Business Analytics

Spring is here. And so are the sniffles. Not from pollen, but from data pipelines, AI hype, and the occasional rogue JSON. ​Join us for a spring edition of Data Berlin: an evening of talks on data and AI, good people, and plenty of networking. As always, free entry, drinks, and a few surprises. **We collect the [RSVP on Luma](https://luma.com/pkad09m9).** ​**Agenda** ​18:30 – Doors open & networking ​19:00 – Welcome remarks ​19:10 – Talk 1 (TBD) ​19:35 – Talk 2 (TBD) ​20:00 – Break ​20:10 – Talk 3 (TBD) ​20:35 – Closing remarks & networking **About our host:** [SumUp](https://www.sumup.com/?utm_source=luma) is a leading global financial technology company with the vision to create a world where everyone can build a thriving business. SumUp supports over 4 million merchants in 36 markets across Europe, the U.S., Latin America and Australia, with tools and services merchants need to start, run, and grow their business, tailor-made for small, micro, and nano segments. ​Committed to leveraging its success to make the world a better place, SumUp has pledged to donate 1% of future net revenues to environmental causes. ​**Want updates or more info?** ​Subscribe to our **newsletter**: [databerlin.substack.com](https://databerlin.substack.com). Follow us on **[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-berlin?utm_source=luma).** Looking for a job? [databerlin.net/jobs](https://databerlin.net/jobs). Join our **[Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/data-brln/shared_invite/zt-2ued0xvdu-aihzi2cKEwD_6_KDRd_1ag?utm_source=luma)**[ community](https://join.slack.com/t/data-brln/shared_invite/zt-2ued0xvdu-aihzi2cKEwD_6_KDRd_1ag?utm_source=luma).

**Hey Berlin Data Folks!** We’re looking forward to our first meetup of the spring on **23rd April**. Our Batch 45 participants have been working hard on their final projects, and they’re ready to share what they’ve built. It’s a casual evening to see some practical AI applications, meet others in the local data community, and chat about new ideas in the field. We’ll also have some pizza and drinks to keep the conversation going. 🍕🍻 **Free to Attend!** **Agenda:** **17:30** \- Drinks and Networking **18:00** \- Welcome & Introduction Followed by Project Presentations **Project Ideas:** **1\. AI/ML – Office Posture Classification** ***Project by Mariami Marsagishvili*** An intelligent desktop application using a computer vision pipeline (TensorFlow/MoveNet) to monitor 17 body keypoints in real time. It calculates joint angles to detect slouching and provides automated stretch recommendations. **2\. RestockVi — Smartphone\-Based Inventory Intelligence** ***Project by Vikhyati Singh*** A novel retail solution utilizing "Rectangular Lattice Gap Detection" (RLGD). This identifies out-of-stock items via smartphone scan without requiring pre-trained product datasets, making high-end inventory AI accessible to independent stores. **3\. Fraud Eye — Intelligent Verification for Insurance** ***Project by Juliya Sebastian*** An advanced verification layer that detects AI-generated or manipulated images in insurance claims. It analyzes pixel-level consistency and physical plausibility (lighting/reflections) to combat sophisticated digital fraud. **4\. MigraineChat — Voice\-First LLM Health Logging** ***Project by Isabella Boux and Maxim Smirnov*** A voice-to-data system that uses an LLM-powered extraction pipeline to transform unstructured speech into structured longitudinal health records, enabling predictive modeling for personal triggers. **19:30** \- Open for networking **20:30** \- Wrap up We have limited seat so please RSVP soon. See you all at the event.

