From a disruptive startup to a public market player, Carvana's journey to its IPO was anything but conventional. Join us as the founders share candid insights into the critical decisions, pivotal moments, and lessons learned along the way from the company’s early days through its rapid growth and operational scaling as it navigated market fluctuations and regulatory hurdles that come with going public.

What does it take for American businesses to stay competitive in an era defined by global supply chain shifts, evolving trade policies, and rapid technological change? In this conversation, leading policymakers and economic experts will unpack the forces shaping U.S. competitiveness today and what they mean for fast-growing companies. From navigating market uncertainty to identifying opportunities in shifting regulatory and economic landscapes, founders and CEOs will gain practical insights into how to adapt, thrive, and lead in a highly dynamic business environment.

What does it look like when state and regional partners coordinate to meet the evolving needs of founders? This session explores Alabama’s ecosystem of workforce initiatives, capital programs, and entrepreneur support services, and how these collaborative efforts influence company growth. You’ll hear from ecosystem leaders and founders who have navigated the state’s resources and the factors that shaped their decision to build in Alabama versus other markets.

You probably receive a phone call from private equity every day. At the same time, Series B rounds are getting smaller and investors have a lot of questions about whether your model might be disrupted by AI. So how should you think about raising capital now? Panelists will share how their companies are funding torrid growth, maintaining control, and leveraging investors strategically. Gain practical insights and strategies to ensure your company has the capital it needs to get to the next level.

A powerful brand isn’t built by marketing alone, but by the community that stands behind it as well. In this session, founders will share how they’ve cultivated communities that both embrace and expand their brands. From designing authentic engagement strategies to building meaningful touchpoints and navigating growth without losing trust, panelists will reveal how community can be the driving force of long-term success.

Behind every thriving company is a culture that reflects its values, vision, and people. But as an organization grows, that culture isn't static; it shifts. This session explores how scaling impacts company culture, from evolving team dynamics to shifting priorities and structures. Gain practical insights to help you evolve culture in ways that foster alignment, strengthen engagement, and sustain long-term growth.

The way businesses scale is changing fast. As workforce trends shift, financial tools evolve, and AI transforms industries, business leaders must rethink how they leverage people and financial capital together for sustainable, strategic growth. In this forward-thinking session, experts from Insperity, Capital One, and Republic Capital Group explore how the right combination of human capital strategy and financial agility will shape the next era of successful businesses. Using real-world insights, we’ll dive into the new ways of hiring, retaining, and financing growth in an increasingly dynamic and competitive marketplace.

Business is rapidly evolving, and the next decade will look very different from today as it adopts AI, robotics, and quantum computing, to name just a few developments. Innovators Benn Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, and Lucy Guo, founder and CEO of Passes, are driving innovation at the edge of this transformation. In this conversation, they’ll examine how emerging technologies are reshaping industries, what the future of business might look like, and practical strategies founders can adopt to anticipate change, seize opportunities, and stay ahead in a world defined by rapid evolution.

True leadership isn’t defined by titles or metrics. It’s about aligning vision with mission, inspiring people, and driving lasting change. Best-selling author, podcast host, and founder Jay Shetty joins us for a powerful fireside chat on how mission-driven leadership can transform organizations from the inside out. He’ll share insights on leading with clarity of purpose, cultivating cultures that thrive, and empowering teams to create meaningful impact. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to lead with authenticity, influence, and long-term vision.

Join us for a fireside chat with Taraji P. Henson, the award-winning actress and entrepreneur behind the hair care brand TPH by Taraji. Having acquired the company earlier this year, she'll share how she is shaping the next chapter of her brand and applying lessons from her career to entrepreneurship, leadership, and growth.

Female founders often face unique challenges as they scale. In this candid 30-minute live discussion, seasoned women entrepreneurs who have been through it all share the hard-won insights they wish they knew earlier. Learn how to build resilience and respond strategically to external pressures.

Hiring, performance management, and workplace culture are more complex than ever. Whether you handle people management as a founder or have a professional HR team in place, you will learn a lot from this session, which dives into the existential HR crisis: why employees and leaders alike are frustrated, the HR challenges simmering in today’s rapidly evolving workplace, and what can be done to rebuild trust and effectiveness. Panelists will unpack the strange new world of hiring, share strategies for modernizing HR practices, and explore how companies can create HR systems that support people and business goals.

Join former Nike marketers Sanja K. and Ramonita Smith as they share how to uncover core human insights and turn them into strategies that cut through the noise, spark authentic connections, and create lasting impact. With decades of experience translating timeless human truths into brands that resonate, they’ll provide practical approaches for building brand messaging and experiences that not only capture attention but also foster meaningful engagement with audiences.

