Startup Valuations: What Founders Need to Know
2025-06-27 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 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.
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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 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.
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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 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
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
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
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

Δ

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

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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

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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

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Growing Pains: How Growth Can Break Your Business
2025-08-22 11:00 - 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, Rob Young, and your fellow participants.
Doors open at 11:00 am.
Come early & interact with our featured speaker, Rob Young, and your fellow participants.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Most business advice glamorizes growth and suggests that it should be one of a business’s top priorities. While growth can be great, it has a dark side. Growth will amplify and exploit weakness in a business. Without a solid foundation, a business can crumble under the weight of growth.
In this TIGER Talk, we will explore the dangers of growth, consider practices to manage it, and discuss easy-to-implement tools you can use to ensure that your company is a growth-ready business.
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Rob Young is a former executive who never planned to have a business career. He spent two decades in senior leadership roles in companies ranging from a VC-backed startup to a global corporation.
Having burned out on corporate life, Rob traded his briefcase for a tool belt and spent five years renovating historic houses. Days spent doing hands-on construction side by side with talented craftspeople were some of his most enjoyable.
It was during this time that Rob recognized a consistent pattern: the business owners he worked with had never been trained to run a business and struggled to navigate growth. After watching several businesses fail, he founded Stage 3 Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners navigate the challenges of growth with clarity and confidence through simple tools, practices, and rhythms.
Rob is the author of Stage 3 Success, a practical guide for owners of growing businesses who want to scale without losing control.
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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

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Market Like the Pros
2025-08-27 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, Amee BellWanzo of Rev1 Ventures, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 9:30 am.
Enjoy coffee & morning snacks. Mingle. Make new friends.
Join us for this TIGER Tools Workshop, packed with opportunities to learn and practice strategies and AI prompts to make you irresistible to your ideal clients.
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Amee BellWanzo is Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Rev1 Ventures, leading the strategic vision for a fully integrated marketing and advocacy plan that supports the organization’s nonprofit services and capital initiatives.
As an executive team member, Amee directs Rev1’s internal marketing staff and consulting partners while also building relationships across a growing network of Entrepreneur Support Organizations to expand awareness and drive qualified opportunities.
With over 25 years of experience spanning technology marketing and strategy, branding, public relations, and copywriting, Amee brings deep expertise and a creative, community-focused approach to her work. She is passionate about elevating the brand impact, mentoring teams, and helping mission-driven organizations thrive.
Outside of work, Amee is a rock musician—an outlet that energizes her creative mindset both on and off the stage.
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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 Amee
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

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From Prompts to Partners: How AI Is Changing the Way We Work and Think
2025-09-12 11:00 - 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, Kristy Wedel, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive early. Doors open at 11:00 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
AI adoption isn’t about chasing the latest model or expecting instant transformation from a single tool. As AI evolves, the real shift is happening beneath the surface in how we think, decide, and work together. The question isn’t just what AI can do, but how we adapt our processes.
This TIGER Talk will explore how to move beyond early experimentation by rethinking how decisions are made, how insight is shared, and how real value is created. It highlights common pitfalls like strategic drift and pilot purgatory, and offers practical ways to design AI workflows that prioritize clarity over speed.
Whether you’re leading a team or just beginning to explore AI in your day-to-day life, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to use it more thoughtfully and effectively.
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Kristy Wedel, Founder of ReMemora, has over 15 years of experience in developing and democratizing analytics solutions that drive transparency and efficiency across various industries including healthcare, banking and government.
At the forefront of AI adoption and instructional design, Kristy’s strategic acumen ensures that AI is leveraged effectively and responsibly. She is a staunch advocate for robust AI governance. Kristy is a member of the Women in Analytics (WIA) team, and is also a doctoral student at Franklin University in the Doctor of Business Administration program.
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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 Kristy
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

