STEM Mentoring

***Enter the live meeting room here: [https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u](https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u)*** ***Download the engine here: [https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download](https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download)*** Welcome to the **Unreal Engine Workshop!** In each session we'll tackle essential game design discussions, then transition into hands-on project creation. Participants will build and expand their skills continuously as we explore every aspect of game development. From basic blueprints and interactive mechanics, to advanced rigging, animation, environment design, and lighting, we'll work our way up to creating small complete games. We encourage experimentation and peer teaching, so whether you're a beginner or experienced developer looking to deepen your expertise, our sessions provide a supportive environment to learn, create, and innovate together in Unreal Engine 5.

**SPACES ARE LIMITED – BOOK YOUR TICKET BEFORE THE EVENT:** **[https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980804060266?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980804060266?aff=oddtdtcreator)** Step into the vibrant world of artificial intelligence and machine learning at our exclusive London AI & ML Network Mixer. This event caters to innovators, thinkers, and investors in the AI and ML spheres, providing a unique opportunity to connect with industry leaders, discover cutting-edge projects, and explore potential collaborations. **Who Should Attend:** * **Emerging AI and ML Startups:** Showcase your innovations and seek partnerships or funding in a focused setting. * **Investors:** Find pioneering startups within the AI and ML domains that align with your investment criteria. * **AI and ML Professionals:** Network with peers, discuss advancements and industry challenges, and potentially find your next career move. * **Students and Academics:** Immerse yourself in the industry environment, gain insights, and connect with potential mentors and collaborators. **Why This Event is a Must:** * **Effective Networking:** Tailored specifically for the AI and ML communities, this mixer facilitates targeted networking, helping you build meaningful connections that can lead to collaborative projects or ventures. * **Opportunity for Exposure:** Startups can gain visibility by presenting their projects during one-minute pitches, directly communicating their value to an audience that includes potential investors and collaborators. * **Insight into Industry Trends:** Keep up-to-date with the latest research and commercial opportunities in AI and ML through conversations with industry insiders and thought leaders. * **Career Opportunities:** Professionals looking to advance in the AI and ML fields can discover new opportunities and expand their networks in a dynamic, supportive environment. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with the forefront of AI and ML innovation. Whether you’re looking to invest, collaborate, or just learn about the next big thing in tech, our London AI & ML Network Mixer is the place to be. Secure your spot today and be part of shaping the future of technology! **AGENDA OF THIS NETWORKING EVENT IN LONDON** 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm: Meet and greet. Upon arrival, ask the receptionist about the business networking event, and they will guide you to our designated area. 8 pm - 8:30 - Presentations 8:30 pm -10 pm: Informal networking Dress code: business smart casual. **Register now - space is limited to 50 attendees only!** **P.S. Click Follow for future event alerts!**

**Bookable via our website ➡️** https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/woodwork-set-of-steps-8/ ⋆⋆⋆ This timeless classic is taken from our favourite 1910 vintage woodwork book. It is a brand new project for our Carpentry for Beginners courses. Take home a fabulously useful set of steps, beautifully crafted with ‘Through tenons’ and ‘shoulder’ joints. Measurements are: 53cm H x 50cm W and 55cm D when open. Using a mixture of traditional hand tools and modern drills and saws, experienced craftsman Len Conway will guide and inspire you as he teaches age-old techniques in carpentry. As you begin learning how to make traditional wood joints in seasoned redwood, you will learn how to use and care for chisels, saws, planes and marking gauges. Len is an experienced carpenter and teacher. He conveys his skilful practical experience with light-hearted humour. Learners will work on a variety of exercises – designed to incorporate simple to advanced joints and tools that build confidence and independence. Over 5 specified days, we will cover many aspects of traditional carpentry tuition. There will be lots of practical exercises in each session while making a small set of steps that you will take home. **We will get familiar with some tools of the trade:** * Introducing basic tools. Equipping a toolbox for home carpentry. * Timber selection/marking out and cutting. Cutting accurately with a hand saw * Using a plane, different types of planes. Sharpening tips and practice. * Using a chisel and its uses. Sharpening tips and practice. **You will use planes, chisels and marking tools:** * Simple joints and why we use them. * Half joints, lap joints. Practice using chisels and planes. * Bridle joints and a mortise and tenon **You will make a simple project to take home:** It’s fast-paced but with the support of Len, you will complete your own project to make a small set of steps. * Work from selected pine and measure, mark and cut pieces. * Choose and make joints, assemble and secure with adhesive or screws. * Sand and smooth to a stage where your project is ready for staining or waxing and taken home with pride. All personal protection, the use of tools and basic materials are included. **This course is suitable for beginners**

