I build/buy companies • 3 prev exits • Investor in 70+ startups • I built @royalroomlou to host events & help others • My superpower is presentations that win
Louisville, KY
Joined March 2007
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Two covers. One book. I can't pick.
My book Adapt & Adopt comes out in two months, and the cover is the last big decision. So I'm putting it to a vote.
Quick context: this is a business book, not a technical one. It's about how to adopt AI as a business skill, and it's built on a methodology I've used to train over 1,100 people in face-to-face workshops.
Watch the video, then comment below: blue or gradient?
No wrong answer. Majority gets serious consideration. My kids have already weighed in, now it's your turn.
More to share soon. For now, I would love to hear your vote. 👇
Our Kings and Queens Charity Event raised almost $4,000 for Metro United Way. They’ve been improving lives in our seven-county region for more than 100 years, focusing on three priorities: thriving kids, strong households, and an equitable community.
Everyone gathered at @RoyalRoomLou and really enjoyed hearing the stories of their impact.
Thank you to all who came out to support:
Adam Crane, Andrew Gerughty, Chad Pinkston, Colin Garner, David Shearer, David Tucker, Dylan Gerlach, Jameson Gay, Jangis Bo Johnson, Jerry Hartley, Jj Fuqua, Jenn Callahan, John Hoekstra, Keren Benabou, Kevin Northup, Lane Coonrod, Marc Sallee, Masoud Ghazi Michals, Michael Gabhart, Mohammad Alsorogi, Ryan McCray, Sean Weisenburger, Stephen Swan, Todd Logsdon, Tom Coppola, Tommy Wallace, William Windchy, Youssef Alsorogi, and Zach Swanson.
Some business relationships turn into something more.
@BobbyFerreri and @JoeReagan828 were the first people I saw this morning. We worked together at GLI and sixteen years ago, the three of us (and others) were in Milwaukee together. I just got back from there last night for a GLIDE trip (more on that soon).
Today, Bobby brought his team to @RoyalRoomLou for strategic planning with Joe facilitating.
It's strategic planning season and I built this facility for events just like this. I'm grateful when old friends choose your space.
This week I joined @PresMurrayState's listening tour as our new @murraystateuniv President met with local alumni.
What stood out most was how he began. He took time to thank his predecessor and my friend, @PresEmeritusMSU , for his years of strong leadership. That simple acknowledgment set a positive tone for everything that followed.
Dr. Patterson didn’t arrive with pre-written answers. He came with genuine curiosity, asking:
• What’s working well at Murray State?
• What could be improved?
• How often do you want to hear from me?
You could feel the room shift in a good way. Alumni felt valued and included in the conversation about Murray State’s future.
Tomorrow’s Louisville Spark newsletter is loaded.
Feature: The Yum! Center’s big 15-year survey and what they’re asking top customers about the future of the arena.
Plus:
- Five six-figure local jobs
- The top events for your weekend plans
- A confessional from a local you’ll relate to
- A can’t miss October event that’s almost sold out
- My current tech obsession you’ll want to try
Get it with the link in my bio. 👆
🎯 Next Tuesday, nearly 1,300 Louisville leaders will gather to see what AI looks like in practice.
At @leadlouisville’s annual luncheon, I’ll be on stage with Madison Gooch from IBM to share how AI is being applied in real life, real work and right here in our city.
Here's what makes this worth your time: this isn't theory. These are real lessons from people who've done the work.
✅ Madison will share what IBM has learned from hundreds of AI projects.
✅ I’ll cover my experience investing in 100+ AI companies, including one we acquired to put AI into daily operations.
✅ We will also hear from our friends at Harvard Business School and Bain & Company.
And if you attend, the resources both IBM and our HalfCourt teams are sharing are ridiculously awesome.
🚨 Tomorrow is the final day to register and only a handful of seats remain.
See you there, Louisville.
hashtag#LeadershipLouisville hashtag#Louisville hashtag#ArtificialIntelligence hashtag#AIImplementation
You can get your tickets here >>> join.leadershiplouisville.or…
Today is @PresEmeritusMSU's last day as President of @murraystateuniv.
I met Bob 30 years ago through @tabrockman and the late Jimmy Carter. I quickly connected to him through his kind demeanor, good humor and our shared love for Murray State.