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Sales Versus Growth - Why They’re Different and What’s Needed To Achieve Both
2025-09-26 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
NEW! Early Start – Extra Time for Connecting. Arrive as early as 11:00 am.
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Dana Allender, and your fellow participants.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Join us for this TIGER Talk by Dana Allender.
While “sales” often focuses on short-term wins — generating leads, closing deals and meeting quotas — “growth” requires a deeper, systemic approach that aligns your entire business including sales, marketing. product/service delivery, customer success and, most importantly, executive leadership.
Sales is the key ingredient in growth! However, true growth is not just about increasing revenue but having the right people doing the right things across the organization. By understanding the difference between “driving sales” and “achieving growth”, leaders can focus on stage-appropriate actions and strategies to transform their businesses, wherever they might be in their journey!
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Dana Allender is Founder of SUN (as in, “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles), a firm he created to help companies sell their “stuff” and grow their businesses with a “customer first” approach.
Dana’s interest in this came from his own early sales experiences, needing to “build the airplane while flying it” like many founders, business owners and sales leaders do – with the urgency to generate sales today while still learning what works (and what doesn’t) to generate repeatable, scalable revenue tomorrow.
As a proud member of Sandler Sales President’s Club, he’s been “classically trained”. With that, he’s also found from speaking with hundreds of founders, business owners and sales leaders that training and creating “off the shelf” playbooks isn’t enough. Learning and growth happens in actual “customer conversations” while having someone you trust (and who’s done it) working alongside you to make it happen – achieving impactful results faster.
In addition to his years of B2B enterprise sales experience, he’s served in the roles of mentor, advisor and Entrepreneur-In-Residence for organizations such as JumpStart/JumpStart Ventures, Youngstown Business Incubator, Alloy Development’s OhioXcelerate, University of Akron Resource Foundation ICorps, Rev1 Ventures, and RevTech Labs Fintech and Insurtech Accelerator, MAGNET and Bounce Innovation Hub. Memberships include the Angel Capital Association, Ohio Angel Collective, and OhioX while also receiving investing certification through VC University. He‘s also worked with economic development partners including Greater Cleveland Partnership, Team NEO, and JobsOhio to drive innovation in the region.
Dana lives in Rocky River, just outside of Cleveland, Ohio with his family and dogs (Lance and Loki, yes, Loki from the Marvel collection!). His coaching doesn’t end with sales, as he coaches kids’ travel basketball as well. He’s also learning (still) to play the guitar, which you can see prominently displayed behind him during a zoom call and is happy to karaoke anytime – just ask!
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Timeline:
11:00 – 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 Dana
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

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Market Validation & Customer Feedback
2025-10-03 11:00 - 13:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
NEW! Early Start Time. EXTRA connecting. opportunities. Arrive as early as 11:00 am.
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Matt Cynkar, and your fellow participants.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Join us for this TIGER Talk by Matt Cynkar of Rev1 Ventures.
As a start, you’ll learn why Rev1 collects feedback from target users and other target stakeholders. You’ll also see how the Rev1 team helps entrepreneurs use data collected to determine whether or not to pursue a new business idea.
And specifically, you’ll learn:

How to identify the pieces and parts of collecting feedback (target audience, qualitative vs. quantitative, etc.), and an ‘MVP’ (Minimum Viable Product) format.
How to analyze and interpret feedback.
A process that will serve you well for the rest of your career as an entrepreneur.

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With 15 years’ experience in market research and data analysis, Matt Cynkar leads a team focused on applying market intelligence and analytics to accelerate Rev1 Ventures‘ growth strategy. From owning the integrity of Rev1’s internal data, to producing analyses related to specific industries, the team’s work will be an important driver of business insights and strategic guidance.
Matt brings a strong understanding of research methodology and is a proven leader in project management and planning. He identifies and targets the appropriate data sources—both qualitative and quantitative—to support the needs of the entrepreneurs we serve and the portfolio companies they are working to scale. Matt furthers Rev1’s data-driven approach to expand our industry leadership in the region, the state, and beyond.
Matt has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing from Miami University. He enjoys sports and is always up for an adventure, which, with two young sons, is his daily norm.
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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 Matt
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

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Design Thinking: Tools for Creatively Approaching Complex Problems
2025-10-08 09:15 - 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 leaders, Gabe Dunbar and Adrienne Ausdenmoore, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 9:15 am.
Enjoy coffee & morning snacks. Mingle. Make new friends.
Design thinking is a human-centered problem-solving approach that has evolved from its roots in design and engineering into a strategic framework for business innovation. Popularized by IDEO and the Stanford d.school, it equips individuals with skills to navigate complex challenges creatively.
Design thinking has evolved from being a niche approach for product development into a strategic framework for business innovation and transformation across various industries.
Join us to be part of a design thinking sprint and discover how it can help you develop new insights into a relevant challenge facing your organization.
To get the most out of this collaborative workshop, please come prepared with a topic or challenge you’d like to explore further.
Who should participate:

Intrapreneurs in larger organizations leveraging design thinking tools they can use within their teams & companies.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking tools for innovation.
Individual professionals looking for a framework to approach challenges in the workplace more effectively.