**Veranstaltungsort:** Café Amelie Pappelallee 11 10437 Berlin Nächste **U-Bahn-Station**: U2 Eberswalder Straße (4 Gehminuten) **Start:** 09:10 Uhr **Einlass:** ab 09:00 Uhr Liebe Berliner Unternehmer, wir brechen derzeit alle Besucher-Rekorde bei unseren Meetups im Prenzlauer Berg und hoffen, dass im April auch noch das Wetter mitspielt, damit wir einige der Gespräche ins Freie verlagern können. ;-) Erneut verschlägt es uns in eines der am besten bewerteten Cafés in Berlin: dem Café Amelie im Prenzlauer Berg. Wie auf dem Bild bereits ersichtlich "streckt" sich das Café, was uns eine besonders geeignete Basis für intensiven Austausch zwischen den Teilnehmern ermöglicht. Darüber hinaus gibt es hervorragenden Kaffee sowie Gebäck- und Kuchen-Spezialitäten, vielleicht sogar in einem besonderen Combo-Deal für BNB-Teilnehmer. ;-) Vor Ort gibt es wie gewohnt frische Geschäftskontakte, neue Denkansätze und interessante Kooperationsmöglichkeiten. Wir stoßen dies durch eine moderierte Kontaktrunde an, in der sich jeder Teilnehmer kurz vorstellen (ca. 1 Minute) und anschließend intensiven Austausch mit den anderen Teilnehmern betreiben kann. Bringt bitte nach Möglichkeiten **Visitenkarten** mit, da diese uns das Netzwerken erleichtern. Zu Beginn der Veranstaltung gibt es üblicherweise einen Impulsvortrag. Solltest du Interesse haben, einen Impulsvortrag zu halten, so schreib uns sehr gerne. Weitere Informationen gibt es auch hier: [Impulsvorträge bei BNB](https://netzwerken.berlin/impulsvortraege/) \-\-\- Alle Gründer/StartUps, Freiberufler und Unternehmer/Unternehmensvertreter sind willkommen beim Business MeetUp im Café Amelie im Prenzlauer Berg. Die Teilnahme ist generell kostenlos und NICHT an eine Mitgliedschaft gebunden. Den leckeren Kaffee, Croissants, Kuchen oder was auch immer dich zum Kauf animiert hat, bezahle bitte im Café ;-) Bitte beachten: Unternehmer mit Multi Level Marketing-Geschäftsmodellen schließen wir von unseren Veranstaltungen komplett aus. Weiterhin stehen wir auch allen Arten des Provisionsgeschäfts (Finanz-Optimierer, Immobilienmakler, Versicherungsvertreteter, etc.) extrem kritisch gegenüber und gestatten diesen keine Teilnahme an unseren Events. Solltet ihr der Meinung sein, ihr fallt nicht in diese Kategorie, obwohl ihr in einer der genannten Branchen arbeitet, so sprecht uns bitte im Vorfeld an. Für alle anderen Fragen zum Event stehen wir euch selbstverständlich ebenfalls zur Verfügung. Wir freuen uns darauf, auch dich persönlich kennenzulernen und dir bei der Entwicklung deines Geschäfts zu helfen! P.S.: Es werden mitunter Bilder auf den Events gemacht. Falls du ein riesiges Problem damit hast, auf diesen Bildern zu sehen zu sein, gib uns vor Ort bitte Bescheid.

Hi everyone, Our next CorrelAid Berlin in-person meetup is coming up – this time with a special theme: **Data Journalism** 📰📊 🗓️ When: Thursday, April 23, 2026 🕠 Time: 18:30 \~ 20:00 📍 Where: Café Milagro, Bergmannkiez, Kreuzberg We’ll have a casual chat about how data is used in journalism, look at inspiring examples, and share ideas on how data skills can help tell better stories. Whether you’re already involved in projects or just curious about CorrelAid Berlin and data journalism, you’re very welcome to join – grab a drink, meet others, and exchange ideas. Looking forward to seeing you there! CorrelAid Berlin team 💙

