Summits & Breakout Sessions
Velocity 2026 moves beyond the mainstage with focused summits and breakout sessions designed to give attendees practical strategies, actionable insights and valuable connections they can put to work right away across AI, business ownership and acquisition, market intelligence, the Creator Economy, capital and wealth creation, marketing and entrepreneurship.
Industry Summits At Velocity
As part of our three-day Velocity event, the Industry Summit Series brings focused, high-impact, immersive, purposeful and fact-oriented sessions, meetings and workshops tailored for leaders in the fastest-growing business sectors. An industry-focused deep dive within our broader Velocity Event. Focused on The New Mainstream Economy, these summits turn strategy into execution. Attendees will leave with the insights, tools, and guidance needed to navigate emerging growth opportunities and shifting market dynamics.
AI
Bringing AI to Life summit at Velocity
AI is reshaping how businesses compete and grow. The Bringing AI to Life Summit at Velocity is designed for business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, and startup leaders ready to turn AI into a practical advantage in the New Mainstream Economy. Three focused sessions will cover AI foundations and live demonstrations, small-business applications, and the journey of becoming an AI-first enterprise. Anchoring the summit is the mainstage session, “Bringing AI to Life: How to Dominate in Your Business and Your Life in the AI Era.” Accomplished leaders will share powerful lessons from building world-class products, leading transformation, and scaling global businesses. Agent Nuvo will also return for special appearances throughout the three days. Attendees will gain practical insight into how AI can sharpen decisions, create value, accelerate growth, and help them compete and dominate in the AI era.
AI Made Practical: Foundations, Use Cases and Live Demos
Thursday 10/8, 11:15am-12:15pm
Gold Ballroom 2
Build a practical foundation in AI through clear explanations, relevant business use cases, and hands-on demonstrations. Attendees will see how AI can support everyday workflows, decision-making, marketing, creativity, and productivity—and leave with a clearer understanding of where to begin.
Speaker:
Dr. Diana Pacheco, Chief Content Officer, Conectado
AI for Small Business: Solve More, Scale Smarter
Thursday 10/8, 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Gold Ballroom 2
Growing a small business often means doing more with limited time, people, and resources. Through a real-world business journey, this session explores how to identify where AI fits, use it to streamline operations, strengthen marketing and customer engagement, and scale more efficiently.
Speakers:
Albert Diaz, ETA Participant, President, West Coast Batteries and former Intel and Microsoft Executive
AI at Scale: Becoming an AI-First Company
Thursday 10/8, 4:45pm-5:45pm
Gold Ballroom 2
Through a real-world enterprise case study, this session explores the business and marketing challenges that drove a company’s transformation into an AI-first organization. It will examine the changing market landscape, strategic decisions, key AI use cases, and how AI is reshaping the way the company delivers marketing solutions and supports customer growth at scale.
Speaker:
Fabián Ronisky, Principal, L’ATTITUDE Ventures
Marty Martinez, CEO, Social Revolt Agency
Moderator:
Oszie Tarula, Chief Creative Officer, Conectado
Marketing
The Velocity Marketing Summit
The Velocity Marketing Summit unlocks the key to successful marketing in The New Mainstream Economy. Here, you have access to exclusive data and insights to learn from leading brands in terms of how to create effective marketing strategies based on case studies & data. This data will turn into marketing dollars, impacting your bottom line. Move with Velocity. Become a market leader.
Unlocking Growth Through the Power of Latino Fandom
Thursday 10/8, 11:15 am – 12:45pm
Gold Ballroom 1
Sports remain one of the ultimate shared cultural stages, with the Latino community representing one of the fastest growing and most passionate fan bases. This panel explores how forward-thinking brands can move beyond standard translation to tap into the real-time signals of Latino fandom and bilingual athlete-creators, turning cultural passion into measurable business growth.
Speaker:
Diana Bailey, Vice President Client Service, Kantar
From Afterthought to Architect: How Latinas Are Rewriting the Rules of Wealth, Leadership, and Brand Loyalty
Thursday 10/8, 3:30 pm – 5:00pm
Gold Ballroom 1
For decades, the market narrative around U.S. Latinas centered on adaptation. Today, that story is fundamentally outdated. Gen Z and Millennial Latinas are self-directed, entrepreneurial, and actively reshaping the commercial landscape. They command financial decisions, drive household spending, and set trends across industries, yet many brands continue to lean on outdated stereotypes or treat this vital segment as an afterthought.
