Exploring the Future of Business, Technology, and Society

DTC brings higher margins but demands constant spend; wholesale offers volume but slower returns. With limited funding, emilia is juggling inventory, marketing, and team capacity — searching for the right sequence to scale both channels without stalling. And that lasts and still lets her show up for her team, customers, and family. MENTOR: Kuda Biza, Serial Entrepreneur & Impact Strategist Built multiple ventures including a $100M+ brand and a $25M exit. Co-founded Nunbelievable, delivering 2M+ meals through purpose-driven business. MENTEE: Emilia Rizzuto, Founder All Things Elderberry Founder of a nationally distributed wellness brand. Grew All Things Elderberry to 18% YoY growth with clean-label products and Midwest roots.

A founder scaling fast after a $2M Kickstarter win is facing the tension between building everything himself and trusting others to carry the load. The biggest expense is AI infrastructure and is looking for insight on how to reduce cost without compromising product integrity. Whats the edge between technical optimization and founder identity? MENTOR: Ian Garrett, CEO & Co-founder of SendTurtle PhD in AI & cybersecurity, ex-Army cyber officer, Techstars alum. Built SendTurtle to rethink secure document sharing — awarded for innovation in data protection. MENTEE: Jonathan Domanus, Founder of CardMill CardMill is a trading card infrastructure platform that raised $2M on Kickstarter with product and technology strategy with deep experience in digital systems and team leadership

With 8 months of hustle and no paying clients yet, Tori is trying to turn reputation into revenue. She’s tested every sales channel—but as a self-proclaimed “non-salesperson,” she needs fresh eyes and creative tactics to land her first deal before the vision stalls. MENTOR: Makena Finger Zannini Founder, The Boutique COO 5x founder, Wharton alum, scaled two 7-figure companies before 30. Now helps SMBs double revenue through backend ops and pricing clarity. MENTEE: Tori Smith, Founder The Welcome Standard Built a concierge service connecting relocated talent to Tampa Bay culture. MBA with deep onboarding expertise, now turning reputation into revenue.