CoLABcon 2026

• Entrepreneurs who are building something real, even if they’re still refining the vision
• Entrepreneurs who believe business grows through connection, not just effort
• Visionaries looking for clarity, momentum, or their next strategic partner
• Entrepreneurs who want to stop doing it all alone

You’ll walk away with potential new revenue streams built through shared value, a fresh sense of direction, and who can help you get there by opening real doors.

Chad’s zeal to understand how businesses work allows him to immediately identify invisible opportunities in “the way we have always done it.” His unique approach leverages the innate resources available, igniting a passion for innovation without the need for hefty investments or extended timelines. Chad’s journey began at age eight, turning his first job into a successful business venture, laying the foundation for his entrepreneurial spirit.

His remarkable career is highlighted by significant achievements, including recognition in the Inc 5000, initiating over 50 ventures, and pioneering SEEDSPARK CoLAB. When Chad couples his foundational elements with his natural curiosity, these methods become the game-changers needed to move businesses toward exponential enterprise value growth.

Alex Bratton is an entrepreneur, author, and adjunct professor of computer science who has spent 25+ years helping leaders apply emerging technology where it actually moves the business. Today, as Founder & CEO of AIWhy Leaders, he works directly with founders, CEOs, and executive teams at mid‑market companies to build AI strategies, enable their people, and put AI to work in ways that drive measurable results – not demos, not prototypes.

He is also the Guild Leader of the AIWhy AI Builders Guild – the community he founded for the AI builders inside fast‑moving companies. The Guild is where technical wizards trade tactics, ship working agents, and stay out of the 95% AI Fail Zone. Alex is the author of Practical AI for Leaders and Billion Dollar Apps, and has shared his thinking with executive audiences at Apple, Southwest Airlines, Novartis, AT&T, the U.S. Army, the FBI, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Mary Fearon is a strategist, speaker, and facilitator who helps leaders unlock the clarity, ownership, and momentum that accelerate results from the inside out. Drawing from her background in communications, storytelling, positive psychology, Mary explores the powerful connection between meaning, motivation, and performance. Mary grew up moving frequently between the U.S. and Canada, an experience that sparked a deep curiosity about people, communication, and the invisible social dynamics that shape how we think, connect, and find meaning.

As the founder of OnPrpose, she helps organizations align what they believe, how they communicate, and how people experience the work they do, creating stronger cultures, deeper engagement, and more meaningful impact inside and outside the organization. Known for her energetic and highly interactive style, Mary challenges audiences to rethink what drives people, performance, and meaningful progress.

Matthew Abrams is a national bestselling author, leadership expert, and sought-after speaker on conflict, team dynamics, and organizational performance. He is the author of Inviting Genius: How Good Leaders Use Conflict to Become Great, which challenges leaders to transform tension into greater trust, creativity, and performance. For more than 15 years, Matthew has coached and advised leaders from over 200 companies, helping build cultures of authenticity, accountability, and high performance. A two-time TEDx speaker featured in Forbes, Fast Company, and Stanford Social Innovation Review, Matthew helps leaders turn friction into fuel for growth.

Enterprise value gets built years before a sale, in the discipline of the cash, the strength of the team, and whether the numbers hold up when someone with money starts asking questions. Dan and Nikki Fraser have spent the last eight years making sure founders find that out early instead of too late. Both CPAs, married, and co-founders of NextKey Services since 2018, they serve as the CFO, accounting, and finance team for growth-stage companies that want the honest number, not the prettier report. 

Dan grew up in South Africa, began his career at Deloitte in New Zealand, and has guided more than 30 acquisitions worth up to $2 billion from sourcing through integration. He knows what diligence uncovers and what it costs, and he helps founders turn a cash forecast from a source of worry into a weekly decision. 

Nikki spent nearly 25 years inside institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Fannie Mae, Deloitte, and Arthur Andersen, leading finance and risk management through the 2008 crisis. She works closely with lenders, funds, and real estate operators, has secured seven-figure loans, and cleared audit issues complex enough to stall a deal. 

Together, they have built the frameworks their clients now run on, digging until the numbers add up and rebuilding them so founders can stand behind every figure with confidence. 

As the founder and managing attorney of Rock IP, PLLC, Robert D. Wells advises entrepreneurs, innovators, and growing businesses on patent, trademark, and trade secret strategies in the United States and abroad. A business owner and entrepreneur himself, Rob understands the challenges of building a business and making strategic decisions with limited resources. His background in electrical engineering allows him to connect with engineers and scientists, while his business experience helps translate technical strategy into practical business decisions.

Before founding Rock IP, Rob spent nearly a decade at leading IP law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, representing major technology companies in high-stakes IP matters. He founded Rock IP to bring that caliber of legal expertise and strategic guidance to founders and growing businesses, with a focus on making IP understandable, affordable, and valuable. Rob earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is admitted in California, Washington, D.C., and before the USPTO.

Steve French returns to CoLABcon as Master of Ceremonies for a second year. For Steve, this is not a guest spot. He is an early believer who was one of the first to sign up for CoLAB, was the first CoLAB Architect alongside founder Chad Jenkins, and has helped shape how collaborations get built on the platform. Tony D’Angelo calls him a producer: the person who takes raw ingredients and turns them into something new. A fourth-generation entrepreneur who founded infomatix in 2004, Steve is also a second-generation Strategic Coach client: 20 years enrolled, with more than 34 years in the ecosystem. He builds the systems, operations, and technology that turn vision into a business that scales.

By day, Steve is Co-Founder, Multiplier and Integrator, at AI Simplifier, the AI education company he built in collaboration with Tom Lambotte. His method with founders runs in one direction: from AI Thinking to AI Doing to AI Compounding, moving people past asking AI questions and into AI that does real work and gets better every day. What you will feel from the stage is what his clients and collaborators already feel: real energy, genuine curiosity about whoever is in front of him, and a host who would rather connect two people in the room than give one more monologue. Steve opens every room the way he opens a CoLAB Forum, with wins, momentum, and a reminder that this is supposed to be fun. We are glad to have him back.