Builder’s Breakfast w/ Nick Maynard, PhD
Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in cities, campuses, corridors, and communities shaped by real physical systems.
Broadband networks, buildings, transit, and public spaces determine where companies can form, how fast they scale, and which regions attract talent and capital. For founders and investors building at the intersection of technology and place, infrastructure is a strategic input.
Join us for a Builder’s Breakfast with Nick Maynard, CEO of US Ignite and former White House aide. US Ignite a national nonprofit focused on smart cities, advanced broadband, and regional innovation economies.
Nick & US Ignite work with cities, universities, network operators, and entrepreneurs to translate infrastructure investment into economic opportunity. Their perspective sits at the intersection of built capital, public institutions, and private innovation, with a particular focus on how physical systems enable new markets, products, and partnerships.
This conversation will explore how decisions about the built environment and civic infrastructure shape what kinds of companies can emerge and where innovation clusters take root.
What to expect
Builder’s Breakfasts are intimate, in-the-round morning conversations hosted by Levy for founders, operators, investors, and public leaders.
These events are designed to surface practical insights, decision frameworks, and examples from people who build with institutional partners every day.
8:30–9:00am — Breakfast & arrival
9:00–10:15am — Conversation and Q&A with Nick Maynard
Who it's for
This breakfast is designed for people building inside real systems:
Founders whose products depend on cities, infrastructure, or regulated environments
Operators and investors focused on place-based innovation and economic development
Public-sector leaders and civic technologists partnering with startups
Anyone working at the public-private intersection of infrastructure and innovation
This event is open to Levy members and their invited guests for free, and is $10 for the general public. If you’re interested in joining a community focused on public-private leverage and systems-level building, this breakfast is a strong entry point.