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Patrick Henry – President & CEO of GroGuru Making you Own the Future of Agriculture Wondering how to master the art of running start-ups successfully? Who better to learn it from than a serial entrepreneur who has been in the technology business for 20 years! Patrick Henry, the President & CEO of GroGuru, has built multiple million-dollar businesses in areas where innovative technology is just emerging. With immense patience, perseverance, and hard work, he has built companies and businesses that address the consumer electronics as well as communications markets and is now focused on building a company in the agriculture technology space. The renowned businessman treats every situation with a ‘beginner’s mind’ and assumes one can always learn something that is of value from it. The world needs more people like Patrick Henry who empower others with his experiences, wisdom, and knowledge. About GroGuru GroGuru takes pride in making the world a better place to live by allowing farmers to save water, grow more crops in a cost-effective way, and sequester more carbon in the soil. With an ever-increasing pool of skilled experts, the company is passionate about preserving the precious resources of the planet in a more sustainable way. GroGuru solutions help farmers increase crop yield, while at the same time preserving water and other scarce resources. As a result, farmers can be more efficient and make more money. Additionally, the company deploys soil sensors that measure things like soil moisture, temperature, and salinity at various root depths of crops. Then, it wirelessly transmits this data to the Cloud where it adds additional information to make AI-based recommendations to farmers about when and how much to irrigate their crops. With his commitment to excellence being unparalleled, Patrick Henry is focused on helping farmers implement strategic water management for the smart farm. Leading by Example Great leaders are determined to bring a change. A former CEO at QuestFusion, Patrick Henry has never failed to set ambitious and challenging goals in his life. He is an expert on building world-class teams, building strategic partnerships, and has a phenomenal ability to clearly articulate complex technologies into something that a layperson can understand. Additionally, he has had plenty of exists including an IPO on NASDAQ that led to a $1B valuation. One key thing that has constantly helped Patrick in his career is to always keep learning from different experiences whether good or bad. He strives to take decisions impeccably based on what’s right for his company. As the CEO of GroGuru, Mr. Henry drives the overall strategy and operational execution for an exciting Agriculture Technology (AgTech) company that is changing the way that we grow crops by using an innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled software as a service (SaaS) for strategic irrigation management for commercial farmers. A true serial entrepreneur & a lifelong learner, Patrick perfectly defines how a well-rounded individual should be. Awe-inspiring Accomplishments With a strong desire for entrepreneurship and a passion to serve the community, Mr. Henry has passed countless milestones throughout his journey. He is a proud former contributor at FastCompany, Tech.Co, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post, and other publications. Besides, he is the winner of the 2008 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Technology, San Diego Daily Transcript 2008 Top Influentials in the Technology Industry, and 2011 San Diego Business Journal Most Admired CEO. Patrick says, “I have successfully raised over $200 million in equity financing for my companies and been directly involved in over $2 billion of M&A transactions.” This extraordinary personality inspires his team to greatness, nurtures the talents and skills of his co-workers, and shows up for others, without fail. Previously featured on CNBC, Bloomberg Television, and Forbes, Patrick Henry still has the same energy and optimism of his early days. The wealth of experience and wisdom accumulated throughout Patrick’s 20 years of being an entrepreneur is undoubtedly worth appreciating! Impact of Covid-19 – One Step Closer Downturns come with many silver linings. When Covid-19 hit, numerous companies struggled and went out of business. GroGuru, on the contrary, focused on the present opportunities and launched its stand-alone SaaS business that uses third-party hardware already purchased by farmers. Patrick asserts, “The key in a major economic downturn is to survive now to thrive later. Because GroGuru already had a geographically distributed team, the transition to virtual was relatively seamless.” Although each one of us faced a nice bundle of challenges due to the pandemic, Patrick Henry used it as an opportunity to grow market share and expand his market channel presence. As a greatly ambitious entrepreneur, he strives to have a keen eye for the brighter side of things and surpass setbacks with a brave face. His Dose of Inspiration As we set out to establish our goals, we always know a handful of people who would say “go for it”. With so many changes all around, they give us a safe space to be able to express and share our opinion. Some might call it a coincidence that Patrick Henry has continuously found opportunities to learn and grow because of the mentors he has had in his life. But to him, it’s no less than a miracle that he was able to find these mentors, without even knowing they were there. “I have had several exceptional mentors throughout my career, and many amazing leaders and coaches that have influenced me,” he shares. Henry gives an extra credit of his indomitable spirit to Jesus Christ. He adds, “It is my relationship with God that has had the biggest impact on my life including in my career.” With sheer tenacity and confidence, Henry has climbed up the professional ladder of success and continues to influence aspiring minds with positivity! Insightful Advice When asked Patrick about his best piece of advice to the next generation of aspiring and budding Business people, he stressed upon the need of building great teams that complement your skill set and areas of expertise. A team is powerful with the people

