Consulting Groups Los Angeles

Prediction Markets: Beyond the Bet

Prediction markets allow people to trade on whether a future event will happen, from election outcomes and interest rate decisions to economic indicators and business events. While prediction markets have been around for years, they’re rapidly evolving beyond betting and speculation. Growing participation, new technology, regulatory changes, and the rise of AI are expanding their potential uses for forecasting, risk management, financial products, data, and decision making. Maria Cannizzo, Founder & CEO of Kelvon, will break down how prediction markets work, what’s driving their growth, who’s participating, and where the industry is headed. She’ll also explore the challenges created by a market that is currently fragmented across different platforms, contracts, terminology, and settlement rules — and how new infrastructure is being built to help businesses reliably tap into prediction market data and intelligence. Whether you already follow prediction markets or are simply wondering what all the buzz is about, this conversation will offer an accessible look at this emerging financial and technology ecosystem and why its potential may extend well beyond the bet. **About Maria Cannizzo** Maria Cannizzo is the Founder and CEO of Kelvon, an intelligent infrastructure and data platform for event and prediction markets. She has spent more than 15 years building enterprise financial technology at both large corporations and early-stage startups, with experience developing and scaling global FinTech infrastructure across traditional finance and digital assets. Today, she is building Kelvon for a future where event markets are embedded across financial products, AI systems, data platforms, and enterprise applications. **Networking** Come early to connect with fellow founders, technologists, creatives, and community members. Friday Coffee Meetup is as much about the people in the room as it is about the conversation on stage. FoundrSpace Coworking: 87 North Raymond Avenue · Pasadena, CA Street parking is available and there is a Public Parking lot 1 block north of the building. Accessibility: FoundrSpace is located in a historical building without elevator access. If you require assistance, please email pasadena@foundrspace.com and admin@innovatepasadena.org by September 25th.

Smerconish Mingle Meetup

If you feel politically stuck in the middle between clowns to the left and jokers to the right, you’ve found the perfect Meetup group to join! Inspired by Michael Smerconish’s The Mingle Project, we meet to discuss hot topics and news events and welcome people with different points of view. If you’re an independent thinker and want to join a conversation with people of diverse views, then you’ve found the right place.

Networking with Professionals in a multitude of industries!

Networking with Professionals

DAVID BYRNE IN CONVERSATION

This event will definitely sell out asap. An Evening with David Byrne discussing his book: *Sleeping Beauties: why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up.* **When:** Tuesday October 13 **Time:** Starts at 8:00 PM - meet earlier to get good seats **Where:** Robert Frost Theater (Culver City High School) 4401 Elenda St Culver City CA [BUY TICKETS ](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-david-byrne-tickets-1998616751505?aff=ebdssbdestsearch) **BE CAREFUL NOT TO BUY VIRTUAL TICKETS WHICH IS ON OCT 20.** ### **Elenda Street has permit parking with restricted hours. To avoid citations, free self-parking is available in one of the three designated parking lots:​** 1. ​Middle school parking lot, at the corner of Elenda and Farragut 2. Culver City High School Huron back parking lot off Braddock and Huron 3. Culver City Student parking lot, off of Harter

Mailbox Power Users: Are You Maximizing Your Account?

**Dive deep into your Mailbox Power account and unlock all the hidden perks you didn’t know you had!** ## **[ATTEND LIVE IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL ON ZOOM](https://mailboxmarketingworkshop.com)** **Join us in-person (limited seating) or live on Zoom.** **Date & Time: Saturday, October 03, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Pacific Time)** **You already have the tool, now let’s help you actually use it to grow your business.** **[Click HERE and join us for a FREE Mailbox Power Success Workshop](https://mailboxmarketingworkshop.com) designed to help you connect with customers, stay top of mind, and create more opportunities.** **Bring:** * **Your computer** * **Your questions** * **Your first 10 contacts** **We’ll start with those 10 contacts and walk through the system together. We’ll have educators available live and on Zoom to help answer your questions and guide you through the process.** **Whether you’re brand new or have had an account for years, this workshop is all about helping you get more value from the platform. Come learn, ask questions, and take action!** **Let’s turn your contacts into customers.** **[REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND](https://mailboxmarketingworkshop.com)!**

