We discussed a number of things including:

1. Lou's entrepreneurial career journey

2. State of crypto and web3 sectors

3. Importance of community

4. Davos insights

5. Future forecasts

Lou is a Partner at Blockchain Coinvestors, a #crypto fund-of-fund invested in 40 of the leading crypto #VCs around the world. He is also the CEO of Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition Corp. 1, a publicly traded #SPAC.

Lou is also the Head Crypto Analyst at Quantum Economics, a crypto advisory firm. He has been a crypto enthusiast, investor, and thought leader since 2013, when the Wall Street Journal called Lou "Wall Street’s #Bitcoin Expert''. Lou is ranked among the most influential crypto bloggers on Medium, regularly keynotes major crypto industry events, and often appears on TV or in print talking about crypto. He also regularly hosts conference calls with crypto industry innovators attended by hundreds of crypto enthusiasts and investors.

Previously, Lou was a Founding Partner of CryptoOracle, a VC focused on building, growing, and engaging decentralized communities. At CryptoOracle, he started CryptoMondays, the largest crypto meetup group in the world, with chapters in 70+ cities around the world.

Prior to CryptoOracle, Lou was a Partner at the decentralized VC, Flight, where he managed The Israeli Founders Syndicate. Prior to Flight, Lou was the Managing Partner of The Social Internet Fund (SIF), which invested in shares of rapidly growing tech companies.

Prior to SIF, Lou was an angel investor, best known for investing in Facebook and writing the first Wall Street style research report on the company in 2010. Before angel investing, Lou ran two digital companies, Bolt (the largest social network before MySpace), and .tv (which commercialized the top-level domain .tv licensed from the tiny island nation of Tuvalu). .tv was acquired by VERISIGN.

Prior to .tv, Lou had a distinguished career as an equity analyst following media and tech companies for Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch. He has a B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Christina's entrepreneurial journey

2. Scopio's growth and pivots

3. State of NFT marketplaces

4. Paying artists in crypto and NFTs

5. Launch of first global photo book of 2020 pandemic

Christina Hawatmeh, as cofounder and CEO of Scopio, overseas vision and growth. Scopio is a community-based platform and marketplace where anyone can share images and stories from around the world. With the goal of elevating human stories told by people from underrepresented communities and regions, the vision of Scopio is to distribute the world’s images so they can make their place in history.  

Scopio has over 25k businesses who use millions of images and hire more than 14k artists from 150 countries in photography, art, illustration and more.  Christina is the founder of the first female founded NFT marketplace, and first photography focused NFT marketplace.  

The Year Time Stopped audiobook: https://open.spotify.com/show/2McXu7NT7MoIniSwXibt1R?si=t3R7kWsxT0Ss1yAe1cbfKg

She was named Top Entrepreneurs to Follow by NY Finance. She has her BA in International Affairs from the Elliott School at GW and MA In International Affairs from Columbia University. She has been featured in CNN, Entrepreneur, and Scopio on Forbes30u30.

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Tej’s career journey

2. How he landed at Axiom

3. Opportunities ahead for the space industry

4. Insights on the changing tech ecosystem

5. Future trends (startup and investing)

With 25 years of startup and strategic leadership experience at some of the world’s biggest companies and three investor-backed, high-growth startups, Tejpaul leads revenue generation and future monetization strategy for the commercial development of space as Chief Revenue Officer at Axiom Space.

Prior to joining Axiom, he led External Strategic Narrative for the Office of the CIO at Google, where he met with C-suite executives at Fortune 100 corporations to discuss the future of work, supporting over $4B in sales pipeline.

Tej first joined Google as the Startup Ecosystem Manager in New York to establish and grow Google Cloud’s presence with startup founders, venture capital firms, and family offices; he previously was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Citi Ventures. As a startup founder for 10 years prior, Tej served as Chief Operating Officer for an educational technology company, Explain Everything, CEO of video chatting platform Chatwala, and CEO of Kaptur, an app that enables users to instantly aggregate all photos taken at any event in seconds. Before founding Kaptur, Tej was Senior Manager of Product and International Strategy for ESPN, where he launched ESPN3 in the US, Mexico, Brazil, and Europe.

Tej holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Columbia University. He has served in non-profit leadership and board positions at the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Startup Leadership Program.

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Vanessa and Kobie's leadership and entrepreneurial journeys

2. How the tech industry sees the talent pipeline

3. Talent challenges and opportunities

4. Diversity initiatives and best practices

Vanessa leads the Substrate Engineering team which fuels a simple, delightful and personal experience, assisting our customers to be the most productive across work and life; by helping them get started, get back to and get the most out of Microsoft 365.  

