Joshin @ The Lion Forum

Last week, Joshin had the awesome privilege of attending and presenting at The Lion Forum, a unique gathering of the most influential founders, CEOs, investors, policymakers, and advocates at the forefront of disability innovation, hosted by K. Ventures. The Forum’s mission—to spark groundbreaking ideas and foster partnerships that will shape the future of disability healthcare, education, and employment across America—was brought to life through an inspiring series of presentations and events.

The energy was palpable! We were surrounded by remarkable people who share our commitment to innovation and inclusion. With open minds and hearts, we were ready to learn and to take action.

Key Highlights

• We heard energizing presentations from like-minded companies. When it was our turn to share, I felt safe to be vulnerable in telling our brother’s story and how it shapes Joshin’s mission. I spoke about how workplace demographics are rapidly evolving, with 70% of the workforce expected to be Gen-Z and Millennials by 2030, with more identifying as disabled or neurodivergent than ever before. There was an audible reaction when I shared how Covid boosted disabled employment by 10%, but unsupportive workplaces are now causing costly turnover.

• Later in the day, John from John’s Crazy Socks shared his story about empowering disabled people through employment. As an entrepreneur with Down syndrome, he was firm in his belief that entrepreneurship, while tough, is his calling. Timothy Shriver then posed a powerful question to the group: “How do we continue to create job opportunities for disabled talent?” So many of us, those in attendance and beyond, want this. It sparked meaningful conversation that continues within our team at Joshin.

• The reception, hosted by Edward Kennedy Jr. and his wife Kiki, was truly unforgettable. They were incredibly gracious and kind.

Melanie Fountaine and I felt incredibly inspired. Tim asked us to think of one word that described our time at the Lion Forum. My word is LEGACY. My legacy. Our brother’s legacy. And the legacy that Joshin is creating with our clients, our members, and our team. Legacy drives our day-to-day. Thank you to everyone who made this event so special, especially to Christopher McKelvy and Judd Olanoff for putting together this powerful fund, group and event. We got to spend time special people like; Andrea Messina, Rachel Rothman, Solome Tibebu, Corbin Petro and our partners Justin Young and James Hettenbach from Unum and Isabel Fields from Hearst. The relationships forged and the ideas exchanged will create lasting change and hopefully drive the commitment of capital towards equity-focused products. 

We are proud of our partnership with K. Ventures and their investment in the companies in attendance at the Lion Forum who serve the disability community – the world’s largest minority group. Your support and shared vision are invaluable as we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Here’s to the future we’re all building together!

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Image Description

Image #1: A collage of a man in a suit speaks to an audience, a woman in a blue suit, speaks to an audience beside a screen showing a slide about Joshin, an outdoor event with people on a dock, and a man speaking at a podium with the "Unum Group" logo.