Business Leaders

Ready to captivate any audience, nail your next presentation, or give feedback that people actually enjoy hearing? Then come check out **First Berlin Toastmasters**, Berlin's oldest public speaking club. We're a warm, supportive, and international community here to learn, practice, and grow together. Our meetings are full of laughter, and every voice adds something special. The stage is a safe space, so come by, listen, and see how much fun communication can be. Please, be our guest! The most important people in the room aren't the speakers, they're the audience. Your presence, energy, and reactions are what bring the evening to life. **When** 🗓️ Every **1st & 3rd Wednesday** of the month 🕒 Doors open at **6:30 PM** \- Event starts at **6:45 PM** sharp **Where** St. Lukas-Kirche (near Anhalter Bahnhof) Bernburger Straße 4-5 10963 Berlin 📍 [https://goo.gl/maps/AhDfDmVndqbC9A1C9](https://goo.gl/maps/AhDfDmVndqbC9A1C9) You’ll find us in the **Gemeindesaal** on the first floor of the building to the right of the church. We look forward to welcoming you! Best wishes, John aka Yevgen Schweden - VP Public Relations Important note: We take pictures and clips during our meetings for promotional use only. By attending our meetings, you agree to that by default. If you don´t want to be on any picture, please let the VP PR or another representative from the board know (for example the president.)

An inspiring, high-energy meeting of public speaking, connection, and personal growth in the heart of Berlin. **Mercury Toastmasters Berlin** invites you to our weekly meeting at our new home at **Das Center, Potsdamer Platz**, in the stunning **Historic Imperial Breakfast Hall**. *Experience the **power of prepared speeches** loaded with bold ideas, participate in our **dynamic Impromptu Session**, and **gain valuable insights** during our feedback segment.* *Leave with practical tools, fresh ideas, and renewed inspiration.* *Whether you want to speak up at work, boost your presence, or just meet inspiring people, you’ll feel at home at Mercury Toastmasters Berlin.* *** **[What to Expect:](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/find-toastmasters-meetings-in-berlin/)** ✨ A supportive space to speak, grow, and connect 🎤 Engaging prepared speeches ⚡ Fun, fast-paced impromptu speaking challenges 💬 Feedback session you can actually use 🌍 A friendly, international crowd (around 25–30 people) **Schedule** (times may vary) ⏰ 19:15 - Doors open & networking 🎙️ 19:30 - Prepared Speeches 🏓 20:35 - Impromptu Session (Guest welcome to join) ↩️ 21:00 - Constructive feedback 💬 21:30 - Food, drinks & relaxed socializing **No experience needed.** ***Come curious. Leave energized.*** *** **🤙 [Hear it from our members:](https://maps.app.goo.gl/eRtvR9DRNqU9WZQn7)** *“You can sharpen your public speaking skills and gain tons of confidence, while having fun and making new friends. Mercury is well-structured, fun, and affordable.”* — *Therese Pitt* *“Mercury gave me a safe place to speak, create, and grow. I love the multicultural vibe and supportive community. It’s the best place to learn and have fun.”* — *Krisztina Linka* *** **[Did You Know?](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/about-mercury-toastmasters-berlin/)** Toastmasters is where people go to get better at speaking—and grow into confident communicators and leaders. Today [Toastmasters ](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/about-mercury-toastmasters-berlin/)has 350,000+ members across 16,000 clubs in 143 countries. And [Mercury](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/find-toastmasters-meetings-in-berlin/) is one of the best places to experience it. So bring your curiosity, your energy—and just be yourself. Whether you’re just starting or ready to level up, there’s a place for you here. *** **[Wondering what you get as a member?](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/membership-mercury-toastmasters-berlin/)** Think expert feedback, real-world speaking practice, and a supportive crew that’s got your back. [See you Wednesday night! 🎉](https://mercurytoastmasters.de/find-toastmasters-meetings-in-berlin/)

Hast du Angst vor Publikum zu sprechen? Verlangt dein Beruf, dass du Vorträge hältst? Macht dich das nervös? Hast du Schwierigkeiten beim Aufbau deiner Reden oder Vorträge? Driften deine Zuhörer ab und scheinen dir nicht mehr zuzuhören? Nimmt deine Nervosität überhand? Vergisst du im entscheidenen Moment was du sagen wolltest? Bei Toastmasters bekommst du auf all diese Fragen nicht nur eine Antwort, sondern kannst im sicheren Umfeld lernen und trainieren deine Redekunst zu verbessern und zum charismatischen Redner zu werden. Komm einfach zum nächsten Clubtreffen. Du bist herzlich willkommen!