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Dr. Gabe Dunbar is the Senior Director of Career Design at the Kuhlin Hub for Career Design and Connections at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). In Gabe’s role at BGSU, he drives initiatives in career design, student employment, and the implementation of a campus-wide strategy for career readiness. An overarching goal is to help Bowling Green become more engaged and aligned with industry needs.
Gabe’s research examines the application of design thinking and the powerful connection between life design and leadership. With over a decade of experience in higher education, Gabe is committed to developing innovative systems that effectively support all students.
Adrienne Ausdenmoore serves as the Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). Within the Life Design program, BGSU students learn to maximize their academic experience, prioritize their well-being, make connections and jump-start their careers – all with a sense of intention and forward momentum.
Adrienne’s work over the last decade has focused on education innovation, design thinking, cross-disciplinary collaboration and vocational wayfinding. She is part of the global community of Life Design educators that originated at Stanford University.
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Like all TIGER Events, this workshop is FREE.

Timeline:
9:15 am – Breakfast / Socializing
9:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
10:00 am – Hand-off to Gabe & Adrienne
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

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Lead the AI Charge: Building Trust, Ethics, and Strategy for Small Business Success
2025-10-10 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 10/10/25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Ray Waite, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how small businesses operate, compete, and grow. While AI tools are being adopted at increasing rates, many organizations are doing so without clear direction, ethical guardrails, or leadership oversight.
This TIGER Talk will be a call to action for business leaders to step forward and guide AI integration with purpose. We’ll explore the five core principles that build trust in AI systems, and why these values must be embedded from the top down.
Participants will leave with practical tools to lead confidently, including an AI readiness assessment and a starter plan tailored for small business environments. You’ll gain clarity on your leadership role in governance, risk management, and shaping a culture of responsible innovation.
The time to lead is now! This talk will give you the roadmap to do it with confidence, integrity, and vision.
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Our speaker, Ray Waite, is a futurist, passionate about helping individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations understand and develop the skills necessary to survive and thrive in the emerging turbulent marketplace. He is the founder of Lighthouse Force (lighthouseforce.com), dedicated to leading businesses in the areas of innovation, artificial intelligence, design thinking, critical thinking and transformation management.
Ray loves taking the complex and explaining it in a practical way that can be easily applied. He brings a valuable blend of corporate and academia experience to his facilitated workshops, keynote speeches and consulting, with over 25 years as senior manager in the business commerce, telecom and banking industries at Citizen’s Bank, IBM, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T Bell Laboratories, and over 15 years as a university instructor. Ray’s talks are fun, informative, and full of audience participation.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Event Schedule:
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 Ray
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

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The State of Venture in Ohio® - 2025
2025-10-17 11:00 - 13:15 | 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 10/17/25, 11:00 am – 1:15 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Lindsay Karas Stencel, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
This is the 2025 edition of Lindsay Karas Stencel’s annual talk on The State of Venture in Ohio ®.
For the 8th year in a row, Lindsay will walk attendees through the status of VC funding in Ohio, discussing new venture fund formation, large exits, and investments and places where the state can continue to develop and grow. She will weave in some pop culture references, leave plenty of time for Q&A, and definitely keep the FUN in FUND.
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Lindsay Karas Stencel is a Partner in the New Ventures practice at the law firm of Thompson Hine and chairs the firm’s fund formation subgroup. She advises entrepreneurs, investors and fund managers on venture capital and startup matters, venture capital fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, federal and state securities filings and compliance, including public and private securities offerings, and corporate organization and governance matters.
Prior to joining Thompson Hine, Lindsay served as a Partner and Chief Legal Counsel at a Midwest-focused venture capital firm that invests in pre-seed, seed early stage and growth stage technology companies serving several industries. There, her efforts primarily focused on deal structuring, portfolio management, limited partner relations, fundraising and exit transactions.
Simultaneously, she ran her own private practice representing emerging and diverse venture fund managers across the country, startup clients and founders, investors, and small businesses, assisting with venture fund formation and strategy, strategic deal formation, unique deal structuring and other corporate legal matters.
She also acquired significant experience while serving as Chief Operating Officer and Fund Manager, and subsequently Chief Investment Officer, Chief Legal Officer, and Managing Partner for a venture development organization in upstate New York, where she led that firm to have one of the most active seed funds in the country and spearheaded the formation and development of the largest seed fund in the history of the area.
Lindsay’s unique blend of legal, fundraising and operational experience as a founder and venture capitalist provides her with the ability to acutely understand the issues facing her venture and startup clients. She understands firsthand the matters most important to her clients and can creatively solve problems and efficiently design solutions to rapidly close transactions for investors and entrepreneurs alike.
Lindsay teaches “Venture Capital and Dealmaking” at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where she also frequently guest lectures on contract drafting and preferred securities issuances. Lindsay is a national speaker on topics of women and diversity and inclusion in finance, venture capital, venture capital deal structuring and startup investing.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Event Schedule:
11:00 am – Coffee, Snacks, & Socializing – Please come early; we expect a large crowd for this popular annual event.
11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing
WE EXPECT A CROWD OF 100, so we’ll be taking a week off from our usual “15 Seconds of Fame” introductions.
12:00 pm SHARP – Hand-off to Lindsay
1:15 pm – Wrap & Even More Socializing (Given strong interest in our speaker & topic, we’ve run past 1:00 pm each of the past few years. We’re anticipating our crowd will want us to allow that again.)

