Fehmida Kapadia, President

Fehmida is passionate about helping companies and entrepreneurs build products that customers want. Shehas  deep expertise in customer-focused innovation and disruption.  Trained in Design Thinking at Stanford University’s d.school, Fehmida uses empathy to understand customer needs and use those insights to help develop products and services that customer’s want.

Fehmida has 12+ years combined experience in consulting, entrepreneurship, project management, research and education. She leverages these experiences to deliver creative, unique and meaningful insights that deliver business results for her clients.

Fehmida has worked with and supported nearly a 100 businesses large and small, including Case Western Reserve University, University of Akron Research Foundation, IMS Consulting, Carnegie Mellon University, Cleveland Clinic and Cipla Ltd among others.  Fehmida has international experience having worked with companies in the US, India, Dubai and Europe.

In her spare time, Fehmida is an amateur photographer and an avid traveler who collects memories through beautiful visuals.

Laura Ciocia, Brand Ambassador

Laura is an expert digital communications strategist and brand planner with nearly 15 years of professional experience spanning the CPG, Beverage, Hospitality, Automotive, Technology and Healthcare industries.  Adept in both analytics and storytelling, Laura excels at creating authentic brand experiences that move people to action. Her various roles have included Director of Marketing, Social Media Strategist, Director of Media and Engagement and Brand Planner.

Through her career, Laura has helped to develop successful digital engagement programs for a number of Fortune 1,000 organizations including Macy’s, Kimberly-Clarke and IHG.  An early adopter of social media, she played a pivotal role in launching major brands like Barilla and Lexus into the social media space. 

Combining her knowledge of how brands grow with her passion for new media and culture, Laura particularly loves helping established businesses evolve into modern, story-driven brands.  As a consultant to businesses of all sizes, she regularly uses empathy as a means to understanding customers as human beings and creating brand experiences that stick. 

Laura is a graduate of Ohio University with a B.S. in Communications.  In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with various Cleveland-based organizations, traveling and collecting designer vintage fashion.

Our Partners

Smartshape is a design and innovation consultancy with deep engineering and manufacturing expertise that helps create new products and brand experiences