About the Keynote Speakers:

Jesse Lipson, CEO of Levitate

Levitate founder Jesse Lipson has always loved creating magic. As a kid, he learned magic tricks. As an adult, the magic comes in the form of innovative software. Having previously founded ShareFile, a secure file-sharing software for small businesses (later acquired by Citrix), Jesse made the observation that the people and companies he gave repeat business to were the ones who did a good job of keeping in touch and staying top of mind personally and authentically; but most small businesses didn’t have the time. He looked at the available marketing and CRM software out there, but it was all made for large product-oriented businesses; not the nuanced needs of service-focused small businesses that rely on relationships to grow.

Lister Delgado, Managing Partner of IDEA Fund Partners

Lister is the co-founder and managing partner of IDEA Fund Partners, an early-stage Venture Capital firm headquartered in Durham, NC. He is passionate about helping technology entrepreneurs build the next set of technology startups that will change the world. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University, an MS in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and MBA from UNC. Over the last couple of decades, Lister has volunteered his time to several entrepreneurial economic development entities, including the Center for Entrepreneurial Development and NC IDEA.