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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Expert Office Hours | Thursday October 23, 2025
2025-10-23 09:00 - 11:30
Meet with the Experts you need
100% VIRTUAL Format

Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to give business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs an easy way to get answers they need.
Now, we’ve improved our appointment selection system, to make it even easier.
Please make all appointments by 4:00 pm, Wed. Oct. 22.

How It Works:

Review the SIX Experts available, at the link provided below.

Make individual appointments – just ONE – or up to FIVE.

For each appointment, you’ll receive a calendar invite with Zoom link.

On Thu. Oct. 23: At each appointment time, please click on your Zoom link.

You’ll be greeted by our Event Host who’ll connect you to your selected Expert.

CLICK HERE to browse Experts & make Appointments

Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

Vibe Coding: YOU can turn ideas into real software in minutes | Bring a business challenge; take home a software solution.
2025-10-29 09:15 - 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, Brad Griffith, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 9:15 am.
Enjoy coffee & morning snacks. Mingle. Make new friends.
Event Description, in Brad’s own words:
I’m Brad Griffith, founder of Buckeye Innovation, and I use tech for good. I’ll show you which AI tools solve which problems, how to spot and fix common AI mistakes, and when you may still need a professional developer.
In two hours, you’ll build real web applications using free AI tools. You’ll create automations, data dashboards, and system integrations—the tools that drive modern businesses.
AI coding agents have democratized software creation. Clear instructions now translate directly into working code. But knowing what to ask for and how to guide these tools requires expertise. That’s where my 30 years of software development experience gives you a massive head start.
You’ll learn vibe coding: directing AI agents through strategic thinking and clear communication. This isn’t about programming syntax. It’s about breaking problems into logical steps and describing solutions precisely. Strategic thinkers and strong communicators excel here—your ability to articulate ideas directly translates into better software.
While professional developers remain essential for complex systems requiring optimal security, performance, and user experience, AI puts everyday business tools within your reach. Marketing can build automated reporting. Operations can create workflow tools. Sales can generate data insights. After this workshop, you’ll know how.
Our Favorite Tools
* GenAI: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini
* Agentic AI: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI
* Vibe Coding: Bolt, Lovable, Replit, v0
* Vibe Designing: Aura, Framer
Learning Objectives
1. Build and launch 2 working web applications in 2 hours!
2. Write clear software specifications for better generated code
3. Connect to an API–and learn what that means
4. Improve your design vocabulary using Aura’s prompt builder
5. Know the best roles for AI agents and human developers
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Brad Griffith is a technology leader who works to create equal opportunities for all. His mission is to close equity gaps by using software and design in creative ways. He is the Founder of Buckeye Innovation, the web engineering and design team he started in 2009 to help forward-thinking businesses and organizations grow their impact.
Brad holds degrees in Engineering and Business from The Ohio State University. He lives in New Albany with his wife and two daughters where he is an active Girl Scouts “Troop Cookie Dad.”
Buckeye Innovation was recognized in the 2022 and 2023 Inc 5000 as one of the country’s fastest-growing private companies and in 2023 and 2025 was selected as one of Inc’s Best Workplaces.
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Like all TIGER Events, this workshop is FREE.