Speakers:
Valeria Piaggio, Head of Inclusive Growth, Kantar
Ana Valdez, President and CEO, The Latino Donor Collaborative
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Summit and Business Marketplace
VELOCITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH ACQUISITION (ETA) SUMMIT AND BUSINESS MARKETPLACE AT VELOCITY WITH SILVER TSUNAMI GROUP
Where Buyers, Deal Makers, Business Owners & Capital Meet
Gold Ballroom 4
Only at Velocity can you accelerate your growth and competitive advantage through a unique entrepreneurship-through-acquisition (ETA) marketplace and bootcamp — making deals happen! No more talking about it, but doing-the planning, preparation, wealth/transaction and banking advice. It is time!
Velocity is looking to create a pipeline of entrepreneurs who can take the next step toward buying, scaling, or successfully transitioning a business! At the same time connecting them to the sellers who are interested in the same transaction opportunity so we can match them with each other – buyers, sellers and financing. Curated by Velocity and Erika Baez-Grimes, CM&AP, an award-winning M&A advisor, founder, and dealmaker with more than 15 years of experience leading complex transactions across a range of industries.
Here’s what to expect at the Marketplace and Bootcamp:
Breakout Sessions, Thursday, October, 8
· Business Buying Bootcamp
· Exit Ready: Build a Business Buyers Will Compete to Own
Marketplace, Thursday and Friday, October 8-9
·The Deal Exchange: Live Buyer-Seller Matchmaking
·The Deal Team Sessions — Private 30-Minute Appointments
Business Buying Bootcamp: Find, Evaluate, and Acquire the Right Company
Thursday 10/8, 11:15am-1:00pm
Gold Ballroom 4
Turn your interest in business ownership into a focused acquisition strategy. Led by Erika Baez-Grimes, M&A firm owner, acquirer, and ETA educator, this boot camp takes a practical look at buying an existing business through entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA). A small business banking partner joins the session to connect acquisition strategy with financing considerations and lender expectations.
Learn how to define your acquisition criteria, identify potential targets, assess financial performance, and recognize red flags before moving forward. Explore how to assemble your deal team, prepare for lender conversations, and navigate the key stages from initial search through due diligence and closing. Leave with a practical acquisition roadmap, sharper questions to ask sellers and lenders, and clear next steps toward becoming a prepared business buyer.
Speaker:
Erika Baez-Grimes, CM&AP, Founder, The Silver Tsunami Group, Certified M&A Advisor, Acquirer, ETA Educator
Moderator:
Esther Aguilera, 3X CEO & Founder, Aries Soar & Co-CEO, Silver Tsunami Transitions
Exit Ready: Build a Business Buyers Will Compete to Own
Thursday 10/8, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Gold Ballroom 4
Your future exit begins with the business you build today. Led by Erika Baez-Grimes, M&A firm owner, acquirer, and Certified M&A Professional & Esther Aguilera 3X, CEO and M&A firm partner this session explores how buyers evaluate a company, what supports its value, and what can weaken an offer or derail a sale. Learn how to reduce owner dependence, strengthen financial credibility, and address risks before entering the market. Leave with clear priorities and an exit plan for building a more transferable business!
Speaker:
Erika Baez-Grimes, CM&AP, Founder, The Silver Tsunami Group, Certified M&A Advisor, Acquirer, ETA Educator
Esther Aguilera, 3X CEO Founder, Aries Soar & Co-CEO, Silver Tsunami Transitions
The Deal Exchange: Strategic Connections for Growth & Ownership
Thursday 10/8 4:30pm-5:45pm
Gold Ballroom 4
Live Buyer-Seller Matchmaking
Meet the people who could help shape your company’s next chapter. The Deal Exchange brings together business owners, prospective acquirers, capital providers, and transaction professionals for conversations about growth, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and future ownership transitions. You may be looking to acquire a company, explore capital resources, build your advisory relationships, or better understand your long-term options. Participation doesn’t indicate that your business is for sale, and you decide what you’re comfortable sharing. Connect with fellow attendees and explore where your interests align. When a conversation warrants a deeper discussion, arrange a separate follow-up to address specifics and establish appropriate confidentiality.
Leave with relevant connections and a clearer next step, on your terms.
