HOST: Brian Tsuchiya

Founder of Startup Guru

Brian Tsuchiya is an authority on crowdfunding, after spending the last 8 years researching a variety of methods he has unique experiences with crowds. Including having a company entirely funded with "sweat equity" from over one hundred people. Managing that many shareholders is unique for a privately held startup. Brian also has raised over $2M of private equity.

Brian is the founder of StartUp Guru and started his entrepreneurial journey 18 years ago and has since launched ten startups. Startup Guru is the culmination of this extraordinary journey. He has openly shared for the first 40 years of his life he primarily served himself and lived a life without purpose.  Then in June of 2006 he read a book that would change his life forever.  He embarked on a journey that connected his life purpose with his entrepreneurial career.  Through this work he understood his patterns and defined his life in a way that revealed his purpose.  Forged in him was the way of the entrepreneur.

HOST: Deb Frey

Vice President - DaVinci Institute

Deb Frey is the Vice President of the DaVinci Institute with responsibility for the company’s Global Design and New Business Development. In this role, she continues to advance the corporate initiative, which is, as Deb puts it,  “Creating the future we all want for our children.” As DaVinci Institute’s Vice President, Deb helps to define the key projects and initiatives for resource commitment, keeps her finger on the pulse of the local social climate and prides herself in understanding and embracing a talented and diverse world-wide community.

Deb serves as booking agent for Futurist Keynote Speaker Thomas Frey.  She handles the booking, contracts and travel arrangements to ensure a great experience for both the client and for Thomas. 

Deb also serves as a contributing editor to the Impact Lab, the DaVinci Institute blog billed as “a laboratory of the future human experience.” She is an expert in the latest trends in research, news reviews, topical studies, and all the “crazy stuff” ignored by mainstream media.

In addition to her executive duties, Deb helps to systematize the many faces of DaVinci Institute including DaVinci Coders and DaVinci Inventor Showcase. Innovative and inventive her staff will tell you, “She sparkles”.

HOST: Thomas Frey

Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute

Thomas Frey is Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute as well as Google top rated futurist speaker.

As part of the celebrity speaking circuit, Tom continually pushes the envelope of understanding, creating fascinating images of the world to come.  His keynote talks on futurist topics have captivated people ranging from high level government officials to executives in Fortune 500 companies including NASA, IBM, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, First Data, Boeing, Capital One, Bell Canada, Visa, Ford Motor Company, Qwest, Allied Signal, Hunter Douglas, Direct TV, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Times of India, Leaders in Dubai, and many more.

Because of his work inspiring inventors and other revolutionary thinkers, Tom has been referred to as the modern "Father of Invention" and the "Dean of Futurists."  Before launching the DaVinci Institute, Tom spent 15 years at IBM as an engineer and designer where he received over 270 awards, more than any other IBM engineer.