Speakers

• Behailu Tekletsadik Co-founder, Lantern
  

  Behailu Tekletsadik

  Co-founder, Lantern

  Behailu is a co-founder of Lantern, a platform to make investment data and insights more transparent to non-institutional investors. His background is in software and electrical engineering and has worked for LinkedIn, Dialpad, and Applied Materials. Super passionate about building products that scale.

• Christie Marchese Founder, Kinema
  

  Christie Marchese

  Founder, Kinema

  Christie Marchese is the founder and CEO of Kinema, a new social cinema platform that is building a world-wide network of screening hosts, filmmakers, and filmgoers. Under her helm, the company’s ultimate goal is to expand access to engaging film and effectively eliminate theater deserts.

  Prior to launching Kinema, Marchese served as Director of Social Action at Righteous Pictures and led Digital Strategy for the social action team at Participant Media, managing initiatives for Waiting for “Superman”, Food Inc, and The Cove among others. Before moving to a career in impact film, Marchese ran digital strategy for Norman Lear’s nonprofit, Declare Yourself, and spent time at Human Rights Watch and the International Rescue Committee. She has also served as a contributing writer for Mashable and The Huffington Post.

  Previously recognized as one of Business Insider’s 30 Most Creative People in Advertising Under 30, Marchese sits on the Documentary Board at the Paley Center for Media and the advisory board for Filmmakers Without Borders. She currently serves as an Expert in Residence for the IFP Media Center and on The Leadership Council for the Media for Social Impact Summit at the United Nations.

  Marchese holds a BA from SDSU, in both International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) and Comparative Religions, with a concentration in Arabic and the Middle East.

  Prior to launching Picture Motion, Christie served as Director of Social Action at Righteous Pictures and led digital strategy for the social action team at Participant Media, managing campaigns for Waiting for “Superman”, Food Inc, and The Cove among others. Prior to a career in impact film, Christie ran digital strategy for Norman Lear’s nonprofit, Declare Yourself, and spent time at Human Rights Watch and the International Rescue Committee.

  Christie is known as an expert in utilizing film and storytelling to mobilize change, presenting at film festivals and conferences, including Sundance, SXSW and TIFF, and for the Peruvian and Pakistani Governments. She has also served as a contributing writer for Mashable and The Huffington Post. This expertise and experience earned her the title Business Insider’s 30 Most Creative People in Advertising Under 30 in 2014, and has been profiled on IndieWire and NPR. She sits on the Documentary Board at the Paley Center for Media and the advisory board for Filmmakers Without Borders. Christie currently serves as an Expert in Residence for the IFP Media Center and on The Leadership Council for the Media for Social Impact Summit at the United Nations. She holds a BA from SDSU, in both International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) and Comparative Religions, with a concentration in Arabic and the Middle East.

• Josh Durst-Weisman Brand, Carta
  

  Josh Durst-Weisman

  Brand, Carta

  Former TV executive and screenwriter turned tech marketer. Passionate about making engaging, informative content that’s equal parts helpful and entertaining. When not helping businesses improve their equity process at Carta, you can catch me in my Iron Man t-shirt at the movies, bumming around an old comedy club after-hours, or hiking in the hills with my wife and best friend, Leesa.

• Kurt Bonatz Co-founder, Applied General Intelligence
  

  Kurt Bonatz

  Co-founder, Applied General Intelligence

  Kurt spent the first ten years of his career as a CPA/CFE/CISA working for Andersen and Deloitte in Assurance and Risk Management along with being head of Internal Audit for a $1B Public Company. He has spent the rest of his career successfully founding, investing in, and selling businesses in Future of Work, Mobile Media, Manufacturing and Services. He has significant experience in enterprise sales and building high performance teams. He has a BS in Accounting from Clemson University.