**⚠️ IMPORTANT: REGISTRATION MANDATORY ⚠️** Registration on **Luma** is **REQUIRED** to attend this event. **Link: https://luma.com/7zfk3orp?utm_source=meetup** Your registration is subject to host approval. You must complete the registration process on lu.ma to receive the full event location details and confirmation of your attendance. **Please note: Without approved registration on Luma, you will NOT be able to access the event location or attend.** We are excited to host a **BLISS x juna.ai workshop** featuring **Dr. Nima Siboni (senior RL Engineer)**, who will guide us through an interactive session on algorithm discovery with LLMs. **​​​ Title: The Heuristic Scientist: Open-Ended Algorithm Discovery with LLMs** **📅 Date: 03.06.2026** **🕕 Time: 18:00** 📍 Location: TU Berlin Marchstrasse 23 [Room 0.011] ​​​The session will last around 2 hours, followed by a networking session with juna.ai and fellow AI enthusiasts (and free pizza!🍕). Bring your laptop! **​Abstract:** Large language models are increasingly useful not only for writing code, but for exploring the space of possible algorithms. In this hands-on workshop, we will look at how LLMs can act as “heuristic scientists”: generating candidate strategies, turning ideas into executable code, testing them against concrete objectives, and refining them through feedback. The workshop centers on the general discovery loop behind LLM-assisted heuristic generation. Participants will learn how to structure problems for algorithm discovery, prompt models to propose interpretable heuristics, evaluate those heuristics with simulations or benchmarks, and use the results to guide further search. We will also discuss when simple prompting is enough, when training or fine-tuning may help, and how to keep generated heuristics understandable, testable, and auditable. ​By the end of the session, participants will have built a small discovery loop of their own and will understand the practical trade-offs involved in using LLMs for open-ended algorithm discovery: creativity versus control, exploration versus verification, and automation versus human judgment. ​ **⚡ FINAL REMINDER ⚡** **You MUST register and be approved on Luma to attend. The event location will only be visible after your registration is confirmed by the host. Link: https://luma.com/7zfk3orp?utm_source=meetup** *** We are **BLISS e.V.**, Berlin’s AI community connecting like-minded individuals passionate about machine learning and data science. Our **BLISS Workshops** connect **students and young professionals with industry partners**, offering an inside look into **how machine learning is applied in real-world settings** \- from research and development to deployment\. ​ ​​​BLISS Website:[ https://bliss.berlin](https://bliss.berlin/?utm_source=luma) ​​​BLISS Youtube:[ https://www.youtube.com/@bliss.ev.berlin](https://www.youtube.com/@bliss.ev.berlin?utm_source=luma)

From APIs to Agents: Control, Identity, and What Breaks Along the Way Most of what we've built over the last \~15–20 years assumes a static frame of reference: Apps talk to services over APIs. You know who's calling what, you can stick a gateway in front of it, apply some policy, and move on. Agents don't really fit that model. They don't just call an API and return. They decide what to do, call a tool, look at the result, call something else, maybe involve another agent, loop through an LLM a few times… all the while, doing onbehalf of the user, with permissions that aren't always obvious. It's not always clear who is actually doing something. It's not obvious what the full execution path looks like. And the access control models we're used to — user → service, service → service fall part. We'll dig into what actually breaks when you start wiring agents into real systems, especially around identity and access control. Things like: \- how \(or if\) you assign identity to an agent \- what it means for an agent to act "on behalf of" someone \- how you enforce policy when the flow isn't predefined \- and how you get any kind of visibility into what just happened We'll also look at some of the patterns starting to emerge: agents talking to other agents, tools being invoked dynamically, and why a mediation layer (ie, agentgateway) must be built from the ground up with this in mind. \-\-\-\-\-\- Speaker \-\-\-\-\-\- Christian Posta (Solo.io) Christian is a globally recognized expert in cloud-native architecture, service mesh, and distributed systems. As Global Field CTO at Solo.io, he works with enterprises to design and implement next-generation platforms—and is now at the forefront of AI-native infrastructure and agent systems. \-\-\-\-\-\- Who should attend? \-\-\-\-\-\- This meetup is for people who are building or thinking about the next generation of enterprise systems: Platform engineers and architects, Cloud-native practitioners, AI engineers working with agents and LLMs, Anyone exploring how AI changes system design \-\-\-\-\-\- How to join \-\-\-\-\-\-\- This time, the meetup will be in the premises of Riverty in Kantstrasse 17, Berlin (4th Floor of Living Berlin mall). Riverty will provide pizza and drinks. Please bring your ID as you will need to sign an NDA (we are a regulated entity).

