MEET THE SPEAKERS

A Silicon Valley veteran since the dot-com era, Jeremiah Owyang is a venture capitalist, founder, and world-renowned keynote speaker. As a General Partner at Blitzscaling Ventures, he invests in early-stage AI startups built for rapid growth through viral and network effects. Jeremiah is also the founder of Llama Lounge, the premier AI startup event series in San Francisco that connects hundreds of technology leaders, investors, and corporate innovators. A sought-after voice on the global stage, Jeremiah has presented at major conferences including TED AI, Web Summit, and TechCrunch Disrupt, and has delivered custom keynotes for industry titans like Microsoft, Disney, Amazon, Nvidia, and Google. His insights on the future of AI and innovation are frequently featured in top-tier publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Wired.

Rohit Gupta is the Managing Director of Future Communities Capital (FCC). Rohit has led investments since 2018 into startups such as Coupang, Counsyl, SpaceX, Akido, Lyft, Roofr, Groq, and more. FCC looks for technology entrepreneurs focused on disrupting legacy industries such as government, healthcare, finance, supply chain and climate. Rohit holds an MS in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. He completed his BS at the University of Southern California.

Andy is a consultant and policy expert focused on supporting local government innovation and the development of local and regional innovation ecosystems with the Federation of American Scientists. He is a proud native and resident of Buffalo, NY and has written extensively about the role of entrepreneurship in the economic redevelopment of Rust Belt cities.

Blake J. Stanfill is an investor, change agent, strategist, and accomplished leader who is passionate about making positive and long-lasting impacts on institutions, enterprises, and society. Blake also serves as Principal at Okwata Group, a financial services firm that provides outsourced chief investment officer services to impact venture capital, private equity funds, and green banks. He advises seed-stage ventures, providing growth and channel partnership strategy.

Vlad Cazacu is an ex-VC and angel investor with experience across four firms, including Senior Investor at Fuel Venture Capital and Principal at Assure Syndicates, where he managed an 8-figure portfolio and syndicated deals for hundreds of family offices. He's a second-time founder and currently CEO of Flowlie Technologies, an AI-powered fundraising platform for startups.

Amantha Bagdon is the founder and CEO of RxPost, bringing over two decades of frontline pharmacy technician experience to solving drug shortages and medication waste. A vocal advocate for the pharmacy profession, she built RxPost to help pharmacies turn excess inventory into value through a more efficient, sustainable supply chain.

Casey Bolsega has spent over 15 years in marketing, sales, and growth strategy, working in everything from sports to television, with the last eight years spent focusing on growing innovative companies. He has a background in GTM and helping companies scale from $0-$1M in ARR. Casey is now a Sr. Portfolio Manager at the Yorktown Fund powered by Intrepid, where he helps companies build on momentum with non-dilutive capital. He lives in Indianapolis, IN, with his wife and two kids.

With 17 years of SaaS leadership experience, Adam serves as the Chief Revenue Officer at Mallard Bay, where he led the company through a record-breaking year in 2025 and a strategic pivot to become the leader in Outfitter Experience Management. With a proven track record of scaling startups from pre-revenue to multimillion-dollar ARR, Adam specializes in building high-performing teams and driving transformative growth in emerging markets.

Jamil is the founder, CEO of Aucto - a global marketplace for pre-owned industrial equipment.

Matt Wisdom is the Founder of Civilized.ai and the former CEO and CTO of TurboSquid, where he led the company to a $101 million exit through sales to Autodesk and Shutterstock. Throughout his career, Matt has focused on building the Louisiana tech community, co-authoring the state’s Digital Interactive Media incentives and chairing the New Orleans Startup Fund, investing in over 80 regional companies. A Henry Crown Fellow with the Aspen Institute, he has also served on the technology transition teams for two New Orleans mayors. Following the sale of TurboSquid, Matt founded FixNOLA and the Wisdom Foundation to address infrastructure issues, eventually launching Civilized.ai in 2024. He now leads a team of former TurboSquid staff in developing AI tools to help government workers and citizens solve global infrastructure problems.

Jared currently is co-founder & managing partner of Louisiana Impact Fund, which is focused on bringing/keeping companies, jobs and wealth in the state of Louisiana. Prior to founding Louisiana Impact Fund, Jared served as Chief Growth Officer at QCerris, an international technology services firm focused on accelerating the adoption of AI and advanced technology solutions across enterprise and partner ecosystem. As Chief Growth Officer, Jared leads all aspects of revenue, commercial solution development and strategy. Jared also served as Head of Global System Integrator Partnerships for Qualcomm with a charter to accelerate business strategy to address the digital transformation market opportunity. Prior to his role at Qualcomm, Jared spent 23 years at Intel Corporation in various leadership roles including US Director of Global and National System Integrators; Americas Director for Vertical Segments/Solutions of Healthcare/Life Sciences, Federal, State and Local Government, Education, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Energy and Retail Verticals; and Americas Healthcare Industry Director. Jared is an alumnus of The Wharton Business School – University of Pennsylvania.

Anhthu Nguyen is the founder of Ad Astra Group, an organization focused on accelerating the rebuilding of America's industrial base, closing the capital, talent, narrative, and coordination gaps holding it back. She has spent five years investing in frontier tech startups, with a background in building businesses and experience across defense, transportation fintech, e-commerce, and supply chain logistics.

Jeremy Beyt is Co-Founder and CEO at ThreeSixtyEight, a digital creative agency, where he's led strategy and creative for 300+ organizations worldwide. From Raising Cane's and Tomb Raider to nonprofits that have raised millions in donations, 368's nationally award-winning work has been seen by millions and helped build the agency into an AdAge Best Place to Work and AdWeek Fastest Growing Business. When he's not building working, Jeremy enjoys spending time with his family, his drum set, and his mountain bike.

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.

John “Zeke” Ezekiel is a software developer and community organizer in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the current lead of the Acadiana Software Group (ASG). After the community went dormant during COVID, Zeke took on the role of leading the group’s revival, helping bring local developers back together through talks, meetups, and collaboration. Zeke is passionate about building software, strengthening the regional tech community, and creating spaces where developers can learn from one another.

Brandon Brown is a cybersecurity professional and researcher specializing in operational technology (OT) security, network defense, and infrastructure protection. He is an active volunteer in the Louisiana cybersecurity community, supporting professional organizations and industry events that promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and stronger security practices.

Hunter Thevis is the President and Co-Founder of S1 Technology, the leading IT and cybersecurity managed service provider in Lafayette, Louisiana. Holding a degree in ISDS from LSU and an MBA from UL, Hunter leads S1 Technology in helping small businesses thrive through strategic IT support and advanced cybersecurity solutions. He is also the founder of DEFCON Acadiana, a non-profit group dedicated to strengthening the region against cyber threats. A proud Lafayette resident, Hunter is a devoted husband, new father, and avid golfer. His commitment to community and innovation reflects his passion for fostering the Acadiana tech ecosystem.

André Breaux is VP of Policy & Strategic Initiatives for One Acadiana, the regional economic development organization for Acadiana and local chamber of commerce for Lafayette. In this role, André manages governmental affairs and special projects to improve the competitiveness of the Acadiana region as a location for business and talent.