Silicon Valley Networking

Einmal im Monat öffnet unser neues **Kiez Büro im Kalle Neukölln** die Türen und lädt zum gemeinsamen Coworken ein. 📅 **Am 21.01.** ist es wieder so weit: Komm vorbei, entdecke den neuen Space, genieße frischen Kaffee ☕ und die Aussicht vom Dach 🌇. 🕘 **Ab 9:00 Uhr** sind unsere Türen fürs Coworking geöffnet. 🍽️ **Zur Mittagszeit** können wir gemeinsam im Food Court der **Kalle Halle** essen gehen – mit einer Auswahl aus **7 unterschiedlichen Küchen**. 🤝 **Ab 17:00 Uhr** starten wir in die **Networking Night**. Bei Bier 🍺 und Wein 🍷 hast du die Gelegenheit, uns kennenzulernen, dich auszutauschen und neue Verbindungen zu knüpfen. 🎤 **Ab 19:00 Uhr** öffnen wir die Bühne für eine **Pitch Night** – kurze Pitches, frische Ideen, offener Austausch. ✨ **Bist du dabei?** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- 🧑‍💻 Open Coworking Day & Networking Night Once a month, our new neighborhood office at Kalle Neukölln opens its doors and invites you to come and cowork with us. 📅 On January 21, it's that time again: Come by, discover the new space, enjoy fresh coffee ☕ and the view from the roof 🌇. 🕘 Our doors are open for coworking from 9:00 a.m. 🍽️ At lunchtime, we can eat together in the Kalle Halle food court, which offers a selection of seven different cuisines. 🤝 Networking Night starts at 5:00 p.m. Over beer 🍺 and wine 🍷, you'll have the opportunity to get to know us, exchange ideas, and make new connections. 🎤 At 7:00 p.m., we open the stage for Pitch Night – short pitches, fresh ideas, open exchange. ✨ Are you in?

We are excited to announce our next meetup, which will again be hosted at the beautiful [HubSpot](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#) Berlin offices. Get ready for rooftop views, snacks, drinks and plenty of opportunities to learn and share. Agenda: 6.00pm - Casual arrival 6.30pm - Welcome and intro to "To Customer Value and Beyond" 6.45pm - Benefits of a value-driven sales approach: Led by Angeley Mullins ([Aetheris Ventures](https://www.linkedin.com/company/aetherisventures/)), we’re bringing together three leaders who have cracked the code on value-driven growth: - [Caroline Dépierre](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdepierre/) ([Pollup AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pollup-data/)): Elevating customer ops through AI. - [Pavel Novák](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgrpavelnovak/) ([Pricefx](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pricefx/)): Architecting revenue enablement. - [Balaji Kannadasan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/balajikannadasan/) (ex-[Infor](https://www.linkedin.com/company/infor/)): Mastering value engineering. 7.45pm - Q&A 8.00pm - Networking A heartfelt thank you to our friends at HubSpot for providing the location! Drinks and snacks will, of course, be provided. Expect an exciting and engaged discussion and feel free to bring questions of your own.

Complete your event RSVP here: [https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-cloud-berlin-presents-gathering-at-google-berlin/](https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-cloud-berlin-presents-gathering-at-google-berlin/) 🔖 We’re all about keeping things friendly and welcoming. Please take a moment to check out our Code of Conduct to help us make this event great for everyone. 👀 Have any ideas for future events or questions about sponsorships? Feel free to reach out! We really appreciate your feedback and are eager to build a strong and fun community together. *** **Agenda:** 6:00 PM ▶️ Arrival, Food & Networking 6:30 PM 📜 Opening Remarks 7:00 PM ⏯️ Patrick Löber: Building Agentic Applications with Gemini 3 7:40 PM ⏸️ Stretch and refresh 8:20 PM ⏯️ Steffen Hoellinger Pattern Recognition and Anomaly Detection for event-driven AI Agents with Apache Flink and Kafka 9:00 PM 🎤 Open Mic Session & Networking 9:30 PM ⏹️ Doors close ***

