2026 Speakers
Meet the speakers at our upcoming conference
Keynote
Edith Cooper
Co-Founder · Medley
Edith Cooper is one of the nation's leading Black business executives, with a career spanning 30 years on Wall Street. She co-founded the group coaching startup Medley with her daughter to bring her experience in building high-performing environments to a broader audience. Prior to Medley, Edith was a Partner, Executive Vice President, and Head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs. She serves on the boards of Amazon and PepsiCo.
Edith Cooper
Co-Founder
Medley
About Speakers
Kristi Zuhlke
CEO · Kristi Zuhlke LLC
Kristi is a serial tech entrepreneur with 2 exits. She currently consults Fortune 1000 companies on their generative AI strategies and exploring her next company to build.
Kristi Zuhlke
CEO
Kristi Zuhlke LLC
Emily Groden
Founder & CEO · Evergreen
Emily is the founder and CEO of Evergreen. Launched in 2020, Evergreen's frozen waffles are carried in 9,000 grocery stores nationwide. Prior to Evergreen, Emily attended Harvard Law School, swam Division I at Yale, and is an Ironman finisher and Boston Marathon qualifier. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters, Evergreen's biggest fans.
Emily Groden
Founder & CEO
Evergreen
Jason Heltzer
Managing Partner · Origin Ventures
Jason is a Managing Partner at Origin Ventures and has been a venture investor since 2001. Jason currently serves on the boards of Tovala, Vivrelle, ControlRooms, Shopthing, Silkline, Idelic, and Prisidio. Some of his previous investments include Tock (acquired by Squarespace / American Express), Alert Logic, TradeKing, Cartavi (acquired by Docusign), Base (acquired by Zendesk), and FeeFighters (acquired by Groupon). He holds an MBA from Chicago Booth and a BS in computer science from the University of Michigan.
Jason Heltzer
Managing Partner
Origin Ventures
Rick Desai
Managing Partner · Listen
Rick Desai is a Managing Partner at Listen, a consumer-focused venture capital firm. At Listen, Rick has invested in Factor_, Calm, Kiwi Crate, Jolie, and other leading consumer brands. Prior to Listen, Rick founded Dashfire, a startup studio that built and invested in 40+ companies. He is also an Adjunct Entrepreneurship Lecturer at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Rick Desai
Managing Partner
Listen
Adam Koopersmith
Founder, Managing Partner · SNAK Venture Partners
Adam is a founder and managing partner of SNAK Venture Partners. He previously worked at Pritzker Group Venture Capital for 20+ years, most recently as Managing Partner. His marketplace investments included G2, Backlot Cars, SpotHero, Sittercity, and TicketsNow.
Adam Koopersmith
Founder, Managing Partner
SNAK Venture Partners
Wael Aburida
Managing Partner · Fikra Ventures
Wael Aburida is an investor and operator with more than two decades of experience building and backing technology companies across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Fikra Ventures, a UAE-based venture builder focused on creating and scaling AI-driven companies. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Wael Aburida
Managing Partner
Fikra Ventures
Kevin Halbert
President · Perennial Services Group
Kevin Halbert is the President of Perennial Services Group where he leads a diverse network of partner brands. Prior to joining Perennial, Kevin was President & Owner of Winkler Tree & Lawn Care. He began his career in the United States Marine Corps and spent 9 years as a strategy and operations consultant with Bain & Company. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University.
Kevin Halbert
President
Perennial Services Group
Past Conferences
2025
Keynote
Mike Evans
Founder of Grubhub and Fixer