Dear data-loving community, we’re excited to invite you to our next Meetup! This time in collaboration with [Spiced Academy](https://www.spiced-academy.com/en), who will be hosting us at their space. Join us on April 23 in Berlin and bring all your questions! :) **Tom Kaltofen: *"Building Deterministic Context Layers for AI Agents"*** [Tom Kaltofen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomkaltofen/) is an Engineer at [DHL Data & AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dhl-data-ai/) and a Creator at [mloda.ai.](http://mloda.ai.) About his keynote: "Data access and reuse are still unsolved, and AI agents are making it worse. This talk goes deeper into that problem: AI agents depend on reliable context (data, features, intermediate state) to make correct decisions. In practice, this context is tied to specific pipelines or infrastructure, leading to brittle systems when moving from prototype to production. I'll show how a plugin-based approach lets teams build deterministic context layers: separating what you compute from how you compute it, so the same feature definitions work on a laptop and in production. The talk includes a live demo where an AI agent discovers and queries data features programmatically. " **Behnaz Derakhshani: *"What If I Started Today? Rethinking Career Switching in the AI Era"*** [Behnaz Derakhshani](https://www.linkedin.com/in/behnaz-derakhshani-63342775/) works as a Data Engineer at [Diconium](https://diconium.com). She shares her personal career shift from finance to data engineering, including the unfiltered challenges and lessons along the way. About her keynote: "Eight years ago, there was no AI to debug my logic, just documentation and Stack Overflow. Now as a Data Engineer, I’m breaking down the lessons learned from my finance to tech transition and why AI makes this the most exciting (and accessible) time to pivot." ✧ ✧ ✧ **What to expect:** * Two expert talks and Q&A * A welcoming atmosphere with networking opportunities * Some snacks & drinks to fuel your thoughts :) ✧ ✧ ✧ **Timetable:** * 18:30 - Event admission * 18:50 - Welcome & Introduction * 19:00 - Tom Kaltofen: *"Building Deterministic Context Layers for AI Agents"* * 19:30 - 5 minutes break * 19:35 - Behnaz Derakhshani: *"What If I Started Today? Rethinking Career Switching in the AI Era"* * 20:05 - Snacks, Drinks & Networking * 21:30 - End ✧ ✧ ✧ More on the **-> [applydata data engineering meetup page](https://applydata.io/data-engineering-meetup/)**. **Our goal is to form a local data-loving community, so join us and let's talk data together!** ✧ ✧ ✧ *At the event, sound, image and video recordings are created and published for documentation purposes as well as for the presentation of the event in publicly accessible media, on websites and blogs and for presentation on social media. By participating the event, the participant implicitly consents to the aforementioned photo and/or video recordings. Find [more information on data protection here](https://applydata.io/events/information-on-data-protection/).*

**🏆 Win a free ticket to [DASH26](https://dash.datadoghq.com/)!** We’re hosting an on-site raffle where the grand prize is a ticket to Datadog’s annual conference in New York City. \-\-\-\- All talks will be **presented in English**, to ensure that as many people as possible can participate and engage at this event. **If you want to attend, please RSVP to secure your spot - this will make organizing easier. Thank you so much ♥️** **Location:** [The-B Berlin, Revaler Str. 32, 10245 Berlin](https://www.theb-berlin.com/) \-\-\-\-\-\- **🏠 18:00 - Arrival: Networking, Drinks & Snacks (30 min.)** Grab yourself snacks & drinks and say hello to everybody else! **📅 18:30 - Introduction & What's new at Datadog? (15 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Marcel Drechsler, User Group Leader & Product Owner Internal Developer Platform @ **[andsafe](https://andsafe.de)** Introduction into the evening and highlights of Datadog's recent new features and products. **📅 18:45 - Powering Platform Engineering through Datadog (30 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Marcel Drechsler, User Group Leader & Product Owner Internal Developer Platform @ **[andsafe](https://andsafe.de)** In the rapidly changing landscape of Platform Engineering, Datadog has evolved from a monitoring tool into a comprehensive foundation for Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs). This session explores the journey of scaling observability and security into a unified platform strategy that reduces developer friction. We will dive into how Datadog’s expanding ecosystem provides the essential building blocks for modern self-service infrastructure. Attendees will learn how to leverage these integrated features to build a more resilient and transparent developer experience. Discover how to transform your Datadog instance into a strategic asset for your platform’s success. **📅 19:15 - Logs as a First-Class Citizen - How Lightspeed Commerce evolved logs to unlock the full power of Datadog** **(30 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Rein Martha, Staff Software Engineer, Lightspeed Commerce When Lightspeed started with Datadog, we didn't begin with traces or metrics — we began with evolving our logs. Raw, unstructured, and full of noise. The first step was making them worth keeping: trimming duplicates, removing what no one ever read, and transforming what remained into structured, queryable signals. That foundation changed everything. Once logs became first-class — with clean attributes, consistent structure, and a clear purpose for every line — the rest of the observability stack followed naturally. Monitors built on log queries. Dashboards that actually meant something on incidents. Metrics generated directly from log attributes, giving us long-term retention without the cost of keeping everything raw. **📅 19:45 - Best Practices for Alerting with Datadog (30 min.)** **🎙️**Speaker: Santiago Gomez Saez, Datadog ambassador & Principal Cloud Architect @ **[dxone](https://www.dx.one.gmbh/)** Operational excellence is the main objective of SRE teams. Focusing on alerting, this talk shares common pitfalls and best practices on how and when to alert when incidents occur. In addition, we show how to self-heal in some cases requiring no manual intervention. **🥗 20:15 - Drinks, Food & Networking** Enjoy refreshments while networking with community peers! **👋 21:00 - Goodbye, see you next time!**

