Learn how to save time, streamline your business processes, and focus on what matters. Our panelists create activations from culinary experiences and community events to utilizing tools to continue the conversation.
Speakers: Chef Stephen Miller, Oscar di Pasquale, Kailah Ware
Learn from venture-backed startup founder James Chapman, one of the top lawyers working with tech startup Derrick Maultsby, and an entrepreneur with proven experience at high-growth companies to initial public offerings (IPO) Carrie Aguilar.
Speakers: James Chapman, Carrie Aguilar, Derrick Maultsby
Often, the tricky question is, "What's Next?" This answer may come from someone other than yourself - it can even happen in small or large companies. Charron is a multifaceted creative trailblazer working in fashion and other industries. Megan is an advocate and an educational champion, and Darrell is a successful entrepreneur who has made an indelible impact in the corporate world and the hair and beauty industry.
Speakers: Megan Fitzpatrick, Charron Leeper, Darrell Spencer
This panel explores the intersection of passion, online influence, and the necessary systems and support to sustain and amplify success in the digital age. Join industry experts as they share insights on building a thriving online presence while navigating the challenges of scalability, monetization, and long-term sustainability.
Speakers: Tushar Kulkarni, Jabez Israel
Prepare to be captivated by the electrifying stories of three visionary leaders! With Kim Lewis, the unstoppable CEO and co-founder of Curlmix, who shattered records with $4.5 million in Equity Crowdfunding and $10 million in Annual Sales, Dujon C Smith, the Co-Lead of the Black Founders Development Program at Accenture Ventures and Founder of My Block Skin, and Thomas McClure, the dynamic force in Nonprofit & Fashion Leadership. Brace yourself for an exhilarating discussion that delves into marketing mastery, disruptive strategies, human-first approaches, and the power of authentic leadership.
Speakers: Thomas McClure, Dujon Smith, Kim Lewis
Prepare to be captivated by the extraordinary tales of four trailblazing leaders! Bijan Machen, an acclaimed interdisciplinary fine artist and nonprofit founder, Jamie McKee, a visionary strategist specializing in Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning; Chad Porter, the ingenious Founder and CEO of an innovative fashion company, and Johnnie Turnage, an award-winning grassroots activist and tech entrepreneur. Join this powerful panel as they share their remarkable journeys, showcasing the transformative power of art, technology, and social empowerment.
Speakers: Bijan Machen, Chad Porter, Jamie McKee, Johnnie Turnage
Join an engaging panel discussion featuring an esteemed founder and angel investor, Eva Chan. Eva has garnered numerous awards for her contributions to the startup community. Discover the proven strategies and comprehensive framework that integrates research, design, marketing, and more, empowering founders to achieve rapid product-market fit and secure funding. Learn from real-world experiences and gain insights on building thriving companies from scratch, setting you on the path to startup success.
Speakers: Eva Chan
Join this dynamic panel featuring Evan Leaphart, founder and CEO of Kredit Academy, and John B. Johnson, Principal Identity Architect at a small studio, as they discuss their respective endeavors in empowering financial literacy and crafting impactful brand identities. Discover how Evan's Kredit Academy is revolutionizing financial education for children, and learn from John's expertise in identity-driven design, helping businesses uncover their true essence and stand out in a crowded marketplace. Gain valuable insights on building strong foundations in finance and branding for long-term success.
Speakers: Evan Leaphart, John B. Johnson
Join Chase Crawford, Allen Boseman, John Yuksel, and Jen Dewalt in this captivating panel discussion as they share their remarkable journeys and insights in disrupting industries, fostering entrepreneurship, and embracing creative collaboration. From film production to legal advocacy, mobility innovation to software development, this diverse panel of experts will inspire and provide valuable perspectives on driving success through innovation, determination, and effective communication. Gain actionable insights and learn from their experiences to fuel your own entrepreneurial endeavors.