Myke Celis, M.A., PCC – CEO of Best Me Ever Professional Coaching, Training and Development Services Kindly brief us about the outset story of your career. I spent 15 years in marketing and advertising, handling local and multinational brands. Admittedly, working in a cutthroat industry resulted in having very high stress levels, ridiculous expectations and lost sense of self as my work became my life per se. But as fate would have had it, after finding myself at the lowest point in my life way back in 2014 after being betrayed by a friend who left me almost bankrupt and with so much debt and being in a physically abusive relationship then, I made that life changing choice to explore. I then found myself gravitating towards life coaching while I was in the process of healing through my daily postings about my personal learnings on Facebook then using #bestmeever. 10 years after and now as a multi-awarded Global Master Coach named as one of the top 30 Global Gurus in Coaching for 2024, #bestmeever has become my coaching platform across multimedia, the title of my international best-selling book series and the anchor of all my talks and workshops given all over the world so that everyone can discover and become their own authentic, unapologetic, grandest version of themselves. As a successful leader, which three personal qualities do you believe contributed most to your success? I have always kept these 3 core values close to my heart. Authenticity, credibility and integrity. Allow me to explain why. Authenticity – As I continuously advocate for inclusivity and diversity, I always believed that everyone deserves to take up space as he/she is. I have always remembered that my goal when I decided to enter the coaching industry was to become the first ever Myke Celis the world ever had, and not be a replica of anyone else, to be able to inspire people to embrace their uniqueness and find their own space and voice amidst a sea of people. Credibility – I totally believe that before you can help others work on themselves, you must first work on yourself and secure the necessary steps to become a legit expert in whatever it is that you do. In my case, before becoming a coach myself, I got myself a coach, got certified by a reputable coaching institution accredited by the International Coaching Federation, and did my required trainings, apprenticeship and coaching hours, abiding by the highest coaching standards so I could maximize my practice and come up with a portfolio of clients whose testimonials can speak of my work. It’s all about being able to walk the talk. Integrity – I don’t really subscribe to the notion of “fake it till you make it” as I have always been an advocate of honesty in one’s practice. At the end of the day, only real results stemming from genuine intentions and hard work can make one feel truly happy, complete and fulfilled. Plus, as they say, the truth will always come out, so it’s important to just embrace it from the very beginning to spare yourself from future hassles. What are the aims and ideals that guide you as an individual and a professional? I have always embraced my purpose of speaking to inspire. So I make sure that each time I speak (or write as an author), I come from a space of genuine intention to help people overcome limiting beliefs, spark hope and allow them to embrace their own authentic, unapologetic, grandest version of themselves: their own #bestmeever. By doing this, hopefully I can help create a world where everyone is allowed to take up space and no one gets left behind. What have been the toughest obstacles you faced in your career? Before, it was starting from scratch. Having no background in coaching at all, I had to study, work my way up and build my own portfolio to showcase my work so that people would take notice. It was quite a humbling experience having people turn me down because I was a newbie and admittedly there were times I wanted to give up but still I held on to my purpose. However, things changed when I was able to show them and let them experience themselves the results I could deliver as I grew in my practice. Now, I think one of the challenges I face is maintaining the integrity of the coaching practice for everyone in general. Nowadays, a lot of people call themselves as coaches, banking on certifications they got online for as low as $10 USD, without really taking time to practice and follow international coaching standards. While I totally respect that people will only go for what they can afford as of the moment, my prayer is to be able to regulate the practice and align it with global coaching standards since handling mental health and personal/professional growth issues is not something to take lightly as one can create havoc on a person’s life via wrong processing. I do my part though by writing articles for Coaching World, the official blog of the International Coaching Federation, about coaching tips and tricks to help aspiring coaches with their own practice. Do you have a mantra that you live by? Always do (and be) what truly makes you happy, complete and fulfilled. You can never go wrong with that, in my opinion. And yes, that always worked for me, especially when making life changing decisions. Who in your life inspires you the most? Apart from my loved ones, friends, followers, readers and viewers who all make my heart overflow with gratitude as they shower me continuously with love and support, I am inspired by my younger self. Growing up from a dysfunctional family and having been bullied as a kid, I always strive now to make my younger self proud and be the person I have always wanted to be, and in the process, inspire others to not be defined by

