Objective
Designed as a space for conversations for and with founders, this initiative will bring together founders and co-founders who are actively building their startup ventures. Each month, the conversation will feature one venture that is being built, and invite the team to share with the audience how they are building their venture, for example: how they started, how they built the team, what they have accomplished so far, and where they are headed. These conversations will provide members of the Bentley community access to cutting-edge venture efforts to be inspired. These conversations will also provide students a space to surface and listen to questions and discuss answers based on what the start-up ventures are facing in their journey.
Purpose
This initiative is different from Coaching Sessions (that brings Bentley alumni who have been seasoned entrepreneurs to campus as part of intense conversations to offer advice to students), the Speaker Series (that brings Bentley alumni to campus to share their stories as a part of class sessions), and even the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence initiative (that allows students access to one-on-one sessions with seasoned entrepreneurs). The goals for this initiative are to inspire members of the Bentley community about ongoing efforts to build ventures at Bentley and around Greater Boston, and provide a space conversations where participants can discuss problems and solutions they are facing as they build their start-up ventures.
Logistics
Each session will be held in the Living Room at the Student Center on Bentley’s campus and will follow a fireside chat format. A Bentley host will lead the conversation with the featured founder, asking questions about their journey, current work, and future plans, while also inviting questions from the audience. Each session will begin with one or two short presentations (not pitches) from Bentley teams sharing what they are building. An open session will follow where attendees will get a chance to connect with one another to discuss problems and solutions, consider joining different ventures, exploring enternship opportunities and more. Each session will also feature a chance for the attendees to get to know the resources available at the E-Hub.
Alum Lead
Schedule
The Founder Conversations will be held each month on a Friday afternoon, scheduled in response to semester and other constraints.
Join us for a conversation with Saalik Lokhandwala and learn more how he founded LokBros Studio with his brothers. Their business brings together technology, design, and storytelling to create meaningful projects and community-focused experiences. Hear how they turned their shared vision into a growing creative studio and what it takes to build something new from the ground up.
Join Joe Rizzo, William Schulhof, and Justin Jin, winners of the E-Hub Incubator, as they share their journey building Aldalife, now rebranded as Klonos. Their platform creates AI-driven digital avatars that engage in lifelike conversations—combining photos, voices, and supporting documents to transform how organizations connect with audiences. Hear how this team took their venture from E-Hub to a growing AI startup shaping the future of digital engagement.
Join Ryan Ogren, Paige Trager, Kyle Martin, and Zoey Sandberg, winners of the 2024–25 E-Hub Incubator, as they share their journey building Right Run. Learn how this student-founded venture is creating their own app.
Join us for a conversation with Scott Cohen and the Jaxon.ai team, the minds behind a trustworthy AI platform. Developed with the Department of Defense, Jaxon tackles one of AI’s biggest challenges hallucinations by mathematically verifying outputs and creating clear audit trails. Their DSAIL technology brings reliability and transparency to high-stakes applications. Scott Cohen, a seasoned technologist and entrepreneur, has launched ventures from wireless imaging systems to big data platforms. Now, as co-founder of Jaxon.ai, he’s leading the way in turning advanced AI into practical, dependable solutions. Hear the story, the challenges, and the lessons learned in creating one of the most innovative AI companies today.
Join us for a conversation with Martin O’Reilly, co-founder and CEO of Output Sports, a sports technology company making elite-level sports science simple and scalable. Trusted by 1,400+ organizations worldwide, including teams in the EPL, NFL, NBA, and more, Output captures over 100 million exercise reps each year. Hear Martin’s journey from Ph.D. research to building a global platform transforming athlete performance.
Faculty host: Jim Kelliher