fit. Due to the complexity and cost of full JTBD consulting projects,
however, it has been out of reach for most small and mid-sized companies.
In this TIGER Talk, Urko Wood will introduce you to “Lean JTBD,” a practical evolution
of the proven JTBD framework, designed to help entrepreneurs and business leaders:
— Find and capitalize on the customers’ unmet needs
— Boost employee engagement and productivity
— Foster a culture of innovation
…by applying the mindset and key concepts of JTBD – without the complexity or cost of
traditional consulting.
If you want to build products and services that stand out, command premium pricing,
and deliver sustainable growth, this talk is for you!
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Urko Wood is an accomplished innovation leader and the founder of Reveal Growth Consultants, where he helps companies drive innovation and growth by uncovering their customers’ hidden unmet needs.
With over 18 years of expertise in the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) innovation approach, Urko has enabled companies of all sizes – including startups and Fortune 1000 leaders – to achieve revenue growth through unique customer insights. His passion lies in transforming innovation from a guessing game into a repeatable, customer needs-driven process.
Urko has worked with leading organizations such as Battelle Memorial Institute, NetJets, Can-Am Off-Road Vehicles, Franklin University, and GBQ Partners to uncover hidden customer needs that drive innovation and differentiation.
Before founding Reveal in 2012, Urko worked closely with Tony Ulwick, the chief pioneer of JTBD, at Strategyn Consulting. Urko had prior leadership roles at Deloitte, UnitedHealthcare, where he built top level skills in strategy, sales, and customer engagement.
Urko earned his MBA at The Wharton School and he’s a veteran of the US Navy.
Urko is an active writer and speaker on innovation and growth strategy. He has guest lectured at Denison University, OSU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Otterbein University’s MBA Program. A lifelong learner, Urko is dedicated to helping leaders and entrepreneurs unlock their potential to build products and services customers truly love.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Urko
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*
FirstLast

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Humans and Machines: The Automated Future of Work
2025-02-21 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Ronak Patel, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Automation is no longer something in the distant future; it’s a present reality that’s reshaping industries across the globe.
A common misconception, however, is that automation is solely about replacing humans.
But the reality is that the future of work is about creating a powerful synergy between human ingenuity and machine efficiency.
In this TIGER Talk, Ronak Patel will explore the rise of AI and automation, dispelling myths of job displacement, and unpacking the human-bot collaboration so we can all be better prepared for the future of work.
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Ronak Patel is CEO of Sunflower Lab, a fast-growing, award-winning digital product and innovations agency with offices across North America and India.
Ronak is an entrepreneur and technologist at heart. He truly believes technology can change the world for the better. That’s why for the past 17+ years, he has consistently invested time during his business days to be involved in day-to-day technology decisions.
He earned his Bachelor of Engineering, Information Technology from UVPCE. He currently resides in Columbus. He’s always happy to meet with other entrepreneurs and executives interested in technology.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Ronak
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*
FirstLast

Email*

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.

I AGREE

CES 2025: Sustainability, Wellness Tech, and Real World AI
2025-02-28 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – 3rd Floor, 7775 Walton Pkwy, 3rd Floor, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speakers, Brad Griffith & Melanie Muscolo, and your fellow participants.
CES (formerly known as the International Consumer Electronics Show) bills itself as “the most powerful tech event in the world” and “the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators.”
At this year’s event — in Las Vegas as usual, Jan 5-10 — CES continued fulfilling these promises, showcasing and shaping our technology future!
This year, the focus at CES was on sustainability, wellness and digital health tech, and AI applications that are moving beyond hype and search engine replacements into real-world impact.
From groundbreaking advancements in clean energy and biodegradable batteries to AI-driven solutions for retail point of sale, business efficiency, healthcare, and urban planning, CES 2025 showcased innovations that are reshaping industries and our daily lives.
Join our featured speakers Brad Griffith & Melanie Muscolo for a photo-filled recap and discussion about the most disruptive trends. From startups revolutionizing climate tech to major industries integrating AI for meaningful change, they’ll share a broad array of technologies and a concise set of insights.
They’ll discuss what’s next in consumer technology—what will empower us, what might distract us, and how we can use it intentionally to build a smarter, more sustainable future.
If you’re a leader navigating a rapidly evolving landscape, and you’re ready for technology that serves us better, this talk will give you the key insights you need to stay ahead.
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Brad Griffith is a technology innovator and a champion for equitable opportunity. His life’s mission is to close equity gaps by creatively applying software and design. He is the President of Buckeye Innovation, the web engineering and design team he started in 2009 to amplify the impact of innovative businesses and organizations. His team of 17 includes designers and developers who love building and supporting websites, web applications, and mobile applications.
Prior to starting Buckeye Innovation, Brad built web applications at JPMorgan Chase, QUALCOMM, and the Go Big Network. He earned his MBA and a BS in Engineering with honors from The Ohio State University. He lives in New Albany with his wife and two young daughters where he is an active Girl Scouts “Troop Cookie Dad” in addition to other community volunteer roles.
Brad was selected in 2020 to the inaugural class of the Columbus CEO Future 50 and was also a finalist for the 2019 and 2023 Small Business Leader Awards from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Buckeye Innovation was recognized in the 2022 and 2023 Inc 5000 as one of the country’s fastest-growing private companies and in 2023 was selected as one of Inc’s Best Workplaces.
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Melanie Muscolo is a dynamic business development leader with a passion for fostering relationships and solving the problems companies are facing. As the VP of Growth & Strategic Engagement at Buckeye Innovation, she has spent the past five years helping businesses and organizations expand their digital impact through innovative technology solutions.
Melanie’s career began in television, where she worked on game and award shows, honing her skills in high-energy, fast-paced environments. She brings that same enthusiasm and creativity to her role at Buckeye Innovation, where she focuses on building relationships, identifying new opportunities, and shaping strategies that fuel long-term success.
Outside of work, Melanie enjoys going to concerts, binge-watching the latest true crime documentaries on Netflix, and spending time with her fiancé and their beloved beagle, Hank.
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Like all TIGER Events, this one is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch + Mingling
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Brad & Melanie
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Mingling

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

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AI Agents – Separating Fact from Fiction
2025-03-07 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Ron Savoia, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In this TIGER Talk, Ron Savoia will discuss AI Agents, also known as Agentic AI, the latest craze in Generative AI!
Ron will cover the core aspects of AI Agents and their functionality. He’ll also present several platforms and tools that are great examples of AI Agents.
Ron will highlight how AI Agents are being used today, the workflows they’re automating, and the financial value they’re delivering, including:

reduced costs,
increased employee productivity
new revenue streams

Finally, Ron will cover what we call “API Workflow Managers” that are claiming to be AI Agents and why he believes they are NOT true examples of Agentic AI.
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Ron Savoia is the Co-founder and CEO of CopilotBuilder, which is a software platform that enables organizations to create their own custom Generative AI agents. This platform was the recipient of the Columbus Business First Biztech Award this past fall and was recently accepted into the Rev1 Customer to Capital program.
CopilotBuilder currently has several local organizations using this platform for various use cases in support of their business startup, which have been instrumental in advancing the platform in terms of additional functionality and new use cases that it supports. Ron also was the founder of Stratus Innovations Group, which is an IT services provider, and previously was the first Ohio-based Microsoft employee for their Microsoft Consulting Services Group.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Ron
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

The Meaning Gap in the Age of Automation: Navigating Work and Life with AI and Robots
2025-03-14 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Ryan Frederick, and your fellow participants.
As AI and automation increasingly reshape the world of work, many people face a profound crisis of meaning in their personal and professional lives. Tasks once done by humans are rapidly becoming automated, raising existential questions about purpose, identity, and the future of work.

In this talk, Ryan Frederick will explore how the rise of AI and robots is impacting human purpose, the emotional and psychological challenges this brings, and ways to adapt and thrive in a landscape where work as we know it is dramatically changing. Join us to learn strategies for finding meaning and maintaining fulfillment in an automated world, beyond productivity and efficiency.

Key Takeaways:

The Changing Landscape of Work: Understand how AI and automation are transforming industries and jobs, leading to shifts in how we perceive work and its value.
The Crisis of Meaning: Learn about the psychological and existential challenges that arise as human work is replaced by machines and how it affects our sense of purpose and identity.
Redefining Purpose: Explore ways to find meaning beyond traditional work, focusing on creativity, connection, and human-centered values that machines cannot replicate.
Adapting to Change: Gain practical strategies for maintaining fulfillment in a world where jobs are increasingly automated, and discover new ways to integrate technology into a meaningful life.
The Human Advantage: Understand the unique human qualities—such as empathy, creativity, and moral decision-making—that remain vital in an automated world, and how to leverage these traits in future roles.

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Our featured speaker, Ryan Frederick, is an advisor, author, investor, and speaker. Ryan is a Principal at the technology advising firm Transform Labs.
Ryan blends a technical background with business acumen to provide a balanced perspective of company strategy and business model for the most value and impact. Ryan has been part of starting and growing several product and service companies, including from inception to exit and turnarounds, helping the companies to establish product market fit and long-term sustainability.
Ryan has written two books about starting and managing companies. The first, The Founders Manual, focuses on key insights for entrepreneurs around product, being a founder, and their companies. The second, Sell Naked, shares perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of managing and growing a professional services firm.
Ryan frequently speaks about the future of work, digital transformation, and leveraging technology for greater impact and value.
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Like all TIGER Events, this one is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch + Mingling
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Ryan
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Mingling

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

AI and Workforce Development: What Small Businesses & Municipalities Need to Know
2025-03-21 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speakers, Mel McGee & New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding will provide introductory remarks about Community Innovation Partnership and then tee up the conversation.
Community Innovation Partnership is a coalition of mayors committed to leveraging emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence to enhance city functions, strengthen workforce development, and shape policy. Mayor Spaulding will introduce Mel McGee.
Preview of Mel’s remarks below:
As AI continues to shape industries, small businesses have a unique opportunity to harness its potential for workforce development, efficiency, and growth. To stay competitive, it’s essential to understand how AI can enhance employee skills, ensure responsible use, and take advantage of funding opportunities.

