While taking a break at the 51 Mile Marker at the Lake of the Ozarks, Nick Smith was inspired as ever by the coexistence of AI and sales, but was searching for a way to put the controls in the hands of sales executives. “Sales has a lot of ‘enablement’ solutions, but not many tools that sales people actually like using” “Imagine if every sales executive had their own robot that performed virtual prospecting tasks.” Drawing on his sales and management experience at companies like CBS Corporation, iHeart Media and others, he began to imagine sales executives building their own cloud-based robots to reduce repetitive, manual tasks and increase revenue opportunities. Now, he just needed a name that combined sales and AI.

Qwick is the professional platform at the heart of hospitality that matches experienced industry freelancers with shifts at restaurants, hotels, caterers, stadiums, and more. As the leading staffing platform solely dedicated to serving the hospitality industry, Qwick gives businesses the flexibility to fill shifts in real time with qualified staff, while empowering freelancers to work when and where they want. Qwick is rapidly growing across the U.S. and is currently serving as hospitality’s through-line across the country. Learn more at qwick.com.

Valence develops and provides an AI coach named Nadia for employee development and performance support. The coach delivers personalized guidance on setting goals, improving feedback, skill building, and managing conflict. Nadia is also used to support organizational functions like performance reviews, learning and development, and change