UGLY TALK: BUILDING COMMUNITY-FIRST COMPANIES
In today’s fast-paced market, building a community-first company means putting the needs, well-being, and shared purpose of your community at the forefront—even before immediate profits. A loyal and engaged community can dramatically amplify your brand’s impact and competitive edge. At this event, accomplished community builders will share how they’ve created thriving environments where collaboration, belonging, and long-term success come first. Expect candid stories about the wins, the setbacks, and the hard-won lessons that drive authentic connection and sustainable growth.
🧠 What You’ll Learn
Build with Purpose: Discover effective strategies to build an engaged community-first company, prioritizing collaboration and long-term relationships over short-term gains. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls and make smart choices that serve your community’s needs.
Sustain and Engage: Understand how to nurture your community so it remains active and valuable over time. Explore innovative tactics to keep your audience deeply engaged, ensuring that every member feels a genuine sense of belonging.
Monetize and Leverage: Learn how a well-cultivated community can not only support but also enhance your brand’s profitability. Hear from founders who have successfully turned community passion into sustainable revenue streams—demonstrating that when you invest in your community first, the success naturally follows.
🎤 Who’s on the Panel
Panelists:
Zach Hawtof - CEO of Tightknit
Zach is the CEO, co-founder, and community manager of Tightknit, the first platform turning Slack into a true all-in-one community hub. After a decade building customer communities at Salesforce and Airkit.ai, he set out to fill the gaps in Slack with forums, gamification, events, AI-powered search, and more. When he’s not dreaming in emojis, you’ll find him explohttp://Airkit.airing global cuisines in NYC, chasing fresh snow on the slopes, or laughing over a whiskey sour in the back of a comedy club.
Jaclyn Pascocello - Co-Founder and CEO of Fabrik
Jaclyn is the Founder of Fabrik, where she's building an innovative solution to combat the loneliness epidemic and create more community, connection and belonging in our increasingly disconnected world and workplaces.
A seasoned leader with deep roots in hospitality and customer experience, Jaclyn has a proven track record of building and scaling startups, including her role as COO of Spacious (acquired by WeWork).
Her journey through the startup ecosystem has consistently focused on one core theme: creating meaningful human experiences that enrich our lives.
David Nebinski - Community Lead at Chief of Staff Network
David is the host of the weekly 350+ episode Portfolio Career podcast show and the Community Lead for the Chief of Staff Network. David lives in Williamsburg and can often be found on Bedford Avenue, sometimes with a La Croix.
Ben Bradbury - Co-Founder & CEO of Reading Rhythms
Ben is the Co-Founder & CEO of Reading Rhythms, a viral event series (New York Times, The TODAY Show) for readers, organizing weekly “reading parties” across 20+ cities, with over 20,000 global attendees and tens of millions of impressions.
Moderator:
David Kobrosky - Founder & CEO of Intros AI
David Kobrosky dropped out of college when he was 19 years old to join Gary Vaynerchuk as his first customer loyalty hire.
David was later an engineer at 1Password and the youngest PM at DataRobot, an enterprise AI company. He’s now the founder and CEO of Intros AI, helping B2B companies build and scale their customer communities.
👥 Who Else Is Going
Founders: Entrepreneurs seeking to build a strong, lasting community around their product, or brands.
Community Builders: Leaders looking to refine their approach and drive genuine connection.
Ecosystem Enablers: Investors, advisors, and supporters who believe in the power of putting community first in the growth equation.
Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Those curious about how a community-first approach can create sustainable competitive advantage.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
Real-World Insights: Gain actionable strategies that center on building, sustaining, and monetizing a community-first company.
Learn from Experience: Hear authentic stories from founders who have navigated challenges while prioritizing their community over short-term wins.
Inspire Your Growth: Discover how fostering genuine connections can not only drive long-term engagement but also add a significant competitive edge to your business.
Network with Like-Minded Leaders: Connect with entrepreneurs, investors, and industry enablers who share your commitment to community-driven success.
🤝 Co-Hosted With:
Intros.ai– A leading platform for curated founder connections, dedicated to building meaningful relationships in tech.
🤝 Supported By
The Malin - a workspace where the most ambitious go to work beautifully.
GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (Apple News + Google News)
🎥 Event Vibes
Get a taste of past Ugly Talk energy:
⭐ About Ugly Talk
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.