AI for Workforce Development & Upskilling: AI-driven training tools can help employees build new skills, improve productivity, and adapt to changing job demands.
Developing Internal AI Policies: Establishing AI policies ensures responsible use, protects data security, and aligns AI adoption with business goals.
Ohio’s TechCred Program: Businesses can receive up to $180,000 per year in reimbursement for AI and tech-related training to upskill their workforce.

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Melanie McGee is a pioneering technologist, educator, and entrepreneur with nearly three decades of experience in software engineering, artificial intelligence, and workforce development. As the Co-founder of SkillSpout and Founder & CEO of We Can Code IT, she drives AI adoption and practical tech education for small to mid-sized organizations.
A recognized thought leader, Melanie has shaped the future of AI-driven learning and workforce transformation, with her work featured in books, media, and academic settings. Beyond tech, she’s an avid cyclist, trail runner, and lifelong learner passionate about innovation and problem-solving.
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Sloan Spalding is the Mayor of New Albany, Ohio. Sloan currently serves as Assistant Auditor for Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber. Prior professional appointments have included being selected as section chief for employment law for then Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, general counsel and deputy chancellor for the Ohio Board of Regents, chief legal counsel to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and labor relations director for The Ohio State University.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Mayor Spalding & Mel McGee
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Beyond the Behemoths – How JobsOhio Supports Growth-Stage Companies & Innovators
2025-03-28 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Please arrive at 11:30 am, ready to interact with featured speaker, Josh Hoffman, and your fellow participants.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Amgen. Anduril. Honda. Intel. You’ve heard all about these recent economic development wins for the State of Ohio, and the incentives provided by JobsOhio, One Columbus, and their local economic development partners. However, did you know JobsOhio has programs specifically for our growth-stage companies and innovators?
This TIGER Talk will explore opportunities available for early-stage companies to continue their growth story in Ohio.
Please join Josh Hoffman as he discusses how JobsOhio goes beyond the behemoth companies you’ve seen in the headlines to provide resources for your start-up, spin-out, or scale-up.
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Josh Hoffman is Director of Healthcare at JobsOhio,. Josh received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Maryland. He continued his education with master’s degrees in biomedical engineering and business administration from The Ohio State University. Prior to JobsOhio, Josh spent ten years in clinical research and digital health at The Ohio State University, CoverMyMeds, and VPL. In his current role, Josh is responsible for strategy and investment in the state’s healthcare and life sciences sector. In addition, Josh drives strategy and business development for the Ohio Discovery Corridor. Josh lives with his wife and two children in Westerville, Ohio.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Josh
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

INVINCIBLE 2025: Three Key Insights To Master Today
2025-04-04 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speaker, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
With change being a constant, companies and individuals are undergoing a fundamental transformation in the way they live, work, and prosper.
In this exciting yet pragmatic and highly interactive TIGER Talk, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva will show how the business reality is changing in 2025 – and how to take advantage of these changes to make you disruption-ready and turbulence-proof.
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Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva is the Founder and Chief Reinvention Officer, Reinvention Academy. She is also Co-founder of The Reinvention Summit.
Often called “The Reinvention Guru” and “The Queen of Reinvention,” Dr. Nadya is a scientist, entrepreneur, and author specializing in resilience and reinvention.
As a consultant and educator, she helped such companies as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola, IBM, Cisco, L’Oreal Group, Danone, Kohler, Erste Bank, Henkel, Knauf Insulation, and Vienna Insurance Group reinvent their products, leadership practices, and business models to meet new market demands and prepare for incoming disruptions.
As a speaker, Dr. Nadya has delivered keynotes and workshops to over 500,000 executives, and four TEDx Talks. As an author, she has written several award-winning books including “The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos”. Dr. Nadya is a contributor to Forbes and Harvard Business Review, and her work has been featured in a variety of publications in the USA and internationally.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Dr. Nadya
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

More Than Content: How Experiences, Collaborations & Influencers Build Brands That Last
2025-04-11 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speaker, Sean Dupiano, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
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Event Description in the words of our event leader, Sean Dupiano:
I run Fluff Studio, a social media agency built on digital strategy—but the more I’ve scaled, the clearer it’s become: your brand isn’t just what you post, it’s how people experience you in real life. AI can optimize content, but it can’t replace human connection—people remember conversations, moments, and the way a brand made them feel.
From launching Kape Coffee to hosting influencer activations, I’ve seen how in-person experiences turn followers into advocates. The strongest brands aren’t just seen online—they create real-world moments that get shared and remembered. This workshop is about bridging the gap between digital influence and real-world impact to build a brand that lasts.
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Sean Dupiano is building Fluff Studio, a media company, which just opened its newest 3,000+ sq. ft. retail/studio space.
On weekends, Sean swaps cameras for coffee beans at Kape Coffee, a pop-up his company hosts at Coppa Gelato, curating flavors from across the world, blending travel, culture, and caffeine into something tangible, something you can taste.
Seven years in the military taught Sean discipline, adaptability, and how to lead under pressure. Sean co-founded Fluff Studio and Kape Coffee to figure things out for himself—to learn by doing, failing, iterating. Along the way, he’s met Colombian coffee growers with stories as rich as their beans, built partnerships that crossed industries and continents, and worked with executives on the nuances of brand positioning.
More than anything, Sean has learned that the best ideas don’t just live on a screen. They live in rooms, in conversations, in the space between strangers who might not stay strangers for long. Sean is always eager talk about how to make that happen.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Sean
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Expert Office Hours: April 17, 2025
2025-04-17 09:00 - 11:30 | OH
Meet 1-on-1 With the Experts You Need
100% VIRTUAL Format
Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to make it easy for business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs to get the answers they need.
Please set all your appointments by 12 Noon, 04/16/25.
We will end registrations at Noon, so our Experts can plan their Thursday schedules.
STEPS
1. Review our roster of Experts, below
2. Click on the link below the Expert’s name to schedule an appointment
3. Make individual appointments w/ the experts you need – just ONE – or, up to a maximum of FIVE
4. You’ll receive an email & a calendar invitation – w/ a Zoom link for each appointment
5. Thurs April 17: at time of each appointment, click on Zoom link to meet w/ your selected Expert
NOTES
1. For most of you, a personal computer will be the best means to access your Expert meetings via Zoom; no need to download software
2. Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

Schedule up to five 30-minute meeting(s) below:
Ryan Steele | Porter Wright
Startup & Emerging Business Law
At Porter Wright, Ryan Steele helps early stage entrepreneurs choose optimal business structures and complete the documentation needed to establish their business foundation, grow and expand, and ultimately exit on their own favorable terms.
Ryan also handles corporate contractual matters to bring mergers, acquisitions, financing, startup operations, and other general business transactions to fruition. Combining business operations knowledge with legal acumen, Ryan efficiently executes complex business contracts so that rapidly growing companies, business owners and early stage entrepreneurs can cost-effectively achieve their growth goals.
Ryan also brings great business savvy to his client relationships. Having managed an office of over 100 people, Ryan can apply his first-hand knowledge of everyday business functions including project management, employee management, and independent contracting, providing practical counsel to fast-growing entities so they can overcome challenges and achieve their business goals.
Great Questions for Ryan:

Incorporating Your New Business – What forms are possible and the pros/cons of each
Capital Tables – How to structure company ownership to ensure achieving my long term goals?
Business Operating Agreements – What are these and when does my business need one?
Liability – How do I protect myself and my business?
Written Contracts – When and why should my business use them?
Regulation & Red Tape – What docs must I file to comply with laws/rules for my industry?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ryan.

Jordan Campbell | Huntington National Bank
Funding Businesses thru SBA Programs
Jordan began her career at Huntington in 2016 as a relationship banker at the German Village, OH branch. She then moved into business banking as a treasury management advisor, supporting the Central and Southern, OH branches.
In 2019 she joined the Dedicated Business Relationship Manager team and managed a portfolio of 200 business banking clients in the Cincinnati area. She transitioned to a Business Development Officer in Central, OH working to find new business banking clients to bring to Huntington Bank and most recently has become an SBA Product Specialist focusing on SBA lending for Central, OH business owners.
Great questions for Jordan:

SBA Loan Options: What types of SBA loans are available, and how can I determine which one is the best fit for my business?
Eligibility Requirements: What are the key qualifications for obtaining an SBA loan, and how can I determine if my business meets them?
Business Expansion: How can SBA financing help with growing my business, such as acquiring new equipment, opening a second location, or purchasing inventory?
Preparing a Strong Application: What are the most common mistakes business owners make when applying for SBA loans, and how can I avoid them?
Understanding Loan Terms: How do SBA loan terms compare to traditional loans, and what should I consider when evaluating repayment terms?
Improving Financial Position: What steps can I take to strengthen my financial position and increase my chances of getting approved for an SBA loan?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Jordan.

Arthi Rathi | Book + Street
Financial Modeling, Cash Flow, Pricing Model, & Equity Compensation
Arthi Rathi is a CFO at Book+Street, a financial services firm working with startup businesses in Ohio and the Midwest. A CPA by background, Arthi climbed the ladder in Big 4 consulting and at a Fortune 25 company and has over 15 years of financial, operational and management experience. She is a strategic problem solver delivering financial value through a deep understanding of business and collaboration.
Arthi enjoys helping clients weave their stories through numbers to help business partners craft new ventures, grow businesses and showcase their value. Through her work, she has gained advanced skills in technical accounting, revenue recognition, deal modeling, and strategic finance. She loves working with startups because it allows her to solve problems creatively by rolling up her sleeves, diving into data and learning through cross-functional teamwork.
Great questions for Arthi:

What is my Burn rate and how long will my cash last and what do I need to raise?
How do I develop a revenue forecast? How do I determine ARR. What are the key financial metrics to analyze my business
What type of financial information do potential investors expect when considering an investment?
Do I need to give my employees equity? How do I set up my cap table and model scenarios for equity considerations?
Economics to consider for pricing my service / product

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Arthi.

