THE SHIFT
Where insight turns into direction and decisions get sharper.
What leaders do next becomes clearer by the end of the day.
Thursday, May 14
*Schedule subject to change
8:00 AM – Doors Open
Bold Brew and Books
Main Street Station
Bold Brew and Books is your space to recharge between sessions. Grab coffee, refreshments, and a moment to relax alongside fellow attendees. Featured speakers will have opportunities to sign books during select meet-and-greet sessions.
9:00 AM
Welcome Remarks
Main Street Station
9:05 AM to 9:35 AM
Innovators Showcase
Bringing Ideas to Life
Main Street Station
Founders Interview
The Shift begins with the work of translation. Ideas becoming companies. Research becoming revenue. Founders connected to VCU TechTransfer and Ventures take the stage to share the idea, the problem, and the ask. This is how Day 3 opens, not with the institutions funding the work, but with the builders turning it into something the market can use
Why This Room Matters:
Meet the founders commercializing research out of one of Virginia's leading research institutions
Spot breakthroughs moving from the lab into the market before the broader field catches on
Set the tone for a day focused on how insight turns into direction
Moderator:
Thomasine Isler, Innovation and Industry Engagement Manager, VCU TechTransfer and Ventures
Featured Guest:
Mark Lambert, Co-Founder and COO, Lighthouse XR
Steen Nissen, CEO, BioRE-Element Technologies
Gerard Eldering, CEO, Perfusion Medical
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
AI at Work
From the Data Center to the Front Line
Main Street Station
Panel Discussion
The infrastructure exists. The question is what organizations are doing with it. This session looks at how AI is moving from pilot to production, where implementation is complex, and the stakes are high.
Why This Room Matters:
See how AI is being implemented across sectors, not just tested
Understand the decisions around talent, infrastructure, and risk that shape outcomes
Walk away with a clearer view of how organizations move from experimentation to real use
Moderator:
Cathie J. Vick, Market Development & Policy Global Infrastructure and Energy, Google
Featured Guests:
Darrell Norton, Partner, CapTech Consulting
Kelli E. Palmer, Ph.D., Founder & Principal, IDEA Minds Consulting
Aaron Montgomery, CEO & Co-founder, Henry
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Shift
Technology, Work & What's Actually Coming
Main Street Station
Fireside Chat
Technology is changing everything. The nature of work. The structure of media. The definition of identity. Kevin Roose has spent his career at the intersection of all of it, not just covering artificial intelligence but examining the full scope of what happens when the systems and assumptions we have built our lives and businesses around stop working the way they used to. This conversation is not about hype or doom. It is about what is actually happening, what is coming next, and what the leaders, founders, and builders in this room need to understand to stay ahead of it.
Why This Room Matters:
Get a clear-eyed view of where AI is actually taking the economy, the workforce, and the organizations you lead or build
Understand the decisions you need to make now to stay ahead of a shift that is already in motion
Leave with a framework for navigating what comes next, grounded in reporting and analysis from inside the story
Moderator:
Kristin Richardson, Founder and CEO, Sherah
Featured Guest:
Kevin Roose, Technology Columnist, The New York Times
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
Lunch + Networking
Main Street Station
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
The Affordability Equation
What It Takes to Build for Everyone
Main Street Station
Panel Discussion
Large-scale development doesn’t happen quickly, and it rarely happens without the right mix of capital, timing, and relationships.
This session looks at how major projects actually get done: how deals are structured, how developers are reading today’s market, and how they decide when (and where) to go big.
Why This Room Matters:
Understand how large-scale projects come together, from capital to partnerships
Hear how developers are reading the market and placing bets
Walk away with a clearer view of how development shapes long-term growth
Moderator:
Brian D. Anderson, President and CEO, ChamberRVA
Featured Guests:
Jair Lynch, President and CEO, Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners
Eric Robison, President, Capital Markets, Thalhimer
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
The Rate of Change
Fintech & the Future of Money
Main Street Station
Panel Discussion
Financial systems are changing faster than the institutions designed to govern them. From peer-to-peer lending and embedded finance to digital currency and the infrastructure behind how money moves, the conversation has shifted from theoretical to operational. Decisions being made right now by founders, capital allocators, and regulators are shaping who has access, how value flows, and what the next decade of financial services actually looks like. This panel brings the founders building that future into direct conversation about what they are seeing, where the friction is, and what is coming next.
Why This Room Matters:
Hear how fintech is reshaping access, infrastructure, and the future of money
Understand where digital currency and embedded finance are gaining traction, and where they are not
Walk away with a clearer view of how to think about building and investing in this space
Moderator:
Noopur Garg, Director –Governance, Assistant Corporate Secretary and Managing Counsel, Dominion Energy
Featured Guests:
Rodney Williams, Co-Founder, Chairman & President, SoLo Funds
Travis Holoway, Co-Founder & CEO, SoLo Funds
Mike Lempner, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Mission Lane
Shannon Allmon, CPO and General Manager, Allmon Advisors
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Close to the Ground
Community Capital, Compounding Networks & the Economics of Proximity
Main Street Station
Fireside Chat
Some of the most valuable capital does not show up on a balance sheet. It is the trust, the network, and the community credibility that take years to build and cannot be bought, borrowed, or shortcut.
This conversation looks at what it means to build with, not just for, the people and places that shaped you, and why that proximity has become a durable competitive edge. Community is not where the work begins. It is where the most durable value gets built.
Why This Room Matters:
Understand how community networks compound into real economic and political capital
Hear why proximity to the people you serve is a strategic asset, not a sentimental one
Walk away with a sharper view of what community-rooted building actually unlocks
Moderator:
Don Scott, 88th District – City of Portsmouth – Speaker of the House
Featured Guest:
Wallo267, New York Times Bestselling Author, Cultural Advisor at YouTube
Summit Close
Main Street Station
EXTENDED PLAY
The BDIS26 Summit Block Party
Belleville Street between W Moore St and Norfolk St in Scott’s Addition
Headlined by The Main Squeeze with Hot Like Mars
Open to the public
Jonathan Paige Brown Jr. and Isaac Friend | Vasen Brewing - Scott's Addition
Open to the public
Ant The Symbol & Friends | Common House Rooftop
Rebuild the Algorithm | Bingo Beer Co.
Featuring Mia Broadberry, Sir Rome, and Ronnie Luxe
Open to the public
See the full Extend Play schedule