BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Innovate New Albany - ECPv6.17.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Innovate New Albany X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://innovatenewalbany.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Innovate New Albany REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260107T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260107T130000 DTSTAMP:20251227T014543Z CREATED:20251227T014543Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T014543Z UID:10000430-1767783600-1767790800@innovatenewalbany.org SUMMARY:Lessons from California: Insights from a Boomerang Startup Entrepreneur DESCRIPTION:Our 1st TIGER Tale of 2026\n7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH 43054\nWednesday 1/7/26\, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm\nBe ready to interact with our featured entrepreneur\, J.D. Davids\, our interviewer\, Jamie McKee\, and your fellow participants. \nPlease arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends. \nAfter 28+ years building companies\, raising capital\, achieving successful exits and navigating multiple innovation cycles in California\, Jeff (J.D.) Davids made the decision to return to the Midwest where he started out. What he discovered surprised him. \nIn this interview-style TIGER Tale\, J.D. shares real-world observations from a career spent inside startups\, venture capital ecosystems\, and growth companies—contrasting what works on the coasts with what’s already quietly working here at home. Rather than theory or tactics\, this conversation focuses on lived experience: why the Midwest has far more untapped potential than most people realize\, why great companies\noften go unnoticed\, and why storytelling—not hype—plays a critical role in attracting talent\, capital\, and opportunity. \nThis session is designed to be both educational and entertaining\, offering practical insight through stories that resonate more deeply than any slide deck ever could. \nCome curious. Leave with a clearer perspective on what’s possible. \n*************** \nJeff (J.D.) Davids is a founder and seasoned entrepreneur with more than 28 years of experience building venture-backed startups in California\, where he raised over $100 million in venture and corporate funding. He has served on the leadership teams of eight VC-backed companies as CEO\, COO\, or CFO\, resulting in six successful exits and over $1 billion in completed corporate finance transactions. \nJ.D. is the founder of DealMaker Academy\, which has trained more than 3\,500 entrepreneurs nationwide. Graduates of the program have gone on to raise over $260 million in funding. Now based in the Heartland\, J.D. focuses on strengthening regional venture ecosystems through education\, events\, and data-driven reporting. He leads the Ohio Venture Pipeline\, a semi-annual report and event series that tracks and promotes venture-style investment activity across Ohio. Since 2022\, the Ohio Venture Pipeline has built a proprietary data lake cataloging more than 920 deals totaling $5.9 billion in capital raised. \nJ.D. also authors investment and industry research reports for Ohio Life Sciences\, Illinois Bio (iBIO)\, and BioForward Wisconsin. A U.S. Marine veteran\, J.D. has received Congressional recognition for his work training veterans who are entrepreneurs. J.D. is a graduate of The Ohio State University. \nWebsites:\nhttps://www.jddavids.com/\nhttps://www.ohioventurepipeline.com/ \n*************** \nJ.D. will be interviewed by Jamie McKee\, a founder and executive operator with experience building\, scaling\, and exiting technology-driven companies across industrial\, infrastructure\, and advanced manufacturing sectors. \nJamie is currently the CEO of Galvanix\, where he leads the development and commercialization of clean\, domestic critical-metals production technologies designed to strengthen U.S. supply-chain resilience. \nPreviously\, Jamie served as CEO of StormImpact\, guiding the company through a critical growth phase by building core business infrastructure\, advancing business development\, and professionalizing internal operations. Under Jamie’s leadership\, StormImpact achieved meaningful commercial traction and enterprise value growth\, culminating in a successful acquisition in April 2025. \nJamie’s leadership experience spans business strategy\, operations\, finance\, compliance\, and organizational development\, with a strong emphasis on building scalable systems\, international business structure\, and aligning teams around execution. He has worked closely with investors\, customers\, and strategic partners to translate technical capability into commercial outcomes. \n*************** \nLike all TIGER Events\, this TIGER Tale is FREE. \nTimeline: \n11:00 am – Coffee\, Snacks\, & Socializing \n11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing \n11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”) \n12:05 pm – Hand-off to Jamie and J.D. \n1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing \n\n\n \n Name*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Email*\n \n Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event\, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs\, video\, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.