The SMB AI Growth Advantage
The SMB AI Growth Advantage
How Business Leaders Are Using AI to Drive Revenue, Efficiency and Smarter Decisions
AI is already changing how companies sell, operate, serve customers, manage supply chains and make decisions.
For small and mid-sized business leaders, the challenge is not understanding that AI matters. It is knowing where to apply it, what is realistic for the business and how to move from experimentation to measurable value.
The AI Growth Advantage is a private, half-day executive summit for CEOs, founders and business leaders who want practical guidance from experienced operators who have led technology, finance, architecture, procurement and business transformation inside complex organizations.
You will hear what these leaders are seeing, what companies are getting right and wrong, and which lessons smaller businesses can apply without large teams or transformation budgets.
The summit will conclude with a structured working session to help attendees identify their most valuable AI opportunities and create a focused 90-day action plan.
What You Will Gain
A clearer understanding of where AI is creating business value and guidance on prioritizing realistic AI opportunities.
Practical lessons from experienced enterprise leaders and SMB leaders who are using AI today.
Direct access to executives already leading transformation.
The Program
The AI Growth Imperative
A practical opening on how AI is changing the economics of running a business and where small and mid-sized companies can create an advantage.
Keynote: Building the AI-Native Business
Dan Turchin
Founder and CEO, PeopleReign
Host, AI and the Future of Work
Dan will examine how AI agents are changing the design of work and how businesses can move from isolated tools to scalable, AI-enabled operations.
Executive Conversation: Business Leaders in Action
Geeta Pyne Former Chief Architect, TIAA and Kumud Kokal Chief Information Officer, Kiteworks
This candid conversation will explore what AI transformation looks like from inside an organization.
Geeta and Kumud will discuss how leaders identify valuable use cases, work through data and systems constraints, manage security and governance, and turn technology investment into measurable business outcomes.
The discussion will also examine which enterprise lessons can be adapted by small and mid-sized businesses without introducing unnecessary cost or complexity.
The Buyer’s Perspective
Linda Chuan (Chief Value Officer and Chief of Staff, Office of the CFO, Box) and Justin Sullivan (Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Procurement Officer, Supply Chain Management University of California, San Francisco)
AI is changing what enterprise buyers expect from vendors, partners and service providers.
Linda and Justin will discuss how buyers evaluate AI-enabled solutions, what creates credibility, where vendors lose trust and how smaller companies can position themselves more effectively.
Building the AI-Augmented Business
Jennifer Harrington (Founder, CorecTel) and Michael DeFloremonte ( Founder, Bay Area Registry)
A practical conversation with SMB leaders using AI to improve how their businesses operate.
Jennifer and Michael will share how they are redesigning workflows, reducing manual effort and using AI to expand capacity, improve decision-making and support business growth.
The discussion will focus on what they are implementing, what they are learning and what other SMB leaders can apply inside their own organizations.
Working Session: Build Your AI Growth Map
Attendees will identify one priority business problem, evaluate potential AI opportunities, select a realistic first use case and build a focused 90-day action plan.
Featured Speakers
Dan Turchin
Founder and CEO, PeopleReign
Host, AI and the Future of Work
Dan Turchin is the founder and CEO of PeopleReign, an AI platform focused on transforming employee service and support.
He also hosts AI and the Future of Work, where he speaks with executives, entrepreneurs and researchers about how AI is reshaping organizations and the workforce.
Dan brings extensive experience in enterprise software, employee experience and AI agents.
Geeta Pyne
Former Chief Architect, TIAA
Geeta Pyne is an accomplished enterprise technology leader with deep experience in architecture, data, digital platforms and large-scale transformation.
As the former Chief Architect at TIAA, she helped shape enterprise technology strategy and modernize complex environments within a highly regulated financial-services organization.
She brings a practical perspective on the architecture, data foundations and operating discipline required to scale AI responsibly.
Kumud Kokal
Chief Information Officer, Kiteworks
Kumud Kokal is the Chief Information Officer of Kiteworks and an experienced technology and operations executive.
His career includes leadership across enterprise technology, global operations, digital platforms, cybersecurity and business transformation.
He brings an operator’s perspective on translating technology investment into measurable business value while strengthening security and scalability.
Linda Chuan
Chief Value Officer and Chief of Staff, Office of the CFO, Box
Linda Chuan is a finance and business transformation leader focused on connecting strategy, execution and measurable enterprise value.
At Box, she works across financial strategy, operating priorities, organizational alignment and value realization.
She brings a buyer’s perspective on how companies evaluate technology investments, establish accountability and determine whether AI initiatives are likely to produce meaningful outcomes.
