Hey there! I'm Catherine Jones, CEO and Transaction Coach at Zuzi Strategies, where I guide clients through high-stakes transactions as a coach, business advisor, and mentor all rolled into one. With over 25 years of experience navigating complex deals, I've been involved in transactions exceeding $72 billion. From debt restructuring with two restraining orders blocking the deal to managing transactions during a coup and counter-revolt, I've even closed deals while governments were in complete turmoil!

My career has spanned the globe, dealing with everything from managing transactions during political upheavals to assessing how deal disclosures might impact presidential elections in an island nation. I'm fluent in Spanish and interned on the Supreme Court of Argentina. And if you think US deals are wild, try negotiating international transactions while governments are in turmoil!

I've recently transitioned to transaction coaching, recognizing that much of my time was spent delving into the psychology of deals. I was even called an "expensive therapist" by a legal client! I serve as a sounding board and advisor to clients going through the emotional roller coaster of high-stakes transactions, keeping my clients true to their end goals and values in that chaos.

Now, I'm thrilled to share my expertise with you. Join me at "Unlocking Your Startup Toolbox: Mastering the Mix of Funding Tools for Success" in the Money Track, where I'll explain the variety of funding options available to startups (it's not just loans and VCs) and how to navigate the funding maze, drawing from my own wild deal experiences and those of others. Let's explore actionable insights together and pave the way for your startup's success.

And don't miss me in the Fun Track at "The Ultimate Entrepreneurial Challenge: Pivot, Balance, Succeed" where we'll put entrepreneurial skills to the test in a completely different way!

Oh, and when I'm not coaching clients through transformational deals, you can find me exploring the Western Slope, capturing moments through my lens, or lost in a good book. Let's connect, learn, and thrive together in Colorado's vibrant startup community!

Hey there! I'm Catherine Jones, CEO and Transaction Coach at Zuzi Strategies, where I guide clients through high-stakes transactions as a coach, business advisor, and mentor all rolled into one. With over 25 years of experience navigating complex dea... Show more

Bahar is a Flutter developer and co-founder at Altogether startup, a pioneering law tech platform designed to serve persons with disabilities. With a passion for inclusive design and innovation, Bahar played a pivotal role in leading her team to victory as the 1st place winner at the Global BeChangeMaker 2023 Competition held in Dublin, Ireland organized by WorldSkills and HP Foundation. Drawing on her extensive experience, Bahar has actively collaborated with persons with disabilities to identify and address accessibility challenges within Flutter applications. Through direct engagement and rigorous testing, she has managed to enhance accessibility and ensure adherence to legal compliance guidelines. Furthermore, Bahar also has a background in legal compliance complementing her technical expertise.

Bahar is a Flutter developer and co-founder at Altogether startup, a pioneering law tech platform designed to serve persons with disabilities. With a passion for inclusive design and innovation, Bahar played a pivotal role in leading her team to vict... Show more

Angela Bing Victorio, a seasoned technical lead with over 20 years of software development experience. She specializes in cloud migrations, micro-services architecture, CI/CD pipelines and creating efficient and scalable solutions for complex business needs. Angela has extensive industrial experience in systems for airline operations, financial industry, services and applications for passenger travel , distributed control systems for power plants, and social networking startups.

Angela Bing Victorio, a seasoned technical lead with over 20 years of software development experience. She specializes in cloud migrations, micro-services architecture, CI/CD pipelines and creating efficient and scalable solutions for complex busines... Show more

Wes Shields, Principal and founder of Synthminds.AI, leads a team of 15 experts, propelling clients' AI strategies and objectives with ethical and innovative solutions. Under his stewardship, his full-service Artificial Intelligence agency provides bespoke services that exceed their strategic needs to an extensive list of clientele from academia to various industries including aviation, customer service, legal, marketing, logistics, education and technology. He was named one of the first 18 global “OpenAI Experts”, an endorsement awarded and recognized formally by OpenAI. Shields' exemplary work has earned him and his Synthminds team the "Expert-Vetted" AI Consultant accolade from Upwork, a title conferred on the top 1% of the 18 million professionals on the platform.

