The Premier Offsite for Founders and Funders
DI is a gathering of innovators and capital allocators. This is where capital finds its highest potential. Where ambition meets opportunity. Where the right conversations unlock extraordinary outcomes.
Speakers
Anna Mason
Managing Partner, Ingeborg Investments
Anna Mason is Managing Partner at Ingeborg Investments, Olivia Walton’s family office. She was formerly co-Managing Partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. Anna has spent a decade in venture, investing in overlooked founders and fund managers. She has been recognized by Fortune, Business Insider, and the Washingtonian, and was a 2022 Presidential Leadership Fellow. She holds degrees from Harvard College and NYU Stern and lives in D.C.
Timothy Chi
CEO, The Knot
Tim is a seasoned board director and corporate executive. A 2x founder with successful public and private equity exits, he brings 25+ years of experience building and leading teams in online marketplaces and digital platforms. An EY Entrepreneur of the Year and Washingtonian “Tech Titan,” his work has been featured on CNN, CNBC, AP, Bloomberg, Fox Business, Inc., Yahoo Finance, and Fortune.
Jamie Marraccini
Founder, Inertial Labs
Jamie Marraccini is a seasoned entrepreneur and corporate leader. As founder and CEO of Inertial Labs, he scaled it to $50M in revenue and sold the company to VIAVI Solutions in 2025 for $325M. Earlier, on the board of Innalabs Holding, he raised $45M+ and guided its exit. A Virginia Tech alum, he has raised $30M+ and generated $150M across robotics, defense, semiconductors, media, and eCommerce.
Sam Pollaro
Founder, Venga
Sam Pollaro is a three-time entrepreneur, currently serving as the coCEO of PicassoMD, a digital health tech startup. Previously Sam was the SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Kayak-OpenTable after that company acquired Venga, his previous venture. Sam’s first startup, an online flower subscription business, was acquired by a Battery Ventures portfolio company.
Dan Berger
Founder, Social Tables
Dan J. Berger is an Israeli-American entrepreneur. His newest venture, Assemble Hospitality Group, is a new lodging concept for corporate retreats. He previously founded and led Social Tables, an event planning software company, which was acquired by Blackstone-owned Cvent in 2018 for $100 million. Dan is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including the Pacesetter Award from the Events Industry Council.
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Rohit Bhargava
Founder, Non-Obvious Company
Rohit Bhargava is a 3-time WSJ bestselling author of ten books and founder of the Non-Obvious Company. An adjunct professor of storytelling at Georgetown, he also leads Ideapress Publishing. A sought-after speaker and entrepreneur, Rohit is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking and creativity in business and beyond.
Steve Case
Co-founder, AOL
Steve Case is the Co-founder of AOL and the Chairman and CEO of Revolution, a D.C.-based investment firm that backs entrepreneurs at every stage of their development and makes strategic investments in real estate and hospitality. Case is one of America’s best-known and most accomplished entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and a pioneer in making the Internet part of everyday life.
Brad Feld
Co-founder, Foundry
Brad Feld is a partner and co-founder of Foundry. He has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over 35 years, since founding his first company, Feld Technologies, in college. Brad is also a co-founder of Techstars and, with his wife Amy Batchelor, runs the Anchor Point Foundation. Brad has written several books on entrepreneurship and venture capital and started blogging in 2004 before VC Twitter existed.
Speakers
Anna Mason
Managing Partner, Ingeborg Investments
Anna Mason is Managing Partner at Ingeborg Investments, Olivia Walton’s family office. She was formerly co-Managing Partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. Anna has spent a decade in venture, investing in overlooked founders and fund managers. She has been recognized by Fortune, Business Insider, and the Washingtonian, and was a 2022 Presidential Leadership Fellow. She holds degrees from Harvard College and NYU Stern and lives in D.C.
Timothy Chi
CEO, The Knot
Tim is a seasoned board director and corporate executive. A 2x founder with successful public and private equity exits, he brings 25+ years of experience building and leading teams in online marketplaces and digital platforms. An EY Entrepreneur of the Year and Washingtonian “Tech Titan,” his work has been featured on CNN, CNBC, AP, Bloomberg, Fox Business, Inc., Yahoo Finance, and Fortune.
Jamie Marraccini
Founder, Inertial Labs
Jamie Marraccini is a seasoned entrepreneur and corporate leader. As founder and CEO of Inertial Labs, he scaled it to $50M in revenue and sold the company to VIAVI Solutions in 2025 for $325M. Earlier, on the board of Innalabs Holding, he raised $45M+ and guided its exit. A Virginia Tech alum, he has raised $30M+ and generated $150M across robotics, defense, semiconductors, media, and eCommerce.