Brett Rosenstein | Build Accounting
Accounting and Taxes for Startups
With 15 years of experience in the accounting industry, Brett is a highly skilled Certified Public Accountant dedicated to helping tech startups and SaaS businesses navigate the complexities of accounting and taxes.
Brett previously worked for Plante and Moran, a large public accounting firm in downtown Columbus. Having the entrepreneur “bug”, Brett started Build Accounting in 2019. Over the years, Build Accounting has grown to a team of five and today provides tax filing, accounting, and advisory services for tech startups and SaaS business. Build Accounting’s mission is to make the accounting and tax process as easy, simple, and headache-free for founders as possible. Build uses cloud-based accounting systems and current technologies to help founders understand their numbers and make informed decisions that will benefit their company.
During the day, Brett can be found working out of the Innovate New Albany offices. While, in his free time he enjoys running, spending time with his wife and daughter, and trying new pizza places around Columbus. Between 2011 and 2013, he tried 100+ pizza places in the Columbus area.
Great questions for Brett:

What is the best entity structure for my business?
What are the tax compliance requirements that I should be aware of?
What are the bare minimum OR best practice accounting and tax requirements I should be taking to ensure I stay out of trouble with the IRS.
How can I ensure I am picking up all available deductions for my business?
What else should I know about that I may not be thinking about when it comes to the accounting and taxes for my business?

Click here schedule 30 minutes with Brett.

Tushar Kulkarni | Big Kitty Labs
Software Solutions to Meet Your Needs
Tushar has over 25 years of experience managing small to large-scale projects & teams
& delivering innovative tech solutions. Tushar founded Big Kitty Labs to pursue his passion for innovative tech solutions and bringing them to different domains. Under Tushar’s
leadership, Big Kitty Labs has successfully designed & delivered 200+ software systems in domains ranging from the government sector, healthcare, education, automative, aviation, agtech and sports.

Great questions for Tushar:

What were the initial challenges one faces when starting their tech company, and how can one overcome them?
How does one validate their tech idea or solution in the market before diving into development?
What were the key steps that one can take to build a talented and cohesive tech team
What strategies can one employ to market and promote your tech product or solution
Can you share any lessons learned or mistakes made during the early stages of your tech venture?
How does one navigate the competitive landscape and differentiate your tech product from existing solutions?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Tushar.

Brian Thomas | Impact-Social
Go-to-Market Strategy & Execution
For the past 12 years, Brian has implemented go-to-market strategies for small businesses and startups. He has assisted small businesses across numerous sectors in identifying, developing, and implementing growth strategies. From local beverage distribution, to international commodity markets, and IoT to Web3, businesses have used these go-to-market systems to find success or pivot into a welcoming niche. Whether it’s growing a social media page to 1 million followers, building a local customer base to 50+ customers, or reaching into international markets to diversify importers, the fundamentals of market-fit, sales, and marketing are the foundation for any business to grow. At Impact Social, our business is to accelerate your business.
Great questions for Brian:

Who will buy my product or service?
How do I price my product or service?
What is the most effective distribution channel to reach my market?
How do I sell my product or service?
Why have my sales plateaued?
What systems do I put into place to grow my business?

Click here schedule 30 minutes with Brian.

Matt Cynkar | Rev1 Ventures
Resources for High Growth Startups
Matt Cynkar serves as Managing Director at Rev1 Ventures. In that role, Matt leads the team that serves as the first touch point for the more than 700 entrepreneurs who reach out to Rev1 each year. That team connects entrepreneurs quickly with the startup resources available within Rev1 and throughout Ohio’s startup communities.
Matt manages exploratory meetings between qualified entrepreneurs and the Rev1 team members. Matt ensures seamless handoffs for entrepreneurs between their early contact with Rev1 and the next steps on their journey, which may be Rev1’s Customer Learning Lab, client engagement planning, or referrals to other support organizations or programs.
Before joining Rev1, Matt played key roles in Market Research and Customer Insights at Alliance Data and Bath & Body Works. Matt is a graduate of Miami University.
Great questions for Matt:

I have an idea for a high-growth startup; can Rev1 help me determine if it’s
worth pursuing?
I’ve launched a startup; can Rev1 help me get funding to grow it?
What other resources does Rev1 offer to help entrepreneurs?
How does an entrepreneur get started with Rev1?
I see that Rev1 works in corporate innovation; how can I learn more?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Matt.

Kevin Hammond | Ohio SBDC
Business Management Advice
Kevin Hammond has been a business management consultant for 13 years, mostly focused on small businesses and start-ups. Kevin has been on the SBDC team for almost ten years as a consultant. Prior to consulting, Kevin was in financial services at Chase Manhattan. Kevin has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University and an MBA from Capital University.
The Ohio SBDC is part of America’s SBDC national network comprised of over 1000 Centers across the U.S. including 28 in Ohio. The Ohio SBDC Network provides one-on-one advising, by Certified Business Advisors, at no cost and conduct no or low cost business training.
Great questions for Kevin:

I have a business idea. What is my next step?
How do I market my services and products?
How can I take my business to the next level?
How and where can I get money for my business?
How do I keep track of my financial records and assure I’m tax compliant?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Kevin.

Please note: If you register and then don’t attend, your time slot will go unfilled, potentially preventing other business owners from accessing the expert advice they need. If you can’t keep your appointment, please email Neil Collins at info@InnovateNewAlbany.org .

Prepare or Fail: Driving Technology Transformations That Stick
2025-04-25 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Shara Hutchinson, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Resistance to change is the silent killer of innovation, often turning even the most advanced technologies into costly failures.
Digital transformation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a make-or-break opportunity for businesses. Yet too often, organizations fall short because their teams aren’t prepared to adopt new tools and processes.
Success hinges on more than just implementing AI, software, or other transformative technologies — it’s about ensuring they are embraced and utilized effectively. This session will equip you with the critical skills needed to prepare your organization for change, overcome resistance, and lead successful technology rollouts. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies to engage your teams, track adoption progress, and maximize the value of your investments.
Join our presenter, Shara Hutchinson, to turn resistance into readiness and ensure your digital transformation efforts achieve lasting success.
Who Should Attend:

Business Leaders and Decision-Makers: Those driving digital transformation efforts such as AI, automation, or software rollouts.
Software Providers and Consultants: Companies responsible for delivering solutions and ensuring client adoption to secure long-term success.
Change Leaders and Managers: Professionals tasked with overcoming resistance and managing organizational transformation.

Key Takeaways:

Why resistance to change is the biggest threat to your tech investment and how to address it.
Strategies to prepare your teams for change and ensure new technologies are embraced.
Data-driven methods to measure adoption and secure a strong return on investment.
How to build a change-ready culture that thrives in innovation and avoids disruption.

***************
Shara Hutchinson is the Founder and Chief Change Strategist at Xposeyour, an emerging tech startup dedicated to preparing leaders and teams for transformation. She is focused on partnering with organizations to minimize employee resistance during change, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.
Xposeyour’s B2B SaaS solution, Readiness Xchange, helps leaders navigate complex transformations by identifying risks early and driving successful adoption. Shara is a Qualified Education Professional (QEP) with training and workshops that earn you PDU credit hours towards the global CCMP certification.
Having experience leading at a high growth tech startup for nearly 10 years before becoming an entrepreneur, Shara is a TEDx speaker, a Forbes Contributor, and author of Barefoot in the Boardroom: Every Leader’s Guide to Navigating Change. What sets Shara apart is her ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, aligning initiatives with overarching business objectives. She is passionate about empowering teams through effective communication, training, and coaching, enabling them to embrace change and sustain desired outcomes. Shara has a proven track record of leading complex, multi-faceted change programs from planning to post-implementation review, delivering quantifiable results and long-term value.
Shara serves on the board of Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP Ohio) and National Association for Women Business Owners (NAWBO Columbus). She loves making an impact in the community. When Shara is not working, she spends time making memories with her husband and son.
***************
Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Shara
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Building a Foundation for AI Productivity: Empowering Your Entire Organization
2025-05-02 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speakers, Gretchen Goffe & Heidi Grenek, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Many companies are exploring the potential of GenAI, but wondering how to scale it’s benefits beyond a few high-profile projects. Realizing widespread productivity gains and ensuring responsible use requires a solid foundation of understanding and usage across all teams.
This TIGER Talk will focus on how a collective effort in building this foundational knowledge can unlock up to 8 hours a week per employee for your organization and protect you from rogue usage.
As an incentive for upskilling your employees, the Ohio TechCred program (Techcred.ohio.gov) reimburses Ohio companies with W-2 employees up to $2,000 per employee who completes AI training.
A key element of this session involves a practical approach to GenAI adoption: encouraging employees to consider tasks they could delegate to four distinct roles. This
exercise helps to demystify AI and highlight its tangible applications across various functions within the organization.
Join our presenters Gretchen Goffe & Heidi Grenek as they discuss practical strategies for empowering every employee to leverage Generative AI (GenAI) in their daily work. This program will explore how to introduce and implement a company-wide AI policy that encourages both innovation and responsible application.
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Gretchen Goffe invested much of her career uncovering customer needs and creating valuable solutions for Huntington Bank and then as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies. Later, Gretchen transitioned to teaching as Executive Director of the Innovation Center at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. In 2016 she founded DTLiveLAB with a signature method for teaching people to learn to do, doubling their knowledge in hours instead of weeks or months.
After connecting with fellow Cornell grad Heidi Grenek, the two quickly realized Heidi’s GenAI expertise and Gretchen’s training methods were like peanut butter and chocolate, so they paired up to co-found The Prompt Collective in 2024 and create an enterprise foundational GenAI program called the AI Productivity Supercharger.
Gretchen has a bachelor’s degree in applied economics and Business Management from Cornell University’s Dyson School and completed Stanford GSB’s year-long LEAD
program. She is a Fast Company Executive Board member, writing on design thinking and how to change how people think and work.
***************
Heidi Grenek is an AI enthusiast and entrepreneur who has harnessed emerging technology for companies like Corning, the Palo Alto Research Center, and Xerox. She drove the early adoption of AI-enabled category management to improve the execution of two billion ndollars in annual capital spend. She spearheaded a portfolio of Generative AI applications for her employer to enhance market analysis, sales forecasting, and manufacturing effectiveness.
After Heidi taught Gretchen about GenAI, the two co- founded The Prompt Collective in 2024 and created the AI Productivity Supercharger, a foundational program for enterprises or individuals wanting to harness the productivity gains of GenAI usage, safely.
Heidi has both a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University’s College of Engineering. She also has a Masters of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management and certificates in Artificial Intelligence from MIT and the University of Chicago.
***************
Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.

Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Gretchen & Heidi
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Meet the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
2025-05-16 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speaker, Jeff Spain, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Learn about the valuable services offered by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) at Columbus State Community College. MEP is a full-service solutions provider that supports
Central Ohio manufacturers.
From consulting and product development to education and talent acquisition, MEP partners with organizations to grow their manufacturing businesses. MEP has a straightforward mission: to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturers. It is a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers. MEP’s most important goals, for the manufacturers it serves, include: accelerating growth, increasing productivity, increasing innovation, and most importantly, increasing profitability.
We will also talk about our manufacturing ecosystem within Central Ohio and answer your questions on that topic.
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Our presenter, Jeff Spain, is Senior Director, MEP at Columbus State Community College. Jeff has spent over two decades at Columbus State, working with Central Ohio employers to plan, develop, and
manage hundreds of strategic initiatives, workforce, and economic development projects. In addition to his work with industry, Jeff serves as an adjunct instructor at the College, where his research and practice have focused on applied customer service, leadership, and personal productivity training. As the Senior Director of the MEP at Columbus State, Jeff leads a team with the mantra: “One partner, multiple service solutions.”
***************
Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Jeff
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Expert Office Hours | Thursday May 22, 2025
2025-05-22 09:00 - 11:30 | OH
Meet 1-on-1 With the Experts You Need
100% VIRTUAL Format
Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to make it easy for business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs to get the answers they need.
Please set all your appointments by 1 pm, Wednesday 5/21/25.
We will end registrations at 1 pm, so our Experts can plan their Thursday schedules.
STEPS
1. Review our roster of Experts, below.
2. To schedule an appointment with a specific Expert, click the link below his/her name.
3. Make individual appointments w/ the Experts you need – just ONE – or, up to a max of FIVE.
4. For each appointment, you’ll receive an email & a calendar invitation – w/ a built-in Zoom link.
5. On Thursday May 22: At the time of each appointment, click on your Zoom link to meet w/ your selected Expert
Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

Schedule up to FIVE 30-minute meeting(s) below:
Ryan Steele | Porter Wright
Startup & Emerging Business Law

Great Questions for Ryan:

Incorporating Your New Business – What forms are possible and the pros/cons of each
Capital Tables – How to structure company ownership to ensure achieving my long term goals?
Business Operating Agreements – What are these and when does my business need one?
Liability – How do I protect myself and my business?
Written Contracts – When and why should my business use them?
Regulation & Red Tape – What docs must I file to comply with laws/rules for my industry?

At Porter Wright, Ryan Steele helps early stage entrepreneurs choose optimal business structures and complete the documentation needed to establish their business foundation, grow and expand, and ultimately exit on their own favorable terms.
Ryan also handles corporate contractual matters to bring mergers, acquisitions, financing, startup operations, and other general business transactions to fruition. Combining business operations knowledge with legal acumen, Ryan efficiently executes complex business contracts so that rapidly growing companies, business owners and early stage entrepreneurs can cost-effectively achieve their growth goals.
Ryan also brings great business savvy to his client relationships. Having managed an office of over 100 people, Ryan can apply his first-hand knowledge of everyday business functions including project management, employee management, and independent contracting, providing practical counsel to fast-growing entities so they can overcome challenges and achieve their business goals.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ryan.

Miglena Kotevski | Huntington National Bank
Access to Capital for Small Business

Great Questions for Miglena:

How should I finance the launch of a new small business?
What kind of financing can I obtain to grow my business?
How do Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loans work for a small business?
How should I prepare for a lending application with a bank or other lending institution?
What questions should I ask the lender during the process of pursuing a business loan?

Miglena Kotevski is a Community Lending Program Manager for the Huntington Bank‘s Lift Local Business Program, as part of the bank’s 2020 community plan commitment. Participants of Huntington’s Lift Local Business program include women, veterans, and racially and ethnically diverse business owners, as well as businesses located in LMI/MMT areas.
Miglena has over 18 years of experience in banking at Huntington, 17 of them working with businesses of different industries and revenue size. She has Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Franklin University and Masters and Bachelors degrees in business from Trakya University in her home country of Bulgaria.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Miglena.

Eric Pace | Book + Street
Accounting, Treasury, and Financial Modeling

Great Questions for Eric:

What are my options for raising capital? What is better, debt, preferred, equity, etc?
What are the benefits of having a disciplined financial process and system in place?
What is the role of a CFO in my business? What can I expect and how is it different from a standard accountant or bookkeeper?

Eric Pace has worked over 15 years in Corporate Treasury and Finance roles for financial services companies including KeyBank, Huntington, and JP Morgan Chase. Eric played an important role in managing through the 2008 financial crisis and the additional governance, regulation, and risk management practices. He developed complex financial models to improve capital, liquidity, and credit risk management and has extensive experience in stakeholder interaction in the board room and with investors and rating agencies. He has experience leading the finance function at Konzortia Capital, a SaaS startup specializing in AI/ML technology to improve deal flow management for venture capital and private equity.
Eric earned a bachelor’s in management from Case Western Reserve University with a finance concentration, as well as a bachelors in accounting and has held a Certified Treasury Profession designation (inactive).
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Eric.

Lora Brown | Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora
Bookkeeper/Quickbooks Online Pro

Great Questions for Lora:

I don’t have time to keep track of my expenses; can you get/keep them organized?
What range of services does a Bookkeeper provide?
What’s the best QuickBooks Online (QBO) Subscription for my business?
What great new features have been added to QBO?
Can I convert my QuickBooks Desktop version to QBO?
How do I manually upload bank transactions to QBO if the bank connection is not working?

Lora Brown has over 25 years experience with QuickBooks and Bookkeeping. She offers professional bookkeeping services anywhere in the United States. Her company is called Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora. She is also a QuickBooks Online Pro Advisor. Lora has a Bachelor of Science from Ohio University.
Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora’s mission is to partner with small business owners and take the stress off of their company by taking care of the financial aspects so they can focus on what is most important – growing their business! Building relationships with clients is extremely important in this industry. She will always have your financial health up to date and accurate.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Lora.

Satish Albert | E2 Infosystems
Custom Software & App Development

Great Questions for Satish:

How do I turn my idea into a software product or application?
What factors influence the price of software or app development?
What are the latest trends or best practices in software/nas/content/live/innovatena development?
How can I make sure my software or app is built to grow as my business grows?
What’s a realistic timeline & what milestones can I expect when developing my products?

Satish Albert is Founder & CEO of E2 Infosystems. Satish offers a unique combination of experiences: enterprise software development and practical entrepreneurial a, the latter gained while bootstrapping and then selling his own successful SaaS startup. Satish has an advanced degree in computer science and deep experience leading development teams at premier tech companies including: AT&T, Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs), and Docomo Intertouch.

Satish launched E2 Infosystems to help emerging and scaling companies by engineering software solutions that meet their unique needs.

E2 Infosystems has developed software and mobile applications serving:

SaaS startups
Healthcare & Assisted Living businesses

Travel, Manufacturing and Enterprise Legacy Systems

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Satish.

Ron Savoia | Stratus Innovations Group, LLC
IT Consulting, Azure PaaS Application Development

Great Questions for Ron:

What is the best way to get your first IT services customer?
Why do customers utilize IT contractors vs using FTEs?
Is it possible to have an IT contracting side-job while having a full-time job?
What is the difference between Azure and AWS from a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) applications, and why would you use one over the other?
How do you differentiate the IT services you provide vs the many other providers in the market?
How do you scale/grow a sole proprietor IT Services organization?

Ron Savoia has over 30 years of experience in IT consulting, starting with his first engagement with CompuServe in 1993 to help with their migration to WindowsNT and SQL Server for their new Email platform. He used this experience to join Microsoft’s new Enterprise Consulting Team, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), where he worked Nationwide, Limited and JPMC (BankOne at the time), and eventually running MCS’ Central Region Financial Services practice. He spent the last 3 years in MCS incubating the professional services needed to deploy the Microsoft offering that eventually became Office 365 and Azure.
Ron continued the focus on Cloud Services when he founded Stratus Innovations Group in 2010, working with local and global organizations to help develop their Cloud strategies, including Nationwide Childrens Hospital and Cardinal Health. Stratus Innovations Group now has a global reach of reach of working with Enterprise and Mid-Market companies in deploying Cloud Services for their IT infrastructure and line-of-business applications, including Ceridian, MKS/Spectra-Physics, Hexagon, PowerGrid Services, OrthopedicONE, BroadStreet Partners, and The Energy Cooperative.
Stratus Innovations Group’s vision is to become a software platform startup, where they recently released IT-Gig.com, which is a platform specifically for IT Service Providers.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ron.

Susan Fortner | BPR International
Public Relations & Marketing

Great Questions for Susan:

How can I promote my company on a limited budget?
How do I set Marketing & PR budgets that are sufficient to drive results?
What simple steps can I take to improve my social media visibility rapidly?
Which charities, like-minded businesses, and complementary companies should I partner with?
How do I create and execute events that will differentiate my business in a crowded market?
How can I get my products featured on shopping channels like QVC and HSN?

Susan Fortner has 20+ years of experience in public relations and marketing. Her firm BPR International manages accounts throughout the country specializing in health care, talent, banking, and packaged and soft goods. In addition the firm is recognized as a broker/partner with QVC, HSN, and Evine shopping networks.
Fortner has won awards and sits on the accreditation board to advance candidates in the Accreditation in Public Relations process. In 2013 Susan received special honors for her work in crisis management.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Susan.

Dana Allender | SUN
Sales Coaching, Advice, and Planning

Great Questions for Dana:

How do I engage new B2B prospects and get them to take a call with me?
How do I stop getting “ghosted” after I send information or a proposal?
How do I talk about “budget” with a prospect and find out their decision making process?
How can I shorten my sales cycle?
How can I do sales when I’m not really good at it, aren’t people “born” to do sales?

