2026 Forum

Pick up your badges and grab some food to fuel this day of power networking.

A warm welcome to a day of intentional connection, support, and resourcing for investors and innovators.

From blueprint to term sheet: building a product and business that pass investor diligence.

What does it take to build a fully functional application and a validated business that hold up under investor scrutiny? This panel follows a venture from blueprint to term sheet through four seats at the table. The Architect, Rakia Finley, Founder & CEO of Copper & Vine Studio, has spent over two decades designing and launching technology platforms and knows which early technical decisions a company will live with for years. The Builder, Amanda Spann, Founder of The App Accelerator, has helped tens of thousands of non-technical founders turn an app idea into a working product without writing a line of code. The Strategist, Ade Omitowoju leading Startup Banking at JP Morgan Chase, works with early-stage startups to de-risk their businesses, get them capital-ready, and make them capital-efficient. And The Funder, Jackson Georges Jr., brings an investor's lens shaped by Alphabet's growth fund to backing the next generation of startups through BAG Ventures.

Together, they'll unpack the decisions that matter most at the start, the gaps investors spot first, and how to build something worth backing from day one.

Make a new friend or two.

Rates are rising and private capital is rewriting the rules. A private credit lender, a leading finance attorney, and two real asset investors will discuss how to seize this moment.

With interest rates climbing for the first time in years, the cost of capital is rising and the playbook for growing wealth is changing with it. Private credit, once a niche corner of finance, is now a trillion-dollar force shaping who gets funded and on what terms, and the investors and innovators who understand it are best positioned to grow. This panel brings together three vantage points on that shift: Damien Dwin, founder and CEO of Lafayette Square, lends to growing middle-market companies in working-class communities and sees firsthand where capital is flowing and where it's still needed. Gabriel Yomi Dabiri, Global Head of Private Credit and Direct Lending at Squire Patton Boggs, structures the deals that define the market across every layer of the capital stack. Dr. Eric Tait, founder of Vernonville Asset Management, invests in real assets at home and abroad, from commercial and multifamily properties to international hospitality. This discussion will be moderated by Dr. Nkem Ezeamama, CEO of Pheenyx Capital Investment, who helps busy professionals build wealth through multifamily real estate.

They'll discuss how founders can access debt and alternative financing when equity is expensive, how investors can position for yield without taking on hidden risk, and why this moment will reward those who are ready to move.

Make a new friend or two.

The iconic Melissa Bradley on investment trends over the decades, how to support the Global New Majority, and what is required for us to meet the moment.

A quick flick for posterity.

More food to fuel this day of power networking.

From the court to the cap table to the big screen, we are talking about different ways to build a diversified portfolio.

The most durable wealth is rarely built solely on stocks and bonds. It’s built in private markets, in ownership stakes, and in assets most investors never get the chance to touch. This panel opens the door to four of them. Fitzann Reid, co-founder of VeraWest Sports & Entertainment, shares what it takes to buy into professional sports ownership. Chinedu Enekwe, General Partner at Passbook Ventures, has experience spanning seed-stage venture to emerging-market private equity. Milan Selassie, CEO of Intelligent Media Productions, reveals how independent film gets financed and where investors may realize outsized returns. Moderated by Conway Ekpo, General Counsel of Synctera and venture investor, breaking down how to get into early-stage deals and pitfalls to avoid when taking on private capital.

Together, they'll unpack how to evaluate alternative assets, where access really comes from, and how to build a portfolio that grows beyond traditional markets.

Make a new friend or two.

Building wealth is only half the work. Protecting it throughout marriage, children, blended families, business ownership, and the handoff to the next generation is where many families fall short.

In this candid conversation led by Emmy-Award winning journalist Cathleen Trigg-Jones, three experts tackle the questions most couples avoid until it's too late: prenups, postnups, and babynups; estate planning; safeguarding businesses; and how financial transparency between partners becomes the foundation for generational wealth. Morgan Mouchette, Vice Chair of Blank Rome's Matrimonial & Family Law group, brings the view from high-stakes divorces and nuptial agreements, where she sees firsthand what happens when couples plan ahead and when they don't. Lisa McCurdy, founder of The Wealth Counselor, helps families build estate and legacy plans that hold together long after the documents are signed. And Jeffery Kennerly, a financial advisor and Certified Exit Planning Advisor at Morgan Stanley, guides executives, entrepreneurs, and families on strategies to grow wealth and pass it on.

They will discuss how to have the money conversations with the people you love most, and how to make sure what you've built stays protected for generations.

Haley Bryant from Hustle Fund and Madison Jacobs from Upfront Ventures bring you a few of the companies they are excited about.

Alexander Zanders, Founder & CEO of UfarmX will join Jason B. Harris of TEDCO in a fireside on what being a Founder’s Keeper looks like in real life. You will hear updates on the company’s progress since the last MFK and hear first-hand what it took for Jason to get this investment across the finish line and what it’s meant for his portfolio. This fireside is the reason we do what we do.

Thank you for your presence.