Timeline:
9:15 am – Breakfast / Socializing
9:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”)
10:00 am – Hand-off to Brad
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

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Build a Biz Workshop - 4 Week Hands-on Program to Help You Scale Your Established Business
2025-10-29 18:00 - 20:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Innovate New Albany is excited to introduce this new 4-week program, Build a Biz Workshop!
This first edition of this program is designed for leaders of established businesses eager to:

Implement tools and systems to reduce surprises & eliminate chaos
Improve operations and emerge as mature, well-run businesses
Improve team alignment & employee engagement
Accelerate growth in revenues & profits
Ignite substantial increases in business value

Who should participate? Business owners & leaders who:

Are great at the craft of their business, but may have limited training in actually running a business

Would benefit from a flexible, easy-to-implement framework and playbook

Are running companies beyond the startup phase and not sure how to manage the business effectively

Sometimes feel stuck, uncertain, or overwhelmed

Are looking for ways to professionalize their businesses and achieve better business results

You’ll learn how to:

Implement a flexible framework and playbook to lead your business more effectively and more confidently

Use rhythms and practices to help you drive your own productivity and productivity throughout your business

Set and drive performance goals throughout your organization

Use financial statements and other data to make better decisions

Create guardrails for your business

Build a business that runs smoothly even when you’re not there

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Rob Young is a former executive with a passion for equipping small business owners and leaders who have never been formally trained to run a company. With senior leadership roles in a variety of businesses, from VC-backed startups to global corporations, Rob is able to leverage a wide range of experiences and perspectives to help emerging companies thrive.
Rob has worked closely with early and middle stage businesses for the last decade, culminating in his book Stage 3 Success, written in response to owners confessing to him, “I don’t know how to run my business.” The book provides a practical, easy-to-use framework that enables emerging companies to thrive holistically.
Rob is principal of Stage 3 Group, a consulting, coaching, and training organization that helps businesses in the $2M to $10M range evolve from chaotic companies to legacy businesses.
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Like all Innovate New Albany programs, this one is FREE!
Class size will be limited to the first 20 people who register.
Course Schedule – Four consecutive Wednesdays, 6:00 -8:00 pm: October 29 & November 5, 12, 19
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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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TechTrain: 4-Week Hands-On Program - Learn Design Using Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator
2025-10-29 18:00 - 20:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Innovate New Albany is excited to introduce a new set of learning programs under the name: “TechTrain, Learning for Life.”
This first program in this series is titled “Master Visual Identity Using Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator.”
In-Person at Innovate New Albany, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH 43054
This program is intended for professionals and others who want to learn foundational tools to create professional designs – Photoshop and Illustrator from Adobe.
No prior experience with graphic design or Adobe software tools is expected or required.
Who Should Participate?

Small Business Owners: You want to save money on design fees and have the ability to make quick, on-brand edits or create simple graphics for your team.
Marketing Managers: You need to create compelling visual content and understand the technical requirements for different platforms, ensuring your brand’s message is consistent and high-quality.
Ecommerce Entrepreneurs: You need to edit product photos, create banners, and design packaging that makes your products look professional to customers.
Creative Entrepreneurs: You have a great eye for design and want to bring your unique visual ideas to life with professional-grade software.
Lifetime Learners: Anyone who believes that gaining skills in creating professional level graphics and images will enhance their effectiveness in business and life more generally.

Key Learnings

Learn to navigate the interfaces of Photoshop and Illustrator, understand the difference between photo manipulation and vector-based graphics, and organize your workspace for maximum efficiency.
Discover the core tools and techniques you may use frequently, such as creating logos and marketing documents in Illustrator, and editing photos and creating mockups in Photoshop.
Understand the different file formats and export settings for web, print, and social media, so your visuals will always look their best.
Learn the power of layers and layer masks to make edits and adjustments without permanently altering your original work, giving you the freedom to experiment and revise.

Instructor Bio
Our instructor, Harrison Moshier, is an accomplished product design engineer with a successful history working in businesses across the Central Ohio.
Skilled in Visual Design and Design Research, Harrison works full time at AEP Energy where he’s a designer for new substation facilities.
Prior to AEP, Harrison worked at Converge Technologies, an engineering design company where he oversaw the development of dozens of commercial facing products.

