Media and Campaigns

Navjot Sawhney joins the Summit's Social Impact track. His work began during a period in rural India, where he saw women spending hours washing clothes by hand. One woman, Divya, inspired him to develop a washing machine suitable for households without reliable electricity or running water.

The result was a manually operated washing machine designed to reduce the physical burden of laundry while using less water. According to Sawhney, the machine reduces washing time by up to 75 percent and water consumption by 50 percent.

The Washing Machine Project now operates across 15 countries, working with communities, schools, hospitals and refugee settlements. The organization aims to reach one million people by 2030.

Sawhney's experience brings the practical challenges of developing, funding and expanding social innovations into the Summit's discussions.

Drew Carrell joins the Grow track, bringing experience in digital advertising, customer acquisition and business operations.

A three-time founder, Carrell has built businesses across digital marketing, lead generation and technology. During his career, he has managed more than $150 million in advertising expenditure across digital platforms. In his initial meeting with Eprenz, Carrell also shared that his businesses had generated approximately $40 million in B2B sales over four years.

His experience includes scaling marketing agencies to $1 million in monthly revenue, developing lead distribution software, completing a business exit and preparing another company for sale.

Carrell's approach centers on understanding customer acquisition costs, lifetime value and the systems businesses need to generate consistent revenue. His background offers founders firsthand experience in making growth decisions and building businesses beyond their initial customer base.

Jacques Benkoski brings experience from both sides of the investment relationship, having led technology businesses and invested in startups.

As General Partner at U.S. Venture Partners, he focuses on technology investments, including enterprise software, cloud computing and cybersecurity. The venture capital firm has invested more than $4.3 billion across over 500 startups.

Before entering venture capital, Benkoski served as President and CEO of Monterey Design Systems until its acquisition by Synopsys in 2004. His career also includes executive roles in technology companies and experience with acquisitions and public offerings.

Beyond investing, Benkoski works with entrepreneurs on market entry, customer selection and business positioning. His Market Entry Strategy framework has reached thousands of entrepreneurs through workshops and educational programs.

His participation brings an investor's perspective to the Summit, particularly for founders interested in funding, business value and preparing companies for future growth or exit.