**PLEASE MAKE SURE TO BOOK YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE TO ATTEND THE EVENT. YOU CAN RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE. [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980986863034?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980986863034?aff=oddtdtcreator)** Join us for an exclusive networking event designed to connect **business founders, CTOs, and technical partners** looking to collaborate, innovate, and scale their ventures. Whether you're a startup founder seeking a **technical co-founder**, a CTO looking for **new opportunities**, or a tech expert ready to partner with a growing business, this event provides the perfect setting to build meaningful connections. ### **What to Expect:** **Meet Business Founders & CTOs** – Engage with entrepreneurs, startup leaders, and experienced tech professionals looking to collaborate. **1-Minute Elevator Pitches** – Attendees will have the opportunity to introduce themselves, share what they are working on, and explain what they’re looking for—whether it's a co-founder, a new role, or investment opportunities. **Strategic Partnerships & Hiring Opportunities** – Find the right **technical talent**, **co-founders**, or **business partners** to take your startup to the next level. **SaaS, AI, Web3 & Tech Startups Networking** – Connect with professionals working on cutting-edge solutions in **software development, cloud computing, blockchain, AI, and more**. **Expert Industry Insights** – Learn from seasoned entrepreneurs and technical leaders about the challenges and opportunities in building and scaling successful tech ventures. ### **Who Should Attend?** * **Startup Founders & Entrepreneurs** – Business leaders looking for CTOs, technical partners, or experts to help build and scale their technology. * **CTOs & Technical Leaders** – Technology executives exploring new ventures, partnerships, or advisory opportunities. * **Software Engineers & Developers** – Tech professionals seeking collaboration with startups or potential co-founder roles. * **Investors & VCs** – Individuals and firms interested in connecting with promising **tech startups and technical talent**. * **Product Managers & Tech Strategists** – Professionals working in **SaaS, AI, fintech, Web3, and other tech-driven industries** looking to build connections. ### **Why Attend?** **Expand Your Network** – Meet and connect with industry professionals who can help you grow your startup or career. **Find Your Perfect Co-Founder or Tech Partner** – If you're a founder looking for a CTO or a CTO seeking new opportunities, this event is the perfect match. **Discover New Opportunities** – Whether it’s partnerships, funding, or new roles, this event will help you **unlock potential collaborations**. **Stay Ahead in Tech Innovation** – Learn from industry experts and connect with professionals at the forefront of **technology, AI, and SaaS development**. **Spaces are limited—secure your spot now and take the next step in building the future of tech.** **How our event works:** **You are invited to join the dedicated Whatsapp group for the event and start networking before the actual event.** 7pm - When you arrive your name will be checked off the guest list, the host will direct everyone to the reserved area and explain how the event will work. 7.30pm – Presentations starts, you will be introduced to each other in a nice relaxed environment in the semi private reserved area. 8pm - Elevator Pitch 8.30 - Networking 10 pm - Event ends, all guests are welcome to stay and enjoy chatting with each other. This event will be hosted till 9pm; the key to making the most of speed friending is to follow up with your contacts over time to develop friendships. Dress code is either business or office attire or smart casual, no T-shirts, no trainers. If you have any questions email contact@thebusinessminds.co.uk Ticket for 1 person allows 1 person to enter the venue from 7pm What to join this event and all our future events for **FREE**? Join **The Business Minds Membership** to unlock free entry to all our 290+ yearly networking events, plus exclusive networking opportunities. Learn more: [https://thebusinessminds.co.uk/membership](https://thebusinessminds.co.uk/membership). **Please Note:** **Tickets need to be bought online and are not available at the door!**

