April 22, 2025 I Comcast Technology Center
DON'T MISS THE 2025 PHORUM TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
By dedicating a full day to this conference, you’re not just staying current; you’re gaining a competitive edge. Learn from top enterprise leaders how to leverage AI to dramatically enhance productivity and drive strategic innovation, positioning yourself and your organization at the forefront of industry transformation.
NAVIGATION
Join the forefront of business technology and network with the trailblazers of industry at Phorum 2025
2025 Session highlights
From the Embodied AI Revolution to Digital Transformation Mastery, our sessions are packed with critical knowledge tailored for today’s tech leaders.
Topics include:
- Workforce Evolution
- Organizational Metamorphosis
- Visionary Founders’ Perspectives
- Investment Intelligence
- The Embodied AI Revolution
- Digital Transformation Mastery
Playlist of the 2024 conference

SPEAKERS

Avi Patel
EVP, Chief Marketing Officer & Chief Data Scientist, Fulton BankBuilds GenAI apps, explores NLP, and published on word embeddings in banking. Proud twin dad, AI-certified, and loves to learn.

Dean Miller
President & CEO
Denise Holt
Founder & CEO, AIX Global Media
Dr. Vanessa Chan
Vice Dean Innovation & Entrepreneurship, University of PennsylvaniaAccomplished entrepreneur, angel investor, speaker, and educator renowned for her expertise in commercializing technologies.

Ed Macosky
Chief Product & Technology Officer, Boomi
Frank Shultz
Managing Partner, United Effects VenturesFrank Shultz, accelerates startups from idea to revenue. Philly native, founded & exited Infinite Blue.

Grace Francisco
Chief, m2i20+ yrs in software dev, co-authored 3 patents, led global initiatives, angel investor, DEI advocate, speaks on APIs, AI, cybersecurity

Jing Wang, PhD
Principal Head, Center for Analytics and Insights, VanguardJing leads Vanguard's AI/ML and Applied Behavioral Science, transforming client experiences and operations.

Mark G. McCreary, CIPP/US, CIPT
Partner, Chief Artificial Intelligence & Information Security Officer, Fox RothschildChairs AI & Data Security, develops ethical AI strategies, drafts security policies, leads legal workshops, manages IP risks

Michael Bachman
Head of Innovation Research, BoomiI bridge emerging technology with practical solutions for industry and society.

Peter Coffee
VP for Strategic Research, SalesforcePeter Coffee, VP for Strategic Research at Salesforce, collaborates with customers on innovation practices and information governance.

