The Women Founder’s Roadmap: Innovation, Inclusion, and Scaling in the PNW
Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 1:00 PM PDT – 2:00 PM PDT
UpStart Collective · 111 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204, USA
Hosted by Women Stories Network
Join us for this essential two-day journey hosted by Women Stories Network. We are moving beyond abstract inspiration to provide you with a "Tactical Toolkit" for building a resilient business in the Pacific Northwest. Monday begins at the Metro Region Innovation Hub, where we lay your professional foundation through vision and wellness. We then invite you to join us for the series finale on Tuesday at the new home of Portland's founder community: UpStart Collective. While Day 1 is about your foundation, Day 2 focuses on The Big Vision. We will dive into the "hard" side of business: navigating regulated markets, leveraging AI as a force multiplier, and turning regional mentorship into actual investment capital. Don't start your week without a map. Join us and build the roadmap your business deserves. What’s on the Tuesday Roadmap? The Inclusive Product: Learn what it means to build an 'inclusive' product from day one to move from 'idea' to 'revenue' faster. The Operational Sprint: Identify the first operational 'leaks' to plug when moving from a great product to managing real, physical scale. The AI Force Multiplier: Strategies for using AI to handle the workload of a larger team without losing your brand's unique human voice. The Economic Mandate: A real talk on how the Portland ecosystem can turn 'mentorship' into actual capital and investment for women. Meet the Speakers Abby Guyer | Executive Director, Xcelerate Women Abby Guyer is a creative strategist and brand builder who is passionate about people, culture, and trends. Over an extensive marketing career in fashion, sports, retail, hospitality, and design, she has developed and led teams, campaigns, and partnerships for global consumer brands, design agencies and their clients, and social impact organizations in both for-profit and nonprofit settings. She is the Executive Director of Xcelerate Women, a 501c3 that helps women entrepreneurs increase their skills and confidence to grow their businesses and create economic power now. Julie Scotland | Co-Founder, Gravi AI Julie Scotland is co-founder of Gravi AI, a YC-backed founder (S22), and an AI enablement strategist helping organizations operationalize AI across teams and leadership structures. Through Gravi AI, she designs enterprise AI adoption programs focused on practical implementation, governance, workforce readiness, and responsible AI use. Julie has trained thousands of professionals and helped organizations move from experimentation to scalable AI capability. Her work has been featured at national conferences and within companies seeking sustainable approaches to AI adoption. With experience building and scaling organizations, she brings both strategic and execution-level expertise to AI transformation. Susan Liao | Founder & CEO, Startups for All Susan Liao is Founder & CEO of Startups for All and Leaders Like Us LLC, where she helps purpose-driven and underrepresented founders build impactful ventures. An equity-centered startup advisor, coach, and facilitator, Susan works at the intersection of digital innovation, social entrepreneurship, and inclusive leadership. Over her 20+ year career in tech, she has led product initiatives across AI, cybersecurity, edTech, healthcare, e-commerce, and global law enforcement. Susan has coached more than 60 first-time founders, helping them clarify their mission and drive measurable social change. She holds a BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University. Taylor Steele | Founder & Principal, Intrepid Energy Taylor Steele is the Founder and Principal of Intrepid Energy, a consulting and advisory firm focused on EV charging infrastructure, transportation electrification, and emerging mobility strategy. She has more than a decade of leadership experience across electric vehicle charging, renewable energy development, and mobility sectors. Taylor founded Intrepid Energy in 2024 after serving as Vice President of Operations at SHAED, a software startup focused on commercial fleet electrification, where she led business operations and helped drive organizational scale. Previously, she held senior leadership roles at Tesla, where she helped deploy large-scale charging infrastructure across the U.S. and UK/Ireland. Through Intrepid Energy, Taylor advises companies and startups on market strategy and operational scaling in the clean transportation sector. Moderator: Sheikha Aldosary | Founder & CEO, Women Stories Network Sheikha Aldosary is a media entrepreneur, journalist, and senior communications strategist with over 18 years of experience, including work with The New York Times and The Washington Post. As the Founder and CEO of Women Stories Network (WSN), she is dedicated to amplifying the voices of women and founders with great impact. After a decade of award-winning work in the Middle East focused on women’s empowerment, Sheikha is now based in Portland, leading WSN to bridge the gap between powerful storytelling and impact. Who MUST attend?…