**Bookable via our website ➡️** https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/upholstery-bring-your-own-chair-wednesday-eve-19/ **⋆⋆⋆** KEY PROJECT: RE-UPHOLSTERING YOUR OWN CHAIR. Suitable for beginners and fun for advanced learners. This workshop is led by Krasmira Nikolova, an experienced upholsterer. We provide the use of all upholstery tools and equipment including compressed air staple guns. Basic upholstery materials that you require for your project will be moderately charged on a pay-as-you-use basis and will be dependent on each chair’s requirements. We can advise you on the purchase of your top fabric and we have a lovely library of fabric samples to help make up your mind. The Goodlife Centre sells all the basic tools and materials for use on projects worked on at home. This is a fantastic chance to up-cycle and personalise a family piece you have at home or a junk shop find and a great way to immerse yourself into the wonderful world of upholstery. The course is suitable for both beginners and those who have a basic knowledge but little experience who wish to extend their expertise. **Choosing a suitable chair** If you are a newcomer to upholstery, there are a couple of pointers to help you choose a chair to work on. Choose something that has one or two flat planes – a seat and a back – as curves and arms are more complex and take longer to achieve. The chair on the right was completed in about 12 weeks. If you are a complete beginner, you could bring something more simple such as an upholstered footstool. More experienced upholsters can bring more complex pieces. Your chair can be traditionally built or modern, but be aware that some modern pieces have been constructed using machinery and are difficult to recreate by hand. [Click here for a detailed PDF of suitable chairs.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2r8UvbQtaH5RTVKUjlBdkhDX3c/view?usp=sharing) **Please email info@thegoodlifecentre.co.uk with a photo of your chair prior to the course so we can answer any suitability questions and advise if your chair is suitable**. We have very limited storage at the centre, so we can only store smaller pieces during the course. Please make sure the total dimensions are less than 1000mm high by 750mm wide, with a depth of 750mm. The use of tools and machinery is included. All materials will be charged at nominal rates. Some materials will not be kept in stock but can be ordered. Approved projects can be stored at the centre. We cannot offer additional time to work on your project outside of workshop times.

Four makers share their projects in embedded systems, robotics, and microcontroller electronics. Come, listen, ask questions, and learn in a friendly and entertaining environment. Demos can go wrong, so enjoy the jeopardy as our presenters tell their story. * **Fun with Furbies**: [Mike Brewer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/magarimike/) Mike brings us back to the 1990s Furbies craze but hacks them to bring them under his control * **When Machines Sing**: Designing a Robot Choir: [Richard Vahrman](https://www.youtube.com/@RichardVahrman/videos) A short talk and live demo exploring the Robot Choir: an experimental performance system that treats robotic voices as a choir rather than an instrument. * **Drifting with Dignity**: My Macanum Drive Journey: [Jon Durrant](https://youtube.com/@drjonea) From a custom RP2040 quad motor control to Inverse Kinematics and the Robot Operating System control. Lets start the journey * **Breaking Breadboards at Evolve26**: [Mike Brewer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/magarimike/) We will have an area again at Evolve26 on 26-Jun-26 at the Brighton Centre. We would like your thoughts on how to make this a truly community event. Remeber you can book your ticket with 50% off by using the code **`BREAKINGBREADBOARDS`** [https://evolve.siliconbrighton.com/](https://evolve.siliconbrighton.com/) Timeline: 18:30 Pizza, soft drinks and networking 18:50 Introdutions 19:00 **Fun with Furbies** 19:20 **When Machines Sing** 19:40 **Drifting with Dignity** 20:00 Q&A With the Panel 20:10 **Breaking Breadboards at Evolve26** 20:30 Close Thank you to all the companies who help us put these events on: * [Yair Energy](https://yair.energy/) for helping us fund the event * [Sopro](https://sopro.io/). for helping us fund the event * [Freedom Works](https://www.freedomworks.space/) for hosting us * [Silicon Brighton](https://siliconbrighton.com/) for helping us run, marketing and AV support If you would like to present your project, please get in touch with our organisers. Or why not bring a project along for our show-and-tell table?

