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          Learning Series | Building Social Media That Drives Growth

          Learn how to turn your social media presence into a powerful driver of business growth. This interactive session will equip you with practical strategies, tools, and insights to attract the right audience, strengthen engagement, and measure what truly matters—so you can leave with a clear plan to move your business forward.

          08/06/2026

          12:00pm - 1:00pm

          Virtual

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          Read More
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          The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.

          Read More
          Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

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Small Business Strong logo

Learning Series | Meet the Real Small Business Owners
Using AI

September 28, 2026 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Overview

  • Discover real-world AI strategies that save small businesses time and money.
  • Learn how to access training, tools, and support to start using AI in your business today.

Tickets

  • Free for Chamber Members & Non-Members
  • (Advanced registration is required)
Register Now
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  • Overview
  • Speakers
  • Learning Series Funder
  • Location

Learn How AI Can Support You and Your Business

You’ve heard AI is going to change everything. What you probably haven’t seen is someone who runs a business like yours actually using it, on an ordinary Tuesday, to get through the to-do list.

​That’s what this is.

​Together, Launch by Lunch and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation is bringing together four Greater Boston small business owners, real people we’ve worked with, to tell the real non-technical story of how AI has changed their business. Hear from…

  • A Doggie Daycare owner who automated her vaccination workflow ​→ Time saved: 8 hours/week
  • ​The CEO of a financial firm who builds decks and graphics in seconds using Claude Design ​→ Time saved: 20 hours/week
  • ​The founder of a Wellness Community who now co-runs it with her AI Chief of Staff ​→ Time saved: 12 hours/week
  • ​And the CEO of a small life sciences company who built an inventory system ​→ Time saved: 20 hours/week
These businesses are not just going to tell you about it. They’ll show you live. We’ll put their actual automations up on the screen and show you how the work gets done. ​Our hope is that these use cases inspire you to get started and dive into AI.

​After the panel, join us for light bites and good conversation, and meet the people leading the AI transformation for small businesses. In our experience, that’s where the real change happens.

We know time and money are the two things small businesses never have enough of, so we will share how you can access up to $15,000 a year in free AI training through the Massachusetts Commonwealth Corporation, so cost is one less thing standing between you and getting started.

ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS STRONG

Small Business Strong is a leading technical assistance initiative that revitalizes and fortifies small businesses, especially women and minority owned enterprises, through expedited, pro-bono resources. Small Business Strong has served more than 3,600 businesses, preserved nearly 10,000 jobs, and bolstered the health of the region’s small businesses to create an inclusive, dynamic economy.

Small Business Strong is an initiative of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Chamber’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm. Our work, focused on workforce and talent development, and economic inclusion, supports people and small businesses through programs that develop talent, cultivate future leaders, retain a strong workforce, and promote inclusive growth.

​Come see what’s possible for your business.

Questions? Contact Us.

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Staff
Kaija Chalmus

Program Manager

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Email Kaija

Speakers

Ariel Headshot
Ariel Galipeau

Director of AI Programs, Launch by Lunch

Ariel Galipeau has spent the last decade helping organizations do hard things well. Hiring at scale. Building people operations from scratch. Designing systems that…Read more
Ariel Galipeau has spent the last decade helping organizations do hard things well. Hiring at scale. Building people operations from scratch. Designing systems that actually get used. Supporting teams through change without burning them out. That work taught her something most AI consultants don’t know from the inside: the technology is rarely the bottleneck. People are.

Now, she works at the intersection of AI and operations, helping companies and founders build AI systems that actually get adopted, and teaching non-technical people how to use AI in ways that fit how they actually work. Ariel is the Director of AI Programming at Launch by Lunch, where she designs and runs hands-on AI workshops for founders, solopreneurs, and small business owners. On the consulting side, she works with teams to build custom workflows, automations, and AI-native systems that reduce friction and create real leverage.

Her background spans HR and business operations across financial services, private equity, and mission-driven startups. She is also a certified life coach and MBTI practitioner, which shapes how she thinks about the human side of every system she builds. Ariel is especially drawn to working with women-led organizations and founders building businesses that are both high-performing and human-centered.

If you’re a company looking to roll out AI thoughtfully, or a founder trying to figure out where to start, Ariel would love to connect.

See on LinkedInarrow-go
Karen Headshot
Karen Kelly

CEO & Founder, Launch by Lunch

Karen Kelly is a multidisciplinary founder, mom, and storyteller who has spent 20 years at the intersection of communication, healthcare, and technology. And she…Read more
Karen Kelly is a multidisciplinary founder, mom, and storyteller who has spent 20 years at the intersection of communication, healthcare, and technology. And she believes the Future of Work runs on relationships. Here’s why:

In 2022, Karen was the president of a growing tech company and the mother of a six-year-old who had just been denied after-school care for the second year in a row. Karen was failing at work and failing at home, and she was too isolated to ask for help. So she did something she thought she’d never do: she resigned. And then she went and fixed the problem.

What started as a Facebook post — “who else needs after-school care?” — became a grassroots movement of 500+ parents, two new after-school programs, and a front-row seat to something science is only now catching up to: that community is as essential to our health as sleep, nutrition, and exercise. That experience became Karen’s TEDx talk, recently selected as a TEDx Editor’s Pick — an honor given to fewer than 0.07% of all TEDx talks, recognizing ideas worth spreading.

It’s also the foundation of everything Karen had builds and teaches.

Today, Karen helps executives, founders, and organizations step into the Future of Work by combining new tools for intelligence with the one thing AI will never replace: human connection. Karen’s taught 100+ no-code AI classes, spoken to dozens of Fortune 1000 organizations, and built communities where no one has to figure it out alone.

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Learning Series Funder

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The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

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All cancellations must be received at least three (3) business days prior to the event to avoid being charged or to receive a refund.

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce encourages persons with disabilities to participate, and engage fully, in its programs and events.

If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, including but not limited to, listening devices, closed captioning, large print, wheelchair access, allergies and environmental sensitivities, or if you have any questions about the venue, event format, or virtual platform, please contact us.

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