November 1-3, 2024
Columbus College of Art and Design Crane Center
GiveBackHack is your launchpad for social enterprise.
Have you ever had an idea to solve an issue in our community? GiveBackHack is the next step. Attend to partner up with the community and find the resources to make that idea a reality.
The event will kick off Friday night, where community members of all backgrounds who are eager to make an impact on the city around them will meet and exchange ideas. The crowd favorites will be identified and teams will form around them. Participants will then spend the weekend mentored by top social entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, venture capitalists and prominent businessmen/women as they vet their ideas and build them into real products – physical products, smartphone applications, websites and anything else that will innovate on the issues we face in our city.
Who attends?
Engaged citizens, designers, developers, non-profit leaders, business men/women, entrepreneurs, changemakers and more.
What do I need?
A passion to make an impact on the community. Nothing else. You don’t need an idea or specific background in order to attend. You just need to come ready to work hard to solve problems.
If you do have an idea to make an impact – awesome. You’ll pitch that and get the chance to get talented people to work with you to make it a reality.
Why should I attend?
The reasons are endless, but here are just a few:
– You’ll make an impact on your community by working to solve top social issues we face through innovation.
– You’ll learn a lot about social issues, how to bring an idea into a well-vetted reality and how to build something amazing. You’ll meet an amazing community of motivated people – people who will work with you and change the world.
– You’ll also get the opportunity to gain seed capital for your idea. Top teams will move forward with seed capital to help continue their ideas.
Director of Grants Management, The Columbus Foundation
Since 1991, Emily has assisted the Foundation in carrying out its services to donors and supporting organizations, nonprofit organizations, and the community at-large. She has served as a catalyst in addressing community needs by researching, reviewing, and spearheading projects for funding consideration, and developing funding partnerships for special initiatives. Prior to joining the Foundation, ... Read More »
Director of Social Impact, IGS
Jen Bowden is the Director of Social Impact for the IGS Family of Companies, where she works to carry forward the company’s purpose of building a meaningful energy future together. In this role, she’s responsible for investments into the communities where IGS does business including philanthropic investments, volunteerism, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, she has ... Read More »
Lead Product Manager, Alignable
Derek DeHart has over a decade of experience in tech, with a focus on product management in growth-stage startups. He's passionate about how technology can make a real difference in people's lives and communities. Currently, Derek is helping to boost product adoption and engagement at Alignable, a platform that connects small business owners, by improving the user experience with generative AI. Before ... Read More »
SVP of Product at AndHealth
Mark is a product focused healthcare senior executive. He was responsible for all aspects of the ScriptHero business, growing it from just an idea up to the point where it saved patients over $40 million dollars on their prescription medication costs. “I love solving complex problems that don't have an expert you can consult, a playbook you can run, or likely even one right answer. The biggest, ... Read More »
Co-founder and VP of Equity and Inclusion of the Urban Business Development Center
LoLo (She/Her) is a social entrepreneur who cares about creating effective solutions around equity gaps for entrepreneurs of color along with incorporating true cultural competence in programming and curriculum development to bring about positive impact. Professionally, she is the Co-founder and VP of Equity and Inclusion of the Urban Business Development Center, also known as The U. The U is an Urban ... Read More »
Product Director at AndHealth
Frank is a product leader with a passion for startups and building new things. His background is in UX design, getting his start crafting brand-new ATM experiences and unique car shopping journeys. Over the past 7 years, he's found a love for the healthcare space and was part of the founding team at AndHealth, where they are helping to make specialty care accessible to all in a way that empowers ... Read More »
Owner of Yocum Law Office
Mindy Yocum, an attorney and relentless advocate for justice, embarked on her legal journey in a way most people do - unexpectedly. A personal encounter with the complexities and shortcomings of the justice system ignited a fiery determination within her to overhaul the system from the ground up. Pursuing her newfound passion, Mindy enrolled in the evening program at Capital Law School. Shortly after ... Read More »
Founder of Gender YOUphoria
Ashton Colby (He/Him) advocates for LGBTQ+ civil rights protections at the state, federal, and international levels. He is the founder of Gender YOUphoria, a social enterprise changing disempowering narratives about transgender people in major media, healthcare, and public policy. Gender YOUphoria provides inclusive media consulting, and groundbreaking DEI training, for companies like Maven Clinic ... Read More »
Founder and Principal Consultant at LBB Edutainment
Lachandra B. Baker, MBA, CDP (she/her) is Founder and Principal Consultant at LBB Edutainment, a consultancy specializing in the development of strategies that improve and positively impact employee engagement, communications, culture, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She received her bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University, majoring in Hospitality Management and ... Read More »
CTO, ITI Assistive Technologies Inc.