French Conversational Class

French Conversation in Pasadena is a relaxed group for adults who want to become comfortable actually communicating in French — even when they don’t know every word. Our philosophy is very simple: Don’t stop because you don’t know the perfect word. Find another way to say it. Keep talking. Communicate. This is almost the opposite of the traditional language-class mentality where people become afraid to speak until they know exactly how to construct the sentence. Here, we want you to jump in. Use the French you already have. Make mistakes. Describe the word you don’t know. Use another expression. Ask a question. Gesture if you need to. Find your way around the problem and get your point across. That ability is one of the most important skills in actually speaking another language. If you forget the French word for “umbrella,” for example, the conversation doesn’t have to stop. You can say: “The thing you use when it rains…” And suddenly, you’re still communicating in French. That’s what we practice. THIS IS ABOUT COMMUNICATION, NOT PERFECTION You are absolutely allowed to make mistakes. In fact, mistakes are expected. The objective is not to create a perfect sentence in your head before opening your mouth. The objective is to develop the confidence and spontaneity to use whatever French you know at that moment. We work on learning how to think around a missing word instead of freezing because of it. Over time, something important happens: you stop translating every sentence in your head and start finding ways to communicate directly in French. That is where real confidence begins. NOT A TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR CLASS We are not sitting around doing two hours of worksheets or correcting every sentence somebody says. Of course, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation matter, and we work on them naturally during the class. But communication comes first. A sentence that isn’t grammatically perfect but is understood is far more useful than the perfect sentence you were too afraid to say. WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY DO? The sessions are built around conversation, listening, improvisation, pronunciation, vocabulary, role-playing, games and real-life situations. We might talk about: Travel, food, relationships, work, French culture, movies, everyday life, current topics or simply what happened during your week. We also practice situations such as ordering in a restaurant, shopping at a French market, meeting someone for the first time, asking questions, telling a story, describing something when you don’t know its name, or expressing an opinion. We use conversation games and exercises specifically designed to make you react and speak spontaneously instead of preparing every sentence beforehand. You’ll also learn the French people actually use — everyday expressions, informal vocabulary and phrases that often never appear in traditional textbooks. ALL LEVELS ARE WELCOME You do not need to speak perfect French. You don’t even need to feel “ready.” If you studied French before but freeze as soon as someone starts speaking to you, this group is particularly designed for you. Beginners can learn to communicate with the vocabulary they already have. Intermediate speakers can become much more spontaneous. Advanced speakers can keep practicing and developing natural conversation skills. Everyone participates at their own level. A RELAXED ENVIRONMENT Classes take place inside a French restaurant in Pasadena, in a small and friendly group. The atmosphere is deliberately relaxed. Nobody is being tested. Nobody is expected to perform. Nobody is going to stop you every five seconds because you used the wrong tense. The purpose is to create a place where speaking French becomes normal — and where you slowly lose the fear of making mistakes. The group is led by a native French speaker, born and raised on the French Riviera, with a background in acting and performance. That background influences the class heavily: language is treated as communication, reaction, listening and expression, not simply memorization. 2-hour conversation sessions — $50 per person. If you want to stop worrying about whether your French is perfect and start becoming someone who can actually communicate with it, this is the group. Speak first. Make mistakes. Find another way. Be understood. Keep going. That’s how you become comfortable speaking French.

Mid-Autumn Moon Celebration @ Huntington Library (San Marino)

Join me for a beautiful evening at **The Huntington's spectacular Chinese Garden (Liu Fang Yuan)** as we celebrate the **Mid-Autumn Moon Festival**, one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture! 🌕🏮 We'll **meet at 6 PM** before heading into the special evening celebration at 6:30 PM. 🌕 What is the Mid-Autumn Festival? The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when the moon is believed to be at its fullest and brightest. The festival has a long history dating back more than 2,000 years and is centered around themes of family reunion, togetherness, gratitude, and wishing for happiness and prosperity. One of the most beloved traditions is sharing mooncakes, a round pastry symbolizing completeness and family unity. Families traditionally gather together, admire the full moon, enjoy food and tea, and spend time with loved ones. 🏮 What makes this event special? The Huntington transforms its stunning Chinese Garden into a magical nighttime setting for the celebration. We'll have the opportunity to stroll through the moonlit garden, enjoy the beautiful scenery and atmosphere, and experience the Mid-Autumn Festival in a unique cultural setting. The combination of Chinese architecture, ponds, gardens, lanterns, the evening moon, and the festival atmosphere makes this a particularly beautiful experience—and a great opportunity for photos! 📸🌕 This should be a fun and relaxed evening whether you're familiar with Chinese culture or experiencing the Moon Festival for the first time. 🎟️ Tickets **Everyone is responsible for purchasing their own ticket.** Tickets are expected to be released by The Huntington in early September and may be limited, so please keep an eye on the official event page. Once tickets become available, we'll update the Meetup event with the ticket information. Please do not wait until the last minute if you want to attend. 📍 **Meeting Location** The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108 We'll meet at 6 PM and enter together for the 6:30 PM event. Come join me for a unique cultural experience, beautiful gardens, moonlight, lanterns, and a little taste of one of the most celebrated traditions of East Asia! 🌕🏮🥮 Hope to see you there!

🇧🇦 A–Z Dining Adventure: B is for Bosnia!