***This is an inclusive event – all genders are welcome!*** **Women in Technology at Deutsche Bank** are delighted to invite you to a special evening bringing together leaders and experts from across the technology community. The program will offer insights into recent technology achievements in Corporate Banking Technology and celebrate the women behind them. The evening will also feature a fireside chat with senior technology leaders from Deutsche Bank discussing leadership, innovation, and the evolving role of technology in the financial industry. **🗓 Agenda** * **18:30** – Doors open * **18:55** – Welcome & introductions * **19:00 – 19:30** – *The Digital Upgrade from Corporate Banking Technology* by Padmavathi Ravi (Deutsche Bank) * **19:30 – 19:45** – *Wero Payments for the Future of Commerce in Europe* by Hama Kasiri (Deutsche Bank) * **19:45 – 20:15** – Break * **20:15 – 21:00** – Fireside chat **Mary Hynes-Martin** (Head of Strategy for Corporate Bank Technology at Deutsche Bank), **Juliet Parab** (CIO Security Services at Deutsche Bank) * **20:15 – 22:00** – Networking * **22:00** – Doors close

The course will start this Saturday at 10am. It will be in studio R at CCB studios. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/rFovxE7eG7HV6uB46](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rFovxE7eG7HV6uB46). Buzz for CCB studios and then walk through to the second courtyard. We will try to start right around 10. There will be tea available. Please dress in comfortable clothes, maybe wearing a few layers. Theres some blankets, yoga mats, cushions and chairs in the room that you can use. The plan will be for us to do some small discussions at the top and then start discussing theory before doing some meditations of increasing length and then closing with some time for Q & A. We will take a short break in the middle as well. The plan is to go from 10-12 roughly but we may end a little closer to 11:30 depending. This week will function primarily as a simple introduction to meditation and some topics in the space but we will also discuss what the Jhanas are. Looking forward! Any questions please just message me.

