I spent more than 20 years in the events and media world, working closely with enterprise leaders across industries. Over that time, I kept noticing the same pattern: many of the most senior leaders in business were surrounded by people, yet still isolated inside their own function, company, or sector. They had networks, but very few spaces that genuinely challenged their thinking or exposed them to different perspectives.

That observation became the foundation for Blend, which I co-founded a...