Dana Allender‘s career started in B2B enterprise sales. He then started his own dales advisory company, SUN, in 2013. His work today is focused on sales and growth, specifically, working with business leaders on what’s needed at each stage of a business to “get to the next level” – sales coaching, sales closing, getting alignment across an organization to grow and everything in between.
Dana has worked with businesses with millions in revenue that have been around for years and tech startups who are just getting their first customers. Dana is tied into the “Ohio business ecosystem” as well, working with economic development and venture capital partners, incubators and accelerators and professional associations in human resources, financial services, manufacturing and more. Dana likes to “connect” so if he’s not connected with someone yet, he will get to it! #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Dana.

If you register and then don’t show up for your appointment, your time slot will go unfilled, preventing other business owners from the opportunity to access advice from our Experts.
If you can’t keep your appointment, please email Neil Collins at info@InnovateNewAlbany.org .

Lead with Clarity: How Stoic Principles Can Fuel Organizational Growth
2025-05-30 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speaker, Tony Dorsey, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
At this TIGER Talk, you’ll learn how true leadership clarity accelerates growth, crushes chaos, and builds unstoppable teams. You’ll discover a simple, powerful framework — the Focus 5 — to sharpen vision, strategy, roles, accountability, and communication inside your organization.
Through real-world case studies from companies like Homage, Rogue, and Takeya, you’ll see exactly how these principles drive real results. Most importantly, you’ll walk away with practical tools to lead boldly, move faster, and build organizations that endure any storm.
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Leveraging years of experience as an SVP of Strategic Operations, our speaker, Anthony “Tony” Dorsey, brings a unique blend of first hand scaling expertise, automation insight, and hands-on experience in team optimization.
Tony is the founder of Peak Ops Advisors, a consulting and leadership development firm rooted in Stoic principles, operational rigor, and no-BS execution. With over 20 years of senior leadership experience, Tony helps startups and growth-stage companies scale smarter — without burning out their people, their margins, or their mission.
Before launching Peak Ops, Tony served as SVP of Strategic Operations at HOMAGE and held key operational leadership roles at Rogue Fitness and Takeya USA. His leadership style is built on clarity, accountability, and a deep respect for the grind of real-world execution — not corporate theory.
At Peak Ops, Tony and his team offer elite-level coaching, strategic advising, and execution frameworks for leaders who aren’t afraid to get uncomfortable in the pursuit of meaningful growth. This isn’t leadership coaching for the faint of heart — it’s for those who are ready to face hard truths, sharpen their edge, and lead with purpose.
From high-stakes negotiations to seamless performance management, Tony has helped businesses grow efficiently and sustainably. Visit Tony’s company website at peakopsadvisors.com or join @mementoruckus on IG & Tik Tok.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.

Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Tony
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Beyond Buzzwords: Designing AI Products That Truly Serve People
2025-06-06 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speakers, Danny Ortiz & Nilanjan Raychaudhuri, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
AI headlines promise the moon, yet founders and other business leaders often discover that shiny demos don’t translate into customer love or bottom-line results.
In this TIGER Talk, Danny Ortiz & Nilanjan Raychaudhuri will cut through the noise and show you how to anchor every AI decision in a single question: “Whose problem are we really solving?” You’ll see why people-first thinking beats model-first hype—and how missteps at businesses like IBM Watson and Zillow became cautionary tales.
Danny & Nilanjan will also hand you a practical playbook you can apply on Monday: fast mental models for spotting high-impact use cases, workflow-integrated architecture patterns, checklists for trust and governance, and mini-case studies where small teams turned user insight into measurable wins.
Whether you own the P&L, drive product strategy, or run day-to-day operations, you’ll leave ready to evaluate AI ideas, rally cross-functional buy-in, and launch solutions that employees trust, customers adopt, and investors applaud.
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Danny Ortiz is an accomplished author, national and international speaker, business owner, and entrepreneur with a passion for empowering individuals and organizations to grow holistically through creativity, leadership, and innovation. With a strong background in technology, he has been at the forefront of integrating AI and emerging technologies into business and storytelling.
As the founder of multiple ventures, Danny has leveraged AI to enhance marketability, efficiency, and creative expression, including in Wonder Creations, a company dedicated to revolutionizing storytelling through emerging technologies. His expertise spans artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and leadership development, equipping businesses and individuals to thrive in the digital age.
Driven by his core mission to live with faith, lead with love, and serve with purpose, Danny Ortiz is dedicated to fostering meaningful connections, inspiring transformation, and equipping the next generation of leaders with the tools they need to thrive. His unique ability to merge faith, technology, and entrepreneurship positions him as a sought-after speaker and thought leader in business, innovation, and personal growth.
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Nilanjan Raychaudhuri is a founder, product strategist, and AI innovator passionate about empowering individuals and businesses through technology. He is currently building Tublian, an AI-powered platform designed to help developers and freelancers build, run, and scale their businesses independently.
With a background spanning product development, AI automation, and business operations, Nilanjan blends technical expertise with a sharp strategic vision. He is deeply committed to making AI accessible, enhancing productivity, and driving real-world impact through thoughtful, user-centric solutions.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.

Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Danny & Nilanjan
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

The Digital Divide That’s Holding Back American Manufacturing
2025-06-13 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speaker, Ryan Lunka, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
As momentum builds to restore American manufacturing, a growing divide is emerging between the few companies ready to lead and the many still running on outdated, disconnected systems. This digital divide isn’t about access to technology, but about the ability and willingness to modernize. Manufacturers who can’t move fast, automate, or connect their systems simply won’t be able to scale in this new era.

In this TIGER Talk, our featured speaker, Ryan Lunka, will explore how this gap is quietly holding back our industrial revival and why fixing it is more than a tech upgrade. It’s a strategic necessity.

Ryan will break down the hidden costs of legacy systems, the cultural barriers slowing change, and the practical shifts manufacturers can make to stay competitive in the decade ahead.

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Ryan Lunka is the Co-Founder and CEO of Doohickey AI, where he and his team are working to disrupt the dinosaur-ish “ERP industrial complex.”

Ryan has nearly 20 years experience working in Ohio with enterprise software and systems integration.. Previously, Ryan served as Chief Operating Officer at nChannel, another Ohio startup, and as a consultant for brands including Four Seasons, Abercrombie, Fossil, AT&T, and Intel.

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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Ryan
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Bootstraps, Boardrooms, and Bold Bets on Women
2025-06-20 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with featured speaker, Cindi Englefield, our interviewer Susan Bottiggi, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In an interview-style TIGER Tale, Cindi Englefield will recount stories from her successful business career, including lessons learned, techniques she recommends, and resources of value to innovators — current and future.
From launching an education company at her kitchen table to co-founding a women-focused angel investment fund, Cindi’s journey is a story of grit, growth, and game-changing purpose.
Cindi will share how building and selling her own company opened her eyes to the systemic barriers women face in accessing capital—and what she’s doing to change it. Through her current work with Accelerating Angels, Cindi is not only investing in high-growth, women-led startups—she’s activating more women to step into the investor role themselves. With real stories, sharp insights, and a bold vision for the future, Cindi reveals why closing the gender gap in funding starts with who’s making the decisions—and how we all have a role to play in reshaping the investing landscape.
This will be a talk about reinvention, equity, and the power of betting on women—not just as founders, but as funders.
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Cindi Englefield is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and fierce advocate for women in business. She began her journey in a family of entrepreneurs—her father founded Englefield Oil Company in 1961—and though her brothers were groomed to take the reins, Cindi had her own vision. In 2001, she launched Show What You Know Publishing, an educational publishing company focused on test preparation and reducing student anxiety. Over two decades, she grew the company across five states and multiple product lines, eventually leading it to a successful exit.
But Cindi’s entrepreneurial spirit didn’t retire—it evolved. Drawing from her experience, she founded Englefield Business Advisors to coach women entrepreneurs and then stepped into the world of angel investing.
In 2022, she co-founded Accelerating Angels, a fund and angel investment group committed to backing early-stage, high-growth, women-led startups. Her mission: to increase access to capital for women founders and to activate more women angel investors—reshaping who gets funded and who’s writing the checks.
Cindi serves on the boards of Englefield Oil Company, Central Point Partners, and the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, and is a member of organizations including the Columbus Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council, Angel Capital Association, NAWBO, WELD, and Matriots. A graduate of The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, she is a lifetime member and serves on the Advisory Board for the Ohio State Early Investor Network.
Cindi splits her time between Dublin, Ohio, Naples, Florida and Scottsdale, Arizona, where she enjoys golf, horseback riding, hiking, and exploring the outdoors.
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Our interviewer, Susan Bottiggi, brings decades of leadership experience in corporate banking and wealth management, paired with a deep commitment to community service.
A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and The Ohio State University’s Fisher College MBA program, Susan built her career at PNC Bank and its predecessors, rising to Executive Director of PNC Bank Wealth Management Group in Central Ohio. Today, she serves as Treasurer of AZIO Ventures LLC and as a Director of The Arnold Wholesale Company. An active supporter of women’s leadership and civic engagement, she’s held trustee roles with BalletMet, YWCA Columbus, The Community Shelter Board, and Matriots. Her current community engagements include Girls with Gears Peloton as Co-Captain and McDowell Sonoran Preserve Steward Program in Arizona.
Susan’s thoughtful, grounded perspective makes her an insightful and engaging interviewer.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.

Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Susan & Cindi
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Learn to Build Custom AI Agents to Automate Business Processes & Boost Efficiency
2025-06-25 09:30 - 12:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our workshop leaders, Ron Savoia & JR Kunkle, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 9:30 am.
Enjoy coffee & donuts. Mingle. Make new friends.
At this TIGER Tools Workshop, you’ll learn how to use CopilotBuilder to create highly innovative AI Agents called Copilots that can be used to automate any business process or workflow.
These Copilots contrast with ChatGPT AI agents which only are useful for personal productivity use cases. The Copilots you’ll create can be employed by different individuals, by work teams or even across entire organizations!
In this workshop, Ron Savoia, JR Kunkle, and team will teach you how to create Copilots that ingest public APIs (examples: weather, legal real estate) as the input to the Copilot, and then execute business rules using the ingested data via automated workflows.
Finally, you’ll learn how to publish the CoPilots you create to an internal Intranet or to a public Internet site via the custom “deployments” featured in CopilotBuilder.
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Ron Savoia is the Co-founder and CEO of CopilotBuilder, a software platform that enables organizations to create their own custom Generative AI agents.
This platform was the recipient of the Columbus Business First Biztech award this past fall and recently completed the Rev1 Ventures Customer to Capital Accelerator program.
CopilotBuilder is currently being used by several organizations and channel partners.
Ron also is the founder of Stratus Innovations Group, which is an IT services provider, and previously ran various Enterprise Services businesses for Microsoft.
You can learn more about CopilotBuilder by visiting https://try.copilotbuilder.ai .
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JR Kunkle is a tech leader who’s passionate about helping teams and clients succeed through smart, practical innovation.
At Trusted Way Consulting, JR leads the firm’s Technology Services, where he guides strategy, mentors talented consultants, and rolls up his sleeves to shape solutions that actually make a difference.
Whether it’s cybersecurity, cloud, or AI, JR focuses on turning new tech into real results for clients.
Over the years, JR has built strong, capable teams and led IT projects from idea to execution.
He enjoys working across departments—especially with the firm’s client relationship team—to not only deliver great work, but also help tell the story of what Trusted Way does and why it matters. At the end of the day, it’s all about delivering value and building long-term partnerships.
You can learn more about Trusted Way Consulting at https://www.trustedwayconsulting.com/
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Like all TIGER Events, this workshop is FREE.

Timeline:
9:30 am – Breakfast / Socializing
9:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
10:00 pm – Hand-off to Ron, JR, and the full team of workshop leaders
12:00 pm – Workshop Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Startup Valuations: What Founders Need to Know
2025-06-27 11:30 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Michelle Murcia, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:30 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In this TIGER Talk, Michelle Murcia. Founder & CEO of Book+Street, will cover:

Why a startup might need a valuation
The different types of valuations a startup might need and when
What’s needed to perform a valuation
What service providers Book+Street recommends

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Michelle Murcia has more than 25 years of finance, accounting, administration and investment experience, in publicly traded, privately held and not for profit corporations, startups and billion-dollar enterprises, regional investment funds, investment advisory service firms and highly performing national funds. Michelle has served as a C-level consultant to early-stage start-up companies since 2013 providing strategic financial services as their contract Chief Financial Officer, advising on a number of complex financial transactions, and to an investment advisory firm as Venture Partner, supporting the investment process for Series B, C and later stage syndicated venture transactions, including due diligence, financial modeling, investment document preparation and portfolio reporting.
Michelle launched Book+Street in early 2018 to address a big gap in the startup ecosystem in the Midwest, providing on-demand CFO and controllership services to a growing number of tech and service companies throughout Ohio.
Throughout her career, Michelle has designed, implemented and administered multiple equity-based compensation programs, including ISO qualified and non-qualified stock option programs, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, and phantom stock plans. In 2003, she received the designation Certified Equity Professional (CEP), a recognized certification in the subject of equity-based compensation, from Santa Clara University.
Michelle is a Certified Public Accountant in addition to her Certified Equity Professional designation. She earned a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Service Sector Management from California State University, San Marcos, and an MBA from The Ohio State University.
***************
Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.

Timeline:
11:30 am – Lunch / Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Michelle
1:00 pm – Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Welcome to “Finance City”: A Real Nice Place for Decision-Making
2025-07-09 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
NEW! Early Start Time for EXTRA connecting opportunities.
Feel free to arrive as early as 11:00 am.
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Tom Rutledge, and your fellow participants.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In this TIGER Talk, Tom Rutledge – a 30-year veteran of the institutional debt markets on Wall Street and active advisor/investor to start-ups – will discuss the value of using decision-making tactics borrowed from the financial markets. He will cover:

The mindset and thought processes that result from years of analyzing and structuring investment products (a.k.a. “Finance City.”)

A handful of basic tactics that can be applied to a wide range of decision-making challenges, including some problems far beyond the city limits of the investment world

Examples of how to financialize career decisions, household decisions, business decisions outside of finance, and how financialization can spur innovation in a host of other industries.

Trends in financial deal-making that are emerging from today’s headlines, such as opinion polling, digital currencies, increasing energy demand, retirement savings, and multiple applications of AI.

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Tom Rutledge‘s Wall Street career spans thirty years of debt markets roles at Merrill Lynch, Deutschebank, and JP Morgan, as well private credit fund management at Magnetar Capital and his current position on the Executive Committee at Jade Mountain Partners. He has also been an active angel investor, with a portfolio of investments that includes two Columbus-based companies: HonestJobs and Aunt Flow.
At Magnetar, Tom authored a whitepaper examining how the interaction between start-ups and the private credit industry has become an engine for innovation: Assets as a Service: Credit Investors and the Tech Economy.
Tom grew up in Clintonville, graduated from Whetstone High School, earned his BA at Amherst College and his MBA at MIT. He was also board chair of charity evaluator GiveWell.org from its early years in 2008. Finally, he was a one-day champion on the TV show Jeopardy!.
Tom currently lives in Boston, but frequently returns home to visit Columbus.
***************
Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing.
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Tom
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Expert Office Hours Thursday July 17, 2025
2025-07-17 09:00 - 11:30 | OH
Meet 1-on-1 With the Experts You Need
100% VIRTUAL Format
Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to make it easy for business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs to get the answers they need.
Please set all your appointments by 1 pm, Wednesday 7/16/25.
We will end registrations at 1 pm, so our Experts can plan their Thursday schedules.
STEPS
1. Review our roster of Experts, below.
2. To schedule an appointment with a specific Expert, click the link below his/her name.
3. Make individual appointments w/ the Experts you need – just ONE – or, up to a max of FIVE.
4. For each appointment, you’ll receive an email & a calendar invitation – w/ a built-in Zoom link.
5. On Thursday July 17th: At the time of each appointment, click on your Zoom link to meet w/ your selected Expert
Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

Schedule up to FIVE 30-minute meeting(s) below:
Bryan Ellrod | Huntington Bank
Business Lending and Fraud Mitigation Solutions
Great Questions for Bryan:

When should my business start thinking about securing a business loan?
What financial documents will I need when submitting a loan application?
SBA Loan versus Conventional Loan – which is a better fit for my business?
Should I buy or lease a building for my business?
What can a Business Relationship Manager do for me and my company?
What steps should I be taking to protect my financial accounts from fraud?

Bryan Ellrod has been in the financial industry for 20 years. During that time, he has held multiple roles in finance and he can assist with any banking solution that arises. His top priority is to provide white glove service and fully support his clients.
At Huntington Bank, Bryan has experience working with a wide range of business types including start-ups, manufacturers, non-profits, professional services, and healthcare. When you are Bryan’s client, you have full access to his team of industry experts that can work with you on the business, personal and planning phases of your life. Bryan’s primary goal is to fulfill your financial needs and provide guidance and education along the way.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Bryan.

Brett Rosenstein | Build Accounting
Accounting and Taxes for Startups

Great questions for Brett:

What is the best entity structure for my business?
What are the tax compliance requirements that I should be aware of?
What are the bare minimum OR best practice accounting and tax requirements I should be taking to ensure I stay out of trouble with the IRS.
How can I ensure I am picking up all available deductions for my business?
What else should I know about that I may not be thinking about when it comes to the accounting and taxes for my business?

With 15 years of experience in the accounting industry, Brett Rosebstein is a highly skilled Certified Public Accountant dedicated to helping tech startups and SaaS businesses navigate the complexities of accounting and taxes.
Brett previously worked for Plante and Moran, a large public accounting firm in downtown Columbus. Having the entrepreneur “bug”, Brett started Build Accounting in 2019. Over the years, Build Accounting has grown to a team of five and today provides tax filing, accounting, and advisory services for tech startups and SaaS business. Build Accounting’s mission is to make the accounting and tax process as easy, simple, and headache-free for founders as possible. Build uses cloud-based accounting systems and current technologies to help founders understand their numbers and make informed decisions that will benefit their company.
During the day, Brett can be found working from the Innovate New Albany offices. In his free time Brett enjoys running, spending time with his wife and daughter, and trying new pizza places around Columbus. Between 2011 and 2013, he tried 100+ pizza places in the Columbus area.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Brett.

Jen Meek | Book + Street
HR & Talent Solutions
Great Questions for Jen:

How do you build and sustain a conscious culture?
What are strategies that you can deploy to attract, recruit and retain top talent?
What are the keys to leading executive team communication?
How can you effectively and efficiently hold your team accountable?
What are the most effective ways to articulate Mission, Vision and Values for your company?

Jennifer Meek is a result-driven executive, guiding leaders in laying the foundational work of their talent strategy. Going beyond the everyday Human Resources issues, she aligns people strategy with the overall goals and objectives of an organization. This intentional and authentic approach leads to identifying areas where an organization can continue to develop and thrive.
Her vast experience in the talent solutions arena also makes her a sought out subject matter expert. She is knowledgeable in C Suite issues that impact workplace culture, team dynamics, and internal communications strategies. A dedicated and passionate leader, Jennifer can provide personalized service, create meaningful and lasting relationships, and achieve profitable results.
Prior to Book+Street, Jen has 25 years of senior leadership experience, she served as Vice President of HR for a multibillion-dollar private equity-owned company in the oil and gas industry, with 1500 employees in 22 countries. Additionally, Jen was the President, CEO, and member of the Board of Directors of an HR consulting organization for 12 years.
Jen’s undergraduate degree is in Marketing from Bowling Green State University, and her Master’s in Business Administration is from Miami University of Ohio. She has served on many boards over the years and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors for Modern Ice Equipment and Supply.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Jen.

Satish Albert | E2 Infosystems
Custom Software & App Development

Great Questions for Satish:

How do I turn my idea into a software product or application?
What factors influence the price of software or app development?
What are the latest trends or best practices in software/nas/content/live/innovatena development?
How can I make sure my software or app is built to grow as my business grows?
What’s a realistic timeline & what milestones can I expect when developing my products?

Satish Albert is Founder & CEO of E2 Infosystems. Satish offers a unique combination of experiences: enterprise software development and practical entrepreneurial a, the latter gained while bootstrapping and then selling his own successful SaaS startup. Satish has an advanced degree in computer science and deep experience leading development teams at premier tech companies including: AT&T, Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs), and Docomo Intertouch.

Satish launched E2 Infosystems to help emerging and scaling companies by engineering software solutions that meet their unique needs.