Why Choose Adobe for Design?
Other software tools like Canva are great for quick, templated designs, but they have limitations that can limit your options and your impact.
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are the industry-standard tools that give you:

Pixel-Perfect Control: Retouch product photos, remove unwanted objects, and create stunning, high-quality images that make your business look professional.
Vector Versatility: Design logos, icons, and illustrations that can be scaled to any size, from a business card to a billboard without losing quality. This is impossible in template-based software.
True Ownership: Create unique, original assets from scratch, ensuring your brand stands out and is not a variation of a popular template everyone else is using.
AI Toolkit: Use artificial intelligence as a tool to help elevate your ideas. You are given full control of generating new assets or modifying existing images and vectors
Seamless Integration: If or when you’re ready to hire a professional designer, they’ll typically use Adobe products. Learning the basics now means you can communicate effectively and make informed decisions about your design needs.

Like all Innovate New Albany programs, this one is FREE!
Class size will be limited to 20 people.
Course Schedule – Four consecutive Wednesdays, 6:00 -8:00 pm: October 29 & November 5, 12, 19
NOTE: For this program, each student will need to have their own licenses to use the Photoshop and Illustrator software. The cost for 4-week licenses covering both is about $20.
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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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TechTrain: 4-Week Hands-On Program - Gen AI for Business Leaders, Full Steam Ahead
2025-11-04 18:00 - 20:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Innovate New Albany is excited to introduce a new set of learning programs under the name: “TechTrain, Learning for Life.”
This program, our second in this series, is titled “Gen AI for Business Leaders, Full Steam Ahead.”
This program will enable business leaders to explore many of the ways that generative AI is transforming the way we work.
This interactive series will introduce participants to strategies, tools, and frameworks designed to help organizations stay on track and excel in this era of rapid innovation.

Who should participate?

Business and organizational leaders interested in innovation and digital transformation.
Managers and supervisors looking to increase efficiency and strategic insight through AI.
Anyone curious about how to leverage generative AI to work smarter, not harder, and improve business results.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand the core concepts and capabilities of generative AI and its implications for business operations.
Identify practical use cases where AI can enhance productivity, creativity, and decision-making.
Explore ethical considerations and best practices for responsible AI adoption.
Learn how to evaluate AI tools and integrate them into existing workflows.
Apply practical frameworks for recognizing opportunities where AI can add value and for designing solutions that enhance efficiency, creativity, and impact.

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Our leader for this program is Lori Robbins, Founder of HERizon AI, a consulting company that empowers individuals and teams to explore and apply generative AI.
Lori is also Head of AI Strategy 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 technology tools.

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Like all Innovate New Albany programs, this one is FREE!
Class size will be limited to 20 people.
Program Schedule – Four Tuesdays, 6:00 -8:00 pm: November 4, 11, 18 and December 2 (note: no class will be held on Tuesday November 25)
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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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Columbus' Road to Becoming a Championship City
2025-11-05 11:00 - 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 guests, Linda Logan & Dawn Stewart, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am.
Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
In this interview-style TIGER Tale, Linda Logan, CEO & President, Greater Columbus Sports Commission, will take us through stories and insights from her nearly 25-year period leading the growth of major sports programs including major partnerships with businesses, non-profits, and public sector organizations.
Sports are the front porch of a city. They’re often the first thing people see or help form their initial opinions on what a city is made of.
Beyond the pro and college teams that call it home, Columbus welcomes hundreds of thousands of sports-minded visitors every year. Learn how sports have helped fuel growth and development in Columbus over the last 25 years.
Linda will deliver this story in conversation with Dawn Stewart, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Greater Columbus Sports Commission.
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Linda Shetina Logan has led the Greater Columbus Sports Commission since 2002, helping Columbus host over 1,250 events and generate $1.7 billion in visitor spending. Her work has earned the city national recognition as a top sports destination. She’s served in key roles for major events like the NCAA Final Four and NHL All-Star Game and sits on several boards.
Linda has received numerous honors, including induction into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame and the Spirit of Columbus award.
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In her current role at the Sports Commission, Dawn Stewart is responsible for overall strategy and successful revenue production by creating and implementing key community and business partnerships.
Dawn also leads fundraising efforts for major events hosted by the Sports Commission and in 2025 reached a historical fundraising high for the organization.
Prior to joining the Sports Commission, Dawn spent 24 years in intercollegiate athletics as a sports administrator at various NCAA levels. Most recently she was Vice President of Student Affairs and Director of Athletics at Otterbein University.
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Like all TIGER Events, this TIGER Tale is FREE.

