Decide, Commit, Execute: Using AI to Plan Your Year

How founders use AI to create clarity, focus, and execution momentum for the year ahead.

Most aspiring founders don’t struggle with motivation or ideas.
They struggle with clarity, prioritization, and execution.

AI has made this problem both better and worse. Used well, it can compress thinking and sharpen decisions. Used poorly, it multiplies distraction and half-finished plans.

This live session introduces a founder-grade annual planning framework—and shows you how to use AI as a thinking partner to articulate your ideas, pressure-test your assumptions, and turn intention into action.

This is not a generic goal-setting workshop.

It’s a practical operating process you can repeat every year—and revisit quarterly.

Join Andrew Stafford for a guided walkthrough designed for early-stage founders, aspiring founders, and builders who want to stop spinning and start executing.

​**🔍 What You’ll Learn**

Why most annual plans fail before February
The hidden reasons founders lose momentum—and how to avoid planning theater.

The Founder Operating Plan
A clear, repeatable framework to move from ideas → decisions → execution.

How to use AI as a founder’s thinking partner
Use AI to articulate vague ideas, clarify priorities, and stress-test decisions—without outsourcing responsibility.

Constraints before goals
How identifying your real constraint (time, capital, energy, skill, market) makes strategy simpler and execution faster.

The Focus Filter
How to choose one primary focus for the year—and intentionally downgrade everything else.

Turning vision into 12-week action
How to translate long-term goals into near-term execution plans with built-in review and adjustment loops.

You’ll leave knowing exactly how to finish your annual plan, how often to revisit it, and how to use AI responsibly as part of the process.

​**🎙️ Your Speakers**

​Andrew Stafford

​Co-Lead of The AI Collective Hampton Roads chapter.
​25 years across two startups, Amazon, NASA, and major enterprise consulting.

​Who should attend?

• Aspiring founders with a strong idea but no clear execution framework
• Early-stage founders feeling busy but unfocused
• Builders and operators exploring how to use AI beyond surface-level tasks
• Anyone who wants a repeatable yearly planning process, not another productivity hack

​Why this matters

We are entering a phase where ideas are cheap and tools are abundant.
Your advantage is no longer effort alone—it’s:

• Clarity
• Focus
• Decision quality
• Follow-through

AI can either amplify confusion—or sharpen execution.
This session shows you how to make it the latter.

🤝 Organizers & partners

Organizers
The AI Collective Hampton Roads

​Platinum partners
TechArk
Regent University
ECPI University

​Silver partners
TEKsystems
Assembly

🌍 ​Our parent org
The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 150,000+ pioneers – founders, researchers, operators, and investors – exploring the frontier of AI in major tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we empower the AI ecosystem to collaboratively steer AI’s future toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.

All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct. Additionally, by registering for this event, you agree to The AI Collective Hampton Roads chapter photo & video policy.

Last year, my most recommended service was https://val.town, a place that can run javascript and typescript with ease, nothing else quite like it. Join us for a walkthrough of val.town, and how I used it all year long. This is our first meeting back after holiday break, so I'm really excited to see everyone!

Be sure to tell your coworkers, friends, and neighbors about Norfolkjs and bring a buddy.

All skill levels are welcome! If you've ever been interested in web development, come on by.

As always, HUGE thanks to Assembly for hosting.
Learn more about the amenities and community of Assembly at https://www.assemblynfk.com/

Street parking is free after 6 pm. From 6:30-7:00 pm, we will have someone at the door to let you in. After 7, message the #javascript channel on 757Dev Slack. We meet in the Fur Room on the 4th floor.

Get activated

​AI is reshaping how we work, create, and solve problems and Hampton Roads is building a community to make sure our region is part of that future.
​This one-hour Volunteer Info Session is your invitation to get activated with AI Collective Hampton Roads.
​We’re hosting 50+ events over the coming year, including talks, workshops, hackathons, hands-on labs, and a large-scale summit. We’re looking for passionate, curious, and community-minded people to help bring it all to life.
​Whether you’re technical or non-technical, early in your career or deeply experienced, there’s a place for you here.