This is a **theatre** and **livestream** talk from the **Royal Institution of Great Britain.** Join Astrophysicist **Jonathan Tennyson** as he explores how improvements in spectroscopy are changing our understanding of exoplanets. **ADVANCE BOOKING AND PAYMENT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TALK.** **More details and booking instructions on the RI web site:** **[https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/discourse-discovering-what-exoplanets-are-made](https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/discourse-discovering-what-exoplanets-are-made)** **SUMMARY** We now know that essentially every star in the galaxy supports a planetary system – so far, over 6000 exoplanets have been positively identified and grouped in 4600 planetary systems, and this number continues to grow. The investigation of exoplanets has focused on their composition, formation, and habitability. These questions are best answered by monitoring light emissions from the planet and capturing these data from spectroscopy. In the second Discourse of 2026, astrophysicist **Jonathan Tennyson** will join us to explore how advancements in spectroscopy are transforming our understanding of exoplanets. Jonathan will examine the two main issues currently facing researchers observing exoplanets: for some exoplanets, their temperatures far exceed those on Earth and produce much richer and more complex spectra. And for the majority, we cannot directly see them at all. Discover the techniques being used to address these issues and obtain the spectral signatures of planets, combined with quantum mechanical methods. This is a theatre and livestream event for an adult audience, where the speakers and audience in our Theatre are joined by our audience online. **The livestream will go live around 7.10pm, and the talk will begin at 7.20pm. If you register but miss the livestream, the video will be available to you via the same link for two weeks after the event date.** For more information on livestreams, see the information below, or [visit our FAQs page](https://www.rigb.org/whats/faqs-ri-livestreams). Please use the event link you have been provided with. By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and accept the Ri's [event terms and conditions](https://www.rigb.org/terms-and-conditions). You also agree to abide by [our code of conduct](https://www.rigb.org/about-us/how-were-run/our-code-conduct-ri-visitors), and help to create a great experience for yourself and your fellow participants.

Over the past year, generative AI has gone from novelty to infrastructure. But while most people are still treating tools like ChatGPT as clever calculators, a small group are quietly rebuilding how they work around agentic systems, automated workflows, and personal knowledge bases. This talk is for anyone who suspects there is a big gap between “using AI” and actually being at the frontier. In this session, our own host Dr Manuel Corpas will share **10 concrete patterns** he has used to build a personal AI stack that now runs 24/7 alongside his research and teaching. Rather than a product demo or a hype talk, this will be a practitioner’s tour of what changes when you move away from simply ad-hoc promptings. Manuel will keep the examples grounded in genomics, health data and academic work, with patterns directly transferable to industry, clinical and data‑intensive roles. There will be time for Q&A and informal discussion afterwards (as usual, we’ll migrate to the pub after the main session). **About the speaker** Dr Manuel Corpas is a globally recognized genomicist and health data scientist whose work has advanced the frontiers of equity in precision medicine. His research spans population genomics, pharmacogenomics, and biobanking, with a longstanding commitment to underserved and underrepresented populations. As President of the Spanish Congress of Genomic Medicine, he leads the largest Spanish-speaking platform for genomic health equity. He has been a driving force behind major sequencing efforts such as the Peruvian Genome Project, which expands global reference datasets to include diverse Indigenous and Latin American populations. He has contributed to widely adopted clinical and open‑source tools, including DECIPHER for rare disease diagnosis and BioJS for genomic data visualization. Approximate schedule (@University of Westminster – Cavendish Campus): * 18:30 – doors open * 18:45 – chitchat, announcements * 19:00 – talk starts * 19:45 – talk ends, adjourn to pub Please RSVP at least the day before, and make sure your Meetup name is recognisable (e.g. “J Smith” rather than “weaselstabber”) so reception can match you to the attendee list and direct you to the room.