Timeline:
11:00 am – Coffee / Morning 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 Linda & Dawn
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

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EXPERT OFFICE HOURS | Thursday Nov. 13
2025-11-13 09:00 - 11:30
Meet with the Experts you need
100% VIRTUAL Format

Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to give business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs an easy way to get answers they need.
Now, we’ve improved our appointment selection system, to make it even easier.
Please make all appointments by 4:00 pm, Wed. Nov.12.

How It Works:

Review the SEVEN Experts available, at the link provided below.

Make individual appointments – just ONE – or up to FIVE.

For each appointment, you’ll receive a calendar invite with Zoom link.

On Thu. Nov. 13: At each appointment time, please click on your Zoom link.

You’ll be greeted by our Event Host who’ll connect you to your selected Expert.

CLICK HERE to browse Experts & make Appointments

Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

The Founders’ Firewall: Building Cybersecurity into Your Startup
2025-11-14 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 11/14/25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Warner Moore, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Seasoned cybersecurity expert Warner Moore, Founder of Gamma Force, will lead this TIGER Talk, sharing his insights on the challenges and strategies that startups face in cybersecurity today.
In an increasingly digital world, cybersecurity is no longer a luxury reserved for large enterprises. For startups, securing your business, data, and customer trust is critical from day one. This event, tailored for founders, will provide essential insights into safeguarding your startup from cyber threats, building a security-first culture, and understanding the key cybersecurity steps every founder should take.
Target Audience:
● Founders and Co-founders of tech startups
● Early-stage entrepreneurs looking to strengthen their cybersecurity knowledge
● Startup leaders interested in protecting their business and data from cyber threats
Key Takeaways:
● The fundamental steps to secure your startup from day one
● The legal and financial implications of neglecting cybersecurity
● Practical insights into affordable and effective cybersecurity tools and strategies
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Warner Moore is a strategic executive leader with deep and broad experience in technology and information security. Through most of his career, Warner has worked with entrepreneurial growth organizations where technology is their business and their product. Within these organizations, Warner has an accomplished record of building successful cybersecurity programs and high performing teams who embrace DevOps culture and practices.
As an international speaker, Warner has presented to university students, technology professionals, and business leaders including at conferences like Startup Week, CloudDevelop, Path to Agility, InfoSec Summit, CodeMash, Security BSides, DevOpsDays, and Abstractions. Warner is passionate about culture, innovation, and community. His commitment to these values is demonstrated through his work leading organizations such as Ohio LinuxFest, LOPSA, and Toastmasters, of which he is currently District 40 Division B Director.
The culmination of this work was the founding of Tech Community Coalition in 2016, a non-profit organization whose mission is to enable the greater tech community.
After building security and privacy capabilities for numerous organizations across industries at companies such as CoverMyMeds and Bold Penguin, Warner founded the cybersecurity strategy firmGamma Force. Through Gamma Force, Warner serves as a virtual CISO for clients that include Deep Lens and Smart Columbus and advises startups to help them them through concept and growth phases.
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Like all TIGER Events, this talk is FREE.
Event Schedule:
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 Warner
1:00 pm – Wrap & Even 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

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AI and The Future of Programming - 2025 Edition
2025-11-19 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
Wednesday 11/19/25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Chris Slee, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
AI coding tools have gone from “interesting demos” to actually useful in the past year. But this isn’t just about new frameworks. It’s about a fundamental shift in how software gets built and who can build it.
In this TIGER Talk, tech leader Christopher Slee will explore what AI can actually do for developers right now, the new agentic frameworks being used in production, and why the craft of software development has genuinely changed—not in some distant future, but today.
This isn’t hype—it’s a clear-eyed look at what works, what doesn’t, and what it means for how you build products.
You’ll leave with:

An understanding of what AI can actually do for you right now (and what it’s still really bad at)
A realistic view of whether you need a full dev team or can build your MVP yourself
Insight into how development workflows are changing in practice

If you’re a founder trying to figure out how much you can reasonably do yourself, a developer curious about these tools, or someone tired of “vibe programming” your ideas into existence and want to know what’s actually possible—this talk is for you.
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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