We are kicking off the year by celebrating 2 years of Berlin Cybersecurity Social and starting strong with two highly practical sessions focused on impact, growth, and doing more with less. As budgets tighten and expectations rise, security leaders are being asked to optimise spend while also advancing their own careers. This anniversary edition of BCS is all about exactly that. How to make smarter security decisions, stretch limited resources, and make sure your work gets the recognition it deserves. Think new year, new priorities, and new momentum. *** **Talk 1: Why Risk Appetite Statements Matter: Getting the Board Onboard** James Tucker, Group Head of Information Security at Awin Global This session explores how risk appetite statements can be used to connect technical security controls to board-level decision-making. James will share how framing security through risk appetite enables clearer conversations about prioritisation, investment, and trade-offs, particularly when budgets are tight. **Key Takeaways** * How to use risk appetite statements to frame security decisions * How to translate technical controls into business and board-level language * How to support risk-based investment and prioritisation discussions * **Talk 2: Making Invisible Security Work Visible** **Alisa Reznik, COO, tech consultant, and mentor for tech leaders** Security professionals protect the company constantly, yet their impact is often invisible by design. In this session, Alisa will show how to make security work visible without bragging, translate technical outcomes into business value, and build career momentum alongside fast-moving threats. **What you will learn** * How to make your work visible without bragging * A simple system to gain recognition and career momentum * How to communicate security impact in business terms *** We will be celebrating the 2-year anniversary of Berlin Cybersecurity Social with networking before and after the talks, familiar faces, new connections, and the same community energy that has shaped BCS from the start. A practical start to the year. Smarter budgets. Clearer impact. Stronger careers. **About Berlin Cybersecurity Social:** This meetup is open to cybersecurity professionals of all levels, from beginners to experts. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your journey in the field, this event is the perfect opportunity to connect with others who share your passion for cybersecurity. **About** **James Tucker:** James is Group Head of Information Security at Awin Global, where he leads global security strategy across cloud, infrastructure, and enterprise environments. With a background spanning hands-on network security, incident response, and executive security leadership, James brings a pragmatic, business-focused approach to building effective security programs at scale. **About** **Alisa Reznik:** Alisa is a COO, tech consultant, and mentor for technical leaders. She helps engineers and security professionals gain visibility, advance their careers, and build work lives aligned with what they actually want. With experience leading engineering and product teams under pressure, Alisa brings a practical perspective on influence, impact, and growth in technical roles.

**A place to meet sound, without maps** Facilitated by **Vesti Gium (they/them)** Everyone enters as they are. No score. No threshold of skill. We follow the room, moment by moment— listening, nudging, letting the music find itself. A breath, a shoelace, a laugh, a footstep— each carries weight. Silence is welcomed; noise is celebrated. There are no wrong directions here. We practise a listening that reaches outward and inward: to ourselves, to one another, to the space we shape together. That is where the music begins. * 🌀 Bring a voice, an object, an instrument, a movement—or nothing at all. * ✨ **Priority given to FLINTA folks and people with migration backgrounds.** * 🎧 No experience needed. Curiosity is enough. * 📍 Berlin – \[theodorstraße 5,12099] * 🗓 Every Wednesday 17: 30 * 📬 DM or email **[vestigium.impro@gmail.com](mailto:vestigium.impro@gmail.com)** to join Come make sound—come be heard.