Kristin Marquet – Creative Director & Owner at Marquet Media  Kindly brief us about the outset story of your career. My career journey commenced in the bustling streets of New York City, where I dove into public relations and branding, specifically focusing on the fashion industry. This foray into the business world ignited my entrepreneurial spark, leading to the inception of Marquet Media. What sets Marquet Media apart is its dedication to innovation within the lifestyle and fashion sectors, a commitment that has been instrumental in distinguishing our firm in the competitive New York business environment. The establishment of Marquet Media was just the beginning. My entrepreneurial ventures expanded as I identified market gaps and growth opportunities. I created Marquet Magazine, a digital platform catering to lifestyle and business enthusiasts. This venture allowed me to leverage digital media to reach a broader audience, providing insights and inspiration to a global readership. This publication largely focuses on publishing content on fashion, home and living, and design thinking. After that, I launched FemFounder, an innovative online platform to empower female entrepreneurs by providing them with essential resources, expert advice, and a supportive community. The platform serves as a beacon for women at various stages of their entrepreneurial journey, offering insights into business development, marketing, and strategic growth. FemFounder is dedicated to breaking down the barriers women often face in business, encouraging them to harness their potential and succeed in their ventures. Through inspiring content, practical tips, and real-life success stories, FemFounder educates and motivates women to transform their ideas into thriving businesses. The platform also sells bespoke marketing, branding, and social media marketing templates for those in the interior design, coaching, fashion, beauty, and sustainable brand industries. Each of these ventures is interconnected by a common thread: my commitment to innovation, quality, and empowering others. They reflect my journey from a passionate PR professional to a diversified business owner with a deep understanding of the complexities of managing multiple successful enterprises. This multi-faceted approach to business has solidified my reputation as an industry leader and continually fuels my drive to push creative boundaries and inspire others to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. As a successful leader, which three personal qualities do you believe contributed most to your success? The three personal qualities that have been pivotal in my success are resilience, curiosity, and integrity. Resilience has allowed me to withstand the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, constantly pushing forward regardless of setbacks. This tenacity stems from a deep-seated belief in my mission and the determination to bring goals to fruition, no matter the challenges. On the other hand, curiosity has been a constant driver, propelling me to seek new knowledge continuously, understand emerging trends, and explore uncharted territories. This relentless pursuit of learning has kept my businesses dynamic and competitive. Finally, integrity has been the cornerstone of all my professional relationships. It has instilled a level of trust and respect among colleagues, clients, and collaborators that is invaluable. These relationships, built on honesty and ethical behavior, have enhanced my reputation, and led to lasting partnerships and opportunities. Together, these three qualities form the foundation of my professional ethos and continue to drive my success in the competitive world of entrepreneurship. What are the aims and ideals that guide you as an individual and a professional? My professional and personal life is deeply influenced by a steadfast commitment to excellence and a belief in the power of collaboration. I am continually driven to achieve the highest standards in all my endeavors, whether leading teams, executing projects, or mentoring others. Pursuing excellence is not just about meeting goals but about exceeding them and setting new benchmarks for success. Additionally, I am passionate about empowering young professionals, particularly women, and encouraging them to take bold and decisive steps in their careers. Creating an environment that promotes growth and assertiveness, I strive to inspire younger leaders to dream big and possess the courage to turn those dreams into reality. My dedication to these principles has shaped my approach to leadership, which is centered around nurturing talent, championing innovative ideas, and creating opportunities that allow others to shine. What have been the toughest obstacles you faced in your career? One of the toughest obstacles I faced was during the initial expansion of my business. Scaling up required financial investment and a leap of faith in my vision. Overcoming the fear of failure, particularly during uncertain economic times, tested my resolve and taught me invaluable lessons in risk management. Do you have a mantra that you live by? My personal mantra is “Persevere with grace.” This reminds me to maintain my composure and stay determined despite my challenges and during times of heated conversations. It underscores the importance of handling success and setbacks with equal humility, grace, and strength. What would be your future endeavors and where do you see yourself in the near future? Looking ahead, I plan to expand my influence within the digital marketing sphere, mainly through developing innovative strategies that leverage AI technology to enhance brand engagement. By introducing the Marquet Creative membership program and other offerings, I aim to provide exclusive access to comprehensive marketing, branding, and social media templates available via Canva, Word, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. My proprietary PR and branding frameworks and AI-powered technology will offer members unparalleled tools and resources to drive their business success. I continue to mentor the next generation of leaders, aiming to cultivate a legacy that champions progressive leadership and inclusive business practices. Your journey has been inspiring, and it sets a great example for aspiring leaders. What advice do you have for them? I advise aspiring leaders to embrace every experience as a learning opportunity. Whether you succeed or face setbacks, there is always a lesson to be learned. Cultivate resilience, seek out mentors, and never underestimate the power of networking. Your path might only sometimes be clear, but with perseverance and a clear vision, you can achieve exceptional things. 

