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About the event
thinkBIG! Summit
Event Description
The thinkBIG! Summit is the culminating live experience of the Veale Youth Entrepreneurship Forum’s annual thinkBIG! Challenge and an inspirational one-day conference built around entrepreneurship, innovation and student potential.
Finalist teams take the stage to pitch ventures across Innovation, Small Business and Social Impact, while the broader student audience participates in hands-on programming, hears from experienced entrepreneurs and connects with peers from across Northeast Ohio. The Summit is designed not only for students already building businesses, but for young people beginning to recognize that entrepreneurship is a way of thinking: identifying opportunities, solving problems, taking initiative, communicating ideas and having the confidence to act on them.
For this audience, the strongest keynote should feel relevant to where students are right now while opening their eyes to what is possible next. The goal is not simply to deliver inspiration, but to give students a memorable perspective on how they can navigate uncertainty, develop ideas, use emerging tools intelligently, communicate with confidence and take greater ownership of the future they want to create.
https://vealeentrepreneurs.org/compete/#tbsummit
Event Date: March 2nd, 2027
Co-Founder, Work3 Institute | Workforce Advisor, Harvard Innovation Labs | HBR Press Author
Josh Drean is a future-of-work strategist, entrepreneur and author whose work sits at the intersection of emerging technology, AI and the changing relationship between people and work.
As Co-Founder of the Work3 Institute and an AI & Workforce Advisor at Harvard Innovation Labs, Josh studies how rapidly changing technologies are reshaping opportunity, organizations and careers. He is the co-author of Employment Is Dead, published by Harvard Business Review Press, a Thinkers50 nominee and a three-time founder. He has delivered more than 250 keynotes and built an online audience around making complex changes in technology and work understandable, relevant and actionable.
For thinkBIG!, the opportunity would be to take that research out of the corporate boardroom and place it directly into the hands of students: What does AI mean for someone who is 15, 16 or 17 years old today? What becomes possible when the tools required to research, create, prototype and launch an idea become dramatically more accessible? And which human abilities become even more important when technology can do more?
- Speaking Fee - $15,000 [flexible to $10,000]
- Travel and Expenses - Flat Travel Fee of $1,500 + up to 2 nights hotel and meals
“I cannot recommend Josh Drean enough as a keynote speaker on employee experience. His expertise, passion, and ability to connect with the audience left an indelible mark on our event. The impact he made will continue to resonate with our attendees long after his presentation. If you're looking for a dynamic and influential speaker who can inspire positive change within your organization, Josh Drean is the perfect choice.” - Janice Robinson Burns, Chief People Officer, Degreed
“The enthusiasm and energy that Josh brought to the stage were infectious. His passion for the subject matter was evident in every word he spoke, captivating the audience from the moment he stepped on stage until the very last minute of his presentation. Attendees were inspired, motivated, and filled with a renewed sense of purpose as they envisioned the endless possibilities that the metaverse and web3 technologies could bring to their organizations.” - James McQuivey, Ph.D. VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
“I wholeheartedly endorse Josh Drean as a keynote speaker. His forward-thinking and thought-provoking content on the metaverse and web3 technologies is unparalleled, and his ability to connect these concepts to tangible business outcomes is truly exceptional. Josh can inspire your audience, ignite their curiosity, and propel your organization into the future of work. Prepare to be amazed and ready to embrace the incredible opportunities that lie ahead!” - Josh Levine, Culture Strategist, Author, Professor, Great Mondays LLC
Speaker Highlights
Speaker Reel - https://youtu.be/GsdypGPma3o?si=UhsCJu-Qsba-sFgf
A Day in the Life of a Harvard Student - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkFulQe9EVE
- Not a speaking video, but rather showcases his personality and may be relevant to High School Students [6.5mil views]
Gravity Speakers Profile - https://www.gravityspeakers.com/speakers/josh-drean
Speaker Website - https://joshdrean.com/
Why Josh for the thinkBIG! Summit
- Direct connection to the future these students are entering: AI and emerging technologies are already changing how ideas are created, businesses are built and careers take shape. Josh can make those changes understandable without turning the keynote into a technical presentation.