Train Your Brain Confidence & Adaptability Under Pressure What if confidence, adaptability, and decision-making could be trained through play? This interactive workshop introduces Cognitive Agility Through Chess — a beginner-friendly experience designed to strengthen focus, resilience, strategic thinking, and communication in a supportive and engaging environment. This is not a traditional chess class. Chess is used as a tool for reflection, collaboration, adaptability, and cognitive development through interactive challenges and guided exercises. WHAT TO EXPECT ♟️ Beginner-friendly introduction to chess fundamentals 🧠 Interactive cognitive and strategic challenges 🤝 Team-based and collaborative gameplay ⚡ Exercises focused on adaptability and thinking under pressure 💬 Guided reflection and discussion THIS EXPERIENCE SUPPORTS • Confidence-building • Strategic thinking • Communication • Adaptability • Emotional resilience • Cognitive flexibility • Decision-making under pressure WHO IS THIS FOR? Women interested in: • self-development • leadership • psychology • strategy • meaningful social connection • cognitive performance • creative and reflective experiences No chess experience is needed. EVENT DETAILS 📍 Motel One — Invalidenstraße 54, 10557 Berlin 🕒 2 Hours 👥 Limited small group experience, from 6-12 participants per event PILOT SESSION This is part of a limited founding pilot series in Berlin designed to create a thoughtful, engaging, and collaborative learning experience. FACILITATED BY Radwa Omar Founder & Cognitive Agility Facilitator Train Your Brain — Cognitive Agility Through Chess Train how you think. Elevate how you perform.

**This is 100% non-profit. The 15€ sign up fee for everyone is only to minimize last-minute cancellations. The total sum goes to a bar-tap that everyone can use to order drinks until the amount is used up. ‼️NO REFUNDS‼️** **‼️Please don't just show up without RSVPing here and paying the 15€. We have a separate room that has limited capacity and a specific drinks agreement with the bar - so splitting up the bill won't become a mess.‼️** **Small update on how your money get's used from May 2024 onwards:** As of this month, meetup.com has started charging me 34€ instead of 16€ per month. I've decided to distribute this fee evenly among all us participants every month. Example: In the last 12 meetups, the average number of attendees was 17. With 17 attendees I would effectively collect 230€ (after fees). I would now substract 34€ leaving us with 196€ that go to the bar. 15% get's tipped to the wait staff, in this case 30€, leaving us with 166€ effectively to order drinks. Hope everyone is cool with this system. :) Website: https://www.pberg-engineers.me WhatsApp groups: Please come and join us on WhatsApp! \- "PBerg Engineers \- NEWS" \- Only organizers can post announcements or polls \-\> https://chat\.whatsapp\.com/EqMJMmlCZO6LOOfAoG4yTj \- "PBerg Engineers \- DISCUSS" \- Everyone can post \-\> https://chat\.whatsapp\.com/LPuo76J83gF6IZMLUcM4u2 Please join those groups now if you're interested. :) All skill/education-levels welcome! :) Lightning Talks: \- TBD We'll also have a brief "Jobs: Lost & Found section". **Location:** From the street you will have to enter the right hand Cafe Chagall (yes, there are 2). Then, you go upstairs and our private room is in the far end corner of the building. We are a relaxed, non-formal meetup of like-minded software engineers who want to always keep learning and want to meet in physical reality over a drink or two. Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin is home to some of the most talented software engineers in the world, and every month, they come together for an exciting knowledge sharing meetup. This meetup is a chance for attendees to learn from each other, share their experiences, and gain new insights into the world of software engineering. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming, and the discussions are always engaging and thought-provoking. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or just starting out in your career, you'll find something valuable at this meetup. Don't miss out on your chance to connect with like-minded professionals and advance your knowledge of software engineering. Sign up for the next event now! **Website:** https://www.pberg-engineers.me **WhatsApp groups:** Please come and join us on WhatsApp! \- "PBerg Engineers \- NEWS" \- Only organizers can post announcements or polls \-\> [https://chat.whatsapp.com/EqMJMmlCZO6LOOfAoG4yTj](https://chat.whatsapp.com/EqMJMmlCZO6LOOfAoG4yTj) \- "PBerg Engineers \- DISCUSS" \- Everyone can post \-\> [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LPuo76J83gF6IZMLUcM4u2](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LPuo76J83gF6IZMLUcM4u2) Please join those groups now if you're interested. :)

