Bryce Stirton is the CEO of Funding Navigator, a product of GovFunds, a pioneering technology company dedicated to empowering municipal governments with access to billions of dollars in special project funding. Bryce's leadership at GovFunds focuses on streamlining the funding process for local governments, ensuring that essential community projects receive the financial backing they need. Before founding GovFunds, Bryce was the Co-Founder and President of Responder Ventures and served as the Program Director for the R2 Network. Responder Ventures is a venture capital firm with a mission to support life-saving technology within the disaster response industry. Under Bryce's leadership, Responder Ventures built a portfolio of over 50 leading first responder technologies, investing through its Ventures division and fostering innovation through its Labs division. His work with the R2 Network, an initiative in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, furthered his commitment to advancing response and resiliency innovation. Bryce's contributions to the field have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the GovTech Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, & Drivers Award and being named an e.Republic GovTech Market Fellow.

Josh Smith is a Lieutenant with the Elgin Fire Department in Illinois, with over 19 years experience. He has been writing grants for the Department for over 15 years, with over 130 grants written and over 40 funded. He also currently works as a Training Division instructor for the Department and MABAS Division II, and is the EMS QA/QI assistant leader. He has also served as a Fire Investigator, and Local #439 Union Vice President and Shop Steward. He lives in nearby Arlington Heights with his wife, 3 kids, and his dog Otis.