Zach Womack
Chief Technology Officer, SEIOversees SEI tech strategy and delivery, including Wealth Platform. Expert in enterprise architecture, cloud, and data strategy.
With more speakers to be announced!
The digital phorum podcast
Step into the future of innovation with The Digital Phorum, a limited-run podcast brought to you by the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT). See a playlist of the released episodes above and listen (and subscribe!) on all major platforms (Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music) and join the conversation at this year’s Phorum conference!
2025 Agenda
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Registration, breakfast, sponsor exhibits, networking
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
Demo Pit Pitches
Sponsored by: Boomi & Osage Venture Partners
9:45 AM – 10:00 AM
Emerging Technology Trends with Peter Coffee & Mike Bachman
We try to make every Phorum an over-the-horizon detector of imminent innovations. What’s next? Conference chair Michael Bachman (Boomi) and Phorum regular Peter Coffee (Salesforce) share and compare their views on what’s next in tech.
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Industry 4.0: The Emerging Technology Landscape
Learn practical strategies for evaluating which technologies offer the greatest competitive advantage and developing a roadmap for implementation that balances innovation with ROI. What general uses they see from these systems, what gaps they can fill, how they are going to interact with humans? Dive into the cutting-edge technologies reshaping manufacturing and supply chains, from IoT and digital twins to advanced robotics.
Speakers
- Nick Lopez, Fairmount Partners (Moderator)
- Denise Holt, AIX Global Media
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Management of Change and Workforce Adaptation
Explore proven frameworks for navigating the human side of technological transformation, including effective change management strategies that minimize resistance and maximize adoption. Participants will leave with actionable techniques for upskilling teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and ensuring workforce readiness as technology evolves.
Speakers
- Jing Wang, Vanguard
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
Lunch Service & Investing in Enterprise Technology (Breakout session)
Learn systematic approaches to technology investment prioritization that align with business objectives while managing risk and technical debt. Speakers will discuss frameworks for calculating true ROI beyond direct cost savings, including how to account for competitive advantage, operational resilience, and future scalability in investment decisions.
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
Lunch Service & Technology Executives Roundtable
Speakers
- Ed Macosky, Boomi
- Keyur Parikh, Vanguard
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Vanessa Z. Chan
Vanessa Chan is an accomplished entrepreneur, angel investor, speaker and educator renowned for her expertise in commercializing technologies. She is the inaugural Vice Dean of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Engineering School and the Jonathan & Linda Brassington Professor of Practice. In 2021, Dr. Chan was appointed by President Biden to serve as the Chief Commercialization Officer at the U.S. Department of Energy and the Director of the Office of Technology Transitions. In this role, she was instrumental in nationally advancing clean energy technologies, notably through the “Pathways to Commercial Liftoff” reports, which provided roadmaps scaling critical technologies like nuclear and geothermal. She also led the creation of a new framework and language for commercialization, “Adoption Readiness Levels” which is being used throughout federal government, incubators, VCs and the private sector to improve commercialization outcomes. Her impact was recognized through her inclusion as one of the world’s 100 most influential business leaders in climate in Time100’s 2024 list. Before her tenure at the Department of Energy, Vanessa was a partner at McKinsey & Company where she co-led the innovation practice, helping large publicly traded companies commercialize their technologies. Following her time at McKinsey, she founded re.design, a company dedicated to reinventing consumer products to solve everyday challenges selling her products on QVC. Dr. Chan earned her Ph.D. from MIT and a B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania, both in Materials Science and Engineering. She is a working parent and in her personal time, Dr. Chan is the co-owner of a pottery studio, an avid mountain biker, yoga practitioner, skier, and world traveler.
Sponsored by Fairmount Partners
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Lessons from the Frontlines: Practical & Responsible AI, ROI, and Strategic Implementation
Hear directly from successful AI leaders about their journeys from pilot projects to enterprise-wide AI transformation, including critical pitfalls to avoid. Learn concrete approaches for measuring AI’s business impact, establishing ethical governance frameworks, and securing continued investment by demonstrating tangible results to stakeholders.
Speakers
- Mark McCreary, Fox Rothschild
- Avi Patel, Fulton Bank
- Zach Womack, SEI
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
AI Good vs. Evil (Part 3)
Back by popular demand – for the third consecutive year – this lively debate explores controversial aspects of artificial intelligence and its potential to either usher in an era of unparalleled abundance or spell doom for humanity. Panelists will examine AI’s undeniable promise to solve global challenges, enhance human capabilities, and transform healthcare, while also peering into the dark side of AI; concerns over the development of autonomous weapons, the loss of privacy, inequality, and the potential for AI to be weaponized by malicious actors. Panelists will challenge us to confront our own beliefs about the role of AI in shaping the future.
Speakers
- Michael Bachman, Boomi (Moderator)
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM
Wrap Up & Demo Pit Best in Show
Sponsored by: Boomi & Osage Venture Partners
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Networking Reception
Sponsored by: Fox Rothschild
Mingle with fellow Phorum attendees, panel speakers, and event sponsors during this open-bar reception to close the day.
Demo Pit
The Phorum Demo Pit features the region’s hottest early-stage companies that are providing cutting-edge innovation. Demo Pit was created to allow startups to connect with C-level enterprise decision-makers attending Phorum. In addition to showcasing their technology in the Pit, each Demo Pit participant will present their company to a panel of judges and the Phorum audience. One will be names “Best in Show” and will receive the 13th annual Best in Show Award. Since our inaugural event, past participants have gone on to raise more than $350M in capital, with three of the ten successfully completing exits to strategic acquirers.
Applications are OPEN! Submit your application by March 28, 2025.
Past Winners
- 2024 — Knit
- 2023 — Red Vector
- 2022 — Nerdwise
- 2021 — Sweft
- 2020 — boodleAI
- 2019 — Crossbeam
- 2018 — Slyce
- 2017 — 51 Maps
- 2016 — RedOwl
- 2015 — Tesorio
- 2014 — SocialLadder
- 2013 — PeopleLinx
- 2012 — Cloudamize
Sponsors
Title Sponsor
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
2025 ADVISORY BOARD
Michael Bachman
Boomi
Allen Born
Fairmount Partners
Allison Carey
SEI
Ravi Chawla
Independence Blue Cross
Peter Coffee
Salesforce
Sean Dowling
Osage Venture Partners
Nate Gach
Independence Blue Cross
Kevin Jurrens
Broadpath, Inc.
Terrence Kerwin
Fox Rothschild LLP
Vijay Kumar
University of Pennsylvania
Joseph Mohr
Comcast Business Services
Lou Parisi
Comcast Business Services
Scott Snyder
Eversana