Two people who've actually done it.

David Nilssen has built two companies from nothing into category-defining businesses. Guidant Financial helped more than 30,000 entrepreneurs secure $7 billion to start or buy businesses across all 50 states. DOXA Talent now operates a 1,000-person distributed workforce across six countries with no headquarters, no office space, and no traditional playbook — just high-performing teams doing real work across time zones every day.

Along the way, David's companies have been named to the Inc. 500/5000 list six times (#230 in 2025), earned more than ten "Best Places to Work" honors (#19 in the Philippines in 2025), and proven that scale and culture are not opposing forces. He currently serves on the boards of DOXA Talent, Guidant Financial, and the AI Officer Institute, and previously served on the Entrepreneurs' Organization's Global Board of Directors. A two-time TEDx speaker and SBA National Young Entrepreneur of the Year, David brings a builder's perspective to the future of work, remote teams, and what it really takes to scale a business without losing the soul of it.

Dave started at Microsoft in 1999 as a data analyst — back when most people hadn't heard the word "algorithm" outside a math class. He's spent 25 years since at the intersection of technology and business, building systems that ran millions of rows of data and millions of dollars in transactions. He co-founded TINYpulse, a venture-backed startup that reshaped employee engagement for the Boston Red Sox, Fidelity, and thousands more — later acquired by WebMD.

Dave built the AI Officer Institute on one conviction: 95% of companies investing in AI get nothing back — not because AI doesn't work, but because nobody in the room knows how to lead it. He's the person who will run your afternoon workshop. He'll build something live, in front of you, from a problem you bring to the room. In under 20 minutes.