Augusta Summit Agenda

We have lots of great sessions in store! Stay tuned as the agenda is being finalized.



Summit Theme: “Open Invitations”

The Augusta Summit theme, Open Invitations, plays off the historic Augusta National "Invitational". We'll kick it off with a pre-summit golf day and invite attendees to face hard questions—how do you invite a city to believe in itself again? How do you rebuild trust in historically excluded communities? How do you balance the legacy of segregation and poverty with a vision of collective prosperity?

Agenda Overview

Here’s a quick look at our Summit agenda! Detailed agenda and speakers coming soon! Times/sessions subject to change.

Tuesday, November 4

  • Golf With Locals (Time is TBA but it will be in the morning)

  • 5:00 PM Opening Reception @ Georgia Cyber Center: Hull McKnight Rooftop

Wednesday, November 5

  • 7 AM - Check-in / Breakfast

  • 8 AM - SCN Basecamp (for first-time Summit attendees)

  • 9 AM - Summit Kick-off

  • 9:30 AM - Welcome to the Augusta Ecosystem

  • 10:15 AM - Ecosystem Building As Emerging Profession w/ Andy Stoll

  • 10:45 AM - How We Scale Ecosystem Building

  • 11:15 AM - Group Photo

  • 11:30 AM - Lunch

  • 12:45 PM - InterCultural Unity w/ Paulo Gregory

  • 2:15 PM - Multi-track Sessions

  • Building bridges between universities, government, and industry to strengthen regional ecosystems through research, commercialization, and partnership.

    2:15 PM: Conversations, Communities, and Catalysts—How the C•CUBE Toolkit is Launching Ecosystem Building Success

    Jim Woodell, Jason Schneider, Amy Beaird, PhD, Mark Lawrence, Kristin Leutz

    3:15 PM: Innovation in Tandem: Universities & Government at Work

    Cameron Cushman, Kendel Rogers

    4:15 PM: University Commercialization, Academic-Industry Relationships, and Cultivating Tech Transfer

    Jennifer Skjellum, Anand Macherla

  • Empowering diverse and emerging founders—students, veterans, and young global leaders—through programs, partnerships, and purpose-driven support.

    2:15 PM: Supporting the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

    Vera Njong, Sheffie Robinson, Yannik McKie

    3:15 PM: Something AMAZING (stay tuned)

    4:15 PM: Growing Young International Leaders through Startup Ecosystems

    Aanu Gopald, Kimberly Edmonds

  • Advancing entrepreneurship through evidence-based approaches, research collaborations, and frameworks that measure and drive ecosystem impact.

    2:15 PM: Research Needs Entrepreneurship for Health Care Improvement

    Andrew Balas

    3:15 PM: Regional University Research Collective

    Jim Starcev

    4:15 PM The Ecosystem Builder’s EDGE: Lead with Clarity, Credibility, and Impact

    Amy Beaird, PhD, Dawn Haynes, MBA

  • Strengthening the practice of ecosystem building—rooted in relationships, collaboration, and access to capital.

    2:15 PM: The ESHIP Way: Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems from the Ground Up—with Relationships First

    Fay Horwitt

    3:15 PM: Something AMAZING (stay tuned)

    4:15 PM: From Capital Desert to Capital Catalysts: A Practitioner’s Roadmap to Investment Ecosystem Building

    Erika Haskins, Devon Horace

  • Hang out at theClubhou.se and get some work done!

  • 5:30 PM - Dinner with Locals

  • 7:00 PM - Afterparty + Entrepreneur Showcase

Thursday, November 6

  • 8:00 AM - Breakfast

  • 9:00 AM - Day 2 Kickoff

  • 9:20 AM - Ideas Worth Championing: Rapid-fire talks from ecosystem builders across the country who will present bold ideas and real-life case studies.

    • What Information Do Entrepreneurs Need? w/ Brian Baik and Kyeema Peart

    • This Ain't a Program: It's a Lifeline! w/ Tanya Morris

    • The Value of Mentors and Mentoring w/ Jeremy Mace

    • Making Local Policy Work for Entrepreneurs w/ Chad Reese

  • 10:00 AM - Break

  • 11:00 AM - Ideas Worth Championing Round 2

    • Public Health and Community Trust-Building

    • How to Work with Technical Folks So Your Startup Can Succeed w/ Dave Mackey

    • Veterans + Milspouses: The Untapped Force for America's Next Wave of Builders w/ Courtney Zaugg

  • 12:00 PM - Lunch around town

  • 2:00 PM - Ecosystem Tours

  • 5:00 PM - Dinner

  • 6:30 PM - Settle in and learn about the Clubhou.se - where our Summit hosts’ ecosystem building journey began

  • 7:00 PM - Roses & Thorns (with Desserts)

Friday, November 7

  • 9:00 AM - Breakfast and special guest

  • 9:30 AM - Federal Policy w/ Congressman Rick Allen, John Dearie, and Eric Parker

  • 10:30 AM - Cracking the code on collaboration: How to co-design policy, programs, and trust with your local government w/ Alice Bosley and Gabriela Scarritt

  • 11:00 AM - America the Entreprenuerial

  • 11:30 AM - Wrap-Up and Announcements

  • 12:00 PM - Lunch

Speakers