Can't Stop Columbus

In a world that feels increasingly divided with so much heaviness in the air lately, I’ve been asking myself, "How can we end this year on a note of real connection?" How can we bridge barriers and build bonds? Instead of letting that weight isolate us, why not gather, share, and lighten it together? That’s why I’m inviting you to join us at Columbus Culture First for an evening of deep, meaningful conversations that reconnect us to our shared humanity. If you’re ready to close out the year with a reminder that you’re not alone in this crazy world, come for some laughter, honest conversation, and a bit of relief. Let’s cap off the year together! Spaces are limited, so don't wait to crush the RSVP button! Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and welcoming new ones as we ask, Where Should We Begin? --- Special thanks to KB Birdsall and our friends at Priority Designs for hosting us in their beautifully transformed space! From strikes to storytelling, this space knows a thing or two about transformation — formerly a bowling alley and now the perfect setting for stories that matter. And Culture Amp as always for sponsoring our ability to supply you with ample amounts of food, desserts, and beverages! --- ?? Have questions? Drop a line in the comments. ?? Are you coming? Repost for your friends to come to! #ColumbusCultureFirst #CultureFirst #Columbus #Ohio #ColumbusOhio Meri Kullberg (Brace), Dani Myers Glynn, Lachandra B. Baker, MBA, CTA, CDP

Two founders whom I admire deeply and have learned from immensely are William Turon and Kai McKinney. Which is why I'm beyond grateful they agreed to share their story and excited to announce that they're joining us for the next Columbus Culture First gathering! It's going to be an eye-opening Culture Conversation, fireside chat-style, with Will and Kai, who recently built and scaled a company to seven-figure revenue — and then decided it was time to move on. They'll share their journey, reflecting on the crucial conversations they had — and the ones they didn't — about roles, vision, and expectations. Interested in joining but thinking, "What should I expect?" ?? ? Plenty of Food and Drinks ? Insights into how transparent communication helps build trust and clarity within a team. ? A candid discussion about how delaying essential conversations can affect company culture and leadership. ? Practical strategies for approaching tough conversations that enhance team dynamics and leadership effectiveness. ? Real examples of the conversations Will and Kai postponed around role definition, expectations, and vision alignment—and how they influenced their startup’s journey. Special thanks to our friends at OhioHealth for graciously hosting us at their new space called,?The Homestead! And Culture Amp as always for keeping us hydrated and fed! ?? Have questions? Drop a line in the comments. ?? Are you coming? Repost for your friends to come to! #ColumbusCultureFirst #CultureFirst #Columbus #Ohio #ColumbusOhio Meri Kullberg (Brace), Dani Myers Glynn, Lachandra B. Baker, MBA, CTA, CDP

If you really knew me, you'd know that I love coffee! (as if that wasn't already obvious in my name) Which is why I'm stoked to announce the next Columbus Culture First gathering: From Bean to Belonging! We're going to bridge the world of coffee to better understand culture. Thankfully, we have a special guest helping us tackle this conversation, Brandon Bir, who travels over 100,000 miles in an average year to visit coffee communities around the globe. He's the Director of Sustainability at Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea and has been gracious enough to host us at their Innovation Lab. Intrigued but thinking, "What should I expect?" ?? ? Caffeine, coffee, and community. ? Adapting to a flexible world of work. ? Starting, scaling, and sustaining subcultures. ? Uncovering the tools to manage a multigenerational workforce. ? Understanding what role technology plays in human connection. ? Discovering if diversity, accessibility, and education are necessary. ? Balancing opposing needs of different stakeholders (employees, customers, investors, company). Join us in leveraging coffee as a catalyst for meaningful conversations around culture, empathy, and sustainability within the workplace! ?? Have questions? Drop a line in the comments. ?? Are you coming? Repost for your friends to come to! #ColumbusCultureFirst #CultureFirst #Columbus #Ohio #Culture #ColumbusOhio

Last Thursday I hopped off a plane ? From Vegas back home to Columbus just in time... To meet the Techstars Columbus Class of 2024 that I'll be mentoring! Why am I so excited about this? My entrepreneurship journey started at The Ohio State University. More specifically, at a dorm room built in 1963. Then, my sophomore year they renovated an old dilapidated room in the basement that was ~300 square feet on a good day. This room became our Innovation Center and we were stoked! Several years later we've seen the birth of many new initiatives come to fruition like: ? The first startup weekend event for OSU students, LaunchpadOSU ? A world-class innovation hub thanks to the $110 million gift by Ratmir Timashev for The Ohio State University Center for Software Innovation ? Upgrading the Innovation Center to now the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship thanks to Tim Keenan's $17 million donation And now to Techstars investing in the soil of the community! These 12 companies have traversed the globe to come to Columbus and some came right from here in the backyard. I can't wait to get to know these 22 founders on a deeper level and I'm grateful to have a front-row seat to watch them make a splash in the ecosystem! From basement to breakthrough ?? Major congrats: Superfan, Blomso, Currents, Seek, Blended Edge, Besample, PlugOp Technologies, Cariqa, Pedal Data, Sentius, Rubato-Life, Aspect Health --- Tim Grace, Shereen Agrawal, Will Matz, Dani Rose, Ryan Lunka, Brian Z., Chris Berry, Warner Moore, Paul Reeder, Tom Rutledge, Gabrielle Rudd, Kai McKinney, Katie Garry, Owen Myers

Get ready for the second annual?Can't Stop Columbus Impact Hack- submit your idea or signup today! Can’t Stop Columbus?Impact?Hack?(a weekend-long virtual hackathon) is taking place this year on April 26-28. We are currently signing up participants and?looking for project submission ideas from local nonprofit, civic, and social?impact?organizations. The Can't Stop Columbus Impact Hack is a great chance for nonprofits already creating impact every day?to get a boost from a weekend's worth of development by skilled volunteers in our community. In past years, Can't Stop Columbus volunteers have?upgraded online communication portals, created maps of community services, made it easier for the community to donate money, made scheduling easier, and more! In the words of Petals that Inspire, LLC founder Amanda Lorenzetti (Greenwood): "I was so grateful to be one of the projects during the Can't Stop Columbus weekend in 2023. As a social enterprise there is great complexity?in our business model as we work to scale both the business and our community impact. It can be quite overwhelming?when looking at the future of my social enterprise and knowing what to tackle first. I was given an amazing team during the weekend to help develop a working module for our workforce development?students. By the end of the weekend the team had created a platform within our existing website where our students could sign up for workshop dates and where we could post announcements and resources. I was blown away with what was accomplished in a weekend and we are so grateful to have a working tool! It was humbling and motivating and I left feeling inspired to keep growing as I know there is such talent in our community that can help support our mission! Thank you CSC for this amazing event and I cannot wait to see the outcomes of the 2024 Projects"?