Speakers: Chase Crawford, F. Allen Boseman, John Yuksel, Jen Dewalt
Join Amjed Osman, Rob Richardson, and John Delia Jr. in this captivating panel discussion as they share their journeys and insights in driving disruption and innovation across various industries. From venture capital and art to media, real estate, and entrepreneurship, this diverse panel of experts will inspire and provide valuable perspectives on leveraging creativity, embracing disruption, and achieving success. Gain actionable insights and learn from their experiences to fuel your own endeavors and make a lasting impact in your chosen field.
Speakers: Amjed Osman, Rob Richardson, John Delia Jr.
Hear from two underrepresented founders under 30, Ibrahim Mohmed and Destin Bell, who have raised money from institutional investors. Their startups are now actively serving customers around the world. Dianna Moore, a seasoned Business, Career, and Life Coach with over 20 years of leadership experience, will guide the discussion.
Speakers: Destin Bell, Dianna Moore, Ibrahim Mohmed
Join Andrew Tasker, Terry Green, and Patrice Chappelle in this dynamic panel discussion as they explore the intersections of sustainability, social justice, and entrepreneurship. From designing platform innovation ecosystems and driving sustainable growth to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion and launching successful entrepreneurial ventures, these experts will share their experiences and insights on building a better future. Gain valuable perspectives on leveraging technology, fostering social change, and driving sustainable business practices to create a positive impact in our society.
Speakers: Andrew Tasker, Terry Green, Patrice Chappelle
Join Kent Depwe, Bo Sijuade, and Shaun Crawford in this inspiring panel discussion as they share their entrepreneurial journeys and experiences across diverse industries. From building a successful recruitment firm and revolutionizing advertising platforms to overcoming obstacles in sports and launching a fitness and media company, these accomplished individuals will provide valuable insights and strategies for entrepreneurial success. Gain actionable advice, hear personal stories of triumph, and be inspired to embark on your own entrepreneurial path in pursuit of your dreams.
Speakers: Kent Depwe, Bo Sijuade, Shaun Crawford
Join this captivating panel featuring Teneshia Carr, founder of Blanc Media and Blanc Magazine, as she shares her journey of championing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the fashion industry. Discover how Teneshia's work has created a platform for underrepresented voices, showcasing authentic inspiration and celebrating otherness. Gain insights into her collaborations with global brands and her role in empowering black business owners through insightful storytelling and advocacy for diversity and inclusivity.
Speaker: Teneshia Carr
Kim, founder of CurlMix, gained attention on Shark Tank in 2019, and made Forbes' "30 under 30." After an Oprah endorsement, CurlMix earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list. In 2021, they raised $4.5 million through equity crowdfunding and reached $10
million in annual revenue.
CurlMix expanded into retail in 2023 as part of the Listener Brands portfolio, driven by Kim's commitment to creating brands that resonate.
Eva is the co-founder of Launch Pop - A venture studio working with founders to build eCommerce brands that dominate their category. Some notable companies built from our research, design and growth include: 1) More Labs/Morning Recovery (morelabs.com) $8M Series A2) Rael (getrael.com) $17.5M Series A led by Soft Bank, BAM and Toni Ko (NYX Cosmetics)3) GEM (dailygem.co) $750K, presently $10M+ seed4) Topicals (mytopicals.com) $2.6M, presently $12M+ series A
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Dujon is a visionary leader with a profound commitment to empowering marginalized communities and championing innovation. Dujon is the Global Co-Lead for Accenture's Black Founder's Development Program, aiming to amplify wealth creation in Black communities and usher in the next wave of entrepreneurs. His expertise in linking corporations and startups was refined as the Midwest Lead for Accenture Open Innovation, where he fostered collaborations between major companies and dynamic startups. Outside this role, he is the Founder & CEO of My Block Skin, where he's transforming sun care for melanin-rich individuals, ensuring access to quality SPF protection.
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James Chapman, Founder and CEO of Plain Sight. With a career focused on capital and networking access, he co-founded Detroit Demo Day, funneling over $5 million into local businesses. He also established an evening workspace for side-hustlers.