In February, we are taking a look at what is happening with agentic AI and data pipelines Join us in lively Hoxton as we learn from Carmen's and Laura's learning from real-world experiences with agentic AI systems in data pipelines. We are running this event in collaboration with **[Sahaj Software](http://www.sahaj.ai)**. **6pm:** Doors Open **6:30pm:** Talks Start ️The Speakers️ ***Beyond the Hype: Practical AI for Real-World Data Engineering Time Sinks*** ***Carmen Mardiros, Solution Consultant at*** ***[Sahaj Software](https://www.sahaj.ai/)*** ***([Carmen's LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmenmardiros/))*** ***Abstract*:** While the world is obsessed with agentic self-healing ETL pipelines, data engineers everywhere still spend hours upon hours on the same tasks as before -- debugging failing tests, exposing new fields into pipelines, navigating schema changes, QA-ing data and business logic. In this session we'll look at some practical examples from the trenches around how to shrink those time sinks using AI coding assistants so that you can spend more time on what really matters. Examples are dbt-based and Claude Code but accompanied by core tenets applicable to any stack and any coding assistant. ***Carmen's Bio:*** Carmen Mardiros has worked around analytics and data for 15 years. Her experience covers areas such as Data architecture design and implementation and has worked in roles that cover Data Strategist, Lead Data Engineer, Data Warehouse Architect, Tracking Developer, Product/Project Manager, Technical BA, Insight Analyst, Data Modeller. ***Agentic AI for Data Pipelines: Our Good, Bad, and Ugly Learnings*** ***Laura Bogaert, Co-Founder and COO at [Tracer.cloud](https://www.tracer.cloud/)*** ***([Laura's LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-bogaert/))*** ***Abstract:*** As teams move from single models to agentic systems, data pipelines present a uniquely hard production challenge: failures are distributed, context is fragmented, and root-cause analysis is slow. This talk shares practical learnings from building agentic AI systems for troubleshooting real-world data pipelines, including what worked, what didn’t, and why data ontology and context management are critical. Attendees will leave with concrete insights into designing agentic architectures that actually hold up in production. ***Laura's Bio:*** Laura is a co-founder of [Tracer.cloud](http://tracer.cloud/), where she works on building agentic AI systems for alert investigation in production data pipelines across industries. She started her career at McKinsey as part of the fintech and biopharmaceutical team working on AI strategy and M&A. She holds a BSc from University College London and a MSc from Oxford University. **8pm:** Talks finish. We have the space for networking until 9pm. There will be a short break between the talks. Afterwards, we may head to a pub to continue chatting. You can sign up by subscribing to this event **IMPORTANT**: Please make sure to have a ***valid form of ID***. See you all on the 26th February Happy Networking **About our collaborators**: [Sahaj](https://www.sahaj.ai/) is an artisanal technology services company crafting purpose-built AI and data-led solutions for our clients. By attending this event, you agree to abide by our rules of conduct: * Respect others' opinions which may differ from your own. * Keep it appropriate - no harassment of fellow attendees will be tolerated. * If you see something or have a complaint, please reach out to one of the organisers on LinkedIn or email events@dataengineerslondon.com.