We are proud to continue this free flow meet & greet session in the Bar of the social hub with guided networking and great people from different angles of the Berlin startup ecosystem! If you have a startup idea or a growing company and you want to expand your network in Berlin, then join us for the in-person 'Founder Meet & Greet' event. At this informal networking event, you can connect with other early-stage entrepreneurs, startup mentors, and advisors from the Founder Institute Berlin network. Socialize over drinks with potential co-founders, advisors, mentors and partners. Most of all, get away from the computer and have fun! ❯ **Your hosts of the day:** * Rikke Klitskov (Co-Director @ Founder Institute Berlin) * Kai Malkwitz (Impact Director @ Founder Institute Germany) * Mats Kuuskema (Country Director Germany @e-Residency Estonia) ❯ **Who should Attend?** * Anyone interested in entrepreneurship * Anyone who has a pre-seed tech company or a startup idea * Anyone interested in joining a startup accelerator * Anyone who is looking for a cofounder or would want to join a startup as a cofounder ❯ **What is the Agenda?** * (Guided) Networking, Socializing and Drinks **❯❯ This is a live offline event, to be sure to receive our updates be sure to RSVP at** [https://FI.co/e/397980/meetup](https://FI.co/e/397980/meetup)**!** To join our upcoming Founder Institute program in October 2026, you can apply here: [https://fi.co/Germany](https://fi.co/Germany)**.** For more information about the investors, accelerators, incubators, and [tech events available in Berlin](https://fi.co/events/berlin), see our [list of Startup Resources](https://fi.co/startup-resources). **About Estonia e-Residency** Launched in 2014, e-⁠Residency provides entrepreneurs from around the world secure digital access to Estonia's advanced e-services and transparent business environment. Today, the programme helps over 110,000 people and their businesses operate location independently. [Here's how they do it and how they got here](https://www.e-resident.gov.ee/). **About Founder Institute** The [Founder Institute](https://fi.co/berlin) is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 7,000 entrepreneurs raise over $1.75BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.

⚖️ Legal in Business: Essentials for Founders Building a startup is exciting — but without the right legal foundation, even the best ideas can face serious challenges. Join us for a practical and founder-friendly session where we break down the most important legal aspects every startup should understand. No legal jargon. No theory overload. Just clear, actionable insights you can actually use. We’re excited to host the event together with our partners at [FARBERG Rechtsanwälte](https://www.farberg.legal/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). The session will be led by Oliver Zitzelsberger and Faruk Gregor Drovs, who specialize in corporate law, venture capital, startup financing, M&A, founder agreements, and legal structures for growing businesses. 💡 What will be covered: ✔️ Choosing the Right Legal Structure • UG vs GmbH vs Sole Proprietorship • When to choose each • Key pros & cons ✔️ Common Legal Mistakes Founders Make • No contracts between founders • Missing terms & conditions / privacy policy • Ignoring legal structure early • Using content without proper rights ✔️ Co-Founder Agreements • Why they matter • What should be included • What happens if someone leaves 🎯 Why Join? Because legal mistakes are often invisible at the beginning — but costly later. This session will help you: ✔️ avoid common pitfalls ✔️ understand what really matters ✔️ build your startup on a stronger foundation 📅 June 7, 2026 ⏰ 13:00 – 15:30 📍 The Social Hub LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE!

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.

