Engineering the Next Generation of Great Companies

Dustin is an award-winning business journalist, bestselling author, and the chief content officer of Smart Business. Over the past 30 years, he has interviewed thousands of business and civic leaders, and helped more than 50 CEOs and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into books. A trained investigative politics reporter and former digital media entrepreneur, Dustin joined Smart Business in 1997 after serving as an editor at several daily newspapers.

High-powered and strategic corporate counsel, leader, negotiator, communicator and trusted business partner with a practical, business-focused approach to problem solving and a strong reputation for achieving clients’ goals by closing difficult transactions, integrating new products, overcoming competitive challenges, and identifying risk management strategies.

Experienced in a wide-range of global transactions and business environments with companies in various stages of growth, including retail (online and brick-and-mortar), software and medical device companies.

Skilled in M&A, strategy, corporate governance, equity and debt financing, incentive equity, software licensing, privacy (including GDPR and CCPA), intellectual property, employment, food safety, environmental, anti-bribery/anti-money laundering, litigation, and regulatory compliance matters.

Tracy Deforge is the founder of The Players Impact (TPI), a venture platform built to empower professional athletes through investment opportunities, business education, and entrepreneurial support. With over 25 years of experience launching, scaling, and advising early-stage companies, Tracy brings a unique blend of legal, operational, and strategic expertise to the worlds of sports, media, and innovation.

An attorney by training, Tracy’s early career included roles with the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball Advanced Media. She later became a partner in a pioneering venture fund investing at the intersection of sports, technology, and entertainment. Throughout her career, she has been deeply involved in every facet of entrepreneurship—from founding and funding companies to driving growth, forging strategic partnerships, and navigating successful exits.

A passionate advocate for elevating women in sports, Tracy launched the Boston chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE) and continues to serve as an advisor. She is also the Chair of the Advisory Board for the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association, a board member for Team USA Handball, and sits on the Board of the Positive Coaching Alliance (New England chapter).

For the past 25 years, Dan has been helping startups and large companies shape their online product strategy. His startup work includes launching Foursquare, Rent The Runway, The Skimm, Blade and Skift. He's also redefined the digital strategy and designed the experiences for more staid organizations such as The New York Times, CNN, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, TD Ameritrade, The Tate Galleries, Saturday Night Live, Eurobank, Booking.com and The Wall Street Journal. One of his most noted projects was creating the original strategy and user experience for Hulu. Prior to Charming Robot, Dan co-founded the design agency Hard Candy Shell. He is the host of the podcast Story in a Bottle and the author of Audible Original book The Barstool MBA. Dan received his Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and his Bachelor of Arts from Colby College in English and Performing Arts. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.