Your Company Isn’t Built for the Way Work Actually Happens

An invitation-only gathering for founders, CEOs, and business owners leading companies generating $5M+ in annual revenue.

We are entering an era where intelligence is no longer scarce. AI can generate ideas, strategies, and outputs at scale.

The question is no longer access to intelligence. It’s what creates advantage. The Forum@535 is built around that shift. Designed as a closed-door environment, it brings together a select group of founders and executives to engage in candid, experience-driven conversations on building, scaling, and leading organizations.

The Forum explores how businesses create meaning, generate momentum, and translate both into sustained growth.

Event Agenda

3:00 PM — Arrival + Networking

3:30 PM — Welcome Remarks

4:00 PM — Keynote: Steve Spiro

4:15 PM — Panel

5:00 PM — Networking

Welcome Speakers

Our roster of leaders is growing. More speakers to be revealed soon.

A.M. Bhatt

Founder, dae & U of Next

Founder and CEO of dae, a nonprofit educational organization focused on developing the next generation of humane technologists, with campuses in New Haven and Stamford. Also founder of U of Next, an organizational development firm advising companies across technology, pharmaceutical, and financial services industries on leadership, innovation, and transformative change. Over the past 25+ years, A.M. has worked with organizations including Pfizer, Meta, Siemens, Novartis, and American Express, helping leaders navigate complexity, organizational evolution, and long-term growth.

Andre Swanston

Owner CT United

Tech entrepreneur, investor, and media innovator known for identifying emerging industry shifts and building companies at the intersection of technology, data, and media. Co-founded Tru Optik, a leading data and identity platform for streaming media advertising, which was acquired by TransUnion in 2020 in one of the largest exits by a Black American CEO. He’s also the principal owner of Connecticut United FC and founder of PHȲND, a cloud gaming platform designed to expand accessibility and redefine connected entertainment experiences.

Mostafa Analoui

Director of M&T Bank Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Quinnipiac University

Featured Speakers

Steve Spiro

Master Connector | TEDx Speaker

Inspirational keynote speaker and TEDx presenter focused on helping leaders, teams, and organizations build authentic human connections in an increasingly digital world. Drawing from his personal journey from introvert to relationship-driven leader, Steve speaks on the power of trust, communication, empathy, and meaningful connection in business and leadership. Known for helping organizations move from transactional interactions to transformational relationships, with a focus on culture, leadership, and authentic engagement.

Keynote: "Connection at the Speed of Business—Why Human-Centered Organizations Move Faster"

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations are moving faster technologically than they are relationally.

• AI accelerates execution.
• Processes automate tasks.
• Communication happens instantly.

And yet many companies are still experiencing friction, silos, disengagement, slower decision-making, and breakdowns in trust.

This keynote explores why the fastest-moving organizations are not simply the most intelligent or technologically advanced. They are the most connected.

Drawing from his journey from introvert to “The Master Connector,” along with decades of experience in sales, leadership, and relationship-building, Spiro will share how human-centered cultures create stronger communication, accelerate collaboration, reduce organizational friction, and ultimately drive business growth.

The Human Capital Challenges Slowing Modern Businesses

As companies grow, the challenge is no longer simply finding talent. It becomes building organizations that can adapt to the realities of modern work. From compliance pressures and workforce expectations to retention, flexibility, and operational continuity, leaders are navigating a growing number of human capital challenges that directly impact execution and growth.

This discussion brings together business and workforce leaders to explore how companies can maintain momentum while managing the increasingly complex realities surrounding people, policy, and performance.