- Entrepreneurship through a future-facing lens: Rather than presenting students with a traditional “pick a career” message, Josh can challenge them to think about the problems they may solve, opportunities they may create and value they may build.
- Turns disruption into agency: The message is not that students should worry about what AI will replace; it is that they should understand the tools available to them and learn how to use those tools to extend their own creativity, judgment and ambition.
- Strong connection to the thinkBIG! experience: Students will spend the day watching peers pitch ideas and seeing entrepreneurship in action. Josh can broaden that experience by showing how dramatically the barriers to creating and testing new ideas are changing.
- Humanity remains central: His work consistently connects technology back to people. For Veale, that creates an important message: access to powerful technology matters, but curiosity, communication, empathy, judgment and understanding real human problems are what ultimately create value.
- Built for a young audience: Josh's high-energy delivery, entrepreneurial background and fluency in the digital world give him natural entry points for engaging students without speaking down to them.
Suggested Topic
THRIVING IN THE AGE OF DISRUPTION: Building Your Future Where Innovation Meets Humanity
The students sitting in the audience at thinkBIG! are not simply preparing for the future of work — they are part of the generation that will create it.
AI can already help someone research an idea, build a prototype, create content, analyze information and launch something new faster than previous generations could have imagined. But access to better tools does not automatically create better ideas.
In this customized version of Josh's future-of-work content, he would explore what technological disruption means for a student deciding what to learn, what to build, which problems are worth solving and where they can create value.
Rather than focusing on corporate workforce transformation, Josh would bring the conversation directly into the world of young entrepreneurs. He can show students how AI can amplify their capabilities while challenging them to strengthen the qualities technology cannot provide for them: curiosity, judgment, adaptability, empathy, communication and the willingness to experiment.
The larger message is one of agency over anxiety. Students do not have to wait for someone else to tell them what the future looks like. They can develop the skills, mindset and confidence to participate in building it.
Audience Takeaways
- Understand how AI and emerging technologies are changing the way ideas, businesses and careers are created
- Recognize AI as a tool for amplifying human creativity rather than a substitute for independent thinking
- Identify the human skills that become increasingly valuable as technology becomes more capable
- Develop greater adaptability when tools, opportunities and expectations continue to change
- Think more like an entrepreneur by identifying problems, testing possibilities and learning quickly
- Leave with greater confidence that they can actively shape their future rather than simply react to it
Highlights
- Co-author of Employment Is Dead, published by Harvard Business Review Press
- AI + Workforce Advisor at Harvard Innovation Labs and Founder of the Work3 Institute
- Thinkers50 nominee recognized for his work on the rapidly evolving future of work
- Delivered 250+ keynotes worldwide, including engagements with KPMG, MIT, and Mercer
- More than 80 million social media views across his future-of-work and emerging-technology content
- Featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and MIT Technology Review; endorsed by thought leaders including Adam Grant and Josh Bersin
Certified Speaking Professional™ | Author | Authentic Leadership & Organizational Culture Speaker
James Robilotta is an author, leadership speaker and Certified Speaking Professional™ whose work focuses on authentic leadership, communication, curiosity and the human side of leadership.
With a professional background spanning counseling, education and entrepreneurship, James combines personal storytelling, research, improv and humor to create presentations that are accessible without sacrificing substance. After nearly two decades of speaking and performing, he has developed a style that quickly breaks down walls and allows audiences to engage with deeper conversations around leadership, relationships, communication and self-awareness.
James also brings extensive experience with student and educational audiences. Rather than positioning him for Veale solely through his existing college programming, however, the opportunity is to bring the depth of his corporate leadership work to thinkBIG! and deliberately customize it around the uncertainty, experimentation and human dynamics inherent in entrepreneurship. His corporate program already includes a specific Leading Through Uncertainty variation built around authenticity, communication and navigating ambiguity.