**🔥 PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE EVENT →** [HERE](https://luma.com/jd97obwy) 🔥 This event has limited seats and [requires registration](https://luma.com/jd97obwy). In this highly interactive 90-minute workshop, you’ll explore how different communication styles shape the way people listen, interpret, and respond. Using the **Insights Discovery framework**, you’ll learn how small shifts in communication can dramatically improve buy-in and collaboration. Early Bird: 14.90 EUR Regular Price: 19.90 EUR Only 25 Seats Available

Please reserve your spot by registering on the below link : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/join-biggest-community-investors-founders-berlin-online-tickets-1988380688164?aff=meetup QUESTIONS ? Pls Reach out to; Rose - +971528033410 ( WhatsApp Only)

Most participants sign up from outside Meetup. We usually are 5 to 12. **Get your ticket on:** [https://www.tickettailor.com/events/productivityday/1057985](https://www.tickettailor.com/events/productivityday/1057985) **This is for you if:** You are a professional, entrepreneur, freelancer, researcher, creative, or a team. You have been wanting: **○** to get stuff done without distractions **○** prioritize your deep-work over meetings and shallow-work **○** be in a community of motivated, conscious people **○** no more & procrastination, nor working alone **○** to strengthen your concentration & Flow-states (super-)skills **During the session you will** ○ deep-work with high focus on your most important ​tasks ○ while ​training your mind for Deep Focus, Flow-states and advanced Productivity skills ○ in an open-hearted community of professionals & leaders Most people get 2-3x more work done than usual, and experience energy & peace of mind as result. You will probably save yourself several work hours this week, and maybe make some magic happen! It's okay to leave after 3h if you need to. **About this session** You will be working on our own tasks while practicing the Flow-Working method. The session includes a mental warm up, as well as energizing breaks with movement, stretching and connection with the other participants **Group size**: 6-15 **Pricing**: 12€/15€ or donation **Where**: Online on Zoom **Get your ticket now on:** [https://www.tickettailor.com/events/productivityday/1057985](https://www.tickettailor.com/events/productivityday/1057985)

We invite you to our [Digitale Leute Meetup in Berlin powered by SAP](https://www.eventbrite.de/e/dl-meetup-12-powered-by-sap-berlin-tickets-1987405580591?aff=oddtdtcreator). Look forward to inspiring talks and Q&A sessions. Get your free ticket [here](https://www.eventbrite.de/e/dl-meetup-12-powered-by-sap-berlin-tickets-1987405580591?aff=oddtdtcreator) *** The Digitale Leute Meetup is an event series organized by *Digitale Leute*. **Invitation** We invite you to join us for our second meetup this year on June 4th at SAP in Berlin! We just celebrated the successful restart of our event series in Cologne with over 100 participants, and we cannot wait to dive deep into the Berlin product builders community. Look forward to leading professionals from product, engineering, and UX/design, sharing their best practices and discussing trends and topics with you the community. We are still early in our planning, but expect the first speaker announcements soon. Join us for an evening of networking, fueled by drinks and bites – just bring your ideas and your colleagues! **Schedule** 06:30 PM - Doors open 07:00 PM - Welcome by Christoph Bresler, Founder of Digitale Leute School 07:05 PM - Welcome by SAP & Moderation by Thomas Riedel 07:10 PM - DL Interview: **Mareike Dorra**, Head of Product Management Bootcamps at Digitale Leute School (ex-Zalando) will interview **Jan Hegewald**, VP Engineering at Rabot Energy (ex-SumUp, -Zalando, -Idealo) about the rise of Product Engineering. AI is changing how software is built. In this conversation, Mareike Dorra and Jan Hegewald explore why the focus is shifting from software development to product development—and how engineers, through product thinking, new tools, and closer collaboration with product managers, are evolving into “product engineers.” 07:40 PM - Questions & Answers 08:00 PM - Networking 08:55 PM - Wrap up of the meetup **Good to know** In addition to our meetup, we bring together over 1,000 product builders in Cologne every November at our international software product development conference, the Digitale Leute Summit. Speakers in 2026 include representatives from Atlassian, Google DeepMind, Zendesk, sevdesk, and many more. You can find more information here: [Digitale Leute Summit 2026](https://www.digitale-leute.de/summit/26/ "https://www.digitale-leute.de/summit/26/") **About Digitale Leute** Digitale Leute has always been about one thing: bringing together the people who shape digital products. The thinkers, the builders, the ones who care deeply about how technology is made and why it matters. Over the years, our community has grown – but we’ve missed the magic that only happens when you’re in the same room, sharing ideas, swapping stories, and sparking conversations that no Slack channel can replicate. So we decided: it’s time to bring our meetups back. **About SAP in Berlin** Located in the heart of European innovation, [SAP in Berlin](https://www.sap.com/germany/about/berlin.html "https://www.sap.com/germany/about/berlin.html") combines the power of a global company with the strength of a unique local ecosystem – we attract talent, shape SAP‘s image as a front-runner of innovation, and foster our position as market leader for enterprise application software in Berlin. Our location in Berlin offers a perfect meeting point for innovators and decision makers, while we stay on top of software trends and technologies to define their value for business and society.