Notably, he secured over $1 million in capital for Plain Sight from investors, including Dan Gilbert, Majority Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Teneshia Carr started her career in 2005, working as a photographer, creative director and then consultant across various brands based in London, New York, and Tokyo. These services also included leading internal discussions on (EDI) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion helping companies have the tough conversations.
Carr started Blanc Media and Blanc Magazine in a small London studio in 2011 with an eclectic group of creatives and influencers looking for a new way of working within the fashion industry. Blanc began as a ray of hope for those creative influencers feeling underserved, underrepresented, unheard, and in need of authentic inspiration and a media platform that celebrated otherness. From the time she was 15 years old, she knew that she wanted to tell the stories of people who looked like her and those around her, although she didn't see them represented in the visual world of fashion that she loved. With Blanc Magazine, she hoped to change that. Blanc Media now engages in innovative projects with global brands such as Gucci, Tiffany and Co, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. Blanc Magazine is Internationally distributed four times per year.
James Chapman, Founder and CEO of Plain Sight. With a career focused on capital and networking access, he co-founded Detroit Demo Day, funneling over $5 million into local businesses. He also established an evening workspace for side-hustlers.
Notably, he secured over $1 million in capital for Plain Sight from investors, including Dan Gilbert, Majority Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Megan, a former MDCPS math teacher, is the founder of The Fitz Solution and CEO of Studlytics, an EdTech platform. She empowers teens to plan for life after high school and promotes
effective study skills.
As a community leader, she's involved in various organizations in South Florida, and she's a global traveler with a passion for diverse cultures. Her 2023 mantra: "Align and Achieve."
Amjed Osman is a Founding General Partner at GreenLight Venture Partners, Co-Founder of Inside the Green Room podcast and TV show with Danny Green, and an Ohio State University Fisher College of Business graduate.
He has prior experience at LinkedIn, Ernst & Young LLP, Lingo Live Language Services, and Abbott Laboratories.
Aleksandra Brankov, Founder and CEO of Cafilia, is an innovative entrepreneur known for spearheading a groundbreaking in-shop subscription service that connects coffee enthusiasts with local coffee shops, while championing sustainability in reducing disposable cup waste.
Her visionary leadership not only propels business success but transforms coffee consumption into a sustainable and community-driven experience.
Jabez el Israel is a pioneering figure in natural weight loss, shedding 100 pounds himself while still enjoying his favorite foods. He's also known as Jabez Mango Seeds, with a passion for the environment and agriculture, aiming to plant a million fruit trees in America and inspire self-sufficiency in food production.
A dedicated family man, he's been married to his wife Nicole for 15 years and has five children. His brand and business are built on principles of morality, health, happiness, unity, and financial literacy.
Jen Dewalt is a serial entrepreneur and software engineer with a passion for creating excellent product experiences for customers. Her extensive startup experience has given her a chance to dive deep into all aspects of going from ideation to product/market fit. She has over 15 years of experience, spanning hospitality, computer vision, LLM/AI, voice interfaces, social networking and SaaS.
Jen is currently co-founder and CPO of Zube.io, a SaaS company making project management software for development teams. Her roles have included product design and development, customer success, and marketing.
Prior to founding Zube, Jen was Head of Growth on the founding team of Wit.ai (acquired by Facebook), an API platform providing LLM/AI to IoT devices.
John Delia Jr. is a prolific real estate investor, entrepreneur and author. He specializes in redeveloping 100 year old properties and now new construction across the American Midwest. An expert deal maker and strategist, he owns residential, apartments and industrial. He is the author of “Life, Liberty n’ Property: A Guide to Successful Real Estate Investing” and “Metropolis: A Novella”.