## DevOps Society Meetup with EDF **Location:** EDF UK, Nova North, 11 Bressenden Place London, SW1E 5BY **Time:** Doors open at 6PM **Drinks, snacks, talks, and networking.** We’re excited to invite you to our first in-person **DevOps Society Meetup** of 2026, proudly **sponsored by EDF**. This event brings together the DevOps, SRE, and cloud engineering community for an evening of honest conversations, real-world lessons, and networking with people who’ve actually done the work. A huge thank you to **EDF** for sponsoring the event and for providing the venue, refreshments, and support for our community. *** ## ️ Format of the Meetup: 6:00pm – 6:30pm — Networking on arrival, with food and drinks provided by EDF 6:30pm – 7:10pm — First speaker + Q&A 7:10pm – 7:20pm — Break for refreshments and networking 7:20pm – 8:00pm — Second speaker + Q&A 8:00pm onwards — More networking at the venue, then at a nearby pub. *Timings can vary slightly depending on Q&A.* *** We’re delighted to welcome **two fantastic speakers** to this EDF-hosted DevOps Society meetup. *** ## SPEAKER 1 – Steve Bowerman **Principal Software Engineer, EDF** ### Bio Steve is a technologist and thought leader with **25 years in the industry**, including **20 years in the utilities sector**, spanning startups through to large, established enterprises. Since stepping into the role of **Principal Software Engineer at EDF**, Steve has played a key role in reviewing and overhauling EDF’s approach to software engineering - bringing critical capabilities in-house and aligning teams with modern **DevOps and SRE principles**. His work focuses on long-term, sustainable transformation rather than tooling churn, helping large organisations evolve how they build, operate, and scale software. *** ### Talk Title **Rebooting the Enterprise: The DevOps Way** ### Talk Intro Building a DevOps mindset in a startup is relatively easy - it’s often the default DNA of modern engineering teams. Doing the same in a **large enterprise** is a very different challenge. In this talk, Steve will take you through **five years of transformation in 15 minutes**. He’ll share how EDF approached enterprise DevOps adoption, where things failed (and why), what ultimately worked, and the lessons learned along the way. Spoiler: **technology was the least difficult part**. This session is ideal for engineers, platform teams, and leaders working in complex organisations who want a realistic view of what enterprise DevOps transformation actually looks like. *** ## SPEAKER 2 – Matteo Emili **Director of Software Engineering, Avanade** **Bio** Matteo Emili is a Director of Software Engineering at Avanade UK and Ireland, leading the talent in Software Engineering and always looking at new ways of applying technology to solve business problems. He is a passionate Agile advocate and a technologist at heart, a Cloud Architect who is always driven by using technology as a vehicle for change and continuous improvement. A Microsoft MVP since 2010 (currently in the Azure DevOps and GitHub category), he enjoys sharing back as much as he can with the worldwide technical communities – especially within Agile and DevOps. He has founded several User Groups around Europe and he is a regular speaker at meetups and conferences. ### Talk Title **From Vibe Coding to Agentic Engineering: A Step-by-Step Guide** ### Talk Bio AI-augmented software development is evolving. What started as *“vibe coding”* \- intuition\-driven\, creative experimentation with AI \- is now moving toward **agentic engineering**, a more governed and intentional approach where AI agents actively collaborate with developers while enforcing best practices and organisational standards. In this session, Matteo explores how teams can transition from unstructured AI experimentation to **agentic workflows** that balance creativity with accountability. You’ll learn how agentic engineering enables: * Faster development without sacrificing quality * Built-in governance and standards * AI collaboration that scales across teams * A practical path from experimentation to production-ready AI-assisted engineering This talk offers a clear, pragmatic view of how AI will reshape software engineering in the years ahead - and how teams can adopt it responsibly. *** Please **RSVP to secure your spot**. Spaces are limited and available on a **first-come, first-served** basis. We’re really looking forward to getting the community back together again for our first event of 2026. [Our slack community](https://join.slack.com/t/devopssociety/shared_invite/zt-3mswuylw7-MhJg1IZ70rX_GpJTluG2Cw) \- join in and introduce yourself\! [Our Youtube Channel ](https://www.youtube.com/@DevOpsSociety)for regular podcasts with DevOps professionals + more DevOps content. [Website](https://thedevopsociety.com/) [To partner with us](https://thedevopsociety.com/partnerships) EDF website - https://www.edfenergy.com/ Thanks! From the DevOps Society team [Ben](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwhitmarsh/) and [Vytas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vytasdevops/)

Connected Westerville Night of Networking flips the script on networking, with surprises and connections that'll make you say, "Who knew networking could be this much fun?!"