Join our in-person meetup on April 24th to hear talks from experts on cutting-edge topics across AI, ML, and computer vision. **[Register to reserve your seat.](https://voxel51.com/events/berlin-ai-ml-and-computer-vision-meetup-april-24-2026)** Space is limited! **Date, Time and Location** Apr 24, 2026 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM [MotionLab](https://motionlab.berlin/) Bouchéstraße 12/Halle 20 12435 Berlin **Kaputt: A Large-Scale Dataset for Visual Defect Detection** We present a novel large-scale dataset for defect detection in a logistics setting. Recent work on industrial anomaly detection has primarily focused on manufacturing scenarios with highly controlled poses and a limited number of object categories. Existing benchmarks like MVTec-AD (Bergmann et al., 2021) and VisA (Zou et al., 2022) have reached saturation, with state-of-the-art methods achieving up to 99.9% AUROC scores. In contrast to manufacturing, anomaly detection in retail logistics faces new challenges, particularly in the diversity and variability of object pose and appearance. Leading anomaly detection methods fall short when applied to this new setting. To bridge this gap, we introduce a new benchmark that overcomes the current limitations of existing datasets. With over 230,000 images (and more than 29,000 defective instances), it is 40 times larger than MVTec and contains more than 48,000 distinct objects. To validate the difficulty of the problem, we conduct an extensive evaluation of multiple state-of-the-art anomaly detection methods, demonstrating that they do not surpass 56.96% AUROC on our dataset. Further qualitative analysis confirms that existing methods struggle to leverage normal samples under heavy pose and appearance variation. With our large-scale dataset, we set a new benchmark and encourage future research towards solving this challenging problem in retail logistics anomaly detection. The dataset is available for download under [https://www.kaputt-dataset.com](https://www.kaputt-dataset.com). *About the Speaker* [Sebastian Höfer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-h%C3%B6fer-891178121/) is an Applied Science Manager at Amazon Fulfillment Technologies & Robotics, leading machine learning and computer vision research for large-scale robotics and warehouse automation. He received his PhD from the Robotics & Biology Lab at TU Berlin, focusing on Sim2Real transfer and robotic perception. His recent work, “Kaputt: A Large-Scale Dataset for Visual Defect Detection” (ICCV 2025) [37], established a major benchmark for industrial anomaly detection, reflecting his expertise at the intersection of academic research and real-world deployment. **Data Foundations for Vision-Language-Action Models** Model architectures get the papers, but data decides whether robots actually work. This talk introduces VLAs from a data-centric perspective: what makes robot datasets fundamentally different from image classification or video understanding, how the field is organizing its data (Open X-Embodiment, LeRobot, RLDS), and what evaluation benchmarks actually measure. We'll examine the unique challenges such as temporal structure, proprioceptive signals, and heterogeneity in embodiment, and discuss why addressing them matters more than the next architectural innovation. *About the Speaker* [Harpreet Sahota](https://www.linkedin.com/in/harpreetsahota204/) is a hacker-in-residence and machine learning engineer with a passion for deep learning and generative AI. He’s got a deep interest in VLMs, Visual Agents, Document AI, and Physical AI. **Most AI Agents Are Broken. Let’s Fix That** AI agents are having a moment, but most of them are little more than fragile prototypes that break under pressure. Together, we’ll explore why so many agentic systems fail in practice, and how to fix that with real engineering principles. In this talk, you’ll learn how to build agents that are modular, observable, and ready for production. If you’re tired of shiny agent demos that don't deliver, this talk is your blueprint for building agents that actually work. *About the Speaker* [Bilge Yücel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilge-yucel/) is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at deepset, helping developers build agentic AI apps with Haystack. Passionate about AI, she makes complex concepts approachable through hands-on tutorials, both online and at real-life events. **Operationalizing Computer Vision for Overhead Lines: Beyond the Demo** At first glance, visual inspection of high-voltage power lines seems straightforward: collect imagery, run one or two AI models, and report the findings. In practice, moving beyond a proof of concept reveals a range of issues that can make or break a campaign. Common concerns include data quality and coverage, scarcity of the most relevant cases and abundance everywhere else, variations in pylon geometry and asset types across regions, calibration and GIS alignment challenges, and a long tail of edge cases that emerge in real-world operations. This talk introduces Siemens Energy’s end-to-end overhead line inspection solution and shares key learnings from inspecting more than 10,000 km of power lines for real customers across several continents. We will show how raw 2D/3D data is transformed into structured information, delivering insights into asset inventory as well as defects, and supporting maintenance and planning decisions for critical infrastructure. The focus is on the combination of algorithmic building blocks and scalable processing, designed for robustness and consistency at scale, where even low error rates can become operationally significant. *About the Speaker* [Stefan Wakolbinger](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-wakolbinger-aa0ba874/) is the Development Team Lead for AI & Analytics at SIEAERO, Siemens Energy's digital powerline inspection service. He leads the development of cutting-edge AI and analytics solutions that transform aerial powerline inspection through multi-sensor technology. His team creates digital twins of powerline infrastructure, automates fault detection, and monitors vegetation management—making powerline inspection safer, more precise, and more efficient. Stefan has been driving innovation in this role since September 2022. **Search your video library like a database** Drop in YouTube URLs or upload files and query content four ways: exact keyword matching, semantic search across transcripts, visual scene search via SigLIP2, and LLM-generated answers that synthesise across segments. [Paras Mehta](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmehtaeu/) is a Berlin-based AI engineer and CTO/co-founder of Sylby, a language learning app he built from scratch, reaching 10,000 users and raising €350K. Previously: data scientist at Motionlogic, senior software engineer at Volkswagen, a PhD from Freie Universität Berlin, and a visiting stint at Cambridge. He now works as an AI engineer at HPI's AI Service Centre.

Welcome to Sunday Tech Coffee. This is a **networking** event for those in the tech industry in Berlin. We are usually inside and to the right. Ask the barista/bartender if you can't find us.

