Welcome to ODevs

GameDay is back this time with a Halloween themed Quest.

First 50 people to arrive will get a free drink ticket!

What is AWS GameDay? Think hackathon meets workshop. It's a hands-on, interactive, team-based experience where you solve real-world cloud challenges in a live AWS environment. You earn points, and the top 3 teams will win prizes. You and your team (2–4 people) will:

• Deploy and troubleshoot live AWS workloads
• Solve architecture and operational challenges
• Earn points on a real-time leaderboard
• Compete in a friendly but intense cloud showdown

This is a beginner-friendly event - even if you have never seen the AWS Console before, you have the chance to win. Strategy and problem-solving skills can trump AWS experience.

Who’s Involved? AWS and industry partners (more info coming soon) power this GameDay. The official AWS GameDay team will stand up and manage the entire environment, provision accounts, and guide the experience. Additionally, we’ll have local AWS employees supporting throughout the night.

What to Expect

• 2–3 hours of immersive, competitive cloud challenges
• Real AWS infrastructure (no simulations)
• Food & refreshments

Whether you're:

• A student exploring cloud,
• A developer looking to sharpen your skills,
• A DevOps engineer who thrives under pressure,
• Or a solutions architect ready to prove it...

This is for you.

What You Need Just bring your charged laptop. We’ll handle the rest. Teams can come pre-formed, or we’ll help match you up.

For years, designers have said they'd do better work if the organization got out of the way. AI is enabling us to test that claim. In his recent Smashing Magazine article, Andy Budd lays out two futures. In the bull case, designers can go from "we should fix this" to "I fixed this, and pushed it live," and need far less permission to act. In the bear case, that same autonomy exposes designers who were better at critique than at owning outcomes while product and engineering learn to route around design entirely.

Which future are you seeing at your company? Is your team gaining agency, or being narrowed to maintaining the design system? What does owning an outcome actually look like when anyone can prototype?

At this month's meetup, we'll dig into both sides and share what's happening in our respective organizations. All are welcome to attend! Whether you're working in UX, looking to get into the field, or just curious, please join us.

To get ready for the discussion, check out the article by Andy Budd: The Bull And Bear Case For Digital Design In The Age Of AI

Looking forward to the discussion!

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️ 6:30 PM - Meet & Greet / Pre-networking (In-person only) 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM - Discussion group: Two Sides of Design Autonomy 8:30 PM - SUX "Social UX Meetup" for more socializing (In-person) 〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️ Photo by Marta Nogueira on Pexels

Ai is rewriting the rules of entrepreneurship, and old rules don't apply. Learn how founders are navigating this new climate.

Join Orlando Innovation League for a conversation with Rob Panepinto and Ken Hall on what they are seeing firsthand: where AI is giving entrepreneurs a real edge, where the hype falls short, and what they would do if they were starting a company today.

• Rob Panepinto: Rob brings over 25 years of experience in scaling high-growth companies as an executive, operator, investor, mentor, and entrepreneurial ecosystem leader. Rob also serves as Director of Strategy and Partnerships for the UCF Innovation Districts and Business Incubation System.
• Ken Hall: Ken is a Partner at DeepWork Capital, where he helps source and execute investments and supports the firm's portfolio companies. Before DeepWork, he held corporate development and corporate venture capital roles at IBM in New York City, supporting brands including IBM Watson, Blockchain, and Hybrid Cloud. He chairs Startups for the Orlando Tech Community and mentors founders through programs including Techstars Miami, Endeavor Miami, and leAD Lake Nona.
• Rajiv Menon: Rajiv has led OIL over the past 12 years having served over a 1000 aspiring entrepreneurs through such events as Startup Weekend Orlando, Quick Pitch, Enterprise Reverse Pitch and more. He is also the CEO of Informulate a software innovation consulting company, whose clients include Guidewell Innovation, Massey Services, Orlando Magic and more.

After the panel, we'll break into small roundtable groups to keep the conversation going. Each table works through a few guided prompts, so you can talk through your own business, compare notes with other founders, and pressure-test ideas.

You'll leave with:

• A clearer picture of where AI is creating real opportunities for new and growing businesses
• Practical lessons from people who have built, led, and backed companies
• Specific ideas for your own business, worked through with other founders at your table
• New connections in Orlando's founder and tech community