Business Development Near Me

Your First AI Game Plan

In this first meetup, small business owners with little or no AI experience will build a simple AI strategy for their company. We will map where work is getting stuck, pick one primary focus area for the next six months, and choose 1–3 practical use cases that can actually get done. You will leave with a one-page AI strategy for your business covering tools, time, data you need, guardrails, and a few metrics to track along the way. No technical background is required—just a real business problem and a willingness to write it down. After the session, you are welcome to stick around for an optional mixer at the Old Bag of Nails Pub across the street to socialize and compare notes with other local business owners. ***October 13th Agenda*** **6:30-7:30pm** Building your first AI Strategy **7:30-8:30pm** Happy Hour at the Upper Arlington Old Bag of Nails Pub - Upper Arlington (directly across from the Bob Crane Community Center)

Dublin, OH

Evolve Synergy: Westerville Chapter

At Evolve Synergy Sessions, you'll be part of a supportive mastermind where we share challenges, brainstorm solutions, and inspire one another to take bold steps in our businesses. Grow your network, gain fresh perspectives, and build meaningful relationships with like-minded women who are committed to success. Whether you’re looking to move the needle in your business or simply need a space to connect and recharge, this is the perfect place to fuel your entrepreneurial journey. [Add Event to Calendar](https://evolvecolumbus.eventcalendarapp.com/) \*\* Please note, we will be arriving around 8:15a for open networking! Get there early and get connected! Contact Alexis Morley at [alexis.morley@edwardjones.com](mailto:alexis.morley@edwardjones.com) or Terri Lawson at [terri.lawson@e-merge.com](mailto:terri.lawson@e-merge.com) for more information.

IxDA Chat ‘n Pancakes

Join the local UX and Design community for our casual monthly breakfast meetup. The [food menu](https://www.metsisitalian.com/park-service-coffee-breakfast) is a little limited this time, but we're all going to want the [little ricotta donut balls](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/696965720cb6ff5c10d9d304/1789418540860-2FODO7BMQZ12XDW3YEFG/PS_Metsis-03breaky.jpg?format=1000w) anyway. Thanks to the team at Nationwide for supporting the community.

Escape to Italy! Women's Networking Social

Fun Networking Lunch with other female entrepreneurs and businesswomen! Bring a friend or two who would like to mix, mingle, and meet like minded women. Lunch orders placed at 12:30 (please arrive in time to be seated with the group). At 2 PM, enjoy shopping at this unique market. *Ladies are responsible for their own meal and shopping expenses.* Questions? Susan Z - 937-409-0554 • [zmusique@sbcglobal.net](mailto:zmusique@sbcglobal.net)

[Dev Days | Dublin, Ohio] #16

✨ **Dev Days** is a global, in-person community-led initiative taking place from **September 1st - October 31st, 2026**. The series brings together developers, enthusiasts, and local tech communities to explore the power of GitHub Copilot through practical, hands-on experiences. **PLEASE REGISTER HERE**: https://luma.com/rjsq14jp ​Open to all developers, each session runs for approximately 2-3 hours and focuses on real-world workflows, hands-on activities, and workshops centered on GitHub Copilot in the Copilot app and the CLI. *​Disclaimer: this event utilizes AI credits. While the workshops can be completed with Copilot Free, it will take up a large amount of those credits, so ensure you're preserving them where it makes sense, knowing you'll be attending this event* ​Code of Conduct ​We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all participants. Please review the event Code of Conduct before attending. ​👉 Event Code of Conduct: https://github.com/github/dev-days/blob/main/EVENT_CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md **LOCATION:** 6515 Longshore Loop, Suite 300, Dublin, OH 43017 **FREE PARKING:** 6725 Longshore Street, Dublin, OH 43017

Evolve Elevate (Virtual)

Evolve is all about creating an Authentic Community, Deeper Connections, and Confident Growth. We are a group of entrepreneurial women who connect personally and professionally. We welcome every guest to experience our authentic community with no cliques and no judgment. Come as you are! There's a seat waiting for you. Elevate is an action-oriented connection experience designed to help women entrepreneurs move beyond surface-level networking and into meaningful growth, collaboration, and courageous action. Each session centers around a focused business or personal development topic, followed by intentional breakout discussions that encourage deeper conversations, real relationship-building, and practical next steps. Unlike traditional networking events, Elevate is designed to create momentum. Women are encouraged not only to share ideas, but to actively support one another through accountability, collaboration, brainstorming, and action-based growth. Every meeting is an opportunity to build authentic connections, gain fresh perspective, and leave with a clear action step to implement before the next session. This is a space where women rise together — not through competition or hustle culture, but through encouragement, courage, consistency, and intentional community. \*\*Evolve Women's Collective is a membership based professional women's group. You can find more information at [www.EvolveWomensCollective.com](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.EvolveWomensNetwork.com&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw0UekYvD4PoVa7WUlFFVHyp). Feel welcome to be our guest anytime! [Join the Call](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://zoom.us/j/7894682064&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw127u1EMKvrsjTOPRaLUJ51)