Lionel Lodge – Founder, CEO at SyncLodge Kindly brief us about the outset story of your career. I have been connected to or worked in the entertainment industry for all my life. My father (Tom Lodge) was program director and main DJ on the first pirate radio station Radio Caroline that is cited for starting the British music explosion in the 1960’s. For most  of my career my main focus has been as a music writer, performer, producer, and recording artist.  I have written hundreds of songs and co-written many more. I have played thousands of shows in many countries. But,  along the way I have also founded and managed a number of successful companies, all inspired by seeing distinct needs in the industry and setting out to answer those needs. As a successful leader, which three personal qualities do you believe contributed most to your success? It is always a different set of points depending on the challenge, timing is one, hard work is another but I think the main elements that have contributed to me being able to build companies that realized their goals is: Recognizing talent needed to build cohesive and productive teams. Listening to others, especially critical perspectives that have reason. And, not shying away from climbing tall mountains. I think if you are going to climb a mountain, why climb a small one? What are the aims and ideals that guide you as an individual and a professional? Having a positive impact is always key. For a company to grow and survive in the long term it needs to offer tangable, positive benefits for all whom it engages. The only good deal is where both sides win. This is not an easy thing to do, a win/win deal.  There is always the fear of the other side’s motives. Are they being honest with their intent and their motives? I find taking the chance, being the lead with honesty in negotiations is a great way to move things forward in a positive way. It is also a great way to relieve tension and let the other side know you are at the table to build a long term, positive business relationship. This is also the same way to build long-term personal relationships, showing who you are. While starting your journey, what challenges did you encounter and how they were overcome? When working towards a vision of a better future, it isn’t an easy task to have others recognize and believe in that vision. Enthusiasm for a goal is easy when things run smoothly, which really is very rare. It takes digging in and doing the heavy lifting when the climb is steep and the top is not in sight. Keeping clarity on the “why we are doing this” is very important, for the whole team. When problems happen, which they always do, not making them a personal failure is very important. If someone dropped the ball it is the job of the rest of the team to pick it up and carry it to the goal line. Inspiring this ethic is the one of the jobs of the team leader. In addition to that, it is a very big business world that has tens of millions of companies all pushing to climb to the top of their sector, all racing to be the head of innovation. I think the trick is staying focused on your road map, while being open to adjusting, pivoting to the changing needs of the market and the changes that other’s innovations bring. Again, the why, the long term why, is very important. Who is your biggest inspiration in life? I have many and it has changed along the way. My father and my mother have been, major and, obviously, initial inspirations who have  taught me things that I carried through the years. My wife Karin is a big inspiration to me. She is a larger than life exponent for the truth and reality, not ever feeling sorry for yourself but proving what you are made of when things seem impossible. I also have had many heroes through my life, people I have admired for their ability to conquer obstacles and adversity, to go against the odds and keep pushing on a vision.  One of my favourite quotes is from Benjamin Franklin,  goes something like this, 98% of human failure is from giving up just before success is obtained. This is a little frustrating as you never know if the current wall you face is the last one before success. But it does give the perspective of pushing through, continuing on and not stopping the climb till the top is reached. What would be your future endeavours and where do you see yourself in the near future? I am deeply focused on what SyncLodge is doing and the goals we have for the long term future, the positive effect we have and will have on the creative industries. Our roadmap is long, with some very steep climbs. I mark my future on SyncLodge obtaining these goals. I believe heavily in cooperation, not competition. Though competition can be healthy, cooperation breathes oxygen into an industry. I see SyncLodge being a part of a very energized ecosystem of companies all delivering positive change in a cohesive, involved, tide raising drive towards a healthy, creative world. We have the vision to end paperwork and move the sync industry into the digital world. Although incredible, the sync licensing is still reliant on manual, human, time intensive administrative tasks while the world is getting ready for an AI revolution. We will not only keep pace but we will lead the change. Mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your organization and person. We have won some very flattering recognitions over the year since we launched including winning the 2022/23 Specialist Media Platform Of The Year. I am very proud of these and am consistently very surprised that we have been noticed and recognized. I have won