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

#### Turning Rentals Into Income: How Investors Pay Off Properties Faster #### **Featuring Guest Speaker: John Blackburn** ** Get your FREE TICKET [HERE](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/turning-rentals-into-income-how-investors-pay-off-properties-faster-tickets-1980492192461?aff=cicmeetupapp)** #### A lot of people get into real estate because they want freedom. Then they buy a rental…and realize most of the rent goes straight to the bank. They technically own property, but the mortgage controls the income. And waiting 30 years for properties to be paid off doesn’t feel realistic. This meetup is about understanding a different way to think about rental properties… one that focuses on paying them off sooner so the income is actually usable. **Featured Guest Speaker: John Blackburn** We’re excited to welcome John Blackburn as our guest speaker for this event. John has been actively investing in real estate since 2006 and has: * Been involved in **5,000+ real estate transactions** * Helped investors **acquire over $150 million in rental property** * **Raised more than $100 million** in private capital John didn’t start with family money or shortcuts. He built his portfolio by focusing on clear systems, real numbers, and long-term strategy. For this meetup, John will walk through how investors shift their focus from simply owning rentals to building properties that eventually pay them…without a mortgage attached. **What You’ll Learn** John will break down, in simple terms: * Why most rental properties don’t produce much usable income early on * Why buying more rentals isn’t always the answer * How investors structure their properties to pay off mortgages in a fraction of the time * How properties can work together to eliminate debt faster * What changes once rentals become free and clear This approach is often referred to as an accelerated paydown strategy — using rental income intentionally to reduce debt sooner, rather than waiting decades for mortgages to run their course. John will also share a simple calculator you can use to see how this works with real numbers and realistic scenarios. **The Core Idea** When a rental has a mortgage, the rent has one job: **pay the bank.** When a rental is paid off, the rent has a different job: **pay you.** Most people only see one timeline…30 years. This session shows how investors shorten that timeline and gradually increase their income as properties become free and clear. **Who This Event Is For** This event is for people who want more than just “owning rentals” on paper. * Rental owners who are tired of most of the rent going to the bank and want a clearer path to real, usable income * New investors who want to understand how rental properties actually build wealth over time before jumping in * People with capital who want to invest in real estate with intention and a long-term plan * Anyone serious about freedom and curious how rental properties transition from debt-heavy assets into income-producing ones **Event Details** **Location:** Ohio Brewing Company - 421 E 2nd Ave, Columbus, OH 43201 **Date & Time:** January 25th, 6–8 PM (Doors open at 5:30) **Cost:** Free (Seats are limited - RSVP required) ** Get your FREE TICKET [HERE](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/turning-rentals-into-income-how-investors-pay-off-properties-faster-tickets-1980492192461?aff=cicmeetupapp)** If you’ve ever wondered how rental properties actually turn into freedom —this is the room to be in.

## Overview Networking event for aspiring school leaders interested in building their own high-quality K-12 public school in their community. **About the Event:** Aspiring school founders in the Columbus, OH, area are invited to join us for this special in-person networking event where you will be able to ask questions, learn more about the BES Fellowship and make sure you are prepared for the application process and beyond. In addition to meeting like-minded leaders who are also committed to transforming education and bringing a high-quality K-12 option to their community, you’ll have the opportunity to meet our team and gain special insights from Dr. Chaundria Smith, BES Senior Director of Fellowship Coaching, who works closely to support BES Fellows. During this event, you can also learn more about the various regions across Ohio we are prioritizing for the BES Fellowship to ensure that new schools will respond to the needs of their community. **About the BES Fellowship:** Leaders in the BES Fellowship embark on a multi-year process to design, found, and lead an excellent K-12 public school that reflects and responds to community needs. We are currently accepting applications to the 2026 BES Fellowship. The extended deadline is March 30, and the 2026 Cohort will begin August 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Learn more at [bes.org/fellowship](http://bes.org/fellowship "http://bes.org/fellowship").

WQC has weekly Thursday night social nights at the Westerville Java Central. Come and grab a coffee and connect with the community: low stakes, chill environment, and tasty drinks. No registration is required; come as you are.

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!

Excited to share that AWS Cloud Club's first meeting will take place on Thursday, February 26th at 5pm - 6pm! We’re collaborating with [Big Data & Analytics Association](https://www.linkedin.com/company/big-data-analytics-association/) to host [Alok Jha](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alok-jha-42abb928/), Head of Product Management for AWS Intelligent Application Protection at Amazon Web Services, for a tech talk + Q&A on his journey in leading cutting-edge innovation in industry. If you’re interested in cloud, cybersecurity, AI, or product management, this is a session you won’t want to miss. Make sure to join our Meetup and GroupMe to stay up to date for future events and collabs!