Wesley Giles is an innovative technology expert and Chief Technical Officer at ITI Assistive Technologies, where he spearheads the development of AI-driven solutions to enhance productivity and well-being, particularly for neurodiverse communities. With over three years of experience across roles at Deloitte and The Ohio State University, Wesley brings expertise in machine learning, full-stack development, ... Read More »
Founder, Co-Partner of Strange Birds
Anna (They/Them) is the Founder of Strange Birds and has worked with over 200 companies to find their unique voice and implement it across their marketing ecosystems through brand messaging and conversion copywriting. Anna's secret sauce is taking a client’s numerous products and services and organizing it all in a way that makes intuitive sense to their customers. They can usually be ... Read More »
Owner and Principal Consultant for Cardwell Communications LLC
Mark is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Cardwell Communications LLC and the Interim Executive Director for the Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations (OANO). Mark leverages comprehensive marketing consultancy with a focus on strategic plan development. Mark's expertise extends to coaching, consulting, and serving as an interim or fractional marketing director, alongside developing and ... Read More »
Customer Research, Senior Consultant OhioHealth
Candice is an insights professional with experience in the Healthcare, Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail industries. She is adept in triangulating and translating data into digestible and actionable insights and recommendations. Her excellent written and oral communication skills, coupled with a passion for data and being the voice of those not in the room, allow her to effectively disseminate and ... Read More »
Senior Financial Analyst
IGS is driven by a set of core beliefs that moves us toward an energy-independent United States, powered by domestically-produced, environmentally-responsible resources. And just as IGS seeks disruptive innovations in the energy space, they take a similar approach to their community investments. For this reason, the company has made social enterprise a primary focus of their philanthropy. IGS is proud to partner with GiveBackHack to invest in entrepreneurial solutions to complex social issues – improving lives by harnessing market forces to get innovations to the people who benefit the most.
The Columbus Foundation is dedicated to strengthening and enriching the Central Ohio community through impactful philanthropy and community-driven solutions. Guided by our core values of innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, we are committed to supporting initiatives that create lasting change. Our investment in social enterprises exemplifies this commitment, as we believe in the power of entrepreneurial solutions to address complex social issues. Partnering with organizations like GiveBackHack, we aim to empower changemakers to transform visionary ideas into real-world impacts, improving lives and fostering a brighter future for all.
The ebullient Suzy Bureau (as she was referred to in TechCrunch) is dedicated to building impactful communities & products. Suzy is the Founder of GiveBackHack, an organization that helps bridge the gap between tech & social impact communities through the integration of Lean Startup/Design Thinking. GiveBackHack comes to life via a volunteer-based team of 50+ and has helped vet over 100 social ... Read More »
Adam is the Community Impact Lead for GiveBackHack, where he oversees community events and programs that empower social entrepreneurs. A co-founder of Wild Tiger Tees, Adam brings his extensive experience in technology and social innovation to his role, guiding teams to create impactful solutions for social issues. He also hosts two podcasts, People Helping People and Green Champions, which focus on ... Read More »
Adam is the Community Impact Lead for GiveBackHack, where he oversees community events and programs that empower social entrepreneurs. A co-founder of Wild Tiger Tees, Adam brings his extensive experience in technology and social innovation to his role, guiding teams to create impactful solutions for social issues. He also hosts two podcasts, People Helping People and Green Champions, which focus on ... Read More »
Emily is a Design Thinking practitioner by day and a Social Innovation enthusiast by night. She spends her time building the social impact launchpad at GiveBackHack, coaching social entrepreneurs, and empowering communities through Design Thinking facilitation. She is passionate about leveraging systems thinking to build sustainable social solutions, creating true social impact in our communities. Previously ... Read More »
Clayton is a versatile professional with a background spanning hospitality, tech, real estate, and finance. His career journey began in hospitality, where he honed his customer-centric approach, and he transitioned into the tech startup ecosystem, igniting his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. In real estate and finance, Clayton excelled in strategic thinking and risk management. However, ... Read More »
Lydia is the senior graphic designer at AndHealth and has over 10 years of experience working with nonprofits, social enterprises, and startups. She is on the boards for the Columbus Center for Architecture and Design (CFAD) and Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA).
Grant loves applying his skills to create a positive impact in the Columbus community. He is inspired by the ideas brought forth at GiveBackHack, and hopes he can help bring them to fruition! In his spare time, he enjoys music, watches sports (especially Ohio State football), goes bike riding, and plays soccer.
Owen Myers leads education programs for GiveBackHack, which have reached over a thousand students since 2022. Previously, he was the founder of TeachTo, a GBH-backed edtech startup, and an associate researcher for the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.
Max is a Software Engineer living in Columbus. He is thrilled by watching people drive to make great ideas a reality, especially when they are focused around compassion and community. He loves the outdoors and music.
I am a Help Desk Assistant at Ohio Dominican University, where I provide prompt and courteous technical support to end-users, troubleshoot and diagnose complex technical problems, and collaborate with the IT team to identify and implement process improvements. I am also an Orientation Leader at ODU, where I facilitate orientation programs and activities to welcome and assist incoming students in their ... Read More »
Bennett is a passionate member of the Columbus Social Enterprise Community. He currently works in operations as a Venture For America Fellow at Peerro. A three-time Give Back Hack participant, this is the year that he brings those experiences to the organizing team! Bennett is constantly enthusiastic about service and the arts. His mission is to find creative ways to do good and support the community. ... Read More »