Her purpose is to create capacity in the M365 cloud fabric and engineering systems through Innovation and Savings to enable business growth while safely unlocking access to entities, signals and insights that reside in Substrate to enable “speed of thought” experimentation and innovation for 1st party and 3rd party developers and data scientists.  

Substrate is Microsoft’s essential and intelligent productivity services platform to enable delightful, trustworthy, agile, and cost-effective user and group experiences by delivering on the Substrate pillars of Fundamentals, Compliance, and Intelligence. Alongside product impact, Vanessa exemplifies our Microsoft values and culture particularly as a leader who builds diverse teams, drives adoption of inclusive behaviors and creates programs to foster innovation and opportunities for talent in new ways.

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Kobie Hatcher is the President and Founder of Cyborg Mobile, a Seattle-based, technology and management consultancy specializing in solving their client’s most pressing challenges. A certified B-Corp, Cyborg Mobile works with both private and public sectors.

Kobie’s work centers around driving impact. He leads digital transformations that deploy technology to bring about positive change and views business growth as a means to create opportunity and promote equity. Kobie created a career accelerator called the New Technologists Academy focused on solving the diversity pipeline challenge in big tech and empowering those who are structurally disadvantaged.

Since beginning his career as an early childhood educator, Kobie’s passion for education has played an ongoing role in his work. In addition to helping various school systems improve their technology infrastructure, Kobie also built Digital Training Solutions, an EdTech platform designed to support leaders with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) change initiatives.

As a recognized thought leader, Kobie has been invited to speak at hackathons, conferences and orientations to talk about his hands-on expertise in DEI, Inclusive Thinking and the Future of Work. He’s been recognized by Inc Magazine as “Best In Business, DEI Advocacy.”

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Maryam’s career journey

2. How she landed at Nextdoor

3. Opportunities ahead for Nextdoor

4. Nextdoor 100 - super amazing neighbors initiative

5. Industry trends

Maryam has more than 25 years of marketing experience, managing global brands and international teams. She was most recently the Global #CMO of Hyatt Hotels, repositioning the Hyatt brand as purpose driven by putting the guest at the center of the business. Her brand work at Hyatt resulted in increased brand awareness and organic user acquisition across online and offline channels.

Prior to Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Maryam was SVP & CMO of Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK. She also sits on Adweek’s Women Trailblazers Council Board, Fast Company’s Impact Council, and is the U.S. Board Chair of Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Michael's journey to McCarter

2. Intersection of arts and innovation

3. Pandemic innovations at McCarter and theatres nationwide

4. Post pandemic vision and trends

5. Ride the Cyclone musical

Michael has been the Managing Director at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton since 2018. McCarter’s mission is to create stories and experiences that enliven minds, expand imaginations and engage communities.  This year, work created by McCarter is traveling to other cities like Boston and New York, and next year to Seattle, New York, and Washington, DC.  

From 2009 – 2018 Mike was the Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego where he helped develop and produce dozens of new plays and musicals - 9 of which transferred to Broadway, 3 to the London's West End, and 3 that toured Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, and South Korea.  

During his tenure, the Playhouse was awarded multi-million dollar grants from the NEA and the Wallace and Irvine Foundations to accelerate experiments meant to develop multi-ethnic projects, expand opportunities for family engagement and build the capacity to sustain community arts programs in off-site locations.

Previously, Mike was Co-Founder and Executive Director of Drama Dept., a New York non-profit theater collective, where for fourteen years he produced new works by the likes of Douglas Carter Beane, Warren Leight, Isaac Mizrahi, Paul Rudnick, and David & Amy Sedaris.

He is a member of the NJ Governor's Arts and Culture Recovery Task Force and a Trustee of Cubing USA, the non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the speed cubing community in the United States.

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Angelo's entrepreneurial  journey

2. How Apprentice has scaled during pandemic

3. How funding affected his company

4. Industry trends + importance of partnerships

5. Advice for founders

Angelo is co-founder and CEO of Apprentice.io, the world’s first and only intelligent software platform built specifically for the life sciences. Angelo realized the untapped power of emerging technologies to modernize manufacturing systems and usher in new drug therapies. He started Apprentice with a singular goal in mind: helping pharma manufacturers get medicines to patients faster.

