Venture Café Phoenix

Building your brand in the vastness of the digital marketplace can have you feeling like a sailboat left out to sea. Hoping to catch the right current isn’t a plan optimized for success. Receiving guidance from experienced wayfarers is akin to having your sails adjusted to capitalize on the ever-changing winds, but how do you know where to port? Juan Montoya, Sheila Castillo, Melissa Farley, and Stephanie Arbaugh will help you navigate past well-meaning lighthouses towards those ports essential to your personal brand. Embark on your quest, now. Come sail with us.

Secure your spot for one-on-one session with Business Law expert Brian J. Burt, Partner & Chair of Emerging Business Group at Snell & Wilmer. Book your session here: https://lnkd.in/d3sJvMbC

“Connected 2025 at Venture Café Phoenix is for anyone interested in Metro Phoenix’s transformation into a world-class, smart region. Last year, we explored digital twins, augmented reality and autonomous vehicles. This year, Phoenix and other cities and towns will showcase our latest advancements and see the future of Smart Cities from industry leaders.” -Michael Hammett, Director, Office of Innovation at City of Phoenix

"A simple lady able to shake the world" That's what my healer, Gede, in Bali called me this summer. (He wrote it down for me so I wouldn't forget) Gede explained that I needed to use my voice more. He said I wouldn't as impactful, if I don't speak up more. And for this average, naturally introverted human, I knew he was right. Because big dreams do not align with staying quiet. As I was heading back to the US and getting ready to board in Tokyo, I stopped in a book store and picked up a book called "How To Tell A Story" which outlines the storytelling model of The Moth That book picked me- no question. So it was serendipity when Stacy Sullivan and the Flinn Foundation reached out asking me to share a moment that led to me building Navi Nurses. When I first hopped on the call with him, Stacy asked, "Have you ever heard of the The Moth? As soon as he said it, I knew it was all meant to be. So I said yes to a night on stage Venture Café Phoenix last December (half excited but also half terrified). That night was truly the first time I have really told my story. I shared thoughts and feelings I never had before. Although months have passed, I finally had the courage to go back and watch my delivery. I was scared, nervous, and almost a little ashamed to watch myself. Because being on stage that night, I fumbled, and I cried. But thankfully, the audience cried right along with me. It was so powerfully healing, and an experience I will never forget. I am so grateful for everyone who was there that night. To the man who brought me the tissues. To the people who came up and hugged me after. To the people who emailed days after to also share their own stories. And I am so grateful to have shared the stage with Courtney Williams and Anthony Dietz- two exceptional entrepreneurs and humans with equally powerful stories who are solving really important problems. And to our coaches, Liz Warren and Maria Bailey-Benson from the SMCC Storytelling Institute who worked with us for a few weeks to prepare for this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. https://lnkd.in/e_CvyUXW

Before hitting record, you need a clear strategy to ensure your business video is effective. This Thursday Thomas Machowicz will cover the five essential questions that will shape your message, engage your audience, and drive results. Whether you're creating a promo, testimonial, or brand story, thinking before you film will set you up for success. You'll leave with five simple questions to answer before creating your next video, giving you a solid foundation for compelling content.

Every Thursday.

🎌 Tokyo, you were something special. 🍙 🏯 From the moment I landed, I was met with nothing but kindness, warmth, and an energy that made my short time there feel incredibly meaningful. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who welcomed me so graciously; from the Venture Café Global Institute, Venture Café Tokyo, Venture Café Global Institute, Venture Café Cambridge, and CIC Japan teams to the incredible organizers and attendees who made me feel like I truly belonged (more on this later). 🏯 I was exhausted from travel, but that didn’t matter. On Wednesday, I arrived straight from the airport to Yokohama. I caught the tail end of their visit to the YOKOHAMA CONNÉCT powered by Venture Café Tokyo CONNECT space. I was warmly welcomed by Nathan Plummer and Hytham Bakir, who invited me to join the leadership group for dinner, where I met incredible people from all over. That same night, Alexander Cheung helped me tow around my carry-on, Tom Dodge kept me awake with great topics, and yes, Yusuke Matsuo helped pick my dinner since my brain was completely fried. These small acts of care mean the world. I learned so much about them, their local initiatives, including that TSMC is setting up shop in Fukuoka! After that, we walked together to the train station, and I somehow managed to get to my hotel without my roaming plan being turned on yet - because, well, you know, shtuff happens. 🏯 On Thursday, the Global Gathering was in the afternoon and into the evening, and it was incredible. I jumped into my "floor connector" role, just like I do at Venture Café Phoenix as Ambassador, chatting with incredible folks like the chingonas at Venture Café Monterrey, Kristen Plymale, Andreas Stillman, Dominika Duda (she/her), and many more. There were incredible sessions, conversations, connections, and the Pitch2Tokyo competition, in which Jannalee Johnson from #VCPHX won the Tokyo Award! I loved the Global directors session "Activating Locally, Connecting Innovators Globally." I couldn't nod in agreement harder. It's about the systems we build and the people in them, it's not just the tech or the funding, it's about global impact.  🏯After the event wrapped up at 9, I was invited to join the organizers for pizza at the CIC Global Headquarters, which turned into yet another unforgettable moment. We had great conversations, and I got an event T-shirt, which was just a perfect way to close the night. The event itself was electric, filled with brilliant minds coming together to push ideas forward - it was one of those moments where you sit back and realize, these are my people. 🏯The best part? Some of the amazing humans I met here also planned to visit Bangkok! Yup, it was a BKK sequel! More on that in the next post. 💙 But for now, Tokyo, ありがとう (thank you). 💙 🏯 #VentureCaféTokyo #VentureCaféGlobalGathering #GlobalConnections #Innovation #Collaboration #Gratitude #GG25 #MakeThingsHappen #InnovationBridge

We loved partnering with the Venture Café Phoenix team to support Thursday’s discussion on the ‘Workforce Tsunami: Navigating the Shift’, hosted by Mike Groeger. Experts from various sized organizations discussed generational gaps in the labor market. Kudos to Alex Koupal and the VC programming department who manages the content, promotion and logistics every week. Thanks to Frank Reid for representing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona on the panel. 💙

Thank you Venture Café Phoenix . Such an honor to be part of the panel . We addressed the AI Tsunami and how to best prepare for the future of AI. I enjoyed connecting with professionals eager to learn and embrace the challenges ahead. Aaron Bare Cailean Bailey Gayle Bass .

Workforce Tsunami, engaging, layered topic for sure. Grateful to moderate such a worthwhile discussion. Venture Café Phoenix always delivers the content.....every Thursday night.