North Bay NEXT 2024

the third annual conference connecting the Marin + Sonoma startup community

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

9 AM - 5:30 PM

Novato

College of Marin - Jonas Center

Tickets: $249

View the Agenda

'Day of' Website

The NEXT ‘24 Theme is Build It Here

Learn from the leaders who built many of the North Bay’s most successful enterprises and meet the next generation of great North Bay companies

NEXT ‘24 builds on the inspiring ‘23 and ‘22 gatherings

Join 300+ leaders at the North Bay’s premier startup event

Reserve Your Ticket

The Day’s Highlights

Focus on New Connections

NEXT at its core is a community-building and networking conference. Take advantage of dedicated blocks to meet other NEXT attendees, including local entrepreneurs and startup employees, operators living in the North Bay, investors, and other community leaders.
Keynotes & Fireside Chats

The NEXT ‘24 theme is Build It Here. Learn from powerful and punchy keynotes and discussions providing inspiration and purpose from some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the North Bay’s history.
North Bay Startup Showcase

Expanded to 20 Presenters in 2024 - Hear from many of the most innovative early-stage founders building across Marin + Sonoma. Later, have the opportunity to rotate around the room and engage in Q&A with these founders during NEXT’s first ‘Meet the Founders’ segment.
Small Group 'Lunch & Learn' Sessions

New to NEXT in 2024 - Choose from 20+ topic lunches led by former founders, CEOs, and C-level executives. Groups are capped at 9 participants to ensure you get to know fellow participants and can learn from local experts across a wide range of disciplines in an intimate setting.
Evening Outdoor Reception

Everyone’s favorite NEXT tradition! Finish the day outdoors in the retreat-like setting that is the College of Marin Indian Valley campus - make more new friends while enjoying food and drinks to wrap up the day.

Keynote Speakers & Moderators

Helen Russell

Co-Founder & Executive Chair
Equator Coffees

Bio
Lily Kanter

Co-Founder & Former CEO
Serena & Lily

Bio
Mike Miskovsky

Chairman & CEO
Ojjo

Bio
Jordan Kivelstadt

Co-Founder at Free Flow Wines
Venture Partner at MSIV

Bio
Tina Sharkey

Global Brand + Community Architect
Co-Founder & Former CEO at Brandless

Bio
Brett Martinez

President/CEO
Redwood Credit Union

Bio
Zachary Kushel

Founder & Managing Partner
Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures

Bio

All NEXT Speakers Live or Work in Marin + Sonoma

50+ Speakers Confirmed

Full agenda is now available here

NEXT Agenda

Research ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions below so you know which ticket to reserve at registration

Small Group ‘Lunch & Learn’ Session Leaders

Myke Nahorniak

Co-Founder & Former CEO, Localist
Topic: Bootstrapping - how to succeed from founding to exit with minimal outside capital

Bio
Anthony Vidergauz

President, Paradise Group Inc.
Former CEO at California Closets
Topic: Franchising - how the franchise model coupled with values and purpose could be a fit for your business

Bio
Suzanne Kimbel

CEO at Old Sol Farms
Former CEO at Stonecrop Technologies
Topic: Aligned Capital Raising - choosing funding sources based on your goals, not FOMO

Bio
Patrick Peterson

CEO at Ceibaworks
Founder & Former CEO at Agari
Topic: Generating Revenue - closing the gap from interested to paying customers

Bio
David Shapiro

Founder & CEO at Cartelligent
Topic: Bootstrapping - getting your business off the ground with minimal outside capital

Bio
Wes Crain

Investor at C2G Ventures
Co-Founder at Navitas Organics
Topic: Natural Products CPG - where we've been, where we are, and where we are going

Bio
Sarah Schaaf

General Partner at Enjoy the Work
Co-Founder of Headnote
Topic: Coaching Corner - discuss the biggest challenge you're facing today and how this community can help

Bio
Ravi Mohan

Retired VC
Co-Founder at Shasta Ventures
Topic: Product-Market Fit - what it really is and how to find it

Bio
Daniel Kushner

Designer + Entrepreneur
Founder & Former CEO at MONO
Topic: Category Design - how to intentionally create a new category and succeed as its leader

Bio
John Burns

Chairman of Illuminote
Former CEO at Sonim Technologies
Topic: B2B GTM Planning - How to develop, test, deploy and scale

Bio
Rix Kramlich

CEO of DXM
Former CEO at Blurb
Topic: AI & Creative Content - the next generation of design and creativity

Bio
Kirsten Smith

Growth Advisor
Former VP B2B Marketing at Glassdoor
Topic: B2B Demand Gen - discuss strategies to accelerate your business into hypergrowth

Bio
Dave Hirschkop

Founder at Dave’s Gourmet
Topic: Build a Great CPG Business - the keys to success and overcoming the most common obstacles

Bio
Trevor McCaw

Founder & CEO of Clinops.ai
Topic: AI in Healthcare - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Bio
Gabe Turner

Partner at Sway Ventures
Former Exec. Director, Draper Venture Network
Topic: Wellness & Longevity - building North Bay enterprises that improve health and mind

Bio
Jeff Morgen

Principal at Morgen & Morgen
Former CEO at Hometown Heart
Topic: Failure Points - how to avoid critical mistakes at your early stage venture

Bio
Christopher Gilkerson

President, RiAdvantage Consulting LLC
Former GC and Chief Legal Officer, Charles Schwab
Topic: Legal at Startups - How to manage legal issues and answer “Do I really need to pay for an attorney?”

Bio
Jon Mallon

Founding Member - City of Telosa
Topic: Community Building - lessons learned building a city from scratch that can be applied to our local cities

Bio
Deborah Luster

Chief Impact Officer & Founding Team at Goodles
Former President at Annie’s Inc.
Topic: Succeed with the 6 Ps - purpose, people, persistence, patience, passion, and provocative product

Bio
Susan Griffin-Black

Co-Founder & CEO at EO Products
Topic: Building Your Business with Balance- An integrated way to look at values-aligned leadership

Bio
Adam Tanner

Product Advisor
Co-Founder at Waggl
Topic: Scaling Sales- How to lead your company past founder-driven sales and write a playbook that scales

Bio
Cliff Plumer

Startup Advisor & Media Executive
Former CTO, Lucasfilm + ILM
Topic: Visual Media - how innovations in technology continue to inspire new forms of creativity

Bio