Drawing on his previous experience in enterprise mobile technology, Angelo co-founded Apprentice in 2014 and has enjoyed the ride ever since. Angelo lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, one puppy, and a garden that remains his biggest challenge and triumph to date.

We discussed a few things including:  

1. Chris' and Clark's entrepreneurial and growth journeys

2. How CentralReach and Avidon have scaled during pandemic

3. How funding affected your companies

4. Industry trends

5. Leadership lessons learned

Chris is the CEO of CentralReach and is leading the company in its mission to provide an end-to-end platform of software and services that enable Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinicians and educators to produce superior client outcomes for people with autism and related disorders. Sullens brings decades of experience to the company and has a proven track record of building strong company cultures and taking customer-centric technology companies, like CentralReach, to the next level.  

Since he joined, CentralReach has won 20+ awards including Deloitte Technology Fast 500, NJBIZ Fast 50, Silver Stevie for Most Innovative Company of the Year, NJBIZ Best Places to Work, and Best in Biz Company of the Year - demonstrating the positive effects of the investments the company is making in its people, process, systems and client satisfaction initiatives.

Prior to CentralReach, Sullens spent 10 years as President and CEO of WorkWave, a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the field service and last mile logistics industries, which was recently acquired by IFS. Sullens grew employee count from 38 to over 300 and was a seven-time winner of NJ Best Places to Work, named an Inc. Best Place to Work and a five-time Inc. 5000 fastest growth award winner among other awards. Sullens was also named 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year in NJ for Software Services and won a Stevie award for People-Focused CEO of the Year in 2017.

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Clark is a seasoned entrepreneur and innovator on a mission to change lives by fixing the biggest problems in healthcare. 

Currently, as CEO of Avidon Health, he leads the strategic direction and implementation of Engagement Rx™, a digital coaching solution that drives behavior change in diverse populations. 

Clark has been recognized as a trailblazer by many major organizations and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including NJBIZ’s 40 Under 40 and Rutgers University’s Entrepreneur of the Year. To support other entrepreneurs, he frequently lectures at universities and industry conferences, and provides entrepreneurial mentorship through Scarlet Startups, an organization he founded. 

He is a three-time finisher of the Ironman triathlon which he credits to his mental toughness and tenacity, traits that have helped fuel both his personal and professional success. 

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Tracey and C.J.'s entrepreneurial journeys

2. How entrepreneurship education has changed since NFTE

3. New trends and initiatives

4. Prisoner/reentry education initiative

5. Youth education initiatives - gaming

Tracey is the Founder of From the Block to the Boardroom LLC, VP & COO of Phax Group Construction & Design LLC, Senior Managing Partner with Phax Group LLC, and cofounder of Reentry Ventures.

Educated in the Trenton public school system, Mr. Syphax received his diploma in 1980. He later attended Mercer County Vocational Technical School. He has spent his 20 year career in business as a strong advocate for ending mass incarceration for non-violent offenders by using proper re-entry tools and entrepreneurship.  

Mr. Syphax is a former Co-Chairman of the Board for the Mayor’s Office of Employment & Training (MOET) in Trenton, NJ. He is a former board member of Capitol City Redevelopment Corporation, having been nominated by Senator Shirley Turner and appointed by Governor Christie to oversee millions of dollars in construction around the Capitol District. He was also the 2011 Princeton Chamber Entrepreneur of the year, the 1st African American to receive this award in the Chamber’s 51yr history.

In June of 2016, From the Block to the Boardroom launched Reentry Ventures in partnership with Open for Business Ventures with the shared goal of helping returning citizens through entrepreneurship and online support networks. Mr. Syphax was Co-Chairman of the Board of the African American Chamber of Commerce of NJ and Chairman of the Trustee Board at Union Baptist Church. He was selected as a 2014 White House “Champion of Change” Honoree for his diligent work in the Re-entry field and for being a strong advocate on behalf of the formerly incarcerated from an unprecedented number of 900 nominees throughout the country. One of his proudest programs, of which he is a founding Board member and current Chairman of the Board, is the Minding Our Business (MOB) program; an 18 yr old national award-winning program that mentors and teaches 6th & 7th grade public school students how to start and operate a business.

Both national and locally, Mr. Syphax has received many awards for his business success, passion in giving back to his community and uplifting as well as encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs. He was named Empower Magazine’s 2014 “Person of the Year” and is the former host of weekly radio and TV shows titled, “Violence Serves No Purpose” and “Trenton Talks” on WIMG 1300 AM and WZBN Channel 25.