\n \n I AGREE\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Δ URL:https://innovatenewalbany.org/new-event/lessons-from-california-insights-from-a-boomerang-startup-entrepreneur/ LOCATION:INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION\, 7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH\, 43054\, United States CATEGORIES:TIGER Tale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://innovatenewalbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Headshot-JD-Davids-and-Jamie-McKee-TIGER-Tale-for-website-010726.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260116T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260116T130000 DTSTAMP:20260109T211949Z CREATED:20251222T220658Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260109T211949Z UID:10000429-1768561200-1768568400@innovatenewalbany.org SUMMARY:INVINCIBLE 2026: Three Shifts You Can’t Afford to Ignore DESCRIPTION:Our 1st TIGER Talk of 2026\n7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH 43054\nFriday 1/16/26\, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm\nBe ready to interact with our featured speaker\, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva\, and your fellow participants. \nPlease arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends. \nReady to make 2026 your most strategic year yet? \nJoin Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva for this TIGER Talk\, a fast-paced\, highly interactive briefing on the trends redefining how we live\, work\, and grow. \nBuilding on insights from a turbulent 2025\, Nadya will reveal:\n– What’s truly driving the shifts ahead\n– What last year taught us about resilience and reinvention\n– How to stay disruption-ready in 2026\n– The three trends every leader needs to master — now \nIf you’ve joined Nadya’s past TIGER Talks\, you know: this session is engaging\, practical\, deeply researched — and one you don’t want to miss. \n*************** \nDr. Nadya Zhexembayeva is the founder and Chief Reinvention Officer of the Reinvention Academy and co-founder of the Reinvention Summit. \nKnown as “The Reinvention Guru\,” Dr. Nadya is a scientist\, business theorist\, fractional mining executive\, serial entrepreneur\, and award-winning author specializing in resilience and reinvention. \nShe has helped global leaders and Fortune 500 companies—including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation\, Coca-Cola\, IBM\, Cisco\, L’Oréal\, Henkel\, and Knauf Insulation—reinvent their business models\, leadership\, and culture. \nA four-time TEDx speaker and author of The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos\, her work has reached over one million people and has been featured in Harvard Business Review\, The Wall Street Journal\, and Forbes\, where she is a regular contributor. \n*************** \nLike all TIGER Events\, this talk is FREE. \nTimeline: \n11:00 am – Coffee\, Snacks\, & Socializing \n11:15 am – Lunch & More Socializing \n11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”) \n12:05 pm – Hand-off to Dr. Nadya \n1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing \n\n \n Name*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Email*\n \n Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event\, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs\, video\, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.\n \n I AGREE\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Δ\n \n \n \n \n\n  URL:https://innovatenewalbany.org/new-event/invincible-2026-three-shifts-you-cant-afford-to-ignore/ LOCATION:INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION\, 7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH\, 43054\, United States CATEGORIES:TIGER Talk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://innovatenewalbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Headshot-Nadya-TIGER-Talk-Blank-011626.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T130000 DTSTAMP:20251221T021445Z CREATED:20251221T021445Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251221T021445Z UID:10000427-1769166000-1769173200@innovatenewalbany.org SUMMARY:The Founder’s Bottleneck: Why Growth Stalls When Everything Depends on You DESCRIPTION:7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH 43054\nFriday 1/23/26\, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm\nBe ready to interact with our featured speaker\, Natalie Hoop\, and your fellow participants. \nPlease arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends. \nEvery founder hits a point where growth slows\, not because the market shrank\, but because they became the system. When every decision\, deal\, or fire still runs through you\, it’s not a revenue problem it’s an operational one. \nThis TIGER Talk will help founders recognize when their business is scaling them instead of scaling up and shows how to build the systems\, roles\, and rhythms that let the company grow beyond their personal capacity. \nKey Takeaways:\n The 3 early warning signs your business is scaling you instead of scaling up\n How to separate people problems from process problems (and fix the right one first)\n A 90-day playbook to reclaim time\, margin\, and momentum—without losing visibility or control \n**************** \nNatalie Hoop is a Fractional Strategic Operations Partner who helps founders turn growth chaos into scalable systems. With 15+ years of experience leading operations\, revenue\, and delivery across SaaS\, DTC\, and manufacturing companies\, she’s known for helping startups strengthen