Kaihan Krippendorff is an acclaimed business strategist. He has insider knowledge of the world’s most innovative businesses through his popular Fast Company blog and is the best-selling author of Outthink the Competition. With actionable content and tremendous stage presence, he teaches audiences how to think about problems differently and apply those lessons to business. His goal is to help his audience create “fourth options” for themselves – the strategic advantages their competitors don’t see, don’t expect, and cannot (or will not) emulate.

When the world’s top companies want to understand what’s next for their businesses and how they can create the next big breakthrough in their industries, they turn to world-renowned futurist Sheryl Connelly. Connelly is a global trends and consumer expert whose mastery at identifying what’s coming around the corner and the potential influences on customer attitudes and behavioral patterns that directly impact business strategy is unparalleled. From 1996-2023, she was a cornerstone presence on Ford Motor Company’s global trends and futuring team, working her way up the ranks at the automotive juggernaut and becoming the company’s chief futurist. Connelly draws upon her business foresight expertise and experiences at Ford to help organizations in any industry identify and analyze global consumer trends in order to lay the groundwork for long-term, future-focused planning and strategy across the entire company, and anticipate the ever-evolving needs and desires of the people they serve.

Maurice Ashley made history in 1999 when he became the first African-American chess grandmaster. He is a three-time national championship coach, author of Chess for Success: Using an Old Game to Build New Strengths in Children and Teens, ESPN commentator, iPhone app designer, puzzle inventor, and motivational speaker. Maurice is well known for providing dynamic live tournament coverage of world-class chess competitions and matches.

Sally Hogshead is the author is FASCINATE: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation and Radical Careering. Her studies and stories outline a startling new perspective on how our human brains are hardwired to be influenced. She reveals why we buy certain brands (but not others), why we follow specific types of leaders, and why we fall in love with certain people.

Kostya Kimlat is known as “The Business Magician” — a world-renowned speaker, entertainer, and thought-leader. Kostya reveals the secrets that make magicians the ultimate masters of perception—empowering professionals to communicate more effectively with customers, clients, and coworkers. Kostya is the founder of See Magic Live, which trains and books magicians for events virtually and around the world. His company’s local team began serving as the magicians for the NBA’s Orlando Magic in 2010. Kostya fooled the famous Vegas duo, Penn & Teller, on their hit CW TV show, “Penn and Teller: Fool Us” and became the closing act for their show at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. In 2020, he pivoted his business and has now also performed for thousands of virtual audience members.