He has been featured in numerous publications, magazines & news outlets such as NJBIZ, C-Span, The Network Journal, Black Enterprise, NJN News, CNN Ireport, Don Diva Magazine, Young Men’s Perspective Magazine, The Source Magazine and BBC News of London. Mr. Syphax is a contributor in the documentary, “Elementary Genocide 1 & 2” and co-stars in the upcoming documentary, “Incarcerating US.” Mr. Syphax is also the author of the award-winning memoir, “From the Block to the Boardroom” which details his life story.

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C.J. is an entrepreneur and educator with vast experience teaching entrepreneurship and starting small businesses. He holds an MBA from Babson College and is a leader in entrepreneurial education who specializes in curriculum design for individuals and groups. He's designed startup programs at all levels from elementary to adult learners, is certified in Driving Economic Growth Through Entrepreneurship Ecosystems through Babson Executive Edu. and he's also a certified corporate coach. C.J. believes in lifelong learning and leads by example. He enrolls in 3-4 courses each year and is certified in Entrepreneurship Essentials via Harvard Business School.  

C.J. is a co-founder of The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. At NFTE, he helped develop curriculum and launch an entrepreneurship training program that's been implemented at high schools and universities around the world. During his career, he has trained thousands of entrepreneurs in the principles of starting and scaling a small business.

Throughout his career C.J. has focused on supporting entrepreneurs through training programs such as Veterans Launching Ventures, Reentry Ventures, and Street Startups C.J. has also taught and lectured on entrepreneurship at Wharton, Columbia, Stanford, Babson and Georgetown, just to name a few. A highlight of his career was bringing entrepreneurship education programs to India and UK. His work has been featured in publications such as Inc.  

Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Success Magazine, and Black Enterprise. In 2014, C.J. co-authored The Beginner's Guide to Entrepreneurship and co-founded workshops with specially developed curriculum, complete with online entrepreneurial networks! Open for Business Ventures /Network, a multi-platform company providing entrepreneurship education through a combination of online courses and real-time.

We discussed a number of things including:

1. Anouk and Chantalle's entrepreneurial journeys

2. Importance of branding and how things have changed

3. Chantalle's branding transformation

4. Branding and storytelling trends  

5. Advice for younger generations

In 2006 Anouk started a storytelling expedition: ‘Around the World in 80 Brands’. The goal was to help brands and companies convey their message by means of storytelling. She traveled the world, looking for brands with a purpose and people with a vision. She had started CoolBrands in 2002 in Amsterdam, and had expanded to Dubai, São Paulo (BR) and New York. She has been commissioned by companies like PepsiCo, Apple, Google, Mercedes, Harley Davidson, Unilever, and many more. She has interviewed over 800 CEOs, CMOs, business leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe.

She has published more than 15 books, chronicling stories from corporate and brand leaders, entrepreneurs running different size companies, professional services leaders and the creative industry. In 2015, Anouk founded Signitt to focus on the needs of business and social leaders to build their online presence. Signitt has grown in size and scope because of the recognition that a strong online presence is critical to achieving goals, whether that is career advancement in your current industry, a career pivot, finding new clients, investors or seeking a seat on for-profit or non-profit boards.

She is a sought-after, engaging speaker and shares her learnings, insights and many tips and tactics on how to navigate the online world with your personal brand.  

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Chantalle is an experienced executive-level advisor with substantial in-house and advisory financial services experience, including operational risk and human capital strategy. She has worked in multiple roles at Fortune 20 corporations within the private sector to form creative, evidence-based solutions for the complex challenges businesses face in today’s dynamic environment.  

She is the founder of Namaste Consulting, where she leads qualitative research on women in senior leadership roles, and designs affinity  strategy and execution to support organizations’ seeking to create inclusive workforces and cultures. Her delivery portfolio includes anti-racist and inclusion experiential learning for non-profit and private industry leaders. Other clients served include higher education institutions, providing research support and preparation for executive speeches and proposals on inclusion, growth strategy, and vision formation.

Couba is passionate about creating radical change relative to workplace inclusion. She currently serves on the National Board of Directors for INROADS. This non-profit organization focuses on mentoring and placement in paid internship roles, preparing diverse talent for various community and leadership roles. She is also a board member of Envestnet’s Women in Wealth Institute, a cross industry advisory group, dedicated to eliminating institutional barriers in the profession for historically disadvantaged talent. She is a 2019 USA Eisenhower Fellow, where she studied the intersectionality of female leaders’ personal and professional experiences.