Grove
Grove is a two-day retreat where founders, creators, and operators step away from the day-to-day grind to work on their businesses — together.
Grove 2026 is the first edition of what we're building into a nationally recognized annual event. Hosted at Bamboo Grand Rapids, this inaugural retreat brings together builders from across the Midwest and beyond for two days of hands-on sessions, honest conversations, and community-hosted meals at some of Grand Rapids' best local restaurants.
Who Attends
Founders building and growing their own businesses
Operators running the systems behind growing companies
Creators building audiences — and turning them into businesses
What to Expect
Attendees from across the Midwest and beyond
4 hands-on session blocks with concurrent Founder, Operator, and Creator tracks
3 community-hosted meal meetups at local Grand Rapids restaurants
A keynote and closing demo fair to round out the retreat
Speakers
Matt Gira — Find the Pitch That Actually Works
Winsome Kirton — Vibe Coding 101: You Can Build It, Too!
Ben Johnson — Recording Setups (live virtual session)
LeQwane Lynch — Performance-Driven Marketing for Every Budget
Jason Kehrer & Laura Leenhouts — Why Futures Thinking Is a Key Component of Great Teams
Layla Pomper — Inside the System Behind a 150K YouTube Channel
Jason Porritt & Kimberly Crawford (Atomic Object) — Automating Work with AI
Marisa Perez — Financial Modeling Zoe Carmichael — Public Speaking
Angela Buccellato — Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Abby Gates — What Your Company Is Quietly Teaching People
Jonny Price — Community Funding
Schedule overview:
Day 1 — Thursday, July 23
10:00am · Check-in & Networking
11:00am · Breakout Sessions 1
12:30pm · Lunch Meetups
2:30pm · Breakout Sessions 2
4:15pm · Full Group Session — Atomic Object
5:00pm · Dinner Meetups
Day 2 — Friday, July 24
9:00am · Networking & Fun Activity
10:00am · Breakout Sessions 3
11:30am · Lunch Meetups
1:30pm · Breakout Sessions 4
3:00pm · Demo + Learning Fair
Interested in learning more as a sponsor or meal host? Contact Matt@Bamboocowork.com or AmandaSweet@Bamboocowork.com.