E2 Infosystems has developed software and mobile applications serving:

SaaS startups
Healthcare & Assisted Living businesses

Travel, Manufacturing and Enterprise Legacy Systems

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Satish.

Ron Savoia | Stratus Innovations Group, LLC
IT Consulting, Azure PaaS Application Development

Great Questions for Ron:

What is the best way to get your first IT services customer?
Why do customers utilize IT contractors vs using FTEs?
Is it possible to have an IT contracting side-job while having a full-time job?
What is the difference between Azure and AWS from a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) applications, and why would you use one over the other?
How do you differentiate the IT services you provide vs the many other providers in the market?
How do you scale/grow a sole proprietor IT Services organization?

Ron Savoia has over 30 years of experience in IT consulting, starting with his first engagement with CompuServe in 1993 to help with their migration to WindowsNT and SQL Server for their new Email platform. He used this experience to join Microsoft’s new Enterprise Consulting Team, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), where he worked Nationwide, Limited and JPMC (BankOne at the time), and eventually running MCS’ Central Region Financial Services practice. He spent the last 3 years in MCS incubating the professional services needed to deploy the Microsoft offering that eventually became Office 365 and Azure.
Ron continued the focus on Cloud Services when he founded Stratus Innovations Group in 2010, working with local and global organizations to help develop their Cloud strategies, including Nationwide Childrens Hospital and Cardinal Health. Stratus Innovations Group now has a global reach of reach of working with Enterprise and Mid-Market companies in deploying Cloud Services for their IT infrastructure and line-of-business applications, including Ceridian, MKS/Spectra-Physics, Hexagon, PowerGrid Services, OrthopedicONE, BroadStreet Partners, and The Energy Cooperative.
Stratus Innovations Group’s vision is to become a software platform startup, where they recently released IT-Gig.com, which is a platform specifically for IT Service Providers.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ron.

Andrea O’Carroll | Rev1 Ventures
Resources for High Growth Startups
Great Questions for Andrea:

How can an entrepreneur get started with Rev1?
Can you tell me about Rev1’s Bootcamp and Accelerator programs for entrepreneurs?
What other types of support/resources do Rev1 offer to entrepreneurs?
Can Rev1 help me get funding for my startup?
What advice do you have on selling into or engaging with large companies/corporations?

With more than 30 years of business and leadership experience, Andrea O’Carroll has supported a wide variety of Fortune 500 clients and industries throughout her career. As Managing Director, Venture Platform at Rev1 Ventures, she leads a comprehensive range of services that guide early-stage startups through every phase of their lifecycle.
With an extensive background in strategic operations and customer experience, as well as her entrepreneurial spirit, Andrea fosters strong relationships and offers solutions to a wide range of stakeholders from corporate executives to startup founders.
Before joining Rev1, Andrea spent nearly 7 years at CoverMyMeds, gaining real-time experience with a high-growth, tech-enabled startup.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Andrea.
Kevin Hammond | Ohio SBDC
Business Management Advice
Great questions for Kevin:

I have a business idea. What is my next step?
How do I market my services and products?
How can I take my business to the next level?
How and where can I get money for my business?
How do I keep track of my financial records and assure I’m tax compliant?

Kevin Hammond has been a business management consultant for 13 years, mostly focused on small businesses and start-ups. Kevin has been on the SBDC team for almost ten years as a consultant. Prior to consulting, Kevin was in financial services at Chase Manhattan. Kevin has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University and an MBA from Capital University.
The Ohio SBDC is part of America’s SBDC national network comprised of over 1000 Centers across the U.S. including 28 in Ohio. The Ohio SBDC Network provides one-on-one advising, by Certified Business Advisors, at no cost and conduct no or low cost business training.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Kevin

If you register and then don’t show up for your appointment, your time slot will go unfilled, preventing other business owners from the opportunity to access advice from our Experts.
If you can’t keep your appointment, please email Neil Collins at info@InnovateNewAlbany.org .

Expert Office Hours Thursday July 24th, 2025
2025-07-24 09:00 - 11:30 | OH
Meet 1-on-1 With the Experts You Need
100% VIRTUAL Format
Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to make it easy for business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs to get the answers they need.
Please set all your appointments by 1 pm, Wednesday 7/23/25.
We will end registrations at 1 pm, so our Experts can plan their Thursday schedules.
STEPS
1. Review our roster of Experts, below.
2. To schedule an appointment with a specific Expert, click the link below his/her name.
3. Make individual appointments w/ the Experts you need – just ONE – or, up to a max of FIVE.
4. For each appointment, you’ll receive an email & a calendar invitation – w/ a built-in Zoom link.
5. On Thursday July 24th: At the time of each appointment, click on your Zoom link to meet w/ your selected Expert
Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

Schedule up to FIVE 30-minute meetings below:
Ryan Steele | Porter Wright
Startup & Emerging Business Law

Great Questions for Ryan:

Incorporating Your New Business – What forms are possible and the pros/cons of each
Capital Tables – How to structure company ownership to ensure achieving my long term goals?
Business Operating Agreements – What are these and when does my business need one?
Liability – How do I protect myself and my business?
Written Contracts – When and why should my business use them?
Regulation & Red Tape – What docs must I file to comply with laws/rules for my industry?

At Porter Wright, Ryan Steele helps early stage entrepreneurs choose optimal business structures and complete the documentation needed to establish their business foundation, grow and expand, and ultimately exit on their own favorable terms.
Ryan also handles corporate contractual matters to bring mergers, acquisitions, financing, startup operations, and other general business transactions to fruition. Combining business operations knowledge with legal acumen, Ryan efficiently executes complex business contracts so that rapidly growing companies, business owners and early stage entrepreneurs can cost-effectively achieve their growth goals.
Ryan also brings great business savvy to his client relationships. Having managed an office of over 100 people, Ryan can apply his first-hand knowledge of everyday business functions including project management, employee management, and independent contracting, providing practical counsel to fast-growing entities so they can overcome challenges and achieve their business goals.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ryan.

Lauren D. Konrai-Mori | Porter Wright
Intellectual Property Law
Great Questions for Lauren:

How do I protect my brand for my business?
What types of intellectual property protection is there and how do they help me?
Are business names or fictitious business names and trademarks the same?
How do I register for a trademark?
How can intellectual property be licensed?

Lauren Konrai-Mori is an associate in Porter Wright‘s Intellectual Property Practice Group and focuses her practice on trademark prosecution and enforcement. She manages trademark portfolios domestically and internationally. She has prosecuted numerous U.S. trademark applications while also managing U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board cancellation and opposition proceedings and requests for reconsideration.
Additionally, Lauren has significant experience in investigation of suspected infringements and drafting demand letters and takedown notices. Her practice also involves aspects of data privacy and reviewing and revising contracts related to intellectual property and technology. She also assists with intellectual property aspects of corporate transactions.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Lauren.

Lora Brown | Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora
Bookkeeper/Quickbooks Online Pro

Great Questions for Lora:

I don’t have time to keep track of my expenses; can you get/keep them organized?
What range of services does a Bookkeeper provide?
What’s the best QuickBooks Online (QBO) Subscription for my business?
What great new features have been added to QBO?
Can I convert my QuickBooks Desktop version to QBO?
How do I manually upload bank transactions to QBO if the bank connection is not working?

Lora Brown has over 25 years experience with QuickBooks and Bookkeeping. She offers professional bookkeeping services anywhere in the United States. Her company is called Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora. She is also a QuickBooks Online Pro Advisor. Lora has a Bachelor of Science from Ohio University.
Bookkeeping Simplified By Lora’s mission is to partner with small business owners and take the stress off of their company by taking care of the financial aspects so they can focus on what is most important – growing their business! Building relationships with clients is extremely important in this industry. She will always have your financial health up to date and accurate.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Lora.
Brian Thomas | Impact-Social
Go-to-Market Strategy & Execution
Great questions for Brian:

Who will buy my product or service?
How do I price my product or service?
What is the most effective distribution channel to reach my market?
How do I sell my product or service?
Why have my sales plateaued?
What systems do I put into place to grow my business?

For the past 12 years, Brian has implemented go-to-market strategies for small businesses and startups. He has assisted small businesses across numerous sectors in identifying, developing, and implementing growth strategies. From local beverage distribution, to international commodity markets, and IoT to Web3, businesses have used these go-to-market systems to find success or pivot into a welcoming niche. Whether it’s growing a social media page to 1 million followers, building a local customer base to 50+ customers, or reaching into international markets to diversify importers, the fundamentals of market-fit, sales, and marketing are the foundation for any business to grow. At Impact Social, our business is to accelerate your business.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Brian.

Susan Fortner | BPR International
Public Relations & Marketing

Great Questions for Susan:

How can I promote my company on a limited budget?
How do I set Marketing & PR budgets that are sufficient to drive results?
What simple steps can I take to improve my social media visibility rapidly?
Which charities, like-minded businesses, and complementary companies should I partner with?
How do I create and execute events that will differentiate my business in a crowded market?
How can I get my products featured on shopping channels like QVC and HSN?

Susan Fortner has 20+ years of experience in public relations and marketing. Her firm BPR International manages accounts throughout the country specializing in health care, talent, banking, and packaged and soft goods. In addition the firm is recognized as a broker/partner with QVC, HSN, and Evine shopping networks.
Fortner has won awards and sits on the accreditation board to advance candidates in the Accreditation in Public Relations process. In 2013 Susan received special honors for her work in crisis management.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Susan.
Mackenzie Dolacki | Wynhouse: An Innovation Firm
Healthcare Innovation & Solutions
Great Questions for Mackenzie:

How can I tell if my business idea solves a real problem or is just a “nice to have”?
What’s the best way to test or validate a concept before investing in a full build?
How do I prioritize product features when my team has limited time and budget?
What are effective strategies for getting buy-in from hospital or health system stakeholders?
How can I position my startup for partnership with healthcare organizations or innovation teams?

Mackenzie Dolacki is a Healthcare Innovation and Solutions Specialist with a clinical background in nursing. She supports early-stage ventures and healthcare organizations in validating ideas, navigating hospital systems, and bringing digital products to market.