Recognized as an accomplished strategist and speaker in the field of AI, he is also the host of the popular podcast, 'How to Talk to AI.' He has a notable presence on Promptbase.com, the premier prompt sales marketplace, where his prompts rank him amongst the top 200 worldwide.

Shields possesses an impressive academic portfolio, holding an MS in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, an MBA from the Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary, and a BS in Economics from the esteemed United States Naval Academy. His contributions to academic research, particularly in the domains of complex network science and logistics technology integration, have been published and recognized, earning him graduate certifications from both the Kegan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the Naval Postgraduate School.

For more insights into his professional pursuits and areas of interest, visit https://synthminds.ai/.

Wes Shields, Principal and founder of Synthminds.AI, leads a team of 15 experts, propelling clients' AI strategies and objectives with ethical and innovative solutions. Under his stewardship, his full-service Artificial Intelligence agency provides b... Show more

From the world's most famous Hotel Management school to becoming the Product Manager of AI at a tech unicorn, Ettore's career is nothing but diverse. A proud problem-solver and generalist, he is known to hunt down solutions from seemingly unrelated industries and finding subject matter experts to partner with to make human lives easier.

From the world's most famous Hotel Management school to becoming the Product Manager of AI at a tech unicorn, Ettore's career is nothing but diverse. A proud problem-solver and generalist, he is known to hunt down solutions from seemingly unrelated i... Show more

Natalie Crüe is a cultural producer, consultant, Global Hip-Hop connoisseur, and activist. Natalie sees arts and culture as a vehicle for social change - spearheading various cultural, brand, and social impact initiatives around the globe that aim to foster civic engagement, spark dialogue, and amplify communities.

She co-developed the Metaverse Music Festival aka MVMF, the first global music festival rooted in the metaverse; Co-produces Huellas Festival in Southern Spain; and contributes to a number of DAOs and creative communities in the Web3 ecosystem. Recently, she founded Web3 Uncut -- a dynamic tech lab building micro experiments to support creators on chain and a newsletter centering Web3 arts & culture.

You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @NatalieCrue.

Natalie Crüe is a cultural producer, consultant, Global Hip-Hop connoisseur, and activist. Natalie sees arts and culture as a vehicle for social change - spearheading various cultural, brand, and social impact initiatives around the globe that aim to... Show more

Cate Hollowitsch is the Chief Marketing Officer for Nesnah Ventures, a private equity firm. Cate is an energetic, results-driven marketing professional with more than 30 years of experience and a proven track record in all areas of marketing, including branding, innovation, and digital transformation. As an executive, she also has an extensive background in business acumen, value creation, and strategy for small to medium-sized businesses. Cate’s business success earned her a 2024 spot as one of 100 Titans of Industry for the state of Wisconsin. She is a 2024 TEDx Speaker and created the F.E.A.R. Framework™ for Selfless Leadership. She is also the author of Confidence Counts, and Mastering the Game of Office Politics and is an adjunct professor in digital marketing.

Cate Hollowitsch is the Chief Marketing Officer for Nesnah Ventures, a private equity firm. Cate is an energetic, results-driven marketing professional with more than 30 years of experience and a proven track record in all areas of marketing, includi... Show more

With over two decades of experience in both nursing and massage therapy, I bring a clinical yet holistic perspective to the intersection of cannabis, wellness, and skincare. I've been immersed in the cannabis industry since 2010 and began teaching in 2017, committed to educating others on safe, effective, and evidence-informed practices. As a nurse of 24 years and a licensed massage therapist for 19 years, my teaching is grounded in both science and compassion.

In 2014, I founded Primal Therapeutics, one of the first mobile cannabis massage businesses in the country, dedicated to bringing plant medicine directly to clients in a personalized and therapeutic setting. Building on that mission, I launched Primal Healing in 2019, a line of organic hemp-based skincare products that reflect my commitment to quality, integrity, and the healing power of nature. Since creating both businesses, I have been featured in many publications.

I have been providing education at the largest spa conferences in the nation since 2017. My courses focus on cannabis massage, integrative wellness, and topical skincare applications, offering students real-world insights from the front lines of both healthcare and plant medicine. I believe in empowering practitioners to elevate their skills and their self-care, and I bring a deep respect for the healing potential of the human touch and the cannabis plant.