**IMPORTANT PLEASE RSVP AT:** https://www.meetup.com/pydata-berlin/events/312771201/ \*\*\* We would like to welcome you all starting from 18:30. There will be food and drinks. The talks begin around 19.15 and the doors will close at 18:45. **Make sure to arrive on time!** Please provide your first and last name for the registration because this is required for the venue's entry policy. If you cannot attend, please cancel your spot so others are able to join as the space is limited. **Host**: **Spiced Academy** is excited to welcome you to this month's version of PyData. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* The Lineup for the evening **Talk 1: From Grape Stomping to Gorilla Trekking: AI-Driven Discovery of Novel Interests at GetYourGuide** **Abstract**: UX research shows that discovering new, unexpected and unique things to do in a destination is among the most important needs for travelers. However, surfacing these “hidden gems” at scale is a major challenge for any dynamic marketplace. At GetYourGuide, we tackled this by combining large language models, semantic vector embeddings, and a robust human-in-the-loop process to automatically identify and categorize novel customer interests. Join me as I dive into how we created this AI-driven solution and how we achieved scalable, granular and relevant categorization of our activities. **Description:** How do you help a traveler find something they never knew they wanted? In this talk, I will explore the exciting journey of developing an AI-driven solution to identify novel customer interests at GetYourGuide. With thousands of new activities onboarded weekly, manual categorization became impractical, prompting the need for automation. This talk will walk you through our end-to-end solution: * The problem: the challenges travelers face in discovering relevant and unique experiences, the organizational complexity of this on our platform and its business impact * The AI journey: From raw LLM-based extraction to vector embeddings, clustering, all the way to a robust human-in-the-loop pipeline. I’ll share how we iterated from noisy prototypes to an impactful system, launching 300+ new interests and driving significant engagement and net revenue uplifts * What we learned: The realities of working with LLMs in production-like settings, more specifically hallucinations and issues with relevance, granularity and semantic deduplication. We found out that the line between useful innovation and unwanted noise can be surprisingly fine when using LLM’s. I’ll share practical examples of these challenges and how we’re iterating to address them. * Impact and future directions: How we achieved a 10x increase in manual acceptance of AI-suggested interests in just two iterations, and what’s next for AI-driven discovery at GetYourGuide **Bio**: **Morena Bastiaansen** holds a master’s degree in Econometrics from the University of Amsterdam and currently works as a Data Scientist at GetYourGuide in Berlin. She combines her passions for machine learning, language, and travel to build impactful systems for travelers worldwide, with a current focus on personalization in email marketing. Morena is also actively involved in the local tech and ML community. **Talk 2: Deep dive into data streaming security** **Abstract**: Data streaming is powering everything from fraud detection and real-time analytics to patient monitoring and order fulfillment. But as the role of streaming grows, so does the risk - because many streaming platforms, like Apache Kafka, aren't secure by default. In this talk, we’ll take a practical look at data streaming security through the lens of Kafka, one of the most widely adopted streaming platforms in the world. We'll walk through what can go wrong - real examples of exposing 14M patient-doctor messages, or years of real-time delivery info to the internet - and what it takes to do it right. We'll cover the key pillars of securing a streaming system: encryption in transit and at rest, access control, monitoring, and key management. Along the way, we’ll look at the trade-offs like disk encryption vs. end-to-end encryption, what is behind field-level and envelope encryption, and the realities of using customer-managed keys in regulated industries. We'll also explore how streaming security has evolved, how real vulnerabilities (like CVE-2019-12399) highlight the need for patching and monitoring, and what successful multi-layered security looks like in production - from financial institutions to healthcare platforms. If you're building, running, or scaling streaming systems, this talk will help you see the security blind spots and give you concrete steps to protect the data flowing through your pipelines. **Bio**: Olena Kutsenko is a Staff Developer Advocate at Confluent and a recognized expert in data streaming and analytics. With two decades of experience in software engineering, she has built mission-critical applications, led high-performing teams, and driven large-scale technology adoption at industry leaders like Nokia, HERE Technologies, AWS, and Aiven. A passionate advocate for real-time data processing and AI-driven applications, Olena empowers developers and organizations to use the power of streaming data. She is an AWS Community Builder, a dedicated mentor, and a volunteer instructor at a nonprofit tech school, helping to shape the next generation of engineers. As an international speaker and thought leader, Olena regularly presents at top global conferences, sharing deep technical insights and hands-on expertise. Whether through her talks, workshops, or content, she is committed to making complex technologies accessible and inspiring innovation in the developer community.