​What you’ll learn in this session

• ​The mission and vision of AI Collective Hampton Roads
• ​The types of events we’re running and why they matter
• ​Volunteer roles and ways to get involved (from event support to special projects)
• ​How volunteering can help you grow skills, expand your network, and shape the local AI ecosystem
• ​What’s coming next and how you can plug in immediately

​This session is about co-creating a thriving AI community, supporting inclusive access to emerging technology, and helping Hampton Roads become a place where innovation happens out in the open.

​If you’ve ever thought

• ​“I want to be closer to what’s next”
• ​“I want to contribute to something meaningful”
• ​“I want to meet people who care about building the future responsibly”

​…this is for you.
​Come learn how you can be part of something big, local, and growing fast.
​Duration: 1 hour
Who should attend: Anyone interested in volunteering, community building, AI, tech, or innovation
No prior AI experience required
​We can’t wait to build this with you!

Do you work with technology or for a tech company? Do you speak geek? Come network with other technology industry workers for a casual, conversational happy hour.

This meetup is loosely organized, but very consistently scheduled. If you want to meet up somewhere else, share it in the #peninsula channel at 757dev.org Slack, or in the comments.

Information Security and Cybersecurity professionals, come out and meet some new people. Have a night out on the town. Meet new people with similar interests. We love connecting with people who have similar interests. Whether you thinking about entering cybersecurity, recently entered, or seasoned, we welcome all to come out and drink some beers with us, or not drink with us. We want to meet you, to meet new people. We had enough of the virtual world with covid. Lets get back out and start meeting people again.

The Information Systems Security Association of Hampton Roads (ISSA-HR) is setting up social events throughout Hampton Roads to give Cyber Security Professionals and those interested in the subject a place to: Get Together, Share Stories, Learn Information, Meet New People.
ISSA-HR has years of Cyber Security knowledge that we are happy to give. Our organization is here to promote Cyber Security and bring up the next generation of Cyber Security Professionals.

Location: The Casual Pint: 3380 Princess Anne Rd, Ste 111, Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM

🤝 A social networking night for AI, automation, and curious minds

AI After Dark is a relaxed, social-first networking event designed to bring together people across Hampton Roads who are curious about artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, vibecoding, and the future of technology.

This is not a lecture. This is not a pitch night.

It is a space to connect, explore ideas, and meet others who are building, learning, experimenting, or simply trying to understand where all of this is headed.

Whether you are brand new to AI or have been working in the field for years, you belong here.

​✨ What to expect

• Casual, open networking with a diverse mix of builders, creatives, technologists, founders, students, and professionals
• Organic conversations around AI, ML, automation, no-code, low-code, and emerging tools
• Light, informal discussion prompts to help break the ice
• No presentations, no panels, no pressure
• A welcoming environment for all experience levels and backgrounds

Come as you are. Grab a drink or coffee. Talk shop. Talk life. Make real connections.

👥 Who should attend
AI After Hours is for:

• People curious about AI and how it impacts work, creativity, and society
• Engineers, designers, product managers, analysts, and researchers
• No-code and automation builders
• Students and career switchers exploring the field
• Founders, consultants, and operators
• Seasoned professionals who want to meet others locally
• Anyone who wants to be part of Hampton Roads’ growing AI community

If you like thoughtful conversations and meeting people who care about where technology is going, you will fit right in.

🏪 Supporting local businesses
Each AI After Hours event is hosted at a local Hampton Roads business such as a brewery, coffee shop, or community space.

By attending, you are not only investing in your own network, you are also helping support the local venues that make our region vibrant. We intentionally rotate locations to spotlight different neighborhoods and businesses across the 757.

💡 Why AI After Hours exists
AI is moving fast. Community and connection help us move wisely.