Moving to Discord to **keep the community and events free and accessible** for everyone. All details & future updates can be found here: [https://discord.gg/6cKgFKXY4f](https://discord.gg/6cKgFKXY4f)

**Zwischen Klarheit und Empathie: Die Kunst der Bewertungsrede** Feedback geben – das passiert nicht nur auf der Bühne. Im Job, im Team, im Alltag: Wer klar und einfühlsam kommunizieren kann, hinterlässt Eindruck. Aber wie kritisiert man, ohne zu verletzen – und lobt, ohne zu schmeicheln? In diesem praxisnahen Workshop zeigt uns **Gabi Brähler**, langjährige Meisterrednerin, wie konstruktives Feedback wirklich funktioniert. Kommt mit euren Fragen, macht euch Notizen – und geht mit konkreten Werkzeugen nach Hause, die ihr sofort einsetzen könnt. ✍️ 📍 **Wo und wann?** Im Clubraum in der Trinitatis Gemeinde (1. OG Hinterhaus – durch den Hof). Unsere Treffen folgen einem klaren, motivierenden Ablauf, der dir Sicherheit und Raum zum Ausprobieren gibt. 📌 **Neugierig geworden?** Dann schau vorbei – wir freuen uns auf dich! Mehr Infos findest du in unserem Linktree (https://linktr.ee/meisterredner)

The annual Hausmesse at Passburg is always a fun event combining wine tasting in the presence of the wine growers while enjoying a snack buffet with freshly baked bread and live music. In good weather, the sunny terrace and front garden will be open for a fully enjoyable Saturday afternoon. Advance ticket €15. Day ticket €20. https://www.paasburg.de/wein-events/

A small NEXUS gathering built around movement and natural conversation. **Important!** We’re moving our full event schedule to our website. 👉 For all upcoming events and details, visit: [https://nexuswerkstatt.com](https://nexuswerkstatt.com)

You have heard about AI. You know it can benefit your business. \- Can it save you time? \- Respond to customers faster? \- Allow you to take extra profits? Each meetup will break down 1-2 real example scenarios of how AI implementation can relieve stress or even push you further towards your goals. Free. No hype. Just discussing how AI can be implemented in your small business. Location will be around Gahanna. TBD

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn from each other, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas ***NOTE:*** Pre-registration is required for this event. **Please arrive 10 minutes early** to check in at the security desk.

The May Ohio North Database Training user group meeting will be held on **May 5th, 2026 at 5:00PM**. This will be a **HYBRID** event and we will be joined in person by **Sam Nasr.** You're welcome to come meet in-person at our meeting location, the offices of Improving at **[6000 Freedom Square Dr,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** **[Unit 110,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** **[Independence, OH 44131](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** [Teams Link ](https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/287759659366576?p=kCaammjECnUCvZzEJv)if anyone needs it after RSVP-ing for in person. If you would like to subscribe to our email list outside of Meetup, we have changed platforms recently and you will need to register [here in Kit ](https://ohio-north-data-training.kit.com/b8f036f615)instead to receive emails. Agenda: **5:00 PM EST**: Online and in-person meeting begins with a social hour. This is an unstructured hour where you can join us to catch up and meet other group members before the session starts. There will be food brought in for in-person attendees. **6:00 PM EST**: Elections, announcements, followed by our feature presentation. See below for presentation details. **7:30 PM EST**: Optionally after the main presentations, the in-person crowd may go out for snacks and drinks at a local establishment. We hope to see you there! Session Abstract ### Data Cleansing using Data Bricks Machine Learning is highly dependent on adequate data. Not only does quantity matter, but more importantly quality. In this session we’ll cover how to build a custom automated process using Data Bricks. This will provide methods for cleaning data in a data lake using functions in Azure. \*Please note, that we will be using Microsoft Teams for the online portion of this meeting. You may want to join a few minutes early to ensure you do not have any issues. If you are attending in person, there are large TVs at the office, and you do not need to bring a laptop or use Teams.