My teaching philosophy is simple: never stop learning. I’m honored to share what I’ve learned—and continue to learn—with others dedicated to growth, healing, and professional excellence.

With over two decades of experience in both nursing and massage therapy, I bring a clinical yet holistic perspective to the intersection of cannabis, wellness, and skincare. I've been immersed in the cannabis industry since 2010 and began teaching in... Show more

I am a versatile professional with a background in petroleum engineering and over a decade of experience in the technology industry. Currently working as a Quality Assurance Engineer at Viamo, a social enterprise.

In my position at Viamo, I work with and oversee the quality assurance process and collaborate with cross-functional teams to establish testing strategies and provide valuable feedback.

I write code in PHP/JS as a hobby.

I am a versatile professional with a background in petroleum engineering and over a decade of experience in the technology industry. Currently working as a Quality Assurance Engineer at Viamo, a social enterprise. In my position at Viamo, I work w... Show more

Dr. Christine Izuakor is the Founder and CEO of Cyber Pop-up, a platform connecting businesses to certified cybersecurity experts on-demand. Prior to that, she spent a decade leading Fortune 100 cyber functions. Christine earned a Ph.D. in Security Engineering, becoming the youngest student and first African American woman to do so. A proud Houston native, she earned a Masters degree in Information Security from the University of Houston. Dr. Izuakors’ research has been presented on international stages from South Korea to Italy. Her rapid growth in the tech industry landed her features in Crains, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and more.

Dr. Christine Izuakor is the Founder and CEO of Cyber Pop-up, a platform connecting businesses to certified cybersecurity experts on-demand. Prior to that, she spent a decade leading Fortune 100 cyber functions. Christine earned a Ph.D. in Security E... Show more

Morin is a backend engineer with 11 years of experience, currently building production-grade AI systems and features.
She’s been working with AI long before GenAI took the spotlight, and brings a deep understanding of how space has evolved —
from rule-based logic to large-scale generative models.
When she’s not wrangling prompts or debugging output schemas, you’ll likely find her chasing flavors across continents.
Morin is a passionate foodie, a psychology podcast addict, and a lover of immersive travel experiences —
especially in culture-rich, nature-packed destinations like Japan, Vietnam, or remote corners of Africa.

The quickest way to win her heart? Start with food. She also works out — but only enjoys it after it's over.

Morin is a backend engineer with 11 years of experience, currently building production-grade AI systems and features. She’s been working with AI long before GenAI took the spotlight, and brings a deep understanding of how space has evolved — from... Show more

Data analysis, management, and process administrator for implementing organizational improvement strategies.

Data analysis, management, and process administrator for implementing organizational improvement strategies. Show more

Cloud Computing Architect specialized on Application Modernization

Cloud Computing Architect specialized on Application Modernization Show more

Marc Diensberg is a senior IT professional specialized in FinOps and GreenOps. As Lead FinOps Consultant in Amadeus he is a thought leader and drives the culture change needed to adopt these two emerging practices in Amadeus thanks to his interdisciplinary background with experience in development, DevOps & SRE as well as project management, finance, and business development.

He loves working and promoting in a multi-cultural environment where different views and approaches are welcome and used to find innovative, out-of-the-box solutions for any problem. While he is currently based in Munich, Germany, he has also worked in India and France in the past.

Marc Diensberg is a senior IT professional specialized in FinOps and GreenOps. As Lead FinOps Consultant in Amadeus he is a thought leader and drives the culture change needed to adopt these two emerging practices in Amadeus thanks to his interdiscip... Show more

Nicolas Petitjean is the former VP Design at Sodexo Group (2017-2022). In 2021, he founded "collectivehood", which helps business leaders design operational models where innovation through design thrives and responsible growth practices flourish. With a Master's degree in Design (Rubika 2000') and an Executive MBA (EDHEC 2015'), Nicolas has over 20 years' experience in user research, human-centered design, innovation & design leadership, strategy and entrepreneurship at various levels, with companies such as Salomon, Adidas, Decathlon, Sodexo, Hanesbrands, Caran d'Ache, Ministry of Defence UK, USAA, Google, GSK, Coventry University among others. Nicolas is also an active and leading speaker on innovation practices, business modeling and social leadership by design across Europe.

Nicolas Petitjean is the former VP Design at Sodexo Group (2017-2022). In 2021, he founded "collectivehood", which helps business leaders design operational models where innovation through design thrives and responsible growth practices flourish. Wit... Show more

An eternal learner and futurist. Lover of travel and discussions about all things related to technology and communication. Engaging in writing, speaking, and advocating for a quality culture and sustainable development. She can be found on the sky app, linkedin and substack @melthetechie

An eternal learner and futurist. Lover of travel and discussions about all things related to technology and communication. Engaging in writing, speaking, and advocating for a quality culture and sustainable development. She can be found on the sky ap... Show more

Soumyabrata is an AI enthusiast and software testing expert with over 10 years of experience in QA and a recent focus on integrating cutting-edge AI technologies into testing workflows. Passionate about leveraging AI to revolutionize software testing, he bridges the gap between theory and practice, empowering teams to achieve smarter, more efficient testing strategies.

Soumyabrata is an AI enthusiast and software testing expert with over 10 years of experience in QA and a recent focus on integrating cutting-edge AI technologies into testing workflows. Passionate about leveraging AI to revolutionize software testing... Show more

Alex is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Confluent, coaching and guiding businesses across Europe on their path to adopting data in motion. His career has spanned from software development in the nuclear power industry to Mainframe engineering for a credit bureau, before moving into Presales at Splunk and Confluent. Alex is passionate about helping people not just recognise the value in their data, but the art of controlling it too. Outside of the office, he’s 52 countries into visiting The World, a STEM early-careers coach and advocate, and a keen runner.

Alex is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Confluent, coaching and guiding businesses across Europe on their path to adopting data in motion. His career has spanned from software development in the nuclear power industry to Mainframe engineering for a cr... Show more

Hugo Hamon is a PHP and Symfony certified developer. He worked nine years for SensioLabs, the creators of Symfony, as a Web developer, head of training and software architect. He joined Dayuse.com as a backend lead developer between 2018 and 2020. He's now a full time freelance PHP developer at his own company KODERO

Hugo Hamon is a PHP and Symfony certified developer. He worked nine years for SensioLabs, the creators of Symfony, as a Web developer, head of training and software architect. He joined Dayuse.com as a backend lead developer between 2018 and 2020. He... Show more

Jeremy Edmonds is the Vice President of People and Culture for Snooze, an A.M. Eatery. His love for people, process and the employee experience led him to his career in Human Resources. Jeremy’s relentless pursuit of the best of the best employee experience and passion for culture has been a driving force throughout his career. After spending 11 years in talent recruiting, Jeremy turned his focus toward the science of engagement, and has built a career as a thought leader in the culture, performance development, and leadership space.

Mentors throughout his career have shaped the leader Jeremy is today. Jeremy believes that mentorship is a great way to grow professionally and loves the opportunity to create connection in the pursuit of growth. As a seasoned practitioner of leadership development, Jeremy is committed to helping to grow and develop emerging leaders.

Jeremy serves on the board of directors for The Snooze Compass Foundation and Heart and Hand, a Denver based non-profit that connects students with afterschool programing that helps them with homework, exposes them to new passions and provides a healthy dose of love. Jeremy also serves on the advisory board for FSR and QSR magazines.

Throughout his career, Jeremy has been a champion for diversity, leading multiple programs focused on the acquisition, development, and employee experience for underrepresented employees. Being a foodie at heart with a love for all things food and beverage, he is thrilled to spend his days creating moments and experiences for Snoozers across America! In his spare time, Jeremy loves to read, cook, and travel with his family. Jeremy is a Disney Theme Park fanatic!

Jeremy Edmonds is the Vice President of People and Culture for Snooze, an A.M. Eatery. His love for people, process and the employee experience led him to his career in Human Resources. Jeremy’s relentless pursuit of the best of the best employee exp... Show more

Mohit Suman is based out of beautiful country India. He works as a Senior Technical Product Manager at Red Hat, Developer Experience. He holds experience in Product Management, Software Engineering and Architecture in fields ranging from large-scale distributed computing and developer productivity.