Refreshments provided.(wine and cheese/charcuteri)
The Deal Team Sessions: Private 30-Minute Appointments
Friday 10/9 9:00am-5:00pm
Beauty
LATINAS IN BEAUTY SUMMIT AT VELOCITY
Gold Ballroom 3
The Future of Beauty Is Latiné. Discover It. Build It. Shop It. Introducing the first-ever L- Beauty Marketplace at Velocity—where Latino beauty brands, consumers, culture, and commerce come together. The Future of Beauty Is Latino. And the Marketplace Starts Here. Latinas in Beauty comes to Velocity with the launch of the first-ever L Beauty Marketplace—a new platform designed to increase visibility, discovery, and opportunity for Latin-owned & Latin-founded beauty brands. Alongside the Marketplace, the LIB Summit brings together founders, executives, investors, and industry leaders for actionable strategies, powerful consumer insights, and meaningful connections designed to accelerate professional and entrepreneurial success.
This is where culture meets commerce—connecting the industry to the Latino beauty consumer, equipping founders to build and scale, and putting the data behind one of beauty’s most significant and long-overlooked growth opportunities front and center.
Why the Next Generation of Latiné Beauty Brands Needs an Ecosystem Built for Their Growth
Thursday 10/8, 11:15am-12:00pm
Gold Ballroom 3
Culture is increasingly driving what consumers discover, share, and buy—but many of the entrepreneurs creating that culture still face barriers to visibility, capital, distribution, strategic relationships, and scale. This conversation examines what happens after a culturally relevant brand is created: Who discovers it? Who invests in it? Who puts it on shelf? Who amplifies it? And who helps it scale? Emily Perez, Founder of Latinas in Beauty, joins industry leaders to explore why supporting Latiné-founded beauty brands is not simply a representation imperative—it is a business opportunity. The conversation will also introduce L Beauty Marketplace, a new platform created to increase discovery, visibility, access, and commercial opportunity for Latiné-founded beauty brands while connecting consumers and industry partners to the entrepreneurs shaping the future of beauty.
Moderator:
Yanina Oyarzo, Host, Writer, Producer
Emily Perez, Founder, Latinas in Beauty
Nadine Tapia, Founding Board Member
Margarita Arriagada, Founding Board Member
Beyond Representation: Building Brands That Earn Latina Loyalty
Friday 10/9, 12:00pm-12:45pm
Gold Ballroom 3
“If you removed the Latina faces from your campaign, would anything about your brand demonstrate that you truly understand her?”
Connecting with the Latina consumer requires more than representation in a campaign. It requires understanding how culture, identity, values, language, visual storytelling, and community show up across the entire brand experience. Gabriela Lorduy, of The Eleventh Collective explores how brands can build—or evolve—their brand architecture to authentically connect with Latina consumers, from positioning and creative identity to storytelling and community engagement. Learn how to create a brand that doesn’t simply speak to the Latina consumer, but creates a world she sees herself in, wants to participate in, and ultimately advocates for.
Speaker:
Gabriela Lorduy, Co-Founder, The Eleventh Collective
FROM CULTURAL HEAT TO BRAND POWER: Building the Business Behind a Breakout Beauty Brand
Friday 10/9, 12:00pm-12:45pm
Gold Ballroom 3
A powerful community can ignite a brand—but turning cultural relevance and consumer excitement into an enduring beauty business requires much more than influence. Mari and Delphine take us behind the growth of a culturally rooted beauty brand to explore what happens when audience connection meets disciplined brand building. From translating community insight into product and storytelling to maintaining authenticity while reaching new consumers, this conversation examines the strategic decisions required to turn cultural momentum into brand equity, customer loyalty, and sustainable growth—and what established and emerging brands can learn from the next generation of culturally connected beauty companies.
Speakers:
Mari Fonseca, Founder & CEO, Gente
Delphine Buchotte, CMO, Sarelly
Desi Perkins, Founder, DEZI SKIN and DEZI Eyewear
Moderator:
Erik Toral, Founder, Axiom Entertainment
Creative & Advertising
VELOCITY CREATIVE & ADVERTISING SUMMIT
Gold Ballroom 1
The Latino Creatorverse: Turning Cultural Influence Into Commercial Growth
Thursday 10/8, 12:00pm-1:00pm
Latino creators are no longer simply amplifying culture—they are shaping discovery, driving purchasing behavior, and building communities that brands want to reach. This conversation explores how brands can identify the right creators, harness platform and audience intelligence, and turn authentic cultural connection into measurable commercial impact—while building partnerships that create lasting value for creators, brands, and the communities they serve.