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Sleep: The Most Overlooked Driver of Success — and Solutions to Help You Succeed
2025-12-10 18:00 - 20:00 | 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
Wednesday 12/10/25, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Please arrive at 6:00 pm. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
Be ready to interact with our featured speakers, Dr. Elizabeth Rosenthal & Dr. Naftali Rosenthal, and your fellow participants.
“Healthy Habits for High Achievers” is a new series presented by Innovate New Albany in collaboration with Healthy New Albany.
This series is designed to help hard-driving innovators and other high-achievers take care of themselves — to improve their own health and their effectiveness as leaders of highly capable teams and value-creating businesses. Events in this series will provide methods and tools for high achievers to achieve their big professional goals without sacrificing the health of themselves and the teams they lead.
This kick-off event in this series will explore the growing crisis of sleep disorders and the widespread effects that insufficient sleep has on individual health, public safety, and business performance.
Our presenters, Dr. Elizabeth (“Libby”) Rosenthal & Dr. Naftali Rosenthal, will highlight the most common symptoms and types of sleep disorders, along with the economic and societal costs associated with poor sleep. This presentation will outline practical, evidence-based strategies to improve both the quantity and quality of sleep, empowering individuals and organizations to create healthier, more productive environments.
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Dr. Elizabeth (“Libby”) Rosenthal is a general dentist, marathon runner, and co-founder of TheREALsleep, a company dedicated to making sleep apnea testing and treatment accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Libby’s passion is transforming the way people think about sleep—making it not just a medical necessity, but a lifestyle upgrade.
Dr. Naftali Rosenthal is a general dentist, iron man, marathon runner, entrepreneur, and co-founder of TheREALsleep. With a passion for merging dental innovation and medical science, Naftali has helped create a streamlined system that allows patients to complete medical-grade home sleep tests and receive treatment from the comfort of their own homes. Naftali works to bridge the gap between dentistry and sleep medicine—empowering providers and patients alike to take sleep health seriously.
Libby and Naftali operate multiple dental practices in Columbus, Ohio, and also lead a growing team bringing sleep health directly into homes nationwide.
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Like all Innovate New Albany programs, this event is FREE.
Schedule:
6:00 pm – Light Bites & Socializing
6:35 pm – Libby & Naftali Start Their Presentation
7:35 pm – Presentation Wraps; Socializing Resumes

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 Dec. 11
2025-12-11 09:00 - 11:30
Meet with the Experts you need
100% VIRTUAL Format

Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to give business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs an easy way to get answers they need.
Please make all appointments by 4:00 pm, Wed. Dec. 10.

How It Works:

Review the SIX Experts available, at the link provided below.

Make individual appointments – just ONE – or up to FIVE.

For each appointment, you’ll receive a calendar invite with Zoom link.

On Thu. Dec. 11: At each appointment time, please click on your Zoom link.

You’ll be greeted by our Event Host who’ll connect you to your selected Expert.

CLICK HERE to browse Experts & make Appointments

Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

Trust by Design: The Leadership Blueprint for High-Performance Teams
2025-12-12 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 12/12/25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Be ready to interact with our featured speaker, Dr. Kallol Biswas, and your fellow participants.
Please arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends.
When teams lose momentum, most leaders add more process. But performance rarely breaks because of system …. it breaks because of trust.
In this TIGER Talk, Dr. Kallol Biswas reveals why trust is the hidden design variable behind every high-performing culture. Through real stories from the FDA, biotech, and the boardroom, Kallol will show how to make trust measurable and actionable using the ALIGN™ Framework. Align is a practical model for diagnosing misalignment and rebuilding belief.
Attendees will leave with clear strategies and one practical action they can apply immediately to restore alignment, connection, and performance within their teams.
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Dr. Kallol Biswas is a scientist turned executive with over 20 years leading scientific, regulatory, and innovation teams. Kallol helps organizations rebuild alignment, trust, and execution. Over a 20+ year career spanning Eli Lilly, FDA, Charles River Laboratories, and NAMSA, he has led global teams and driven performance through people-first leadership and scientific rigor.
Known for his engaging “Bill Nye meets Simon Sinek” style, Kallol blends data-driven insight with human-centered leadership to inspire practical change.
Kallol’s work bridges science, people, and performance, helping leaders move from misalignment to momentum.
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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 Kallol
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

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11th Annual Holiday “Celebration of Innovation”
2025-12-17 18:00 - 21:00 | INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION, 7775 Walton Pkwy, Suite 100, New Albany, OH, 43054, United States
Eat. Drink. Be Merry!
Make new friends.
Short Program @ 7:45 pm

Spotlight on Innovators of New Albany

Door Prize Drawing (must be present to win)

Questions? Contact Neil Collins at neil@innovatenewalbany.org

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
