PAST SPEAKERS

Randall “Barton” Howard is an entrepreneur, retail expert, and former head of loss prevention. Barton Co-Founded Circle the Wagons (CTW) Group Purchasing Organization in 2018 to serve independent grocery retailers across the US and Canada. Barton is a serial entrepreneur, works closely with Callais Capital which have backed two of his ventures and is associated with several other well-known brands such as Gatr Coolers, Beast Brands, Mallard Bay, and Brewsy Products. He continues to serve on the Advisory Board of Emergency and Security Studies at Tulane University.

Lauren Bercier is the co-founder & CEO of the industry changing startup called Something Borrowed Blooms - a Rent & Return Floral Boutique. Lauren has led her team to modernize how brides plan & pay for their wedding flowers, creating a new market category & demonstrating success with fast-growth startup.

An accomplished entrepreneur and executive, Chris is Chairman of the Board of MallardBay Outdoors, Inc. Prior to MallardBay, Chris was the founder of Waitr Holdings, Inc. and played an integral role in building Waitr into a leading on demand consumer technology company valued at over $1 billion under his leadership. Chris possesses a unique understanding of consumer behavior and the dynamics of viral scalable businesses, as well as deep experience in driving companies from the earliest stages through periods of explosive, “blitzscale” growth.

Prior to founding Waitr Chris was a serial entrepreneur in multiple ventures in the technology and restaurant industries including full service and fast casual restaurants. Previous to entrepreneurship Chris had a 23-year career in technology serving in various management positions with McAfee Software, Optical Coating Labs, and Hyundai Electronics America.

Chris is an accomplished entrepreneur and angel investor and continues to be an active member of the entrepreneurial ecosystem along the gulf coast.

Chris has been recognized for numerous awards including the 2019 Ernst and Young Gulf Coast Entrepreneur of the Year, the 2019 ACG Dealmaker of the year, a member of the 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 Silicon Bayou 100, the 2018 ACG Emerging Growth Company award, and the 2017 Jr. Achievement Startup Business of the Year.

Gant is the CIO of Infinite Red, but he's also a father, published author, award winning speaker, and mentor. Gant has been a developer and a business owner for over 20 years.

Autumn Manning stands out as a dynamic entrepreneur and investor, known for her leadership in transforming company cultures and driving organizational excellence through human-centered design. As the co-founder and CEO of the innovative B2B SaaS platform YouEarnedIt, later WorkTango, her strategic acumen in market positioning and product and organizational strategy has been key to driving lasting success. Autumn was recognized as Austin's Best CEO in 2018, and is a dedicated mentor, mother to Marin and Miles, and an advocate for personal well-being as the foundation for strength in Leadership.

Colin is a long-time operator working as an early employee at Outdoorsy, Roamly, Tripping.com, Ancestry, and JustAnswer. He is a self-proclaimed marketplace geek who writes about them extensively through his newsletter: gardinercolin.com. He is the Founding GP of Yonder Ventures, which is investing in the future of marketplaces. The founder of Longtail, a programmatic solution for SEO for all types of businesses. Founder of Karta Labs, a consultancy for marketplaces and platforms looking to grow and monetize. And the Co-host of Wannabe Angels covering all things angel investing

Gamification and Behavioral Design Pioneer, Designer, Author, Speaker. Creator of the Octalysis Framework. Worked empowered over 1.5 Billion Users.

Mike is an experienced head of product with nearly two decades operating inside high growth technology startups. He founded and runs Lemonade Stand, which offers fractional product management, marketing, and strategy services for early and growth stage startup founders and CEOs.

Mike has been at the executive table and in the boardroom since the age of 25, when he was Chief of Staff at redbox. He then joined RetailMeNot, staying through the company’s unicorn IPO in 2014. From there, three consecutive CPO gigs, including co-leading digital transformation at H-E-B, one of the country’s largest retailers and privately held businesses.

Josh Sonnier is a Director at CGI, where he leads a team of data scientists and data engineers to develop AI and machine learning solutions to enable data-driven decision making within CGI Federal’s Emerging Technologies Practice. With a broad background in research, data science, software development, and technical research and development, Josh spent many years in academia before joining the private sector. In his current role, he manages a team of data scientists, architects, and full stack developers delivering innovative solutions to CGI clients.

He holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics with a focus in computational physics.

Colin Hurd, CEO of Mach, has devoted his career to bringing innovative solutions to equipment manufacturers. In 2022, he led the merger of two top autonomy companies to create Mach, specializing in off-highway solutions for industries such as agriculture, construction, and industrial machinery. Previously, Colin founded Smart Ag, the first retrofit driverless system for tractors, and now co-directs the Ag Startup Engine while advising and serving on boards of AgTech companies.

Terysa Ridgeway is a Computer Science professional, former rocket scientist, and M&A Data Integration Lead at Google, where she drives high-impact technology initiatives. As the best-selling author of the STEM-based book ‘Think Like A Computer’ and creator of a coding robot for young learners, she is dedicated to making tech education accessible. Featured in Forbes, Yahoo, and Black Enterprise, Terysa’s mission is to empower the next generation of innovators through technology and storytelling.

