Naples Tech Meetup, by Espresso V - April 2026
Welcome to Naples Tech Meetups, by Espresso Ventures!
Our desire is to help share inspiring entrepreneurial stories and connect great Innovation, Capital and Entrepreneurship in an effort to make Naples one of the best places to do business in America.
We all know about the outstanding quality of life - but what about as a place to build innovation?
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Our Agenda for April 21st, 2026
5pm-6pm: Arrival, open networking with participants.
6pm: Naples Tech X Supply Chain of SWFL.
On this special evening joining the Naples Tech community with the Supply Chain leaders of SWFL, we will benefit from different perspectives of local leaders, from Enterprise Executives to local entrepreneurs.
First, we’ll be hearing from John Fitzgerald, VP of Business Development at project44, where he drives strategic growth for AI-powered decision intelligence and digital supply chain visibility. Previously, John led sales at Fritz Companies, scaling the business from $400M to $1.5B and positioning it for acquisition by UPS, before helping GT Nexus grow to $150M ahead of its acquisition by Infor. Most recently, he supported project44’s growth from $1M to a $200M run rate, positioning the company for a potential IPO or acquisition. John also co-founded and leads the Supply Chain Forum of Southwest Florida, where he fosters collaboration, education, and industry leadership across the region.
Next we'll be joined by Megan Smith, a 2nd generation entrepreneur in the logistics and transportation industry. We'll unpack Megan's journey to Naples, as an entrepreneur, supply chain executive with over 2 decades of experience and a newer resident to our region. As former CEO of Symbia Logistics, she led the company through rapid growth, earning recognition on the Inc. 5000, Top 100 Women in Supply Chain, and Titan CEO lists, with a leadership style rooted in operational excellence and people-first culture. She currently leads PACKgistics and Ray the Mover, reimagining the moving and storage industry.
We'll have the pleasure of having Venture Visionary Partners' Founder & CEO, Craig Findley, join us for an insightful conversation of his journey in building the business. Venture Visionary Partners, a fast-growing RIA (independent wealth management firm), is built on the belief that entrepreneurs and business owners deserve a true fiduciary partner — not a big bank agenda. After a distinguished career at Merrill Lynch and UBS, Craig walked away from the wirehouse world to build something different. On April 21st, he's bringing that vision to Southwest Florida, as VVP's Bonita Springs office becomes a hub for forward-thinking founders and the next chapter of the firm's growth.
Finally, Laura Schmidt will be speaking about SWFL Tech, a volunteer-led nonprofit working to strengthen Southwest Florida’s tech ecosystem through connection, visibility, and regional collaboration. Laura serves as its President and Board Chair, bringing deep experience in strategy, education, workforce development, and nonprofit leadership, with a focus on helping communities build stronger pathways between talent, employers, investors, and innovation partners. Her work is grounded in the belief that a stronger, more connected tech community can help shape the region’s long-term economic future.
The session is moderated by your host, Espresso Ventures founder, Sebastien Leduc. Sebastien is a Tech Entrepreneur, Advisor & Investor, and serves as CEO of Appcom US, bridging cutting-edge tech with real-world outcomes that drive adoption.
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Naples Tech Meetups: 3 simple rules
1. Entrepreneurs First
Our objective is to help foster entrepreneurship and innovation in SWFL. We believe in community and synergy, to help existing and aspiring entrepreneurs build great companies from SWFL to the world.
2. Be Generous
We all have our businesses and projects to promote, but arrive to this group with an open mind and an objective to give to the community, first. Then magic happens.
3. Southern Hospitality
Be hospitable the Southern way. That's something that attracted many of us to relocate to our beautiful paradise of SWFL. Let's keep ourselves courteous, respectful, constructive with each other.
Looking forward to being your hosts,
Seb & Naomi
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Photography, video and marketing content generating during the event:
I understand and agree that Espresso V Corp (or "Espresso") may use, reproduce, distribute, perform, and publicly display my name, photographic likeness, and videography.