Rise & Grow with BNI Early Bird Business Growers

Join BNI Early Bird Business Growers for a dynamic and informative event focused on mastering small business marketing strategies. This dynamic and engaging **IN-PERSON event** is built for **entrepreneurs, small business owners, and professionals** who want to grow their business through powerful relationships and high-quality referrals. ✨ Whether you're launching a new business or scaling an existing one, this is your chance to: * Expand your network with like-minded professionals * Showcase your business in front of potential referral partners * Learn how referral marketing can take your business to lightspeed 🚀 **RSVP now and join us Thursday! Bring a guest (or 2) with you 😉** [--> CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE REGISTRATION <--](https://socalbni.com/en-US/visitorregistration?chapterId=40122) We’re especially looking to connect with professionals in these industries: * **Legal:** Family Law, Elder, Business, or Real Estate Attorneys * **Home Services:** Electricians, Plumbers, HVAC * **Real Estate & Finance:** Property Management, Payroll, Human Resources * **Health & Wellness:** Chiropractors, Fitness Trainers, Estheticians, Acupuncturist * **Creative Services:** Graphic Designers, Event Planners, Coaches, Photographers Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your network, gain valuable knowledge with our dynamic members, and connect with other professionals in an IN-PERSON setting.

AI, Art & Vibecoding - StrangeNew.World @ 310 Coffee

We frame ourselves as **"a support group for the technological singularity"** and we are an eclectic mix of open-minded thinkers, artists, and tinkerers who believe in embracing the emerging technologies and capabilities in the most humanitarian way possible. Our meetings have a super casual and open atmosphere where all are welcome to contribute. Feel free to come late or leave early. So whether you're an AI enthusiast or skeptic, a creative professional already using AI on the daily, or someone just starting their first vibe coding project, this group may be for you! **NOW NEW & IMPROVED** We are doing "Hack-a-salons" after every meeting (starting at 5pm) now that 310 Coffee is staying open later. So please bring your laptops or art projects, or works in progress that you have questions on or want to present to the group. No podiums... only passion projects, good people and great vibes! ☺️ **What to Expect** Interesting conversations, relevant content, and educational resources. We are a diverse community of people who want to help each other and the world around us. We meet in person once a week at **310 Coffee in Culver City from 3-5pm**, we share our work and interesting news in our Whatsapp group, put on remote Learning Labs, go to events together, and encourage our members (who have the availability) to participate in a learning collective where we can volunteer to give each other one-on-one crash courses in various artistic, technical, and entrepreneurial disciplines. Here is a list of what we can teach: [https://strangenew.world/labs/what-we-know](https://strangenew.world/labs/what-we-know) We also encourage each of our members to take on a Passion Project, which could be as simple as getting up and running with a new artistic medium or project, or as complex as laying the groundwork for your dream business or career. We believe there has never been a better time (at least in OUR lifetimes) to set your sights on what your ideal life would be two years from now and then just start moving toward it. And maybe we can help you do that by giving you the hand-holding you need to get over that first hump, which can sometimes be the most difficult part. **How to Give Back** If you are a member looking to give back, or if you like what our organization is doing, then please follow, subscribe, rate us, and smash that like! 🤣 I know it seems silly to many of you, but in the attention economy, just the act of following us, liking our posts, and reviewing our events can make a huge difference in how the algorithm shines upon us. Also, if you would like to support us in a more direct way, please consider giving us a one-time donation, subscribing to one of our tiers, or sponsoring us. We pay for a lot of stuff out of pocket, so please consider becoming a patron to support the overall longevity of our group and vision. [https://strangenew.world/support-us](https://strangenew.world/support-us) **More Information** What we explore during our meetings really depends on who shows up and what they want to discuss: * The changing job market. What skills will matter in 10 years * The future of business and the creative industries * Chatbots, LLMs, and Agentic Workflows * Using AI for scientific or artistic exploration * Will generative art destroy Hollywood or save it? * What is consciousness? What constitutes intelligence? * The various types/platforms of vibecoding and which is best for your project * The end of capitalism as we know it * Are we entering the 2nd Cognitive Revolution? **Learn more at: [https://strangenew.world](https://strangenew.world)**

🎲 Strategy Games Only: Board Game Social at Moncha Cafe

Roll Call Referrals - 9.26.26 Board Game Meet-Up (Saturday)

Networking that feels more like game night. **$8 due to Geeky Teas upon entry. (Not to this meetup group).** A more intimate networking experience that focuses on getting to know each other. Join us for a relaxed, game-filled networking event where real conversations and meaningful connections come first. Share your story, grow your network, and support the hustle. (3:30pm - 6:30pm) Session 1, Early Birds. Mostly chatter and getting to know each other plus light games. (6:30pm - 8:30pm) Dinner break. (8:30pm - 11:30pm) Session 2, Night Owls, sometimes able to playtest games from developers. **There's also no need to bring your own games.** The $8 goes towards a fairly large game library. Since this is a networking event, the games should be lighter in weight as well anyways. Think easy to learn pick up games where we don't strategize as much. *Please let me know if you want to play something specific and I'll see if we can make it work.*