Welcome to the PyData Berlin January meetup! We would like to welcome you all starting from 18:30. There will be food and drinks. The talks begin around 19.15 and the doors will close at 18:45. **Make sure to arrive on time!** Please provide your first and last name for the registration because this is required for the venue's entry policy. If you cannot attend, please cancel your spot so others are able to join as the space is limited. **Host**: **Spiced Academy** is excited to welcome you to this month's version of PyData. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* The Lineup for the evening **Talk 1: From Grape Stomping to Gorilla Trekking: AI-Driven Discovery of Novel Interests at GetYourGuide** **Abstract**: UX research shows that discovering new, unexpected and unique things to do in a destination is among the most important needs for travelers. However, surfacing these “hidden gems” at scale is a major challenge for any dynamic marketplace. At GetYourGuide, we tackled this by combining large language models, semantic vector embeddings, and a robust human-in-the-loop process to automatically identify and categorize novel customer interests. Join me as I dive into how we created this AI-driven solution and how we achieved scalable, granular and relevant categorization of our activities. **Description:** How do you help a traveler find something they never knew they wanted? In this talk, I will explore the exciting journey of developing an AI-driven solution to identify novel customer interests at GetYourGuide. With thousands of new activities onboarded weekly, manual categorization became impractical, prompting the need for automation. This talk will walk you through our end-to-end solution: * The problem: the challenges travelers face in discovering relevant and unique experiences, the organizational complexity of this on our platform and its business impact * The AI journey: From raw LLM-based extraction to vector embeddings, clustering, all the way to a robust human-in-the-loop pipeline. I’ll share how we iterated from noisy prototypes to an impactful system, launching 300+ new interests and driving significant engagement and net revenue uplifts * What we learned: The realities of working with LLMs in production-like settings, more specifically hallucinations and issues with relevance, granularity and semantic deduplication. We found out that the line between useful innovation and unwanted noise can be surprisingly fine when using LLM’s. I’ll share practical examples of these challenges and how we addressed them. * Impact and future directions: How we achieved a 10x increase in manual acceptance of AI-suggested interests in just two iterations, and what’s next for AI-driven discovery at GetYourGuide **Bio**: **Morena Bastiaansen** holds a master’s degree in Econometrics from the University of Amsterdam and currently works as a Data Scientist at GetYourGuide in Berlin. She combines her passions for machine learning, language, and travel to build impactful systems for travelers worldwide, with a current focus on personalization in email marketing. Morena is also actively involved in the local tech and ML community. **Talk 2: Deep dive into data streaming security** **Abstract**: Data streaming is powering everything from fraud detection and real-time analytics to patient monitoring and order fulfillment. But as the role of streaming grows, so does the risk - because many streaming platforms, like Apache Kafka, aren't secure by default. In this talk, we’ll take a practical look at data streaming security through the lens of Kafka, one of the most widely adopted streaming platforms in the world. We'll walk through what can go wrong - real examples of exposing 14M patient-doctor messages, or years of real-time delivery info to the internet - and what it takes to do it right. We'll cover the key pillars of securing a streaming system: encryption in transit and at rest, access control, monitoring, and key management. Along the way, we’ll look at the trade-offs like disk encryption vs. end-to-end encryption, what is behind field-level and envelope encryption, and the realities of using customer-managed keys in regulated industries. We'll also explore how streaming security has evolved, how real vulnerabilities (like CVE-2019-12399) highlight the need for patching and monitoring, and what successful multi-layered security looks like in production - from financial institutions to healthcare platforms. If you're building, running, or scaling streaming systems, this talk will help you see the security blind spots and give you concrete steps to protect the data flowing through your pipelines. **Bio**: Olena Kutsenko is a Staff Developer Advocate at Confluent and a recognized expert in data streaming and analytics. With two decades of experience in software engineering, she has built mission-critical applications, led high-performing teams, and driven large-scale technology adoption at industry leaders like Nokia, HERE Technologies, AWS, and Aiven. A passionate advocate for real-time data processing and AI-driven applications, Olena empowers developers and organizations to use the power of streaming data. She is an AWS Community Builder, a dedicated mentor, and a volunteer instructor at a nonprofit tech school, helping to shape the next generation of engineers. As an international speaker and thought leader, Olena regularly presents at top global conferences, sharing deep technical insights and hands-on expertise. Whether through her talks, workshops, or content, she is committed to making complex technologies accessible and inspiring innovation in the developer community. **Lightning talks** There will be slots for 2-3 Lightning Talks (3-5 Minutes for each) between the two main talks. Kindly let us know if you would like to present something :) \*\*\* NumFOCUS **Code of Conduct** THE SHORT VERSION Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down others. Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate for NumFOCUS. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. NumFOCUS is dedicated to providing a harassment-free community for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of community members in any form. Thank you for helping make this a welcoming, friendly community for all. If you haven't yet, please read the detailed version here: https://numfocus.org/code-of-conduct \*\*\*

Are you craving deeper conversations and more authentic connection in your daily life? Join us for **reconnect playground**, an immersive and playful session designed to help you strengthen your presence, learn practical communication tools, and connect with others in a meaningful way. **What this session is about** Connection isn’t something we force, it’s something we can practice. In this warm and supportive space, we’ll explore what real presence and authentic connection feel like, not just in theory, but in how we show up with others. **In this session, you’ll practice how to:** ✨ Stay grounded and present, even when conversations feel uncertain or new ✨ Listen with genuine curiosity and awareness ✨ Express yourself honestly without overthinking ✨ Notice both your inner experience and how you relate to others around you **What you can expect** 🌿 A welcoming and relaxed group atmosphere 🎲 Guided, playful activities that invite presence and ease 😄 Moments of authentic laughter, connection, and reflection 🧠 Practical tools and insights you can bring into everyday life, whether at work, with friends, or in new encounters **No experience needed!** Come as you are. If you’re curious, open, and ready to slow down and connect in new ways, this session is for you. **Logistics** **When:** Sunday, January 25 **Where:** [Studio Sonic](https://maps.app.goo.gl/jSPKTTce3rpzABu17) **Duration:** \~2 hours ### **This isn’t just another networking or social event**! It’s about real human connection. You’ll leave with greater confidence in how you show up, a sense of community, and tools to make everyday interactions feel more honest and alive. **⚠️ Registration required** Please reserve your spot via the **[Eventbrite link](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reconnect-playground-everyday-connection-skills-tickets-1979451727402)**. Places are limited and only confirmed with an Eventbrite ticket.

