Kelly Tutors
Events &
Reviews
Wise people always say, “Never be the smartest person in the room,” so we’ve got that covered!!
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The blogs blend humor, storytelling, and insightful commentary about the experience of attending top-industry events as an outsider trying to learn. I document what is said (and not said).
EDGAR in the building! Financial Literacy Webcast
TLDR: Author watches a Computershare webinar about the SEC's EDGAR Next modernization, which overhauls the 20-year-old filing authentication system with multi-factor tokens and authorized-filer delegation lists, with a hard September 15 deadline that promises chaos for anyone who waits.
The Ghosted Speech That WAS, wasn’t, wasn’t AGAIN IRL.
TLDR: Kelly was scheduled to speak at an event she helped plan extensively, including volunteering on Mother's Day, only to be left off the schedule and ghosted by three different organizers, prompting a break from events to focus on her own projects.
Vulnerable Kids/Youth Immersive Education Fundraiser Lunch and Learn
TLDR: Author attends a museum fundraiser lunch that raised $500K for STEM education but is underwhelmed by a cringey "science on wheels" demo, keyword-heavy speeches, and a heartbreaking scene on the way home of a toddler being emotionally rejected by her distracted mother.
Flustered with Finance + Neurodivergency (E. Week, Day 3)
TLDR: A double-feature day where Kelly passionately challenges a financial influencer's ETF-heavy advice as systemically harmful to retail investors, followed by an empowering neurodivergency workshop exploring empathy types, sensory experiences, and self-advocacy.
EventWeek: Affordable Housing
TLDR: Author attends a festive 17th-annual affordable housing luncheon at the Seattle Convention Center featuring a local politician's speech on housing reform, rent stabilization bills, and a $40K donation ask that fell flat with the crowd after an emotional but poorly executed fundraising pitch.
BioFi Event Planning
TLDR: A planning session for an upcoming bioregional finance conference aimed at regenerating the toxic Duwamish River by cutting waste from investment flows and connecting disconnected community groups, where Kelly contributed marketing ideas like river tours, awards, and storytelling strategies to amplify the mission.
Half of a Century Conducting Technology Pre-Anniversary
TLDR: Kelly attends a major tech company's 50th anniversary celebration event covering innovation history, global economy, environmental topics, and human rights, offering her outsider observations and critiques of corporate PR narratives.
Fission Nuclear Energy Lunch & Learn
TLDR: Author attends a nuclear fission lunch-and-learn featuring a Bill Gates-backed company building plants in Wyoming, then realizes mid-event she had confused fission with fusion and questions why billions are being invested in older fission tech when fusion may be the future.
Hiring Overseas Talent to Work in Canada
TLDR: A brief networking event by a Canadian company that helps US startups hire international tech workers by stationing them in Canada, offering visa solutions and permanent residency paths for skilled professionals.
Memecoins: The Legendary Investment, a Deep Dive Discussion
TLDR: Author attends a memecoin deep-dive event featuring a crypto influencer and a Solana employee, learning how cabals, influencer pump-and-dumps, and exchange fee incentives make memecoins profitable for insiders while retail investors overwhelmingly lose money.
City Council Discussion over Annexing the Fire Service Vote
TLDR: Kelly attends a heated local city council debate about whether to annex fire services into a regional authority, with citizens questioning a 70% cost increase, lack of transparency, a secretly hired PR firm, and whether 80% of firefighter calls being EMS justifies the expense.
Navigating Investors for Funding
TLDR: A panel event on startup fundraising covering founder-market fit, customer discovery, the confidence-vs-paranoia balance, Seattle's risk-averse culture compared to the Bay Area, and practical advice on warm introductions and coachability for first-time founders.
Batteries and Energy Storage Lunch and Learn
TLDR: A Clean Tech Alliance lunch event featuring two speakers on battery technology -- one highly technical virtual talk on solid-state sulfide batteries that was nearly incomprehensible due to bad audio, and a second engaging talk on lithium-ion energy storage systems covering falling battery prices, grid-scale storage, and the political uncertainty around clean energy incentives.
How to Found a Life-Science Startup
TLDR: Detailed notes from a life-science startup conference featuring panelists who founded billion-dollar companies, covering conviction to start, fundraising strategies, grant writing, AI in drug discovery, and advice for female founders in biotech.
Surprise Rally & a Hike
TLDR: The author stumbles upon an anti-inauguration rally in Seattle and shares her nuanced political views on Trump, abortion, stock market reform, and RFK Jr.'s health advocacy, then attends an entrepreneurs' hiking event where founders discuss humanoid robots, defensive AI, and small business litigation.
Demystifying Grant Applications, Lunch & Learn
TLDR: A webinar workshop led by an experienced NIH grant reviewer covering SBIR/STTR funding phases, applicant eligibility, team building, budgeting basics (including the flexible 7% profit rule), and how tailoring every detail of your application to evaluation criteria can make or break your score.
PNW Property and Innovation Trends Summit, 2024
TLDR: Author attends a real estate summit covering Seattle housing trends, rent control battles, landlord liability, and a fiery multigenerational Black family business keynote, finding the most value in candid policy debates about how legislation is choking housing supply.
Retail Investors IRL: Activism for a Transparent Stock Market
TLDR: Kelly flies to Ft. Lauderdale for Bill Pulte's retail investor conference, documenting the GameStop/BBBY/MMTLP community's fight against naked short selling, market manipulation, and regulatory failures while building real-world activist connections.
Lunch & Learn with the IRS: Taxes, 2024
TLDR: A recap of an IRS-hosted lunch-and-learn session on small business taxes covering deductions, credits, filing tips, and common mistakes -- practical guidance for entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals navigating tax season.
Launching a Product to Epic Proportions! Viral Marketing 101
TLDR: Two indie game developers share contrasting stories -- one whose game flopped and another whose game went viral -- delivering a masterclass in market research, Steam algorithms, streamer outreach, and launch strategy applicable to any product.
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