AI After Hours exists to create a low-pressure, human-centered space where people can build relationships, share ideas, and learn from one another outside of formal talks or workshops. It is about strengthening the local ecosystem and making sure no one has to navigate this rapidly changing landscape alone.

ℹ️ Other bits of info & FAQs

• This is a free community event
• Drinks or food are available for purchase depending on the venue
• Photos or videos may be taken for community and marketing purposes
• Come solo or bring a friend
• ​​​Is there free parking in the area? Yes. They’ve got lots of spots available in their parking lot.
• ​​​Is this free? Yes, but space is limited. Make sure to RSVP.

🤝 Organizers & partners
​
Organizers
The AI Collective Hampton Roads

​Platinum partners
TechArk
Regent University
ECPI University

​Silver partners
TEKsystems
Assembly

​Space partner
757 Collab
The Hive by Virginia Beach
NSU Innovation Center

🌍 ​Our parent org
The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 150,000+ pioneers – founders, researchers, operators, and investors – exploring the frontier of AI in major tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we empower the AI ecosystem to collaboratively steer AI’s future toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.

All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct. Additionally, by registering for this event, you agree to The AI Collective Hampton Roads chapter photo & video policy.

Bitcoin education / presentation / workshop meetup.

12/3/25 - Bitcoin Holidays and Landmark Events: Celebrating the Journey
11/5/25 - Building a BTC community starter deck
9/3/25 - When Robots Start Paying Each Other- Machine to Machine Bitcoin Payments
8/6/25 - The Internet Computer (ICP)- cloud provider, OS, and IDE - A Bitcoin L2 or Shitcoin?
7/2/25 - Hyperbitcoinization: The Path to Bitcoin as Global Money
6/4/25 - Bringing Bitcoin to VB
5/7/25 - Bitcoin is NOT risky
4/2/25 - Bitcoin Fixes This
3/5/25 - STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY!!
2/5/25 - You Can Hold Bitcoin In A Safe - Bitcoin Self Custody
1/8/25 - Bitcoin and Goal Setting
12/4/24 - The Bitcoin Network: Nodes, Miners, Users
11/6/24 - Your wallet is not a wallet: Understanding bitcoin wallets, keys, addresses and UTXOs
9/4/24 - Bitcoin through memetic bell curves
7/3/24 - Hayek
6/5/24 - Presentation on preparing for, surviving and embracing volatility

Can't sleep? Stay up all night coding? Or can't make the usual meetups till the kids are in bed?

Late Night Coders is a meetup for the rest of us.

Let's get together and share what we're working on, co-work, or get help on any problems we're running into. Some code challenge keeping you up? Bring it to us!

Anyone is welcome at any experience or sleep-deprivation level. Bring your laptop! Or just come hang out with cool people.

Turned off guest options, bring whoever is interested in coming.

Foundry IQ
Join us Tuesday, February 10th, as we explore Foundry IQ and how it enables the next generation of AI agents with enterprise-ready Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

Schedule
5:45 PM — Doors open
6:00 PM — Food, drinks, and networking
6:30 PM — Presentation begins

About This Session
In this session, we are going to explore Foundry IQ, the next generation of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) that provides AI agents with a unified knowledge layer enriched with enterprise context. Built on Azure AI Search, Foundry IQ simplifies agent development by connecting multiple knowledge sources through a single API, offering automatic indexing, advanced AI-driven retrieval, and enterprise-grade security with fine-grained access control.

Speaker
Talles Valiatti is a Microsoft MVP, Solution Architect, and .NET developer with experience in cloud solution architecture. He frequently speaks at events in both Brazil and the US about these technologies and is passionate about innovation and the tech community.

Location
Marathon Consulting (2nd Floor)
Plenty of free parking is available behind the building. If you're arriving later, the doors may be locked—check the sign on the door for instructions on how to get in.

Details
Food and drinks will be provided. This event is free and open to all skill levels.

Come join us @ Commence in Virginia Beach on February 10th, 2026 from 6:00PM - 8:30PM ET! The address is 585 London Bridge Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23454.

We will be providing some food and refreshments, but you are welcome
to bring your own meal as well.

Speakers & Presentations to be announced

We're looking forward to seeing the same awesome faces and hopefully some new ones too!

We appreciate Commence helping us out and providing a great meeting space!

Our next social event will be at Longboards Williamsburg Dining & Tiki Bar in Premium Outlets, in the former location of Oceans & Ales.

As a reminder, we are still looking for a speaker at our May technical presentation.

Upcoming schedule:

March 11, 6:30 PM - Williamsburg Library, Conference Room B.
Alex Podyachev will discuss quantum computing.

April 8, 6:00 PM - Social Event

May 13, 6:30 PM - Williamsburg Library, Conference Room B.
Technical Presentation

June 10, 6:00 PM - Social Event

July 8, 6:30 PM - Williamsburg Library, Conference Room B.
Kelly Shaw will discuss AI programming vs. human programmers.

August 12, 6:00 PM - Social Event

September 9, 6:30 PM - Williamsburg Library, Conference Room B.
Technical Presentation

October 14, 6:00 PM - Social Event

November 10, 6:30 PM - Williamsburg Library, Conference Room B.
(Note this is a Tuesday, since the library is closed on Veterans Day.)
Technical Presentation

December 9, 6:00 PM - Social Event

Come join us either in person or virtually to learn the basics of Android App development

Zoom Link: TBA

IN PERSON MEETING!!!!!
As SaaS platforms grow through acquisitions, identity data often becomes fragmented across multiple databases and user stores, leading to inconsistent access controls, operational complexity, and security risk. This session presents a real-world case study of consolidating authentication and authorization into a centralized, SQL Server–backed identity platform used across multiple products.

The solution combined OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 with a central identity database, token-time claim enrichment, and event-driven replication to maintain data consistency while supporting near-zero-downtime migrations. The talk focuses on how SQL Server was used to model users, roles, and permissions; support reliable change propagation; and enable auditing, deprovisioning, and session management at scale.

Attendees will learn practical lessons around schema design, transactional consistency, asynchronous replication, and operational monitoring for identity data. The techniques discussed apply broadly to any system where correctness, availability, and security depend on a well-designed and highly reliable SQL Server data layer.

NEW LOCATION: Smarthmouth Brewing Co. - Oceanfront
Third Thursday Each Month

Our bitcoin open discussion meet up. Great time for anyone to ask questions or start a discussion! Usually multiple conversions end up splitting off.

All are welcome! See you there!

Do you work with technology or for a tech company? Do you speak geek? Come network with other technology industry workers for a casual, conversational happy hour.

This meetup is loosely organized, but very consistently scheduled. If you want to meet up somewhere else, share it in the #peninsula channel at 757dev.org Slack, or in the comments.

Bitcoin education / presentation / workshop meetup.

12/3/25 - Bitcoin Holidays and Landmark Events: Celebrating the Journey
11/5/25 - Building a BTC community starter deck
9/3/25 - When Robots Start Paying Each Other- Machine to Machine Bitcoin Payments
8/6/25 - The Internet Computer (ICP)- cloud provider, OS, and IDE - A Bitcoin L2 or Shitcoin?
7/2/25 - Hyperbitcoinization: The Path to Bitcoin as Global Money
6/4/25 - Bringing Bitcoin to VB
5/7/25 - Bitcoin is NOT risky
4/2/25 - Bitcoin Fixes This
3/5/25 - STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY!!
2/5/25 - You Can Hold Bitcoin In A Safe - Bitcoin Self Custody
1/8/25 - Bitcoin and Goal Setting
12/4/24 - The Bitcoin Network: Nodes, Miners, Users
11/6/24 - Your wallet is not a wallet: Understanding bitcoin wallets, keys, addresses and UTXOs
9/4/24 - Bitcoin through memetic bell curves
7/3/24 - Hayek
6/5/24 - Presentation on preparing for, surviving and embracing volatility

