Arizona

Last Wednesday at the Yard in Herald Square, an intimate group of founders and ecosystem builders gathered for an Ugly Talk: Building a Team that Scales Beyond $500k. The event was more than a panel discussion, but a great example of what’s possible when pieces of an entrepreneurial ecosystem come together with intention.

At Founder Forward, we’re proud to champion visionary founders who are transforming industries and creating lasting impact. Today, we’re highlighting Jie Feng Ph.D, the founder of KELLS, a modern dental benefits platform on a mission to make oral health smarter, more transparent, and more affordable.

In December of 2024, we piloted new programming, PitchProv. PitchProv is an event that combines both the creativity of improv and the formality of pitching. Participants are invited to challenge themselves through an audience lightning round, partnered practice round, and brave participants can compete to reign supreme through an apollo-style competition round.