Jacob Taylor
Founder & CEO, Civitas Marketing
Jacob took a bold leap from freshman year dorm life at Ohio State, ditching textbooks to launch Columbus Food Express. He flipped that startup, then in February 2012 planted his next brainchild: Civitas Experiential, a Columbus‑based agency that’s turned guerrilla-style brand activations into their signature.
Under his leadership, Civitas has evolved into a national creative and media powerhouse, dreaming up experiential campaigns that make Major League Soccer, Smart Columbus, Brown‑Forman, Express, Apple, Klarna, Fifth Third Bank and more look and feel unforgettable.
When the world paused in 2020, Jacob pivoted - literally. He helped launch The World Pickleball Tour in 2021 and scoffed at the term “niche,” growing it into North America’s largest amateur circuit.
Today, he moonlights as Commissioner of that pickleball empire, still keeps Civitas busy with national campaigns, and probably finds time to chase clients. Or at least a decent rally on the court.
David Hunegnaw
Founder, Investor, Instigator-in-Chief
For over two decades, David Hunegnaw has been building, backing, and occasionally breaking the mold on what’s possible. A serial founder with a knack for spotting what’s next before it’s trending, David has launched startups in tech, media, restaurants, and real estate, often while the paint’s still drying.
He’s a GP at LOUD Capital and founder of Partners + Capital, a boutique investment firm leaning hard into oil & gas, private credit, real estate, and consumer ventures, focusing on deals others overlook, and people others underestimate.
He’s also the force behind Sourdough Pizza Bros, a Black-owned pizza brand built on culture, craft, and supporting the overlooked and underserved communities (in that order).
David is also a GP at Garden Park Residences + Hotel, a $65 million redevelopment/infll project on High Street in the Short North community in Columbus, Ohio, focused on “affordable x luxury” under one roof.
When he’s not launching companies or reshaping Columbus neighborhoods like the Short North, he’s probably:
a) mentoring the next wave of future founders through his mentorship work at OSU and Denison University.
b) receiving coverage on his thoughts on audacity. and zoning rules for commercial real estate projects, or even “festival fatigue”
c) calling BS on bloated strategies.
David’s philosophy?
Start small. Move fast. Stay human.
And if it doesn’t exist yet, build it. Beautifully and with purpose.