Kotlin has emerged as a compelling choice for both Android and backend development, offering a modern language with strong null-safety, concise syntax, and excellent interoperability with Java. In this meetup, we'll explore the key advantages that drive teams to adopt Kotlin—from improved developer productivity and safer Android apps to structured concurrency with coroutines on the backend. We'll highlight how Kotlin aligns with today's Android ecosystem, integrates with popular backend frameworks, and enables cleaner, more maintainable code across platforms. At the same time, adopting Kotlin is not without challenges. We'll take an honest look at the tradeoffs, including learning curve considerations, build performance, interoperability friction with legacy Java code, and operational concerns in backend systems. Through a retrospective lens, this talk will share practical lessons learned and guidance on when Kotlin is the right choice—and when it may not be—helping attendees make informed decisions for their Android and server-side projects.

This is a Hybrid event, you can also attend virtually using this link: TBA

NEW LOCATION: Smarthmouth Brewing Co. - Oceanfront
Third Thursday Each Month

Our bitcoin open discussion meet up. Great time for anyone to ask questions or start a discussion! Usually multiple conversions end up splitting off.

All are welcome! See you there!

Do you work with technology or for a tech company? Do you speak geek? Come network with other technology industry workers for a casual, conversational happy hour.

This meetup is loosely organized, but very consistently scheduled. If you want to meet up somewhere else, share it in the #peninsula channel at 757dev.org Slack, or in the comments.

Bitcoin education / presentation / workshop meetup.

12/3/25 - Bitcoin Holidays and Landmark Events: Celebrating the Journey
11/5/25 - Building a BTC community starter deck
9/3/25 - When Robots Start Paying Each Other- Machine to Machine Bitcoin Payments
8/6/25 - The Internet Computer (ICP)- cloud provider, OS, and IDE - A Bitcoin L2 or Shitcoin?
7/2/25 - Hyperbitcoinization: The Path to Bitcoin as Global Money
6/4/25 - Bringing Bitcoin to VB
5/7/25 - Bitcoin is NOT risky
4/2/25 - Bitcoin Fixes This
3/5/25 - STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY!!
2/5/25 - You Can Hold Bitcoin In A Safe - Bitcoin Self Custody
1/8/25 - Bitcoin and Goal Setting
12/4/24 - The Bitcoin Network: Nodes, Miners, Users
11/6/24 - Your wallet is not a wallet: Understanding bitcoin wallets, keys, addresses and UTXOs
9/4/24 - Bitcoin through memetic bell curves
7/3/24 - Hayek
6/5/24 - Presentation on preparing for, surviving and embracing volatility

NEW LOCATION: Smarthmouth Brewing Co. - Oceanfront
Third Thursday Each Month

Our bitcoin open discussion meet up. Great time for anyone to ask questions or start a discussion! Usually multiple conversions end up splitting off.

All are welcome! See you there!

Do you work with technology or for a tech company? Do you speak geek? Come network with other technology industry workers for a casual, conversational happy hour.

This meetup is loosely organized, but very consistently scheduled. If you want to meet up somewhere else, share it in the #peninsula channel at 757dev.org Slack, or in the comments.

Bitcoin education / presentation / workshop meetup.

12/3/25 - Bitcoin Holidays and Landmark Events: Celebrating the Journey
11/5/25 - Building a BTC community starter deck
9/3/25 - When Robots Start Paying Each Other- Machine to Machine Bitcoin Payments
8/6/25 - The Internet Computer (ICP)- cloud provider, OS, and IDE - A Bitcoin L2 or Shitcoin?
7/2/25 - Hyperbitcoinization: The Path to Bitcoin as Global Money
6/4/25 - Bringing Bitcoin to VB
5/7/25 - Bitcoin is NOT risky
4/2/25 - Bitcoin Fixes This
3/5/25 - STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY!!
2/5/25 - You Can Hold Bitcoin In A Safe - Bitcoin Self Custody
1/8/25 - Bitcoin and Goal Setting
12/4/24 - The Bitcoin Network: Nodes, Miners, Users
11/6/24 - Your wallet is not a wallet: Understanding bitcoin wallets, keys, addresses and UTXOs
9/4/24 - Bitcoin through memetic bell curves
7/3/24 - Hayek
6/5/24 - Presentation on preparing for, surviving and embracing volatility

IN PERSON MEETING!!!!! (PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE FOR THIS MEETING ONLY)
Organizations handle increasing amounts of growth with their sensitive data. Data engineers must protect their data from external attackers, application users, and even privileged employees like database administrators.

This session will teach you how to protect your data while maintaining functionality and performance. You will leave this session knowing how and why column-level encryption, row-level security, and auditing are keys to securing your data.

NEW LOCATION: Smarthmouth Brewing Co. - Oceanfront
Third Thursday Each Month

Our bitcoin open discussion meet up. Great time for anyone to ask questions or start a discussion! Usually multiple conversions end up splitting off.

All are welcome! See you there!

Do you work with technology or for a tech company? Do you speak geek? Come network with other technology industry workers for a casual, conversational happy hour.

This meetup is loosely organized, but very consistently scheduled. If you want to meet up somewhere else, share it in the #peninsula channel at 757dev.org Slack, or in the comments.

Bitcoin education / presentation / workshop meetup.

12/3/25 - Bitcoin Holidays and Landmark Events: Celebrating the Journey
11/5/25 - Building a BTC community starter deck
9/3/25 - When Robots Start Paying Each Other- Machine to Machine Bitcoin Payments
8/6/25 - The Internet Computer (ICP)- cloud provider, OS, and IDE - A Bitcoin L2 or Shitcoin?
7/2/25 - Hyperbitcoinization: The Path to Bitcoin as Global Money
6/4/25 - Bringing Bitcoin to VB
5/7/25 - Bitcoin is NOT risky
4/2/25 - Bitcoin Fixes This
3/5/25 - STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY!!
2/5/25 - You Can Hold Bitcoin In A Safe - Bitcoin Self Custody
1/8/25 - Bitcoin and Goal Setting
12/4/24 - The Bitcoin Network: Nodes, Miners, Users
11/6/24 - Your wallet is not a wallet: Understanding bitcoin wallets, keys, addresses and UTXOs
9/4/24 - Bitcoin through memetic bell curves
7/3/24 - Hayek
6/5/24 - Presentation on preparing for, surviving and embracing volatility

IN PERSON MEETING!!!!!
SQL Server's data virtualization stack has evolved throughout the past decade, allowing you to integrate SQL Server with a variety of external systems, such as Oracle, MongoDB, Cosmos DB, Azure Blob Storage, and AWS S3. In this talk, we will briefly cover the history of data virtualization in SQL Server and focus on how we can write T-SQL queries to access data from heterogeneous sources, both in SQL Server 2025 and in prior versions. Finally, we will look at several interesting use cases for data virtualization in the modern data environment.

NEW LOCATION: Smarthmouth Brewing Co. - Oceanfront
Third Thursday Each Month

Our bitcoin open discussion meet up. Great time for anyone to ask questions or start a discussion! Usually multiple conversions end up splitting off.

All are welcome! See you there!

Do you work with technology or for a tech company? Do you speak geek? Come network with other technology industry workers for a casual, conversational happy hour.

This meetup is loosely organized, but very consistently scheduled. If you want to meet up somewhere else, share it in the #peninsula channel at 757dev.org Slack, or in the comments.

IN PERSON MEETING!!!!!
SQL Server 2025 is the AI database for enterprises. But there are more new things than just AI—in this demo filled, full-day workshop, you will learn about:

• Engine improvements that make everything just run faster
• How SQL Server 2025 helps you operate more securely
• Further enhancements to high availability
• Building event-driven architectures with change event streaming

Master the benefits of the latest release of SQL Server and how to deploy it in your organization.