Sam Pollaro
Founder, Venga
Sam Pollaro is a three-time entrepreneur, currently serving as the coCEO of PicassoMD, a digital health tech startup. Previously Sam was the SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Kayak-OpenTable after that company acquired Venga, his previous venture. Sam’s first startup, an online flower subscription business, was acquired by a Battery Ventures portfolio company.
Dan Berger
Founder, Social Tables
Dan J. Berger is an Israeli-American entrepreneur. His newest venture, Assemble Hospitality Group, is a new lodging concept for corporate retreats. He previously founded and led Social Tables, an event planning software company, which was acquired by Blackstone-owned Cvent in 2018 for $100 million. Dan is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including the Pacesetter Award from the Events Industry Council.
Rohit Bhargava
Founder, Non-Obvious Company
Rohit Bhargava is a 3-time WSJ bestselling author of ten books and founder of the Non-Obvious Company. An adjunct professor of storytelling at Georgetown, he also leads Ideapress Publishing. A sought-after speaker and entrepreneur, Rohit is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking and creativity in business and beyond.
Steve Case
Co-founder, AOL
Steve Case is the Co-founder of AOL and the Chairman and CEO of Revolution, a D.C.-based investment firm that backs entrepreneurs at every stage of their development and makes strategic investments in real estate and hospitality. Case is one of America’s best-known and most accomplished entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and a pioneer in making the Internet part of everyday life.
Brad Feld
Co-founder, Foundry
Brad Feld is a partner and co-founder of Foundry. He has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over 35 years, since founding his first company, Feld Technologies, in college. Brad is also a co-founder of Techstars and, with his wife Amy Batchelor, runs the Anchor Point Foundation. Brad has written several books on entrepreneurship and venture capital and started blogging in 2004 before VC Twitter existed.
Facilitators
Eli Kia
Eli Kia is an Investor at Fortify Ventures. He combines creative ideas for growth with technical know-how and a strong ability for quantitative problem-solving. Eli has experience as both an operator and an investor. Before joining Fortify, he was an Associate at Seaside Ventures, Chief Growth Officer at Handle Delivery, and Supply at Duffl (YC W20).
Host Committee
Kari Ritacco
Kari Ritacco is Founder and Principal at RedIron Public Relations, a public relations firm with deep expertise in cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and enterprise technology markets. She has spearheaded the communications efforts of hundreds of early-stage companies, as well as prominent global brands, over the course of her 30-year career. She brings creativity, drive, and thoughtful execution to deliver strong results with the highest level of client service and engagement.
Lisa Throckmorton
Lisa Throckmorton is Managing Partner at REQ PR, where she leads strategy and operations to help startups and growth companies own their narratives. A recognized leader in DC’s innovation scene, she brings market insight, creativity, and operational rigor to elevate brands, drive visibility, and fuel growth in competitive environments.
Chris Waldron
Chris Waldron is CMO of Baby Bathwater Institute and a founder coach at ChrisWaldron.com. Over 19 years he has founded or acquired 10 companies with 4 exits. As a coach, he’s worked with 120+ growth-stage founders, emphasizing core values and data-driven execution, and now helps select clients transform marketing with strong teams and clear processes.
Ann Marie Guzzi
Ann Marie is a cofounder of the Agora Initiative, supporting female founders in the DMV raising institutional capital. She also runs Dalmatian Ops, a consultancy for VC-backed startups on operations and strategy. Previously, she led product and GTM at Koalafi and worked in product at Mastercard and APT.
Amelia DeSorrento
Amelia DeSorrento is a cofounder and board member of the Agora Initiative and Director of Client Delivery at Solestiss, advising nuclear developers, utilities, and Fortune 100 firms. She previously co-founded Hatch Apps and has written for leading outlets. Amelia is a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Washingtonian Tech Titan honoree.
Callye Keen
Callye Keen is the CEO of Kform, a defense innovation company advancing technology commercialization. He has collaborated on hundreds of products for entrepreneurs, startups, and corporations, while also launching and selling his own ventures across industries. He additionally serves as CMO of Startups Ignite.
Jon Peyton
Jon Peyton is the Managing Partner of investment bank Sell Side Securities. He supports founders through the scale to sale process with capital raises, M&A, and secondary market transactions. Jon leads a founder-centric ecosystem of five companies - including Founders Accounting, Value Creation Consultancy, C-Suite Planning, and Different Investments.
Jonathon Perrelli
Jonathon Perrelli is Managing Partner and Founder of Fortify Ventures. A serial entrepreneur turned early stage investor, Jonathon has backed companies like Inertial Labs, Plaxo, and FormStack. He co-created the Distilled Intelligence pitch competition, where Fortify discovered companies such as Hinge, ID.me, and Social Tables.
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