Speaker:
Javier Ortiz, Creator Manager and growth strategist, TikTok
Moderator: Robert Vasquez, VP of Brand Partnerships, Fixated
The New Mainstream is Fluid, Not Fixed
Friday 10/8, 11:15am-12:00pm
The modern Latino consumer is a mosaic of complex contradictions converging to form the new mainstream. In this conversation, we’ll explore how brands can become bold, dimensional, modern collaborators with the new mainstream, the greatest driver of growth in the 21st century.
Optimistic Defiance: The Guiding Attitude of the Next-Gen Creator-Consumer
Friday 10/8, 12:00pm-12:45pm
We’ll sit down with some of the leading voices who are creating, connecting, and consuming ideas at the speed of culture. Together with our panelists, we’ll discuss the tensions, passions, and creativity driving the defiant optimist community, shaping the ideals, ideas, and insights marketers need to thrive.
Velocity 2026: Breakout Sessions
Breakout Sessions offer interactive, smaller-format experiences where attendees engage directly with peers and brands. Through live dialogue, applied insights, workshops, and real-time Q&A, these sessions foster collaboration, learning, and actionable takeaways tailored to specific interests and industries.
Examples of Opportunities Include:
• Intimate Discussions
• Workshops
• Focus Group
• Q&A
• Collaborative, live discussion
• Engage directly with targeted audiences
Pinterest Predicts
Thursday, 8/10, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Olympic III
From “Gimmie Gummy” to “Glamoratti,” Pinterest trends don’t just predict the future — they shape it. Join Amanda Saca, Head of Marketing Strategy & Operations, for an interactive session on the data-driven magic behind Pinterest Predicts. Discover how we transform billions of visual signals into actionable cultural insights and learn how to leverage these emerging patterns to stay ahead of the curve.
Host:
Amanda Saca, Senior Director of Strategy and Operations, Pinterest
The Latino Wealth Journey – Understanding How to Expand Multigenerational Wealth Accumulation
Thursday, 8/10, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Olympic I
A moderated panel discussion exploring the findings from Morgan Stanley’s Latino Wealth research and the factors that help Hispanic/Latino families build and sustain wealth across generations. Topics included barriers and opportunities to wealth creation, cultural strengths that support financial success, financial literacy, access to influential networks, the role of culturally informed advisors, and strategies for moving from financial survival to long-term wealth creation.
Rodney Bolden, Head of Workplace Benefits Insights, Morgan Stanley
Ileana Musa, Head of Sales Private Banking Group, Morgan Stanley
Rodrigo Navarro-Saurez, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley
From Audience to Co-Creator: Building Authentic Connections With Latiné Gen Z
Thursday 8/10, 3:30 PM–4:45 PM
Atrium II
One in four members of Gen Z is Latiné, and they are already shaping what the rest of their generation watches, shares, and buys. Yet too many conversations about Gen Z still happen about them rather than with them. Brands study them, segment them, and market to them, then wonder why the message doesn’t land. What if we flipped the script, and Gen Z became the experts in the room? This workshop will be led by students from the Hispanic Business Student Association (HBSA) at Arizona State University, in partnership with the National Millennial and Gen Z Community. HBSA student leaders will step in as educators, working alongside industry voices who share a commitment to connecting authentically with this generation. Together, they will guide small listening circles built around the pillars of Gen Z connection. Attendees are able to bring real brand challenges and hear directly how Latiné Gen Z sees them: what feels genuine, what feels performative, and what earns their loyalty. The next generation of American consumers is increasingly Latiné. The brands that win them won’t be the ones that know the most about Gen Z. They’ll be the ones that have learned to hear them.