foundations\, improve margins\, and scale sustainably. \nHer operational rebuilds have driven +238% sales growth in 30 days\, +68-point margin gains in four months\, and 3x team capacity improvements—by aligning people\, process\, and data into a clear\, repeatable system. \nThrough her work with both early-stage and growth-stage founders\, Natalie’s become an expert in diagnosing the hidden operational bottlenecks that stall revenue and burn out teams. She also coaches fractional leaders through The Fractional Launch Lab\, helping them build businesses that last instead of just survive. \nNatalie’s mission is simple: to help leaders stop being the system and start building one. \n*************** \nLike all TIGER Events\, this talk is FREE. \nTimeline: \n11:00 am – Coffee\, Snacks\, & Socializing \n11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing \n11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”) \n12:05 pm – Hand-off to Natalie \n1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing \n\n \n Name*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Email*\n \n Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event\, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs\, video\, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.\n \n I AGREE\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Δ URL:https://innovatenewalbany.org/new-event/the-founders-bottleneck-why-growth-stalls-when-everything-depends-on-you/ LOCATION:INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION\, 7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH\, 43054\, United States CATEGORIES:TIGER Talk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://innovatenewalbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Headshot-Natalie-Hoop-Blank-for-Website-012326.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T130000 DTSTAMP:20251222T044213Z CREATED:20251222T044213Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251222T044213Z UID:10000428-1769770800-1769778000@innovatenewalbany.org SUMMARY:The Accidental Marketer Discovers the Latest Generation of SEO DESCRIPTION:7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH 43054\nFriday 1/30/26\, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm\nBe ready to interact with our featured speaker\, James Brenza\, and your fellow participants. \nPlease arrive at 11:00 am. Eat. Mingle. Make new friends. \nMarketing SEO seemed straight forward – until AI “moved the cheese.” \nThe SEO game has been upended and continues to morph. Unfortunately\, you can’t ignore the changes if you want your products or services to be discovered by your customers. Coming from the perspective of a business owner that is not a marketing expert\, this TIGER Talk will focus on the difficult lessons learned while recalibrating marketing strategies to adapt to the shifting AI landscape. \nThis talk will help define some of the basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing. We’ll then explore how AI has changed it to create GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). We’ll also discuss some simple content changes you can make to your website now to help ensure you get the visibility you deserve. Lastly\, we’ll explore other strategies to leap over the SEO/GEO/AEO challenges. While it may seem daunting\, AI and automation will work in your favor to win the game. \nWho is this session for? \n\nOwners that are struggling with the shifting digital marketing landscape and are tired of losing traffic.\nNon-marketing leaders that are confused by marketing TLA’s (Three Letter Acronyms) and how it impacts their business.\nLeaders that may need to refine how they’re selecting marketing agencies to ensure they are focused on the latest marketing hotness.\nBusiness owners that need to quickly adapt their marketing plans to remain relevant.\n\n*************** \nOur speaker\, James Brenza\, is a serial entrepreneur after leaving a career in global Fortune 100 companies. While most of his career has been dedicated to optimizing IT and operations\, his journey as an entrepreneur made him face into the headwinds of marketing. He leads both Greenest Grow (a grow automation platform) and Done With Pain (a pain management company). \n*************** \nLike all TIGER Events\, this talk is FREE. \nTimeline: \n11:00 am – Coffee\, Snacks\, & Socializing \n11:30 am – Lunch & More Socializing \n11:50 am – Introduce yourself to our crowd (your “15 Seconds of Fame”) \n12:05 pm – Hand-off to James \n1:00 pm – Wrap & Resume Socializing \n\n \n Name*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Email*\n \n Company*Consent to Use My Image & Voice*By registering for & participating in this event\, I am consenting to the recording of my image and/or voice. I am also authorizing Innovate New Albany to use photographs\, video\, and audio recordings containing my image and/or voice in any medium for any purpose.\n \n I AGREE\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Δ URL:https://innovatenewalbany.org/new-event/the-accidental-marketer-discovers-the-latest-generation-of-seo/ LOCATION:INNOVATE NEW ALBANY – NEW LOCATION\, 7775 Walton Pkwy\, Suite 100\, New Albany\, OH\, 43054\, United States CATEGORIES:TIGER Talk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://innovatenewalbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Headshot-James-Brenza-Blank-for-Website-013026.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR