Ohio VC Fest
Venture capital · Founders · Ecosystem
Speaker · Host · Venture operator
Sarah Marilyn
Barrick
Venture, technology, capital—and the people and regions building what comes next.
An operator’s perspective from inside growth, venture ecosystems, and the infrastructure layer of artificial intelligence.
KeynotesOhio VC Fest · Women Accessing Capital Summit
FeaturedThe New York Times and national press
Operator$200M+ in revenue influenced
Featured in
The New York TimesCNBCThe HillVarietyThe Hollywood ReporterSemaforThe Washington PostDeadlineCrain's Cleveland Business
The perspective
Sarah speaks from the place where founders, capital, technology, and community actually meet.
Selected engagements
Keynotes.
Hosting. Rooms that matter.
Conference stages, investor gatherings, founder cohorts, leadership conversations, and podcasts.
Women Accessing Capital Summit
Capital · Women founders · Inclusive growth
Columbus AI Week
Artificial intelligence · Data · Builders
Greater Cleveland Partnership Best of Tech Awards
Technology · Leadership · Regional innovation
Heartland Venture Summit
100+ investors · 120+ venture firms · $200B+ represented AUM
Accelerators & founder programs
Growth · Go-to-market · Capital readiness
Subject territory
A wide lens.
A distinct point of view.
Programming can be shaped around the event, audience, and moment.
Growth & go-to-market
Organic and viral growth, market resonance, and zero-to-one user acquisition.
AI from the inside
The infrastructure, data, and business models moving beneath the news cycle.
Founders & capital
Capital readiness, founder mentality, and building conviction with investors.
Who gets to build
Women, people of color, and founders operating beyond traditional tech hubs.
The Heartland
Economic development, regional innovation, and the opportunity inside overlooked markets.
Ohio’s technology ecosystem
The founders, institutions, capital, and communities shaping the state’s next chapter.
Stage & media
See her
in the room.
Selected engagements across venture, technology, capital access, and Ohio’s startup ecosystem.
Watch the sessionOhio VC FestBuilding Resilience as Women Entrepreneurs
Keynote · Capital accessWomen Accessing Capital SummitOfficial event program
Host · Investor gatheringHeartland Venture SummitOhio’s venture ecosystem, convened
Speaker · AI infrastructureColumbus AI WeekArtificial intelligence · Data · Builders
Speaker · Regional innovationBest of Tech AwardsGreater Cleveland Partnership0→1Ongoing · Focused sessionsAccelerators & founder programsGrowth · Go-to-market · Capital readiness
Available for
Keynotes · Event hosting · Fireside conversations · Accelerator sessions · Executive briefings · Podcasts · Media
S / M
About Sarah
Operator depth.
Builder energy.
Sarah Marilyn Barrick is a venture operator, growth architect, strategic licensing executive, and ecosystem builder working across technology, capital, culture, and human capability.
She has influenced more than $200 million in revenue and scaled venture userbases from 10× to 1,000×. Her work spans organic acquisition, AI training data and strategic licensing, venture development, commercialization, and the creation of founder and investor ecosystems.
Based in Ohio and operating nationally, Sarah is a visible champion for underrepresented founders and for ambitious companies being built outside traditional technology hubs. Her perspective and work have appeared in The New York Times, CNBC, The Hill, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Semafor, The Washington Post, Deadline, and other publications.
Invite Sarah