🍕 **Data & AI Lunch Meetup – Pizza & Exciting Conversations** 🍕 The very first **DVC Data & AI Lunch Meetup Berlin** is coming up! We’ll gather for a **shared lunch** and discuss everything around **Data & AI**. **When:** January 22, 2026, 12:30 PM **Where:** Monte Mente, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz **Cost:** Self-pay **Topic:** Exchange on Data & AI Join us for a great time of pizza and discussion on the latest developments in the **data world**! Looking forward to an exciting exchange with you! 🍕🤝 [#Data](https://www.datavaluecreation.com/search/posts?query=%23#Data) [#AI](https://www.datavaluecreation.com/search/posts?query=%23#AI) [#Meetup](https://www.datavaluecreation.com/search/posts?query=%23#Meetup) [#Networking](https://www.datavaluecreation.com/search/posts?query=%23#Networking) [#Innovation](https://www.datavaluecreation.com/search/posts?query=%23#Innovation) [#DataStrategy](https://www.datavaluecreation.com/search/posts?query=%23#DataStrategy)

**Founders Running Club** (FRC) brings founders, investors, tech, creative people and startup enthusiasts together for weekly easy runs and networking. We like to be comfortable when we run and finish with coffee and conversations. Choose your pace or follow a pacer—pets, friends, family, are welcome. 🗓️ Launched in San Francisco, July 16, 2022 🌍 Now in 35+ cities 📅 Running + Networking events + Community **Join the community** [http://foundersrc.com/chats](http://foundersrc.com/chats) **Stay updated**: Instagram [http://instagram.com/foundersrc/](http://instagram.com/foundersrc/) Podcast [http://podcast.foundersrc.com/](http://podcast.foundersrc.com/) LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/](http://linkedin.com/company/foundersrc/) Strava [http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC](http://strava.com/clubs/foundersRC) Website [http://foundersrc.com/](http://foundersrc.com/)

Nehme an unser erstes n8n Meetup in Berlin Charlottenburg teil.

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

**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 Wir starten ins neue Jahr und laden erneut ins Café Amelie im Prenzlauer Berg ein. 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. Zu Beginn der Veranstaltung gibt es darüber hinaus einen Impulsvortrag (ca. 15 Minuten), diesmal mit dem Titel: **Wie du deinen individuellen Führungsstil verkörperst und spirituelle Autorität in deinem Alltag als Unternehmer:in lebst** Asta Hemmerlein erläutert uns in ihrem Vortrag, wie sich Führung neu denken – und vor allem neu *fühlen* lässt. **Über Asta:** Asta Hemmerlein ist Mentorin für verkörperte Führung und spirituelle Autorität im Zeitalter des Wandels. Mit Methoden aus Embodiment, Schreibtherapie, Kunst und Astrologie unterstützt sie Führungspersönlichkeiten dabei, innere Klarheit und magnetische Präsenz zu entwickeln – für Leadership, die inspiriert statt kontrolliert. \-\-\- 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!