Carlton Solle – Founder & CEO of G95, Inc. 1. How did you come up with your business concept? What made you select this type? In 2015, my husband got sick while on a trip to China. The hotel he was staying in called a doctor because he was having trouble breathing. The doctor told him he had most likely got a respiratory infection from the plane, or it could also have been due to the smoke and air pollution in Shanghai. When asking the doctor what he could do to protect himself in the future, he got told that the only thing that he could do was to wear a mask. My husband replied: “What, one of those white masks that make you look like you are sick?”, to which the doctor responded, “Yep!”. When my husband arrived home and told me what had happened and that these masks were going to be the new normal for travelers and folks who live in big cities around the world. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and feeling like there had to be something better. Later that week, I randomly got to daydreaming back to my childhood, growing up in the countryside of Costa Rica. My favorite toys as a child were always these two hand-me-down dolls. I loved those dolls, but their clothes were old and worn, so anytime I could get my hands on fabric scraps, I would try to make them new clothes. Most of the time, there wasn’t enough material for an entire outfit, so I started to make little scarves for them instead. While thinking back on those scarves, I suddenly came up with an idea: Instead of wearing masks, why couldn’t we build filters into regular clothes? Why couldn’t we have something fashionable that could not only add a special touch to any outfit, but that could also help protect the wearer at the same time? I told my husband about my idea, and he immediately got excited! We immediately got to work researching filtration materials and designing our prototype. 2. While starting your journey, what all challenges did you encounter and how they were overcome? We started in 2016. At that time only countries in Asia were using particulate filtration to help protect against air pollution so we spent four years educating and people here in the U.S. didn’t understand why you need our gear and or care to support us. One key hurdle to overcome was the need to create a filtration material that was durable enough to be used in apparel and washable for repeated wear. Most mask filters are single-use and lose their effectiveness after being worn.  Pretty much every one of the filtration manufacturers we approached thought we were crazy, but we knew we were onto something and refused to give up. Finally, after months of searching, we found a very specialized manufacturing group to help us make it happen, together we developed our one of a kind G95 filtration material. 3. Kindly shed some light on your ambitions and ideals. Our goal is to become the sustainable version of N95, the G in G95 is for “Green” so the big picture for us is to create a new sustainable standard for particulate filtration material. 4. What makes your company unique? In 2015 we came up with an idea to address a problem we had experienced firsthand — namely air pollution. The idea was to incorporate particulate filtration into apparel. In 2016 we developed our prototype Bioscarf and filed our first patent that covered our new design of embedding washable and reusable filtration material in fabric. That design is the foundation for all G95 gear. 5. Define success and how long did it take you to find the same? Success is doing what you are passionate about and creating sustainable products that allow people to make a difference. 6. If you had one piece of advice for budding professionals just starting out, what would it be? If you believe and are passionate about an idea, test it and beat it up as much as you can and if it passes all the tests, then start. Unfortunately, if you have anything worthwhile the majority of people won’t get it or understand it until they see it so you have to make it. No need to make the final version with all the bells and whistles make the first one with just enough for people to see it and enough to start to sell it. Ideally do all of that by yourself and with your own $. Then you will have something that exists, is selling and the only hurdle will be more $ to grow. That’s where you want to get to by yourself.