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Green Entrepreneur with a track record of successful strategic and tactical leadership driving sustainable growth. As the Chief Strategist of Global Business at goProdigii, LLC, Andy has over 20 + years of experience in designing and developing platform innovation ecosystems that enable corporations, impact investors and purpose-driven entrepreneurs to efficiently orchestrate new high-performance solutions to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) problems. Prodigii was formed in 2022 as a joint venture with global data science consulting powerhouse, Soothsayer Analytics, to empower Fortune 1000 & Global 2000 companies to achieve success in sustainability.
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Destin George Bell is the founder & CEO of Card.io, a gamified app turning outdoor cardio into a team game of turf war. He has also started businesses in content & real estate. He was recently honored with Forbes 30U30, AustinInno 25U25, and Austin Black 40U40.
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As a seasoned Business, Career & Life Coach with over 20 years of business leadership experience, Dianna Moore leverages her diverse aerospace, startup and wellness background in supporting her clients. She has held pivotal roles in Financial Planning, Corporate Audit, Program Management, Risk Management, Operations, and Investor Relations. Following her aerospace career, Dianna served as the founding consultant and later as COO for a venture-backed startup. Additionally, she has been coaching clients for more than a decade in leadership, life and wellness, making an impact on over 500 individuals across 14 countries. Dianna's multifaceted background uniquely positions her to assist clients in accelerating their growth and achieving remarkable results.
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Derrick L. Maultsby Jr. is a Senior Associate Attorney at Frost Brown Todd LLP where he is a member of the Data Digital Assets and Privacy, Corporate and Intellectual Property practice groups. His practice includes corporate transactional and business advisory services in the tech, privacy, private equity, venture capital, startup/small business, and sports & entertainment industries. Derrick has been invited to speak on various topics at the intersection of the law and technology at the University of Dayton School of Law, Minority Innovation Weekend, FounderX Global Summit, University of New Hampshire School of Law, and Black Tech Week 2022.
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Charron Leeper is a versatile creative and entrepreneur. She serves as the Founder and CEO of Agency Thirty-Three, a startup creative agency, and the creator of Perfect Pineapple®, a head wrap and hair accessory brand established in 2018. Charron is dedicated to building equity for underrepresented and marginalized communities. Her fervor for fashion and modeling has led to styling features in New York Magazine's "Women in Power issue" (October 2018), Essence Online, and New York Fashion Week Street Style.
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Patrice Chappelle is a serial entrepreneur and mother of one. She is the co-founder of MelanBrand Skin, LLC, a Black-owned children’s skin care line, providing natural and safe products for melanated skin. A published author and freelance writer, her work has appeared in Black Enterprise, Huffington Post, Upscale, Essence, Sheen, Curly Nikki, and MadameNoire. She is an alumna of Fisk University and Trevecca Nazarene University, and an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. for the past twenty years and counting. She resides in the DMV area with her son Bron.
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F. Allen Boseman Jr. is an experienced litigator and negotiator who has represented a broad range of clients from individuals to Fortune 500 Companies with a singular focus on delivering excellence regardless of the circumstances. Allen has practiced at some of the largest and most powerful firms in the country specializing in a variety of practice areas ranging from Labor & Employment to Complex Commercial Litigation and this invaluable experience has helped shape him into one of the sharpest legal minds in the profession.
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Kailah Ware is a mixed media artist and entrepreneur who focuses on community activism, women's issues, and social justice. She creates people-centered art and values the process as much as the final product. She graduated from Wright State University with her degree in Motion Pictures Production with a minor in Studio Art. Ware has produced and managed a plethora of multi media campaigns throughout the Midwest for nonprofits that focus on race-based community advocacy work and has won two Public Relation Society of America (PRSA) Black Smith awards for her work with her creative agency SunnyBlu.
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Terry Green is the CEO and Lead Consultant of Breaking Statistics LLC, a social justice consulting firm. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Think Make Live Youth non-profit organization as well as the Founder of the Social Justice Awards, an award ceremony dedicated to honoring outstanding social justice leadership.Terry has over 10 years of experience in professional public speaking and has provided over 150 presentations in more than 11 cities throughout the United States. He provides effective solutions and strategies to support diversity, equity and inclusion, youth empowerment, community enrichment for companies, organizations, schools, and community groups.He is a national social justice consultant providing a hallmark experience in developing innovative equity strategies.