Bob was exactly who we needed when he took over. Our university wasn’t in the best position, but under his leadership, he has led us to a strong place where he can confidently hand the baton to Dr. Patterson.
This picture was taken just 12 days after he was named President. I love it because it encapsulates his presidency - formal when needed, but always with joy and fun.
I’m grateful for the service Bob and Karen gave to all of us. Please join me in thanking them both and wishing them the best in retirement.
Thankfully, I told Bob all this in person at the College World Series in Omaha - a fitting crescendo to his tenure.
📍Ever heard of Chautauqua? It’s a national stage that’s hosted presidents, poets, and world-changing ideas. This week… it featured a Louisvillian.
🎤 Chris Reitz gave a powerful talk on AI, leadership, and human connection.
Between that and great conversations other great local folks and a luncheon with local leaders, I’ve been reminded just how much good is happening right here in Louisville.
Over the past few months, I’ve been writing a private newsletter sharing stories like these—about local people doing meaningful work and shaping our city in ways most folks don’t hear about.
If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, drop a comment or DM me and I’ll send you the link.
It’s been invite-only so far, but I’ll be opening it up after the holiday.
And if you already have the link… keep it🤫 for now.
Here’s to more people like Chris, doing great things right here at home.
🚀 Big news — our HalfCourt team just led the $4M round for @Jozu_AI!
After 6 years of watching this space evolve, the timing and team finally aligned.
Jozu addresses a critical problem in AI: operationalizing the final stages of deployment across diverse models and datasets.
Even if you're not technical, you know finishing that final 10% of a project is always the hardest — and Jozu’s making it easier.
Congratulations to the founding team— Brad, Görkem and Jesse—for their progress and vision.
Grateful to be alongside AlleyCorp, Mozilla Ventures, Sentiero Ventures, Union Bay Partners and beyond — now the real work (and fun) begins!
We're excited to announce that we've secured a $4M seed investment backed by @BrightsparkVC, @MozillaVentures, HalfCourt Capital, AllyCorp, Union Bay Partners, and @sentierovc
prnewswire.com/news-releases…
What's your best Derby Week tip — for the track or a party? 🥃🐎
After a golf trip and a group text full of genius ideas (like betting strategies, at-home party ideas and track hacks), I realized — we need to crowdsource the best of the best.
Comment below with your best tip! Here’s some great ones I’ve already heard…
- Avoid rideshare drop-off near the track after 2PM. Gridlock is a certainty; better to walk to a quiet pickup zone a mile out.
- Take the morning line favorite on a $1 Trifecta key box with all - that bet has hit 9 out of the last 12 years. With 20 horses it’s about a $1k bet and the average payout is $4,444.26.
- Longest Shot Pool: Everyone picks a long shot horse across any race — biggest winning odds wins.
We recently helped raised almost $12,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for a team of young students for their Student Visionary of the Year campaign!
This is the 2nd year in a row we've supported this cause and I love it! We heard from 15 year-old, Pasha Dashti and why this cause is so personal to him and his family.
The group pictured below gathered for a fun game of cards at @RoyalRoomLou and with their generosity we helped this young team get closer to their campaign goal.
Bringing great people together to do good is one of my favorite things and this group was fantastic!
Thank you to these great folks who attended and supported this great cause: Andrew Ignatow, Brian Scantland, Chad Pinkston, Colin Garner, Greg Sokoler, Helen Dashti, Jangis Bo Johnson, Jeff Richardson, Jj Fuqua, John Hoekstra, Keren Benabou, Lance Mann, Matthew Clements, Mohammad Alsorogi, Scott Earwood, Steven Von Gerlachter, Todd Allison and Tom Coppola.
You can help Pasha and his team reach their goal here >> events.lls.org/ky/svoykentuc…
❌ Stop Making It Hard for People to Share Your News
You know what doesn’t work? “Hey, we have big news. Feel free to share!”
✅ You know what does work? Make. It. Easy.
Caitlin from @simberobotics did this flawlessly. She had massive news— actual customers decidedly chose Simbe over a competitor inside the 2nd largest grocer, @kroger!
And instead of hoping people would share it, she:
📌 Gave us multiple posts to share.
📌 Summarized the key takeaway.
📌 Specified where to share it.
🚀 No friction. No second-guessing. Just instant amplification.
🤦♂️ If you want your news to spread, don’t ask people to figure it out.
Give people what they need to share effortlessly and they will.