• Creativity is not separate from business strategy. It is a driving force behind how brands evolve, connect, and remain relevant.

    This panel from the 2025 Big Dipper Innovation Summit brings together leaders across branding, marketing, and cultural storytelling to examine the role of creativity in shaping modern business and consumer engagement.

    The conversation explores how organizations are reimagining brand identity, building immersive and experiential campaigns, and fostering more authentic collaboration between artists and institutions. It also highlights how creative communities are influencing broader industry trends, with Richmond emerging as a contributor to national conversations around innovation and brand expression.

    As the pace of change accelerates, this session offers insight into how creativity functions not just as expression, but as a strategic advantage.

    FEATURED GUESTS:
    Brian P. Brown, Ph.D. (Moderator), Dean, VCU School of Business


    Kristen Cavallo, Executive Director, The Branch Museum of Design


    Chris Mumford, Chief Marketing Officer, Marketplaces, CoStar Group


    Rita McClenny, President & CEO, Virginia Tourism Corporation


    Ron Carey, CEO, Tilt Creative + Production

  • Success in high-performance environments is not sustained by output alone. It is shaped by the ability to think clearly, recover intentionally, and make disciplined decisions over time.

    This one-on-one conversation from the 2025 Big Dipper Innovation Summit brings together Heidi Nel and former New York Stock Exchange trader Lauren Simmons for a discussion on the connection between mental wellbeing, financial performance, and long-term career sustainability.

    Drawing from experience across Wall Street, professional sports, and entrepreneurship, the conversation explores how mental clarity and recovery practices influence decision-making, risk assessment, and overall performance. It also examines how individuals operating in high-pressure environments can build habits that support both financial outcomes and personal resilience.

    As industries continue to demand more from their leaders and talent, this session offers a grounded perspective on mental fitness as a foundational component of sustained success.

    FEATURED GUESTS:
    Heidi Nel (Interviewer), Chief Operating Officer, New Theory Ventures


    Lauren Simmons, Former NYSE Trader, Author, Producer

  • Women have never had more wealth or more influence over where capital flows, yet the investment world hasn't fully caught up. This panel from the 2025 Big Dipper Innovation Summit brings together investors and founders who are changing who gets funded, who makes investment decisions, and what criteria actually matter. Moderated by Jen Finn (Co-founder and CEO, HIO), the conversation features Heidi Nel (COO, New Theory Ventures), Liz Doerr (Co-Founder and Partner, Sandbox), and Jewel Burks Solomon (Managing Partner, Collab Capital) discussing how they entered investing, what they look for in founders, the difference between angel and venture capital, and why knowing your numbers is the single most important thing a founder can do. Topics include building generational wealth, expanding access to private markets, investing with impact, and practical advice for aspiring angels and founders preparing for their first raise.

    The conversation explores how these founders continue evolving their business models, maintain creativity within increasingly structured operations, and lead with both vision and performance. The panel also addresses the unique pressures and possibilities facing women scaling high-growth companies, from investor dynamics to building leadership teams that can grow with them. 

  • Building a company is one thing. Sustaining a culture of innovation while scaling is another challenge entirely. This all-women founder panel from the 2025 Big Dipper Innovation Summit spotlights entrepreneurs who have navigated the complex journey from early-stage startup to industry leadership, all while staying agile, inventive, and values-driven. 

    The conversation explores how these founders continue evolving their business models, maintain creativity within increasingly structured operations, and lead with both vision and performance. The panel also addresses the unique pressures and possibilities facing women scaling high-growth companies, from investor dynamics to building leadership teams that can grow with them. 

  • Leadership is built on more than strategy. It's rooted in purpose. This fireside conversation from the 2025 Big Dipper Innovation Summit brings together legendary former University of Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett alongside Richmond sports and business voices George Martin and Todd "Parney" Parnell for an intimate discussion on values-based leadership and what it means to lead with intention. 


    The conversation explores the principles that guided Bennett's career, from NCAA championships to his decision to walk away at the height of his success, and how those same principles apply to building teams, organizations, and cultures worth following. Topics include navigating adversity, developing talent, recognizing when it's time for transition, and the power of knowing your "why" in business and in life.

  • Richmond is no longer a region waiting to be discovered. It is stepping confidently into its role as a modern, inclusive, and innovation-ready city. This panel from the 2025 Big Dipper Innovation Summit brings together leaders shaping the strategic direction of the Richmond region across business, government, and economic development. The conversation explores how Greater Richmond is leveraging key assets to attract investment, retain talent, and build a resilient, forward-looking economy. Topics include public-private partnerships, workforce and infrastructure development, inclusive economic strategies, and the region’s growing reputation as a destination for innovation and entrepreneurship.

    FEATURED GUESTS:
    Floyd Miller (Moderator)
    President & CEO, Metropolitan Business League

    Jennifer Wakefield, APR
    President & CEO, Greater Richmond Partnership

    Brian Anderson
    President & CEO, ChamberRVA

    Ebonie Atkins
    Managing Director, Henrico Economic Development Authority

    David Devan
    Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategy, Virginia Economic Development Partnership