For many business leaders, one hard-to-answer question is cropping up almost every day: How can we best use artificial intelligence to grow and optimize our business? AI-powered tools can drive efficiency, creativity, and growth, so the answer to that question largely depends on your business and its individual needs. This session will introduce attendees to some of the most popular and in-demand solutions for businesses, including AI use cases for personalization at scale, sales productivity, and customer service. In addition, the session will offer ways to prepare your teams through proper training and support, so they will understand how AI-powered solutions can help them do their jobs better. The session will also include demonstrations (hypothetical or otherwise) of successful AI-powered tools and possibly some of the sales team's findings from the Inc. 5000 CEO Survey.

What does it really take to grow smarter, not just bigger, in today’s fast-moving business landscape? Join Oracle NetSuite and a panel of Inc. 5000 honorees as they share how technology is helping them scale with intention. They’ll discuss how leading companies are using AI to automate routine work, extract actionable insights from unified data, and make faster, more informed decisions.

Building a business with family or close partners comes with unique challenges and opportunities. Join us for an exciting conversation with the founders of Poppi and Three Amigos as they share their experiences growing their companies together, navigating personal dynamics alongside professional ambitions, and scaling operations while maintaining shared vision and values. In this conversation, you’ll learn strategies for balancing collaboration and decision-making, turning challenges into growth opportunities, and fostering a culture that thrives on trust, creativity, and aligned goals.

The future of marketing is being rewritten. AI is transforming how brands understand audiences, newsletters are creating new spaces for thought leadership, and GEO is changing the rules of SEO. Join this conversation to explore the strategies that matter most in today’s evolving landscape.

Launching a second company comes with the unique perspectives of what worked and what didn’t the first time. Join Seth Goldman, co-founder of Just Ice Tea, and Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder of Care.com, as they explore the shared commonalities and differences in scaling their second companies. From building on prior lessons to navigating new challenges and opportunities, they’ll share insights on strategy, leadership, and innovation that can help founders approach their next ventures with confidence and clarity.

Executive coaching has been around for decades, but its role in shaping today’s leaders and organizations has never been more vital. This panel will explore the role of executive coaching in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape – how it helps leaders make smarter decisions, strengthen teams, and navigate complex challenges. Attendees will gain actionable insights into the people and practices driving success in modern organizations.

What sets the most productive leaders apart isn’t just hard work, but also how they structure their time, prioritize decisions, and create systems that amplify impact. Dive into the minds of top leaders as they reveal the systems, mindsets, and daily practices that keep them focused, decisive, and effective.

Fast-growth companies move at a breakneck pace, and keeping up can be both exciting and overwhelming. The founder drives the vision, but they can also be agents of chaos. This session is closed to Inc. 5000 founders, and designed for Inc. 5000 team members to strategize on how to manage up well, by navigating shifting priorities, evolving roles, and high expectations. Panelists will share practical tips, strategies, and insider tricks for surviving (and thriving) in a rapidly scaling environment.

Vibe coding is the new way for leaders to build. By chatting with an AI model in plain English, anyone can now ship working software without learning a single programming language. But how do you even start vibe coding? And how can you use these tools to further your business goals, collaborate more closely with your team, and create new products and services? In this highly interactive workshop, you’ll take an idea and turn it into a live, demo‑ready app, all while being guided by experts who ship with AI every day. You’ll learn how to translate strategy into prompts, set guardrails that keep quality high, and run an AI‑assisted workflow that aligns product, ops, and finance. No coding experience required. Laptop encouraged.

Behind every acquisition lies a delicate dance between what founders have built and what acquirers believe will grow. Getting it right makes all the difference. We’re bringing together founders who have successfully exited their companies for a candid conversation on what the journey to acquisition really looks like. From the key factors that make a company attractive to negotiation dynamics, they will unpack the lessons that shaped their successful exits. Whether you’re considering future exit strategies or simply want to understand how value is created and recognized, this session will give you a clear-eyed view into the journey of selling a company.

Functional food and beverage products promise more than just to nourish us; they also promise to make us stronger, smarter, more energetic, and more psychologically stable. Jake Plummer, a former NFL quarterback bringing functional mushrooms to the masses, and Daymond John, the ‘Shark Tank’ mogul who’s invested in Abs Protein Pancakes, Grinds, and Pro-Nrg, explore the rise of this exciting CPG vertical – and share how entrepreneurs can cut their own slice of the (nootropic) pie.