ACG Cleveland: AI That Moves Deals sponsored by Huntington

Mike Cottrill is a “recovering journalist” turned marketing strategist who believes the real power of technology—especially AI—is its ability to make storytelling smarter, more scalable, and more impactful. As Founder & CEO of Ngage Content, Mike helps organizations move beyond simply producing more content to creating meaningful, audience-driven narratives that fuel growth.

With a deep understanding of both media and marketing, Mike bridges the gap between creativity and technology. He works with companies to build proactive, data-informed inbound marketing systems that leverage automation and AI to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time.

At Ngage Content, his focus is simple: help brands tell better stories, engage more effectively, and build scalable content engines that drive measurable business results in an AI-powered world.

John Knific is a serial entrepreneur and founding partner of K2 Venture Partners, a founder-led development studio that serves as a technical co-founder for early-stage companies. At K2VP, John and his team partner with visionary founders to turn product ideas into scalable, market-ready solutions—providing the rare combination of CTO, CPO, and strategic founder guidance that most development studios simply can’t offer.

An exit-proven founder, John has co-founded and successfully exited two venture-backed SaaS companies. Most recently, he co-founded Wisr, a digital community platform designed to connect college students and their families. Under his leadership, Wisr grew to nearly 100 university partners and more than 500,000 active users before being acquired in 2021 by Education Advisory Board (EAB).

Drawing on firsthand experience building, scaling, and exiting technology companies, John now works alongside early-stage founders to help them navigate product strategy, technical architecture, and growth with the insight of someone who has done it before.

Mark J. Rieder is the Head of Innovation at NFP, leading enterprise-wide digital transformation and AI adoption initiatives that are redefining the insurance experience. With a strong background in insurance brokerage consulting, Mark has been instrumental in integrating advanced technologies and innovative strategies to optimize processes, drive revenue, and elevate client engagement.

A recognized thought leader, Mark writes industry publications and speaks on topics such as AI integration, digital transformation, and the future of insurance. His recent work reframes AI as a business enabler—like Excel, but with superpowers—rather than a replacement for people.

Committed to fostering a culture of innovation, Mark continues to mentor emerging leaders and inspire change across the industry. His vision positions NFP as a connected, tech-forward organization blending global scale with boutique service to deliver confidence in decisions backed by data.