Monthly working lunch for Columbus business owners. One specific topic, one to three actions you can run this week. You can be the best at what you do and still be invisible. If local buyers cannot find you, the phone does not ring. Marketing Monday Lunch + Learn is a monthly working lunch for Columbus business owners focused on building relationships, local networking, and local marketing. Every kind of local business welcome. No pitch round, no pressure, no upsell. **This month** Most local businesses pick one or two places to be visible and call it good. The result is inconsistent calls and a feeling that marketing is not working. We will walk through the three places every local business needs to show up, plus the fourth place most owners ignore that quietly produces the warmest leads. **What to expect** Doors open at noon. Order lunch and drinks at the cafe counter or bring your own. You get real conversation with other local owners and a focused marketing lesson. You leave knowing people and with one to three actions to run that week. The room is reserved through 1:30 PM. **Who this is for** Any local business owner who wants clearer marketing direction and real local relationships. Service businesses, retail, home services, professional services, online owners building local presence, anyone serious about being part of the Columbus business community. **Not the right fit if** You are here to pitch the room or recruit for an MLM. **Details** * Second Monday of every month * 12:00 to 1:30 PM * Good Cafe Easton, 4400 Easton Commons, Ste 150, Columbus, OH 43219 * Order lunch and drinks at the counter when you arrive * Free to attend, RSVP required, space is limited **About the host** Rita Suzanne is a local marketing strategist and the founder of Local Marketing Method. She runs Visibility is Profitability, the membership where local business owners build the system that keeps their phone ringing. Learn more at learnlocalmarketing.com. Register here: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989964540509?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989964540509?aff=oddtdtcreator)

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!

Please reserve your spot by registering on the below link : **Reserve** https://www.eventbrite.com/e/join-biggest-community-investors-founders-columbus-online-tickets-1988563717610?aff=meetup **QUESTIONS ?** Pls Reach out to; Ridhi - +971504724873 ( WhatsApp Only)

At Evolve Synergy Sessions, you'll be part of a supportive mastermind where we share challenges, brainstorm solutions, and inspire one another to take bold steps in our businesses. Grow your network, gain fresh perspectives, and build meaningful relationships with like-minded women who are committed to success. Whether you’re looking to move the needle in your business or simply need a space to connect and recharge, this is the perfect place to fuel your entrepreneurial journey. [Add Event to Calendar](https://evolvecolumbus.eventcalendarapp.com/) \*\* Please note, we will be arriving around 8:15a for open networking! Get there early and get connected! Contact Alexis Morley at [alexis.morley@edwardjones.com](mailto:alexis.morley@edwardjones.com) or Terri Lawson at [terri.lawson@e-merge.com](mailto:terri.lawson@e-merge.com) for more information.

**The Behavior Gap: Where Products Win or Lose** Teams today have more data than ever, and yet many still struggle to understand why customers adopt, engage with, or abandon their products. Teams sprint, ship faster, and chase more signals… all while metrics stall and confidence drops. The missing piece isn’t more data. It’s often the behavioral insight between the metrics, explaining why the numbers move in the first place. Dashboards can tell you what customers did, but understanding why they did it (and how to influence what they do next) requires a deeper blend of insights. This session is about closing that gap. Drawing from real-world experience designing and scaling products as [ZoCo Design](https://zocodesign.com/)’s CEO, [Lacey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) will share how to cut through the noise and identify the insights that actually change behavior—moving people, and moving metrics. You’ll learn: * Why understanding customer behavior is a quant and qual challenge * How to spot the signals that actually predict behavior change * Where AI accelerates insight, and where it creates distraction * How to get meaningfully closer to customers, without adding more tools This talk reframes how to evaluate performance and identify what levers actually improve it, helping your team to make smarter bets with greater confidence. Every meaningful outcome is driven by behavior change. And when you know how to design for behavior, you stop guessing, and start building things that work. **About Our Speaker** [Lacey Picazo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) is the Founder and CEO of ZoCo, a healthcare product studio that turns complex, high-stakes ideas into products that drive real-world adoption. She partners with healthcare organizations to uncover critical care delivery insights, focus product strategy through behavior design, and build solutions that patients and providers actually use. Thanks to our 2026 sponsors: [Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro) More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.