Dr. Johanna Dutton is a Principal at JD’s Advisory, where she provides consulting for healthcare and biotechnology companies. She has a Master’s in Analytical Chemistry and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. After working for over a decade in the pharmaceutical industry and teaching biomanufacturing courses at NC State University, Johanna dipped her toes in the venture scene and hasn’t gotten out of the water yet. She lives in NC with her husband, two kids, two cats and a dog.

Founder, ACV Auctions, Fillmore Farms, Cupule Ventures, One Link Venture Studio.

Operator, Board member, Angel.

Enjoys climbing up rocks, skiing down mountains, naps in the woods and solving world problems.

Josh Fleig is responsible for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the state, while assisting small businesses with access to award-winning programs and services designed to accelerate growth and elevate Louisiana’s standing as a hub for innovation and high-value jobs.

He is an experienced senior executive with over 20 years at the intersections of technology, economic development and education.

Trivia is a serial entrepreneur, researcher, and biotech business professional with 15+ years of experience in adipose biology, regenerative medicine, and management.

Dr. Frazier has over 15 years of training and research experience in the isolation, culture, expansion, and characterization of adherent stromal/stem cells from adipose tissue and bone marrow. She has been in various management positions for the past 7 years. Dr. Frazier completed her undergraduate training in physics and biomedical engineering through a dual degree program between Tulane University and Dillard University, a historically black private university in New Orleans, and her graduate training in the Biomedical Science Program at Tulane University School of Medicine.

Logan Meaux is the Founder of Mallard Bay Outdoors, an Airbnb-type marketplace for outdoor experiences like hunting and fishing trips. Their main goal is to drive bookings for guides, charter captains, and outfitter owners. Prior to his role at Mallard Bay, he spent 3+ years at Waitr, a hyper-growth food delivery startup now listed on the Nasdaq. At Waitr, he held multiple roles, most notably supporting operations as a data intelligence analyst identifying operational inefficiencies. He holds a Business and Finance degree from Louisiana State University.

With 25+ years of experience in medtech, biotech, and pharma, Rachael has led marketing for several top companies, growing their brand awareness and market share through evidence-backed and data-driven efforts. At companies like Kinnos, Angelini Pharma, and Praedicare, her executive leadership guided product development, market research, PR, and enterprise marketing. She now leads a marketing consulting firm and recently cofounded Phase Advance AI, an AI predictive platform identifying the blockbuster drugs of tomorrow, today.

Carleena is the Fonder and CEO of Keepers, building the first fully automated back-of-house operations for short-term rentals, and ultimately an AI-driven fully automated property management company.

Jaci Russo is the Founder/CEO of brandRUSSO, a strategic B2B agency. She is a published author, entrepreneur, sought-after speaker. Jaci is the Founder of Brand State U, Founder of TrainYard Advisors, and co-host of the He Said, She Said, Razor Branding Podcast.

Josh has always been an innovator at heart with a passion for developing products and ideas.

While working in the corporate world, he served as Director of Innovation at KPMG and advisor to their M&A group. When offered the chance to launch a Silicon Valley-based startup, Josh knew he couldn’t turn the opportunity down. However, what the startup built ended up being wrong for the market and it failed.

With that knowledge and experience, along with several successful ventures afterwards, City Innovations was born.

Now, we have a team of innovation experts that have come together to create a process, coupled with proven methodologies and frameworks to help businesses build digital solutions that your customers actually want, faster than anyone in your market.

Collectively, we have influenced, coached, and developed 100s of successful ventures, product launches, and startups across dozens of industries — applying our real-world successes and failures to help businesses validate their venture and align their vision in order to build the right thing, the first time around.

Will has nearly 20 years of experience in the IT industry, specializing in transforming government by implementing digital and citizen-centric services designed to streamline information sharing among stakeholders, increase engagement and enable mission support while reducing regulatory burden. His work also includes interagency and federal/state data exchanges that span domain areas such as e-government, mobile, digital user experience, geographic information systems, advanced data monitoring, data analytics, smart and connected communities, open data and the Internet of Things.

​Ben is co-Founder of Techneaux Technology Services, based in Lafayette, LA. Founded in Ben’s garage in 2010, Techneaux started with a simple mission: to help people succeed. Initially focused on Enterprise SCADA systems, process controls, and automation, the company has grown significantly over the years.
As of 2024, Techneaux employs 160 team members across multiple states, with physical locations in Louisiana and Colorado. The company has expanded its services beyond SCADA and controls to support clients on their data journey during digital transformations. Key offerings now include networking and communications, panel fabrication, IT services, cybersecurity, software development, and more.
Techneaux’s unique business model allows team members to become co-owners. Over the past 15 years, ownership in the company has grown to include 12 LLC members, reflecting the company’s commitment to shared success.