Justin Sullivan
Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Procurement Officer, Supply Chain Management
University of California, San Francisco
Justin Sullivan leads Supply Chain Management at the University of California, San Francisco.
He oversees procurement and supply-chain capabilities within a complex academic health and research environment.
He brings a buyer’s perspective on how enterprise organizations assess vendors, manage risk and evaluate AI, data and automation solutions within rigorous procurement, governance and compliance requirements.
Maria Centeno
Head of Source to Pay, SoFi, San Francisco, CA
Maria Centeno is an executive and organizational builder with deep expertise in Source-to-Pay transformation, scaling procurement functions, and developing high-performing teams within fast-growing, complex organizations. She currently serves as Head of Source to Pay at SoFi, where she leads end-to-end procurement strategy, operations, and technology to support the company’s continued growth and operational excellence.
Across her two most recent roles, Maria has been the first Head of Procurement, trusted to design and build procurement organizations from the ground up. She brings a proven ability to establish foundational processes, implement scalable operating models, and evolve procurement from a tactical function into a strategic business partner as organizations mature.
Aarthi Rajasekaran
Contingent Labor Expert
University of California, San Francisco
Aarthi Rajasekaran is a strategic procurement and workforce leader with over 18 years of experience in contingent workforce management, strategic sourcing, supplier governance, and enterprise transformation. As a Principal Category Manager at Kaiser Permanente, she leads large-scale contingent labor programs, partnering with executive leaders, managed service providers, and strategic suppliers to optimize workforce solutions, strengthen compliance, and drive operational excellence.
Aarthi believes that great leadership extends beyond the workplace—creating meaningful impact in both organizations and communities.
Jennifer Harrington
Founder, CorecTel
Jennifer Harrington is the founder of CorecTel, a company focused on telecom expense management, invoice reconciliation and identifying billing errors and unnecessary spend.
She is applying AI to traditionally manual telecom-analysis workflows, helping organizations improve financial visibility, reduce costs and operate more efficiently.
Jennifer brings a practical SMB perspective on combining industry expertise with AI to create a more scalable business model.
Michael DeFloremonte
Bay Area Registry
Michael DeFloremonte leads Bay Area Registry and brings the perspective of an SMB operator applying AI to improve day-to-day business execution.
He will share how AI is being used to reduce manual work, improve workflows, expand operating capacity and support business growth.
Who Should Attend
The summit is designed for:
CEOs and founders.
Small and mid-sized business owners.
Presidents and general managers.
Finance, operations, procurement, sales and marketing leaders.
Technology and transformation executives.
Organizations exploring AI or struggling to move beyond pilots.
Companies that sell to enterprise customers and want to understand how buyers are evaluating AI-enabled solutions.
No technical background is required.
Why This Summit Is Different
Most AI events focus on technology announcements, broad predictions or large-enterprise transformation programs.
The AI Growth Advantage focuses on two practical questions:
How can a business leader use AI to create measurable value with the resources available today?
What do enterprise buyers expect from companies selling AI-enabled products and services?
The summit brings experienced enterprise operators and buyers into direct conversation with small and mid-sized business leaders.
Attendees will hear what works, what fails, what is worth investing in and how to avoid unnecessary complexity.
Agenda* at a Glance
12:00–1:00 PM — Lunch and Executive Networking
1:00–5:00 PM — Summit Programming
5:00–7:00 PM — Cocktail Reception and Networking
*Agenda and speaker participation are subject to change.
Presented by AI Ally Works
AI Ally Works helps small and mid-sized business leaders move from AI curiosity to practical execution.
Through executive summits, workshops, assessments and implementation programs, we help organizations identify high-value opportunities, evaluate readiness, redesign workflows and build practical AI roadmaps.
Our work brings together enterprise operators, business leaders and AI practitioners to make AI practical, responsible and useful.
Parul Saini: Founder, AI Ally Works | Summit Host
Parul Saini is an enterprise technology and transformation executive with leadership experience at Uber, Adobe, Splunk and Zuora. Through AI Ally Works, she helps small and mid-sized businesses turn AI into practical business value.
Cecil Plummer: Co Founder, AI Ally Works | Summit Host
Cecil Plummer is a business and community leader focused on entrepreneurship, economic opportunity and helping small and mid-sized businesses grow.
Registration
Attendance is limited to preserve the quality of the discussion, working session and networking.
Join us for an afternoon of practical insight, candid conversation and focused action.
Identify where AI can create value.
Understand what enterprise buyers expect.
Build your AI Growth Map.
Leave with a plan.
A Glimpse Into our World
AI Ally Works April Summit