She serves as a Healthcare Investment Advisor for Hickory Reserve Capital and an Engagement Lead for JumpStart Health Tech Accelerator projects. At WynHouse: An Innovation Firm, Mackenzie partners with hospital systems to improve operations and lead commercialization efforts for solutions emerging from internal innovation and venture teams.

Mackenzie brings a practical, relationship-driven approach to complex challenges, especially for founders new to healthcare or navigating their first enterprise partnerships. Mackenzie is passionate about helping mission-driven teams align their ideas with real-world needs and scale them with clarity and confidence.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Mackenzie
Tushar Kulkarni | Big Kitty Labs
Software Solutions to Meet Your Needs
Great questions for Tushar:

What were the initial challenges one faces when starting their tech company, and how can one overcome them?
How does one validate their tech idea or solution in the market before diving into development?
What were the key steps that one can take to build a talented and cohesive tech team
What strategies can one employ to market and promote your tech product or solution
Can you share any lessons learned or mistakes made during the early stages of your tech venture?
How does one navigate the competitive landscape and differentiate your tech product from existing solutions?

Tushar has over 25 years of experience managing small to large-scale projects & teams
& delivering innovative tech solutions. Tushar founded Big Kitty Labs to pursue his passion for innovative tech solutions and bringing them to different domains. Under Tushar’s leadership, Big Kitty Labs has successfully designed & delivered 200+ software systems in domains ranging from the government sector, healthcare, education, automotive, aviation, agtech and sports.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Tushar.

If you register and then don’t show up for your appointment, your time slot will go unfilled, preventing other business owners from the opportunity to access advice from our Experts.
If you can’t keep your appointment, please email Neil Collins at info@InnovateNewAlbany.org .

Our Business World - Driven by Fear? A frank talk about channeling our emotions in business.
2025-07-25 11:00 - 13:00 | OH
JOIN US …
… on the 10th anniversary of the 1st-ever TIGER Event.
Festivities will include prizes & giveaways.
Doors open at 11:00 am.
Come early & interact with our featured speaker, Hugh Cathey, and your fellow participants.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In this TIGER Talk, accomplished business leader Hugh Cathey will discuss:

Why fear exists in our work lives.
What does fear look like?
Controlling that fear.
Using fear to guide you?
Do you ever lose that sense of fear?

Don’t miss this fresh take on a topic that many business leaders prefer to ignore but would do well to confront and learn how to control.
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A serial entrepreneur, Hugh Cathey has just embarked on his 10th early-stage company. From his early career in a family business to working for a Fortune 20 company, to going back into the start-up arena, Hugh has experienced some wins, and a number of losses.
After leaving AT&T, and going through several start-ups on the West Coast, Hugh moved to Columbus in 1996 to start a tech company financed by a single high net worth investor.
After going through an IPO in 1997, he was president of the launch team of another highly-financed company that fell apart during the ‘dot-com bubble burst’ of the early 2000’s.
This was followed by a series of tech company start-ups that met with some success and some real challenges. Along the way some lessons were learned that may be helpful to others.
Today, Hugh is CEO of a health-tech company based in Columbus.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Social Time
11:30 am – Lunch & More Social Time
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (Your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Hugh
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Social Time

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

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Get a Grip on Your Business: Six Keys to Getting What You Want from Your Entrepreneurial Company
2025-07-30 09:30 - 12:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
TIGER Tools Workshop
Be ready to interact with our workshop leader, Bryan Little, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 9:30 am.
Enjoy coffee & morning snacks. Mingle. Make new friends.
Join us for an interactive, hands-on EOS® (Entrepreneurial Operating System®) Workshop designed for growth-minded business owners and leadership teams who are ready to take their organizations to the next level. During this session, you’ll roll up your sleeves, engage in real discussion, and walk away with actionable tools you can begin using in your business immediately.
What you’ll gain: A clear understanding of the Six Key Components™ every great organization must master to thrive. A chance to confront organizational issues head-on in a safe, productive environment. Insight into how to get your entire team aligned around a clear, shared vision. Practical ways to begin instilling discipline and accountability throughout your organization. Whether you’re just learning about EOS or looking to go deeper, this workshop will leave you with clarity, energy, and real-world tools you can put to work the very next day.
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Bryan Little is a seasoned business leader with over 25 years of experience leading operations across manufacturing, staffing, distribution, and service-based industries.
As the Founder and President of Kata Solution, Bryan is passionate about helping entrepreneurial leadership teams gain clarity, traction, and long-term health using the EOS® framework. Having led multiple organizations through high-growth phases, Bryan understands the real-world challenges business owners face—misalignment, lack of accountability, and operational chaos. His hands-on, no-nonsense approach helps clients break through the ceiling and build stronger, more resilient companies.
Bryan is a Professional EOS Implementer® and holds a Master of Operational Excellence from The Ohio State University. He brings energy, empathy, and a deep commitment to helping leaders build businesses they love and teams they trust.
When he’s not working with clients, Bryan enjoys spending time with his family, supporting youth through tennis, and cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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Like all TIGER Events, this workshop is FREE.

Timeline:
9:30 am – Breakfast / Socializing
9:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
10:00 pm – Hand-off to Bryan
12:00 pm – Workshop Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

Unleashing the Power of Generative AI: Navigating the Future of Work - 2025 Edition
2025-08-01 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH 43054
Friday 8/1/25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Christopher Slee, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
“Unleashing the Power of Generative AI: Navigating the Future of Work” is a concise yet insightful talk that demystifies generative AI for a diverse audience.
Chris originally created and delivered this popular presentation in 2024. And now he’s significantly updated and enhanced what he’ll be sharing to reflect the dramatic advances over the past 18 months in AI tech and how it’s being applied.
Come explore the transformation of AI from simple tools to systems capable of learning and creating like humans.
Discover the importance of “prompt engineering” and “workflow engineering” as essential skills for harnessing AI’s potential. Envision a future where multiple AI models collaborate to enhance decision-making and problem-solving.
Join us for this mind-expanding TIGER Talk to unlock the power of generative AI and prepare for a thriving future of work in the age of AI.
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From our featured speaker, Christopher Slee:
Hi I’m Chris, the Principal Technologist at Transform Labs (formerly AWH) and the CTO of IncludeHealth, a healthcare start-up changing the face of Virtual Physical Therapy.
When I speak about technology, I like to keep it accurate and relatable. I share stories and insights that matter to tech enthusiasts and anyone interested in how technology intersects with our daily lives and work. It’s about making sense of tech and making it understandable.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
12:05 pm – Hand-off to Chris
1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

From Discovery to Delivery: Strengthening Ohio’s Life Science Value Chain
2025-08-06 15:00 - 18:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
TIGER Talk PrimeTime (new format)
Please arrive at 3:00 pm.
Speakers start at 3:30 pm.
Explore how the Ohio Discovery Corridor houses every stage of the life sciences value chain, from early research and discovery to product development and delivery. This session will dive into the strengths of Ohio’s integrated ecosystem while also addressing the real-world challenges of scaling innovation, building infrastructure, attracting talent, and ensuring long-term connectivity across sectors.
With national attention on Ohio’s booming life sciences sector, New Albany, Ohio is emerging as a key innovation hub.
Join us for a candid discussion on what it takes to strengthen and sustain a world-class life sciences pipeline in Ohio.
*** HUGE THANKS ***
1. To our event sponsor, Ultimate Solutions led by David Deagle, General Manager of USA Operations.
2. To Corporate Traveler USA for donating a terrific door prize. You’ll have a chance to WIN 2 tickets to the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals game on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 1 PM!
Must be present to register and win.
The winner will be announced the following day.
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SPEAKERS:
Eddie Pauline, MBA, OhioCED, is the President and CEO of the Ohio Life Sciences Association. Since taking the helm in August 2021, he has led the organization’s transformation, expanding its advocacy efforts and fostering a collaborative ecosystem that supports nearly 5,000 life sciences establishments across Ohio.
With a background in economic development at The Ohio State University and experience in the digital media sector, Eddie brings a multifaceted perspective to his role. His leadership focuses on driving innovation, economic growth, and improved health outcomes through strategic partnerships and policy initiatives.
Josh Hoffman is Director of Healthcare at JobsOhio. Josh received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Maryland. He continued his education with master’s degrees in biomedical engineering and business administration from The Ohio State University. Prior to JobsOhio, Josh spent ten years in clinical research and digital health at The Ohio State University, CoverMyMeds, and VPL.
In his current role, Josh is responsible for strategy and investment in the state’s healthcare and life sciences sector. In addition, Josh drives strategy and business development for the Ohio Discovery Corridor.
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Like all TIGER Events, this one is FREE.

Timeline:
3:00 pm – Check-in & Mingling
3:30 pm –Presentations by Eddie & Josh
4:30 pm – Social Hour: Mingling & Light Bites
During the Social Hour, we’ll offer tours of our new facility, Brick House Blue at Innovate New Albany.

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ

From Curious to Confident: Your Generative AI Jumpstart
2025-08-20 09:30 - 12:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
TIGER Tools Workshop
Be ready to interact with our workshop leader, Lori Robbins, and your fellow participants.
Wed. 8/20 – Please arrive at 9:30 am.
Enjoy coffee & morning snacks. Mingle. Make new friends.
New to generative AI?
This hands-on TIGER Tools Workshop will take you from curious to confident by showing you exactly how to use AI tools in ways that matter to your work. You’ll explore real-world use cases and leave with clear strategies to start using AI in your daily workflow immediately.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, creative, or professional looking to stay ahead, this session will equip you with practical skills you can implement today. No tech background required, just bring YOUR LAPTOP, your curiosity and a willingness to explore.
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Our workshop leader, Lori Robbins, is the founder of HERizon AI, a consulting company that empowers individuals and teams to explore and apply generative AI.
She is also an Instructional Technologist at Denison University, where she leads campus-wide initiatives focused on AI literacy, instructional design, and faculty development.
With a background in international education and educational technology, Lori creates programs that help students, faculty, and staff engage critically and creatively with emerging tools.
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Like all TIGER Events, this workshop is FREE.

Timeline:
9:30 am – Breakfast / Socializing
9:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
10:00 am – Hand-off to Lori
12:00 pm – Workshop Wrap / More Socializing

Name*

First

Last

Email*

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.

I AGREE

Δ