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Varsity House Founder and CEO, Shaun Crawford, former Notre Dame football Captain and current media talent. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and a proud alumni of St. Edward High School. His athletic career included many highlights but also setbacks, including 3 season-ending injuries Battling back from each injury, he was able to earn all All ACC and Mayo Clinic Comeback Player Of The Year honorable mention along with the honor of being names team captain for the program and a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from the University.
After his college career, he fulfilled his deam of making it to the NFL, spending time with Las Vegas Raiders. The obstacles he faces as a football player gave me a unique perspective on the complexity of an athlete's life that I intend to share through Varsity House.
Bijan Machen is an interdisciplinary fine artist and educator. He earned his MFA at ArtCenter College of Design and maintains a thriving art & design practice in Los Angeles, California. Machen has exhibited at museums and galleries around the country and his work is collected internationally. He is also the founder of the We Uplift The World Foundation, a 501C3 Art & Technology Education organization focused on empowering creative entrepreneurs with expert training, internships and job placement opportunities. Bijan's mission is to uplift everyone in life through positive artistic expression and evangelizing the abundance mentality.
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Johnnie Turnage is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EvenScore. Johnie is also the CO-Founder of Black Tech Saturdays. With nearly 15 years of experience, Johnnie is an award-winning grassroots activist, campaign manager, and tech entrepreneur.
Born in Detroit and raised in the metropolitan area until his stepfather joined the army, where he would spend most of his high school years in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Johnnie began his career in social justice and grassroots organizing early on going from volunteer to GOTV leader during the 2008 Presidential campaign when he was 14.
Bo Sijuade is the Founder and CEO of On Touch Go. On Touch Go is an self-serve advertising platform that enables advertisers to target and reach location-based audiences street-level via in-car media. The platform offers millions of impressions a day across 45 U.S. cities.
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Rob Richardson is co-founder and CEO of Disrupt Art, a Global Market Place, studio, and technology company created to revolutionize the impact of Art, Music, Fashion, and Film.Richardson is also the founder of Disruption Now Media, a platform that connects entrepreneurs, artists, and leaders through interactive events, educational content, and podcasts.
The Disruption Now Podcast hosts conversational podcasts with disruptors focused on impact. Past guests have included: NY Times bestselling author Robert Greene, Monique Woodward, Jewel Burks Soloman of Google Startups and Collab Capital, Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital, and many others.In 2016, Richardson was appointed chairman of the University of Cincinnati’s Board of Trustees, becoming the youngest person to serve in this role in the University’s history. In his tenure, he established the 1819 Innovation Hub where industry and talent collaborate to spark groundbreaking ideas.
Jamie McKee, CEO of StormImpact Inc., led operations at Crimson Cup Coffee and held COO roles at healthcare I.T. startups. With a decade at Aviagen Turkeys, he managed global sales and export compliance. An MBA holder, Jamie prioritizes
diversity in leadership, actively contributing to community service as the former president of Mitsy's Wings Nonprofit.
Chef Stephen Miller, founder of “To Go For Your Soul”, specializes in personalized dining experiences since 2020. Our culinary team, trained under Chef Mills since 2016, brings
elevated standards to buffet setups and private chef multi-course dining. We aim to create intimate and memorable moments, leaving a lasting impression with each event.
Evan Leaphart is the founder and CEO of Kredit Academy! He creates online curriculums for schools, organizations, and families to teach children about the fundamentals of finance.
43North, a nonprofit accelerator and incubator, recently awarded Kredit Academy $1 million at a 5% stake.
Chase Crawford, the 27-year-old founder of Four by Three, launched his career by creating viral fake Taco Bell commercials in his hometown of Monroe, OH. He rose to prominence writing and directing commercials for the real Taco Bell while still in high school. After high school, he began producing feature films under the Four by Three moniker, working with stars such as Adam Conover, Joe Chrest and Cody Kearsley, to bring nearly 20 independent films to life between 2017-2020.
