TechXY Turbo

Ion Valis has built a career at the crossroads of politics, technology, and leadership. He started out in Washington, DC, where he spent six years as Press Secretary to two Congressmen. From there, he jumped into the private sector, helping Vodafone in London launch a bold international media initiative just as mobile technology was transforming the world. Back in Montreal, Ion joined a fast-growing tech start-up as a senior executive, then shifted gears to lead the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, an international non-profit dedicated to cultivating public leadership. Along the way, he wrote The Magnificent Mistake, a book about why failure can be our greatest teacher, and later delivered a TEDx talk on rethinking leadership systems. Today, as President of Prometheus Strategic Advisors and co-host of the Boiling the Ocean podcast, Ion explores how leaders can navigate complexity with creativity and courage.

Jack McGowan is the Director of the Buffalo Angels and Executive Director of the Western New York Venture Association (WNYVA). Over the past two decades he has helped channel approximately $9 million of angel investment into 54 early-stage companies in the Buffalo/Upstate New York region and led the region's original startup-investor forum. This year, just a few months ago, he received the Community Catalyst Award at Upstate Venture Connect's Unleashed Founders Retreat for his longstanding impact on the startup ecosystem in Western New York.

Melissa Copeland is the Founder and Principal of Blue Orbit Consulting, where she helps organizations transform customer experience and contact center operations. Since launching the firm in 2014, she has partnered with Fortune 500 companies to deliver measurable improvements in customer engagement, technology investments, and workforce management. Melissa's career combines global corporate leadership with entrepreneurial vision. After years of extensive travel in executive roles, she founded Blue Orbit Consulting to focus on projects closer to home while continuing to influence businesses worldwide. Today, she remains a trusted advisor for organizations seeking to elevate customer experience and achieve lasting results.

David Gonzalez is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arbol, a student financial success platform that helps colleges keep more students enrolled by tackling the real financial barriers that cause them to drop out. Arbol partners with colleges and universities to give students a clear, personalized picture of their financial situation and actionable steps they can take, while giving staff the data and tools they need to proactively remove financial roadblocks at scale. As a first-generation college graduate, David has seen firsthand how financial complexity and uncertainty can derail students' education. His work at Arbol is driven by a simple belief: when students have clarity, support, and a sustainable financial plan, they are far more likely to stay enrolled, graduate, and build the futures they envision for themselves.

Dillan Sayers is a Buffalo-based automation engineer and long-time robotics mentor committed to expanding access to hands-on STEM education. At EWI's Buffalo Manufacturing Works, he designs and integrates advanced automation systems, custom robotics solutions, and smart manufacturing technologies. For more than a decade, he has mentored robotics students across Western New York, helping them build technical abilities, confidence, and direction. This passion led him to found Rust Belt Robotics, Buffalo's first free, community-based FRC program. What began with a few students in his garage has grown into a multi-school initiative serving youth from over 20 schools. Sayers is driven to provide real tools, real engineering, and real mentorship to diverse learners, using robotics as a platform to create opportunity and impact in Buffalo.

Lena Levine is the CEO of Forcoda and Managing Partner at Forcoda Ventures. Over the past fifteen years, she's built a reputation for helping both startups and enterprise companies design, launch, and scale software products that customers love and investors fund. She's worked with major brands including Oral-B, Shake Shack, Central Park Conservancy, Chobani, and M&T Bank. Today, through Forcoda Ventures, Lena focuses on early- and growth-stage startups looking to enter the U.S. market, raise capital, and scale, connecting tech ecosystems between the United States and global markets.