Dustin Lucien is the Chief Operating Officer of Betterment and has been with the company since 2013. Prior to becoming COO, Dustin served as Betterment's Chief Technology Officer, as well as the VP of Engineering. Dustin received his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, as well as his Master’s degree in Biomedical Imaging & Computing.
Dustin Lucien is the Chief Operating Officer of Betterment and has been with the company since 2013. Prior to becoming COO, Dustin served as Betterment's Chief Technology Officer, as well as the VP of Engineering. Dustin received his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, as well as his Master’s degree in Biomedical Imaging & Computing.
You've heard the term. You know the audience as a market segment with huge buying power - but who is Gen Z exactly? More importantly: how do you reach them and build a sustainable relationship with them?
As a follow up to our "Cool vs Conversion" retail event last October, we're now preparing a panel of 4 Gen Z influencers who will discuss multiple aspects of their lives and how they interact with brands today. Whereas our last retail event focused on future technologies and what drives conversion, this event will focus on what you can do today to attract and build a better relationship with your Gen Z customers.
To provide the most information: MITEF members will be allowed to submit questions to us which will be used to develop the topics, questions and core theme of the panel.
After the general panel session, we will divide into 4-5 small breakout groups for 30-45 minutes in which group participants can ask panelists follow up questions based on themes (ie. chat platforms, brand experiences, working with influencers, buyer behavior).
Jared is a world-class connector of people and ideas. He’s worked with NYT Bestselling authors, Olympians, founders of billion dollar brands, Rhodes Scholars, and more. On stage, he not only delivers the lessons he’s learned after studying, interacting with, and befriending hundreds of the world’s smartest and most talented Millennials, but he metaphorically stands shoulder to shoulder with them as he shares their stories and messages.
From speaking at TED@IBM in San Francisco to teaching teens in Turkey, and joking with Japanese high schoolers to sharing stories in South Africa, Jared travels around the world as a highly sought-after keynote speaker for corporations, universities, conferences, and charitable organizations, providing audiences with the stories and insights he’s learned from leading a cohort of some of the world’s smartest and most talented Millennials.
Sure, he’ll motivate and entertain your group, but he prides himself most on leaving engaged listeners with actionable takeaways to improve their businesses, communities, and lives.
Jess is the Executive Director of We Are Family Foundation, founded by legendary music producer and multi-Grammy winner, Nile Rodgers. Nile amplifies musicians, the Foundation amplifies youth - working with 350+ of the worlds most influential innovators, creatives and activists from over 50+ countries, powering their work through innovative content and curriculum, C Suite Mentoring and strategic brand partnerships.
She is also founder of Under the Acacia, her own organization in Kenya that works in tandem with indigenous tribes on sustainable community development.
She has been sought after as a producer and social content expert for TED Conferences and the United Nations and is also the Youth Advisor to Joseph Peter and Al Bayati, the Ambassador to Iraq, who campaigned for the adoption of The International Day of Happiness by the United Nations 193 member nations by consensus with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Kweku and Ndaba Mandela.Â
She has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, CBS Radio, Refinery29 and Paper Magazine named her "Do-Gooder of the Year" in 2008. She speaks at international events including the United Nations and YPO, and is a Mentor through MIT Launch.
In her previous life, she was a Director of Special Events at Vogue Magazine, and produced international fashion shows for influential brands such as Gucci, Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent and more.
Patrick Finnegan is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur who began his career as an 11-year-old political fundraiser, raising funds for President Obama’s first campaign. Three years later in 2011, aged 14, he started his first company, a coupon and social activity startup that directly linked consumers and retailers. By the age of 17, with a second company, ONMSG, already under his belt, Finnegan had dropped out of school and co-founded WorldState, an aggregated news app aimed at a Gen-Z audience. WorldState joined advertiser Widen+Kennedy’s Portland Incubator Experiment program where Finnegan scaled the company into Limitless Times.
Finnegan is one of the youngest venture capitalists and founding managing partner at the fund TGZ Capital alongside names like Cameron Dallas. Here he predicts the future of early stage consumer venture capital by leveraging his extensive online network, pairing them with opportunities in Silicon Valley. Finnegan speaks extensively on Millennials and the future of luxury branding and marketing. In addition, he works with several brands on various initiatives.
Liz Toney is an award-winning brand builder specializing in fashion, brand management and Generation Z. As Dir. Brand and Marketing for Maddie (by Maddie Ziegler) Liz took a brand and community from 0 to 1M through a consumer first approach that involved lab testing, digital engagement and integrated marketing communications. Liz has led marketing programs for Tommy Hilfiger, and consults retailers on how to engage today's fickle teen audience.
Pavan Bahl is an advocate and connector for innovators globally, and has been building technology community since 2011. He founded Open Source Fashion, a business development firm that helps companies grow, communicate, and scale. Open Source Fashion's clients focus on innovations that lend towards fashion, e-commerce, and retail.
During his journey building Open Source Fashion, his team had launched a couple of podcasts. Both podcasts became the world's leading podcasts covering fashion and retail. Charged up on podcasting, Bahl and team launched MouthMedia Network, a media company focused on producing podcasts. The team currently publishes eight weekly shows, with another six or so in development.
The MIT Enterprise Forum of New York City has for forty years supported entrepreneurs in their efforts to start and run technology-driven business ventures.
We do this by delivering world-class business learning events along with opportunities to build relationships with business people who share an interest in innovation and entrepreneurship related to technology, with focus on digital media, information technology, cleantech and bioscience/healthcare.
Topics for these events included monetizing digital offerings, raising capital, cleantech, success stories of founders whose companies now generate $100 million or more, biotech, web advertising, business plan writing and pitching, wireless broadband, intellectual property and hyperlocal news.