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A proud midwesterner, Carrie Aguilar has spent the last 13 years building a successful Sales Enablement career- starting as a top salesperson at Yelp and evolving into leadership positions at various high- growth tech startups. She currently helps startups do the same through her business Innov8 Growth Partners that specializes in connecting founders and startups from where they are, to where they want to go.
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Thomas is the founder of Columbus Fashion Council and Fashion Week Columbus. Thomas believes in bringing heart, authenticity, and diversity to the fashion world, helping to lead the way into the future of fashion regionally, nationally, and globally. Since 2010, Thomas has produced over 170 fashion shows & events, working with over 230 fashion designers, 2000 models, and 1000 fashion industry professionals, while also raising almost $60,000 in scholarship funds for fashion design students.
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Ibrahim Mohmed is the founder of CourtSide Media, a digital media agency for influencers between 1 million to 75 million followers across all platforms. Some of his clients include Kevin Garnett and Lauren Fitzmaurice. Ibrahim works with his clients to organically boost their views. Ibrahim recently co-founded Taja AI, a tool that helps creators optimize their titles, descriptions, hashtags, and thumbnails in order to save time and maximize discoverability. Ibrahim also just raised a pre-seed, Six Figure investment ~ click here to watch the video!
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Oscar is a Business Automation Expert who helps teams save time and focus on high-level activities. His passion for marketing flourished in 2018 when he was selected for an exclusive program connecting young talents with Silicon Valley's tech giants. That year, he started to offer several services to international companies such as a Gartner-recognized SaaS company and an e-learning startup backed by a prominent Italian impact investment fund. Since 2020, he specializes in streamlining business processes and has helped several teams save up to 30% of their time and drive substantial revenue gains.
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Principal, Identity Architect at a small studio. John leads an identity-driven design company that deploys the diversity of perspective and brilliance of gifted creatives from all over the world. While building communities to empower emerging designers, he works with local businesses, Startups and Unicorns to discover “Who they really are”- their identity, and translates it into compelling narratives, design systems, digital touch-points assets that set them apart from the clutter, for impact.
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Manny is a first-generation St. Lucian American born in Columbus, Ohio, who enjoys digging deep into new technologies and nourishing ideas, and understands the ups and downs of building a successful business.In 2017, he co-founded Stopwatch Creative, assisting startups, artists, professional athletes, and brands with various marketing services. When the pandemic created unforeseen complications for entrepreneurs, Manny created Colaeb aka Collaborate and Elevate, a SaaS platform now helping 500+ businesses around the world connect to resources and opportunities.
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Kent was born and raised in Dallas Texas, before Graduating from Texas Tech university and shortly after settling down in Austin Texas. In 2019 Kent joined TwentyAI, a full service search firm based in Austin, Texas. In 2021 Kent became the #1 ranked recruiter globally at TwentyAI, bringing in $1.05M in revenue across 70 successful placements at his clients across the US. Kent continued his success into 2022 bringing in over $1.1M in revenue with 82 placements and shattering multiple company records along the way.
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Founder and CEO of CHVD JUSTIN and innovative brand. Degree in Economics, Graduate of The Ohio State University. Has developed, trademarks and patented and launched 6 figure product lines.
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As the CEO and Co-Founder of BKLabs, now 14 years in business, Tushar Kulkarni is a seasoned visionary with over 25 years of experience at the helm of diverse projects and teams. With a dynamic background spanning from small startups to large-scale enterprises, Tushar's journey is a testament to his commitment to harnessing the power of technology for innovative solutions.
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Darrell has experience working at prominent tech giants such as Meta, Google, and LinkedIn, where he helped smaller companies scale through digital advertising strategies, and is now the CEO/Founder King’s Crowning & Digital Marketing Expert. With a humble beginning and an unwavering drive, his journey is an inspiring testament to what you can accomplish through determination and passion.
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