Currently defining the journey to enhance the overall developer experience for hybrid-cloud infrastructure. An advocate of open source principles and building a strong community around it. He is a Certified Product Owner, Certified Scrum Master, RHCSA, and Red Hat Certified OpenShift Administrator.

When he’s not writing about himself in the third person, Mohit is an avid traveller and loves to explore the beauty around the globe.

Mohit Suman is based out of beautiful country India. He works as a Senior Technical Product Manager at Red Hat, Developer Experience. He holds experience in Product Management, Software Engineering and Architecture in fields ranging from large-scale ... Show more

Since 2014, Stuart Cooper has had the privilege of working for 3 of the top ranked IT Managed Service Providers, according to CRN, ChannelE2E, and MSPmentor, including the number one Healthcare Managed Services Provider, globally.

With around 50,000 hours of sales and business development experience, Stuart has had some interesting experiences. In his business development efforts for high growth companies over the years, Stuart has become skilled at M&A conversations, initiating several discussions about mergers and acquisitions and in one case, brokering a sizable company acquisition.

Stuart is a life-long learner and has traveled to Egypt, Turkey, Ephesus, Greece, Ukraine, Poland, Venezuela, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Canada, Brazil and other countries. He has worked with Australians, New Zealanders, and folks from all over the world.

Stuart has an Executive (Pro) MBA from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he was awarded the Marketplace Masters Award. He has a Bachelors degree in Speech Communications from that same University.

Stuart and his wife, Jenny, have four children and live in Franklin.

Stuart is the identical twin brother of Craig Allen Cooper, author of “Glad You’re Hear”, with country music star, Walker Hayes.

You can follow Stuart at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartcooper2

Since 2014, Stuart Cooper has had the privilege of working for 3 of the top ranked IT Managed Service Providers, according to CRN, ChannelE2E, and MSPmentor, including the number one Healthcare Managed Services Provider, globally. With around 50,... Show more

Sebastian Daschner is a self-employed Java consultant, author and trainer and is enthusiastic about programming and Java. He is the author of the book “Architecting Modern Java EE Applications”. Sebastian is participating in open source standardization processes such as the JCP or the Eclipse Foundation, helping forming the future standards of Enterprise Java, and collaborating on various open source projects. For his contributions in the Java community and ecosystem he was recognized as a Java Champion, Oracle Developer Champion, and JavaOne Rockstar. Besides Java, Sebastian is a heavy user of cloud native technologies and anything related to enterprise software. He evangelizes computer science practices on https://blog.sebastian-daschner.com, his newsletter, and on Twitter via @DaschnerS. Sebastian kickstarted the JOnsen and jSpirit unconferences that connect Java developers throughout the globe. When not working with technology, he also loves to travel the world.

Sebastian Daschner is a self-employed Java consultant, author and trainer and is enthusiastic about programming and Java. He is the author of the book “Architecting Modern Java EE Applications”. Sebastian is participating in open source standardizati... Show more

Sohail is a seasoned Developer Advocate. Has been contributing to developer communities for more than 5 years. Travel & Food is always on his plate and pass jokes a lot.

Sohail is a seasoned Developer Advocate. Has been contributing to developer communities for more than 5 years. Travel & Food is always on his plate and pass jokes a lot. Show more

As a Site Reliability Engineer at BlaBlaCar, with my team we are in charge of building and run core infrastructure services.

As a Site Reliability Engineer at BlaBlaCar, with my team we are in charge of building and run core infrastructure services. Show more

• IN BRIEF: I believe we should love what we do and the teams we work with. Through leadership and team coaching, my goal is to create great work cultures and help people find joy every day. This naturally results in more creativity, innovation and productivity.

• SKILLS: I have found that coaching teams and leaders has helped me explore many other areas. I'm told I'm a great listener, bring new ideas to clients and challenge people to explore more. I don't shy away from hard conversations, in fact, I think it's the only way to move forward. I get tons of energy from facilitating and training large groups. And I always, always, bring fun and laughter to work.