Gen Z Experts:
V’Andre Watson, President, HBSA at ASU Major: Finance with a minor in Spanish, Senior
Arianna Guzman, VP, Professional Development, HBSA, Major: Supply Chain Management with certificates in Applied Business Data Analytics, and Cross-Sector Leadership, Junior
Luizeth Denogean, Professional Pathways Lead, HBSA, Major: Business Data Analytics with a minor in Global Health, Senior
Alejandro Mendoza, VP, Marketing, HBSA, Major: Marketing with a certificate in International Business, Junior
Nicole Macias, Advisor, HBSA, Director, Inclusive Engagement, Office of Inclusive Excellence at ASU
The Legacy Makers: Latina CEOs on Leadership, Growth and Generational Impact presented by Bank of America
Thursday, 8/10, 11:15am-12:15pm
Atrium III
As Latina entrepreneurs and business leaders continue to drive growth, innovation, and economic impact, the next generation of leadership is being shaped in real time. Join Lisette Gaviña Lopez and Marya Khalil-Otto for a conversation on building and scaling successful businesses, navigating growth opportunities, and creating lasting legacies. Through their personal journeys and leadership experiences, attendees will gain insights into entrepreneurship, leadership, and the strategies required to build enduring enterprises that create impact across generations.
Welcome remarks by Raul Anaya, President Bank of America Los Angeles
Speakers: Raul Anaya, President Bank of America Los Angeles (5 min opening remarks)
Michelle Iturralde, Market Executive, Global Commercial Banking at Bank of America (Moderator)
Marya Khalil-Otto, President and CEO of Vitality Institute
Lisette Gaviña Lopez, Managing Director and Chairman of the Board at Gaviña Coffee Company
Built to Last: The Founder Mindset, Financial Decisions and Support Systems That Power Growth
Thursday, 8/10, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Olympic I
Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures supports early-stage founders and nonprofit leaders with more than capital, providing a tailored program, mentorship and access to Morgan Stanley’s people and networks. Moderated by LaToya Wilson, Global Co-Head of MSISV, this conversation brings the program to life through Rick Hernandez, Founder and CEO of Social Good Software and a 2025 MSISV participant, alongside Ricardo Santamaria, a Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor who works with founders and technology executives. Together, they will explore how founder resilience, program support and financial expertise can help entrepreneurs navigate growth, manage complexity and build for long-term impact.
Speakers:
Rick Hernandez, Founder and CEO of Social Good Software
Ricardo Santamaria, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley
LaToya Wilson, Global Co-Head of Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures, Morgan Stanley
VC 101: Understanding Venture Capital presented by L’ATTITUDE Ventures
Thursday 8/10, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Atrium II
Venture capital has been around since the 1970s when private investors started accelerating scientific research with private capital. This session demystifies what venture capital is, how it works, and which companies are best suited for it. Additionally, we will discuss the costs and benefits of gaining venture capital investment.
Facilitators:
Fabian Ronisky, General Partner, L’ATTITUDE Ventures
Cecila Sanchez, Senior Associate, L’ATTITUDE Ventures
Entrepreneurship 101: Validating your Idea presented by L’ATTITUDE Ventures
Thursday 8/10, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Atrium III
So you think you want to be an entrepreneur? Before you spend any money on an idea, you need to validate whether it’s a true problem that your market will pay to solve. In this breakout, we will talk about how to frame an idea for validation and how to conduct customer development. We will provide popular frameworks to help you decide whether to refine your idea or not pursue it.
Facilitators:
Elisa Sepulveda, General Partner, L’ATTITUDE Ventures
Alex Noris, Associate, L’ATTITUDE Ventures
From Pins to Purchases: How Consumer Insights Move Intention to Action
Thursday, 8/10, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Olympic III
Join Pinterest in a fireside chat with Carlos Garcia, VP Sales, and Chloe Wix, VP Ads Product Commercialization & Innovation, on the user journey from inspiration and intention to action. Discover how consumers are redefining that path, and how Pinterest Predicts, our annual trend report, translates into measurable business outcomes.
Speakers:
Carlos Garcia, Vice President of Enterprise Sales, Pinterest
Chloe Wix, Vice President, Ads Product Commercialization & Innovation, Pinterest
Ricky Romero, Director, Global Head of Executive Recruiting, Pinterest
The Future Is Personal: AI, Entrepreneurship & the Next Era of Wealth
Thursday, 8/10, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Atrium I
The most successful entrepreneurs of the future won’t just build great businesses; they’ll build lasting wealth. Join Citi leaders for a discussion on how AI and financial planning alongside a trusted advisor can help business owners navigate change, grow with confidence, and prepare for what’s next.
Speakers:
Ron Meraz, Wealth Regional Director, West Coast, Citi
Joe Bonanno, Global Head of Wealth Intelligence, Citi
Frank Castellanos, Wealth Regional Director, Northeast, Citi
Edgardo Ortiz Flores, Financial Planning Specialist, Citi
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