## **Speak & Connect: Elevate Your Impact Through Public Speaking and Networking** **Ready to take your network to the next level?** The *Speak & Connect Workshop* is your new event format for genuine connection, personal growth, and powerful impulses for your professional and personal journey. Join two seasoned professionals – a **TEDx speaker and global fintech entrepreneur**, and a **master connector with deep expertise in relationship-building** – for a high-impact workshop designed to elevate your communication game. In a time when networking often feels superficial, two extraordinary personalities will show you how to build **authentic relationships** with clarity, strategy, humor, and the ability to pitch your ideas with confidence and impact. **What to Expect** In this interactive evening format, we combine **hands-on experience, real stories, and meaningful connection**: **🔹Master the Art of Public Speaking** * Command attention from the first sentence * Structure compelling stories and messages * Handle nerves and think on your feet * Improve instantly through practical, live-tested methods **🔹 Grow Your Network with Intention** * Make authentic connections (even if you're introverted) * Follow up with impact and turn conversations into opportunities * Build a strong, long-term network that works for you * How do I build a network that truly fits me? * How can I connect with others more easily and meaningfully? * Why is networking essential? → **Network = Net Worth** * How can I present my ideas clearly and confidently? **The Speakers** **Lesley** Lesley is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, and CEO of *U Impact*, a FinTech company that combines AI and behavioral psychology to rethink how we invest. After roles at J.P. Morgan, Barclays, and Mizuho, she turned her focus to one big question: **How can we present our ideas powerfully, become visible, and grow through communication?** Her passion lies in the art of **pitching and why it’s a game changer**. Lesley is known for her high-energy, practical, and captivating talks at events like Money20/20 and IFGS. **Jing** Jing is an entrepreneur and consultant with over 10 years of experience in career development and finance. After working as a business and strategy consultant, she launched one of Berlin’s most successful martial arts gyms – building it with dedication and vision. Today, she works in the financial industry, dedicated to **building** a strong team and **empowering**people to achieve long-term **financial success**. She’s built a powerful network and knows how to nurture it authentically. Whether you're just starting out, leading a team, or building your own path, Jing shows how meaningful networking works at every stage with calm presence, deep reflection, and real connection. **Sign up now and take your voice and your network to the next level.**

Attendance is $35 (cash, credit/debit card, or ApplePay - paid at the door), which includes water/soda/coffee, bread, choice of a plated lunch entrée, and a dessert assortment. Parking is also validated in the Reston Station garages (3 hours of validation). Join one of Northern Virginia's most successful business networking groups (part of BNI). Open to the public and is typically attended by business owners, business developers, and entrepreneurs. Meetings are typically attended by 30-40 members and guests. \*\*\*PLEASE RSVP here: [REGISTER HERE](https://square.link/u/0WvC6Eir) \*\*\*If you do not register on the BNI website, there may not be a seat available for you.

Join Team Network’s Vienna Venture Network Captains Mark Sweeney, Laurel Corridon and John Partridge for online networking on Zoom. Meeting ID: 301-370-5351. Passcode: 010192

If you're ready to grow your business through meaningful relationships and high-quality referrals, this event series is for you! We're a community of local small business professionals committed to building prosperity through authentic connection and collaboration. Join us for **genuine, no-pressure networking**—no fees, no pitches, no nonsense. Just good people, good conversations, and a few refreshments to keep things relaxed. Stay for a few minutes or the whole time—whatever works for you. **This event is completely free to attend**, but we kindly ask that you RSVP so we can plan accordingly. We can’t wait to connect with you!

Join Team Network’s Vienna Venture Network Captains Mark Sweeney and John Partridge for breakfast and professional networking tomorrow morning at 8 am at everyone's favorite... Anitas!

Please join us every week for power networking! Our Chapter Passed $1,666,736 USD in the past 12 months! BNI members, on average, increase their business 20% the first year. Our chapter is a dynamic, committed group of business people who know how to refer business to each other. Come for our meeting -- stay for the referrals!!! We have open categories for individuals who will bring enthusiasm and integrity to our meeting. Just one person per professional specialty is allowed in each chapter. Visit a meeting to find out more and lock out your competition! Register Here: https://bninovanorth.com/va-nova-north-bni-mclean-business-connection--n136/en-US/visitorregistration?chapterId=16988

Gaming, AdTech, EdTech, Media Streaming, and FinTech are just a few of the workloads where high-availability cloud infrastructure matters. Whether you’re doing battle daily in one of these spaces or are just curious about ways to improve performance, meet us in Reston for an in-person discussion on bare metal cloud architecture. You’ll meet our product lead, James MacKenzie, who will walk through how modern bare metal serves as a control plane for hybrid and private cloud architectures. **What we will cover** * Ways to leverage bare metal, containers, and orchestration for better performance and predictable economics; * Real-world hybrid, disaster recovery, and data-intensive architectures; * Our approach to eliminating ingress and egress fees. **Who should attend** * Cloud architects and platform engineers; * DevOps professionals and infrastructure leads; * FinOps stakeholders managing data-heavy or hybrid workloads. **Why attend** This is a technical, architecture-first conversation. You will leave with a clearer understanding of high-availability cloud infrastructure and how organizations are scaling cost-effectively. Food and drinks will be provided. Space is limited to keep the discussion interactive.

Network with an average of 60+ business professionals, all attendees get an opportunity to give a 30 second elevator pitch, enjoy a light breakfast, 10 minute educational presentation on topics that change weekly, and enjoy networking before and after the meet up.