• INDUSTRIES: Agile is very industry-agnostic. I have worked with teams in Healthcare, Finance, Government, Manufacturing, Logistics, Product, Retail, Banking, Insurance, Hospitality and Technology. I have also worked with IT, Marketing, Vendor Management, PMO and Recruiting teams - it's not all just about IT!

• PERSONAL: I am passionate about adventure, travel and making this world a better place. I've sailed to Mexico and Alaska, solo-backpacked around the world, summited Mt Kilimanjaro and volunteered in multiple countries. I would love everyone in this world to find their perfect work/life balance.

• IN BRIEF: I believe we should love what we do and the teams we work with. Through leadership and team coaching, my goal is to create great work cultures and help people find joy every day. This naturally results in more creativity, innovation and p... Show more

D’arce Hess is a Sr. Cloud Architect with CloudWay. For more than eight years, D’arce has specialized in the creation of custom portals and experiences in SharePoint and Office365. As a UI/UX Designer and Developer, D’arce uses industry and Microsoft best practices as a base for creating solutions that simplify processes, drive user adoption, and governance from the start. As a recognized Microsoft MVP, D’arce has had the opportunity to work with Fortune 500 companies and has become a trusted partner to her clients in the industries of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, legal, travel & tourism and entertainment.

D’arce Hess is a Sr. Cloud Architect with CloudWay. For more than eight years, D’arce has specialized in the creation of custom portals and experiences in SharePoint and Office365. As a UI/UX Designer and Developer, D’arce uses industry and Microsoft... Show more

I work at Mapbox R&D center in Minsk, Belarus, experienced in .NET, Angular, React Native, NodeJS, NestJS and other interesting stuff in full-stack software development. Really love modern web technical stack, but strongly believe in the understanding of fundamental aspects of programming. I like code writing, work in amazing and useful projects, which can bring something valuable to people. My spare time is mostly dedicated to my family, reading and writing, and also traveling is an important part of my life!

I work at Mapbox R&D center in Minsk, Belarus, experienced in .NET, Angular, React Native, NodeJS, NestJS and other interesting stuff in full-stack software development. Really love modern web technical stack, but strongly believe in the understandin... Show more

Chip Kennedy is the CTO of Tastemakers Africa, a venture-backed experiences marketplace connecting travelers to heritage and culture across the world. Chip built the Tastemakers platform and grew the marketplace to support thousands of travelers and hundreds of experience providers. Previously, he founded and ran Collectively, a startup studio for mission-driven entrepreneurs, where he led projects for startups, accelerators, and government offices, including the NYC mayor's office. Chip has a BS in Computer Science from Case Western Reserve University.

Chip Kennedy is the CTO of Tastemakers Africa, a venture-backed experiences marketplace connecting travelers to heritage and culture across the world. Chip built the Tastemakers platform and grew the marketplace to support thousands of travelers and ... Show more

Katrina Moore
Globetrotter | Storyteller | Cultural Bridge-Builder
Founder, Kat Explores & Traveling Kat Media
Katrina Moore is a travel storyteller and cultural connector who transforms strangers into family through her podcast, Kat Explores. With a background as a former tourism director (Port Lavaca & Montgomery, TX), she now hosts a platform celebrating transformative travel, cultural exchange, and the art of getting lost. Katrina’s work includes virtual tours with Egyptian guides, planning international festivals, & her upcoming nonprofit, Kat’s Crew Cares, focused on globetrotters giving back.
Her travels aren’t about checking boxes—they’re about collecting people and stories. Katrina embodies travel as a two-way street. She’s passionate about Egypt, Venice, and Houston, where she marshals parades and hosts cultural festivals.
Katrina is at ESTO to connect with destinations and brands who believe in travel as a force for cultural understanding eco&nomic empowerment.

Katrina Moore Globetrotter | Storyteller | Cultural Bridge-Builder Founder, Kat Explores & Traveling Kat Media Katrina Moore is a travel storyteller and cultural connector who transforms strangers into family through her podcast, Kat Explores. Wit... Show more