**A Transformative Half-Day Event** Welcome to Confidence Lab, the ultimate experience designed to help you step into your most confident self. This half-day event is packed with actionable strategies, inspiring sessions, and opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals who are ready to invest in their personal and professional growth. Whether you’re looking to advance in your career, deepen your self-belief, or simply embrace new challenges, Confidence Lab is your starting point. **What You’ll Experience** **Your Confidence Lab ticket includes:** * **Engaging Speaker Sessions**: Learn from experts about harnessing confidence in your career, relationships, and everyday life. * **Interactive Experiences:** Participate in dynamic activities designed to help you step into your most confident self. * **In-Depth Audience Q&A:** Get direct insights from speakers as they answer your most pressing questions about building confidence and stepping into leadership. * **Networking Opportunities**: Connect with a supportive community of professionals and confidence enthusiasts. **2026 Speaker Sessions:** * **Seeing Clearly** Understand how you show up - and what’s been getting in the way. * **Confidence in Relationship** Communicate, navigate conflict, and build trust more effectively. * **Sustainable Agency** Learn how to lead without burning out. Your energy is part of the strategy. * **Confidence in Service** Align how you show up with the impact you actually want to have. **This Is For You If…** * You’re ready to take up more space in your work or life * You want to communicate with clarity and confidence * You’re stepping into (or preparing for) leadership * You’re done second-guessing yourself **Our Speakers** **Lachandra Baker** Founder of LBB Edutainment and the kind of person who makes you realize you’ve been confusing confidence with performance your whole life. Lachandra blends psychology, research, and radical humanity to help individuals and teams stop code-switching their way through the day and start showing up as someone they actually recognize. Expect to be challenged, affirmed, and genuinely seen - sometimes all in the same breath. **Annette Santiago Reyes** Annette has a rare talent: she makes the way you communicate feel like a discovery, not a critique. A connection catalyst and culture strategist, she helps people understand why they show up the way they do, and how to bridge the gap between intention and impact. Whether you're navigating change, life’s challenges, or simply trying to better understand yourself and others. Annette gives you the language and the lens to get there. **Elizabeth Wangugi** Creator of The Nap Concert and the RESTOR™ framework, Elizabeth is here to tell you that rest is not a reward - it’s a strategy. Rooted in neuroscience and restorative practice, her work helps high-achievers stop running on fumes and start leading from a place of actual capacity. If your calendar is full and your tank is empty, Elizabeth might be the most important person you hear from at Confidence Lab. **Stephanie Andrews** Founder of Social Black Butterfly Training & Consulting, Stephanie knows what it takes to lead through complexity because she’s done it across social services, healthcare, and operations. She specializes in succession strategy and leadership development, equipping leaders to build trust, navigate the hard moments, and leave something worth inheriting. Stephanie doesn’t just develop leaders. She develops the kind of leaders people actually want to follow. **Lillian Morales-Laster** SVP Human Resources Director at United Midwest Savings Bank and Executive Director of the Empowering Latinas Leadership Academy (ELLA). Lillian has spent her career combining her passion for equity and inclusion with her experience in human resources to lead teams and organizations in the development of supportive work environments. She leads with a vision of ensuring Latinas' voices are included in crucial decision-making processes, because for Lillian, ELLA is more than just a program. It's a vibrant community of hermanas supporting and uplifting each other as they navigate their paths to leadership. A Columbus Business First Community Champion and Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan, her commitment to empowering others shows up everywhere she goes. **Rachyl Kershaw** Founder of Greater Columbus Consulting and the architect behind the Confidence Lab Annual Summit, Rachyl has a gift for cutting through the noise, helping high-achievers stop performing success and start living it. She asks the questions most people are afraid to, creates space for honest reckoning, and somehow makes the hard work feel energizing. If you’ve ever wondered why doing everything right still feels like something’s missing, you’re in exactly the right room. **Why Confidence Lab?** Confidence is the foundation for success in every area of life. Whether you’re navigating a career change, launching a business, or striving for personal growth, building your confidence is the key to unlocking your higher purpose. This is your chance to invest in yourself and start living boldly. **Join Us on May 4** Confidence Lab is more than just an event - it’s a movement. Step into your power, embrace your potential, and make this the year you thrive. Secure your spot today and take the first step toward a more confident YOU. Cost should never be a barrier to growth. If you'd like to request a complimentary community ticket, reach out to us at [hello@confidencelab.org](hello@confidencelab.org), no explanation needed. Read more and see additional ticketing options at [https://confidencelab.org/](https://confidencelab.org/)

Have a small business? Ever wish you could just ask some questions around how to grow your business, get more customers or just know what the freak you are doing with sales? Now is your chance!! Every month we are hosting the "Ask an Expert" at the Columbus Metro Library, Main campus. I will be there to answer your Sales related questions. Drop-in for sales coaching designed to help small business owners, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals sharpen their sales approach. Whether you have questions on how to refine your pitch, are looking to close deals more quickly, or are working on building better client relationships, Smashing Your Sales Goals Coaches are here to help. Drop-in to get expert insights, actionable strategies and real-time solutions to grow your business and generate higher profits. Drop-In Sales Coaching is FREE + OPEN to the public. No appointment needed. First come, first served. EPIC Learning created. Accelerate Columbus supported.