Mindshare Unveils 2026 Cohort of 55 Founders and Innovation Leaders

Selected leaders join an influential network accelerating collaboration, leadership and company growth

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, March 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Mindshare, the premier network dedicated to supporting visionary founders and CEOs from groundbreaking technology and product companies in the Greater Washington metropolitan area, proudly announces its 2026 cohort.

Since its founding in 1997, Mindshare has been committed to empowering dynamic leaders who are reshaping industries, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable growth. Selected from over 125 nominations, the 2026 cohort brings together a diverse group of entrepreneurial trailblazers, each representing cutting-edge businesses poised to disrupt markets, accelerate growth and lead meaningful change.

“This year’s cohort reflects the depth of talent and ambition across Greater Washington’s innovation community,” said Steve Balistreri, President of the Mindshare Board of Directors. “Mindshare gives founders and executives a trusted forum to learn from one another, gain practical guidance from experienced leaders, and build the relationships that help companies grow and endure.”

The Mindshare 2026 cohort members include:

• Curt Aubley, CEO & Co-Founder, Sevii, Inc
• Jacqueline Barbieri, Founder & CEO, Whitespace
• Geoffrey Barrows, CEO, Centeye, Inc.
• Kyle Bishop, CEO, Little Arms Studios, Inc.
• Rory Brogan, Founder & CEO, Torev Motors
• David Canellos, CEO, Axiad
• Colin Carroll, CEO, Atropos Group
• Cristen Cherochak, Chief Operating Officer & Cofounder, Agentic Defense Solutions, Inc
• Mohit Chopra, Cofounder, Cliquify Inc
• Daniel Cohen-Dumani, Founder and CEO, Experio Labs
• Kristin Del Rosso, Cofounder & CEO, DEVSEC
• Branda Fan, Founder & CEO, NOWY
• Tina Fox, Founder & CEO, TERN Mentoring
• Josiah Gruber, CEO, Scout Space
• JM Guthrie, Founder and Managing Partner/CEO, FUZZEE
• Tiarne Hawkins, CEO, Optica Labs
• Ryan Healy, CEO & Co-Founder, Aluvi
• Brad Hennessie, CEO, NextStep Robotics
• Ashish Jaiman, Founder & CEO, Nedl Labs
• Jack Karavich, Founder & CEO, Tigeraire
• Dan Katt, CEO, Trava Security
• Tom Klaff, Founder and CEO, Revolution Cooking, LLC
• Ranjit Kohli, Founder and CEO, YYZData Inc
• Sujeesh Krishnan, CEO, Kinnami Software Corporation
• Jeff Majka, CEO, The Security Bulldog
• Jon Margolick, CEO / Co-Founder, Overmatch AI
• Krishna Matturi, Cofounder and Co-CEO, Ampere
• Ren McEachern, CEO, Glacier21
• Kevin McGrath, CEO, Meibel
• Ola Mohajer, CEO and Founder, Transcend
• Chip Nash, Co-Founder & CEO, Crux
• Leah Nurik, CEO/Co-Founder, Brandi AI
• Kelly Okun, Founder & CEO, Fairway to Green
• Alexander Olesen, CEO & Co-Founder, Buckstop
• Aubrey Ottenstein, Founder & CEO, Hilltop
• Patricia Porter, CEO / Founder, VEA – Veterinarian Exam Assistant
• Thomas Precht, Vice President, Grateful Gardeners/Floraponics
• Keith Presley, CEO, GUDEA
• Ozzie Saeed, CEO, Founder, IntelliGRC, Inc.
• Arya Satish, Co-Founder & CEO, Moodr Health
• Andrés Satizábal, Co-Founder and CEO, NextMinder
• Eric Schmidt, CEO, Glue Up
• Dana Sharry, COO, Shift Group
• Gina Siddiqui, CEO, Carte Medical
• Sam Sipe, CEO, Drogue
• Igor Starkov, CEO & Founder, Teleworker AI
• Amanda Stein, CEO, Quantum Catalyzer
• Teresa Suarez , CEO and Co-Founder, SUSA
• Mehul Vora, CEO & Co-founder, Chordia, Inc.
• Steve Waddell, President & CEO, Nasoni
• Travis Webb, CEO, Yo-Do Software Corp

The Mindshare class of 2026 kicked off their journey with an exclusive event hosted by Ted Leonsis and the Mindshare Board at Capital One Arena on February 19, 2026. Throughout the year, members will engage in curated sessions featuring notable speakers and networking, to gain insights on leadership, innovation, and scaling sustainably.

Mindshare’s Executive Committee includes prominent industry leaders Mindshare Co-Founder April Young, Steve Balistreri of Cooley, LLP, Lisa Throckmorton of REQ, Venture Partner and Angel Investor Jeff Lee, Mark Esposito of EY, Katherine Ferguson of Antithesis, Tom Weithman of Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), Parag Sheth of Progress Partners and Shubber Ali of Omnic.AI

For more information about Mindshare and its initiatives, please visit: https://mindsharenetwork.org

Lisa Throckmorton
REQ for Mindshare
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