Becky Mancero is a Partner at SPZ Legal, where she advises startups, growth-stage companies, and investors on corporate and transactional matters throughout the company lifecycle. She works closely with founders on entity formation, venture financings, commercial agreements, equity compensation, governance, and M&A transactions, serving as a strategic legal partner from formation through exit. Becky is especially passionate about supporting mission-driven and impact-focused businesses, and enjoys helping entrepreneurs build companies that create meaningful change. Becky brings a practical, founder-friendly approach to mentorship, with a focus on helping companies scale thoughtfully while navigating legal and operational challenges. Outside of work, she enjoys running, hiking, traveling, and volunteering with youth advocacy organizations.

A lifetime of involvement with a focus on results in a variety of businesses both big and small. Bethany’s love of everything business comes from growing up and participating in her family’s businesses. After earning a degree in accounting, Bethany spent five years as an auditor in public accounting and two years in corporate accounting overseeing mergers and acquisitions. She has taught at Pikes Peak Community College. She was on the board of the Nation’s largest freestanding birth center as well as a local Humane Society. She is currently a director on the board of Education Reenvisioned.

Cari Hanrahan is the founder of Signal & Trust and a fractional operator who helps pre-Series A startups navigate critical growth stages. She specializes in supporting first-time founders as they transition from founder-led execution to building scalable teams, systems, and fundraising strategies. With experience as COO of a 15-person Techstars founding team, Cari tripled revenue while supporting more than $2 million in pre-seed and seed fundraising efforts. She also successfully led a six-month M&A process that resulted in a final outcome 67% above the original offer and previously scaled an educational consulting team from 8 to 35 employees, growing customers by 216% while increasing customer satisfaction to an NPS above 9.

Chris Blees is the CEO of BiggsKofford Advisors and BiggsKofford Capital, where he leads a team of approximately 50 professionals across tax, audit, consulting, and investment banking services. Since launching the firm’s middle-market M&A practice in 2003, Chris has advised on more than 400 merger, acquisition, and sale transactions nationwide. A recognized leader in the M&A industry, he serves as a lead instructor for the Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) designation and has trained more than 1,500 professionals worldwide. Chris also co-authored the Wiley Finance book Middle Market M&A: Handbook for Investment Banking and Consulting, with editions published in 2012 and 2022. In addition to leadership roles with organizations such as the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors and the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, he was appointed by two Colorado governors to chair the Board of Trustees for Western Colorado University. Outside of business, Chris is an avid endurance athlete and mountaineer who, alongside his family, has climbed all of Colorado’s 14ers as well as peaks including Denali and Kilimanjaro.

Fractional CFO with a passion for enabling the growth or scaling journey of small businesses.  Work across a variety of industries and also enjoy mentoring start up founders.  Over 40 years in the Finance and Accounting Industry.  Personal interests include family with 3 children, international travel, local foodie and 33 marathons and counting.

Dave VanderJagt brings 20 years of experience building high-performing B2B revenue teams focused on predictable, scalable growth. He helps companies design profitable growth strategies that align marketing, sales, and customer success while supporting ownership’s exit goals.

Dr. JD McKenna is a business strategist, leadership coach, and educator who combines years of military service as an Army Ranger and Green Beret with extensive experience supporting commercial organizations in strategic planning, operational execution, and team leadership. Holding a Doctorate in Business Management focused on Strategic Planning and Leadership Coaching from Colorado Technical University, along with advanced degrees in e-commerce, business organization, and computer science, JD has designed graduate-level academic programs and helped develop mentoring initiatives for Fortune 1000 Department of Defense contractors. As the owner of a consulting and coaching firm, he helps small and mid-sized businesses solve complex strategic challenges through facilitated workshops and proven business frameworks such as Value Proposition Canvases, Capability Gap Analysis, and Customer Journey Mapping. JD also holds multiple industry certifications including PMP, CISM, ITIL, and Enterprise Architecture Blackbelt, while actively supporting military transition organizations and serving as Chairman of Pikes Peak Outdoors, a nonprofit focused on outdoor recreation stewardship and conservation.

Jonathan “JB” Bolton is an executive advisor, leadership coach, and founder of Bolton Co., a leadership development company based in the Pikes Peak region. With over 20 years of experience, JB has helped build and scale organizations from startup through $25M in annual recurring revenue, most notably during his time as a senior executive at BombBomb. Today, he partners with business owners and leaders to bring clarity to their strategy, strengthen their teams, and accelerate sustainable growth.

Keshav (KC) has over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, working in both technical and leadership roles. He is currently a Vice President at Betsol, a tech company based out of Broomfiend, and his career has spanned Fortune 500 companies as well as startups he helped to build. Passionate about mentoring, KC enjoys sharing his knowledge and supporting others in their professional growth. Since the late 1990s, he has lived in Colorado Springs with his wife and two children, building his career across the Springs and Denver areas. An active member of the community, he regularly engages in business and technology initiatives. Outside of work, KC is an avid golfer and tennis player who brings the same energy and enthusiasm to his personal interests.

Larry Marine is a UX Research and Design leader with over 36 years of experience and is
widely recognized as an early practitioner of User-Centered Design and UX research. He has
contributed to more than 250 projects across industries including healthcare, e-commerce,
enterprise software, travel, and energy. As the author of Disruptive Research, a highly acclaimed
book on advanced UX research methods Larry is respected for both his expertise and his
commitment to mentoring entrepreneurs, product managers, and UX professionals, helping them
create more successful products through user-centered approaches.

Rahul Kasat is a Partner at Kaph Partners, focused on acquiring and operating companies in the manufacturing and industrial sectors. He has held senior executive positions at multiple companies (DuPont, Titan Robotics, 3D Systems). Under his leadership, Titan Robotics was successfully acquired by a leading publicly traded company. Rahul received his PhD from Purdue University and an Executive MBA from Drexel University. He is a recipient of Outstanding Chemical Engineering Alumni award from Purdue University and the Executive MBA Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship from Drexel University. Rahul has been involved with Exponential Impact since 2020, mentoring small businesses in the local community. He serves on the advisory board of Purdue University as well as on the boards of several small companies.

Rocio “Chio” D. Scott is an Assistant Vice President and Business Access Advisor at U.S. Bank, bringing over a decade of experience supporting business owners through every stage of growth. She specializes in helping businesses understand cash flow, operating cycles, and working capital needs to strengthen day-to-day operations and prepare for expansion. Chio takes a practical, big-picture approach—evaluating how revenue, expenses, and timing impact overall financial health and financing readiness. By analyzing each business holistically, she develops tailored capital strategies that align with both immediate priorities and long-term goals. As a bilingual advisor, she ensures business owners receive clear, accessible guidance to make confident financial decisions. Her focus is simple and effective: connect entrepreneurs with the right tools, resources, and capital to build resilient, sustainable businesses.