- Speaking Fee - $12,500 [flexible]
- Travel and Expenses - $1500 flat travel fee, plus Hotel for up to 2 nights
“The initial calls with James showed his energy, authenticity, and effortless communication style. He took time to understand the objectives of the session and also focused on details like the composition of my leaders so that he could best articulate his message. James helped with the pre-work, facilitated the session, and joined us for an evening event where we could relax and enjoy time together. He was a champion throughout.” - AMERICAN EXPRESS // David Fabricant, Senior VP
“James was a breath of fresh air for our company who is suffering burnout from all the uncertainty of the world. His energy was incredible and really got the crowd engaged and few people’s faces even started to hurt from laughing so much! It was nice to have a company event that didn’t feel corporate at all, James is as authentic as they come.” - AFTERPAY // Liz Russell, Workplace Operations Manager
Speaker Highlights
Speaker Demo - https://youtu.be/zc3us3S_3po?si=Wu6eSqZuXqAfSWuJ
Speaker Website - https://jamestrobo.com/
Why James for the thinkBIG! Summit
- Entrepreneurship is uncertainty in action: Students developing an idea rarely know whether it will work, whether someone will buy it, whether their pitch will land or whether the first version is even the right one. James's content gives them a powerful way to think about operating without an answer key.
- Corporate-level message delivered for students: Veale gets the substance of a leadership keynote designed for professional audiences, while James's extensive education experience allows him to translate it naturally for high school students.
- Authenticity over performative confidence: Young entrepreneurs can easily believe they need to sound like they have everything figured out. James challenges that assumption and shows how trust, credibility and leadership are often strengthened by curiosity, honesty and the willingness to admit what you do not yet know.
- Highly relevant to pitching and teamwork: Communication, feedback, listening, asking better questions and learning to work with different personalities are essential whether students are presenting on the thinkBIG! stage or building something with a team.
- Humor creates access: A room of approximately 400 high school students requires more than strong content. James's background in stand-up and improv gives him the ability to lower defenses, generate participation and keep an audience engaged while delivering a meaningful message.
- Deep customization: James spends significant preparation time learning the audience, objectives and real challenges surrounding an engagement, allowing the presentation to feel connected to the people in the room rather than pulled from a generic keynote.
Suggested Topic
LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY: Using Authentic Leadership to Navigate Ambiguity
Entrepreneurship does not come with an answer key.
You can believe deeply in an idea and still not know whether anyone will buy it. You can prepare for a pitch and still hear “no.” You can work hard on a solution only to discover that the problem needs to be approached differently.
That uncertainty is not evidence that you are doing something wrong. It is part of building something new.
For thinkBIG!, James would customize his corporate Leading Through Uncertainty program around the experiences young entrepreneurs are beginning to encounter: presenting an idea, receiving criticism, taking a risk, working with teammates, changing direction, recovering when something does not work and learning how to lead before feeling completely ready.
James challenges the idea that strong leaders always know the answer. Instead, he explores how authenticity, curiosity and communication allow people to move forward even when the path is incomplete — including his distinction between needing to be right and being committed to doing what is right.
Through humor, personal stories and audience interaction, James can give students permission to be ambitious without believing they first need to be perfect.
Audience Takeaways
- Move forward even when every answer or outcome is not yet clear
- Communicate with confidence without pretending to know everything
- Ask better questions and become more receptive to feedback
- Understand how authenticity helps build trust with teammates, audiences and potential supporters
- Treat mistakes, unsuccessful ideas and criticism as information rather than personal failure
- Become more comfortable adjusting an idea when new information changes the path forward
- Choose curiosity and learning over the need to prove yourself right
Highlights
- Certified Speaking Professional™ and author of Leading Imperfectly: The Value of Being Authentic for Leaders, Professionals, and Human Beings
- Nearly two decades of experience engaging audiences through professional speaking, stand-up, improv and education
- Professional background spanning counseling, education and entrepreneurship
- Extensive experience speaking to both professional and student audiences
- Corporate clients include American Express, Afterpay, General Electric and other leading organizations
- Uses storytelling, comedy and interaction to make leadership, communication and self-awareness highly accessible
- Known for extensive customization and direct audience research prior to engagements