As vice president of Public Affairs and Communications at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Larry serves on the Kauffman Foundation’s senior leadership team. Jacob leads all internal and external communications with emphasis on marketing activities, institutional branding, media relations, employee communications, and executive support. He also serves as a critical thought partner to the strategy and partnership development for Kansas City grant making under the Foundation’s KC Civic engagement program.

Leila Janah is the Founder and CEO of Sama and Laxmi, two companies recently highlighted on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list that share a common social mission to end global poverty by giving work to people in need. She is also the co-author of America's Moment: Creating Opportunity in the Connected Age, a book by Rework America: A Markle Initiative.

Since 1992, Todd’s work has focused on the design of social processes, technologies and experiences to tap collaborative intelligence and sense-making in order to embrace complexity, accelerate learning and foster innovation across organizations and communities.

Having over 20 years of investment experience, Nikunj heads the World Bank/ IFC’s Venture Capital (VC) global investment group.  At IFC, Nikunj has led over 100 direct equity investments, several of which have had successful exits, and oversees an active portfolio of 35 companies and a dozen VC funds, totaling over US$1 billion, all emerging markets focused. Prior to joining IFC in Washington DC, Nikunj spent nine years living and working in Asia.  He was a Managing Director for one of Asia's leading venture funds. 

Sheila C. Johnson, Entrepreneur; Founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts. As a leading executive in the hospitality sector, one of the nation’s top professional sports team owners, a pioneer in the entertainment industry, a prominent patron of the arts, and a champion of women’s empowerment around the world, Sheila C. Johnson has a distinguished record of accomplishment that reflects her wide-ranging passions.

Badr Jafar is CEO of the Crescent Group, which is headquartered in the UAE since 1972. The Group comprises of two companies: Crescent Petroleum and Crescent Enterprises.  Badr is active in a variety of other industries including ports and logistics, serving as Chair of the Executive Board of Gulftainer (the world’s largest private container port operator), and private equity, serving as a member of the boards of The Abraaj Group (UAE) and GrowthGate Capital (Bahrain).

Ari Johnson, MD is co-founder and CEO of Muso and Assistant Professor at the University of California San Francisco Global Health Sciences. Ari trained at Harvard Medical School and completed his residency at at the University of California San Francisco.