Lewis Center Networking Lunch

Join us for lunch and meet our very successful group. We are each others sales team...always looking for referrals for our members. If you are looking for new clients, let us help you out! Bring your business cards and brochures to share with us. We have a speaker each week so that we can learn about their business. Because we have only one member per business, we have many of the spots filled. However, we are specifically looking for an estate attorney, a handyman/electrician, and an event planner. We have referrals for you! All visitors are welcome. Any questions contact [pmarchio@farmersagent.com](mailto:pmarchio@farmersagent.com)

Data & Analytics Wednesday - Fighting Hunger with Data

**Beyond the Numbers: How Mid-Ohio Food Collective Combines Data, Customer Insights, and Human-Centered Design to Fight Hunger** Data tells us what is happening. Customer stories help us understand why. So, what happens when dashboards and lived experience are brought together? In this session, [Mid-Ohio Food Collective](https://mofc.org/)'s Data & Insights team will share how quantitative analytics, qualitative research, and human-centered design are combined to make more informed decisions, improve programs, and better serve our customers and partners. Attendees will learn how a mission-driven organization is building a culture where data and lived experience work together to drive impact. **About Our Speakers** [Kevin W. Jolly](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwjolly/) is Mid-Ohio Food Collective’s Sr. Manager of Data and Analytics, having joined the organization in February 2026. He earned his PhD in General Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso after attending Iowa State University and like anyone who has studied human behavior, he remains fascinated by the stories that people tell through their data. Kevin has served in data and data leadership roles in a career that spans the education and energy sectors, and he takes the greatest joy in visualizing information for others. He lives in Columbus with his wife, two dogs, and a handful of chickens. [Nicole DeLozier](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-delozier-157483162/) is the Strategy & Insights Manager at Mid-Ohio Food Collective, where she leads customer insights, qualitative research, and human-centered design initiatives that help shape organizational decision-making. Throughout her career, she has been driven by the belief that the strongest insights emerge when data and human experiences are understood together. Nicole is passionate about helping organizations combine data, lived experience, and curiosity to better understand the communities they serve. When she’s not facilitating conversations or designing research projects, she’s often exploring new ways to bring people together through learning, creativity, and shared experiences. **Thanks to our 2026 sponsors:** [Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com/), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com/), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com/), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro/) More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com/)

NFT AI ART Columbus

NFT's are here to stay folks! This is a group for like minded people interested in understanding, leveraging, using, creating for, profiting from, trading too i suppose, NFT's.. everything around them, complexity, fear and exploits, best practices and more. **PLUS** This group will talk AI ART tools, techniques, artists, video, audio, prototypes and more in the AI assisted production space- ART specifically, but we can get into any aspect of some of the cooler things happening in AI in general.

Evolve Elite: Worthington Chapter

Evolve exists to connect women entrepreneurs connect with one another, serve one another, and help one another overcome challenges in marketing, sales, networking, and professional development. **[Add to Calendar](https://www.evolvewomensnetwork.com/columbus-oh.html)** **What to Expect:** \~ Welcome team to greet you, introduce you to others, and make sure you feel a part of the group from your very first meeting \~ Welcome & Introductions: 15 second introductions \~ 15 Minute Speaker Spotlight: Member speaker who shares a bit of her story, how she got to doing what she does, and a tangible tip she uses to gain success in her business. No hard selling...no expectations. Simply giving the group an opportunity to get to know her and her journey. \~ 20 Minute Break Out Sessions: Small groups is where we connect best. Extroverted and Introverted alike get the opportunity to share on a deeper level and learn from one another. \~ Take Aways: Hear what the other groups talked about and share resources to grow yourself and your business \~ Grow Time!: Do you need a specific connection to a person, company, or industry? Share it with us! We love to open our networks to one another and grow together! For more information, contact Mentor Director, Anne-Claire Van Aken at anneclaire.evolve@gmail.com Guests are always welcome. We'd love to meet you!

Columbus Code & Coffee 91 @ Improving

Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you! **What to Expect at the Intro Circle** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup: * Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics Round 1 - (7 secs max): * Your name * What you're working on * What you can help others with Round 2: * Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. Round 3: * Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool. After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!