Sage Franch is an entrepreneur, author, and futurist. She is the CEO and co-founder of Crescendo, the creator of Trendy Techie, and a board member of the Bishop Strachan School. Prior to Crescendo, Sage worked in emerging technologies at Microsoft, where she led projects building conversational AI and blockchain-based solutions alongside startups and non-profits across North America. She has also worked with Lighthouse Labs to create Canada's first bootcamp for blockchain developers, and during her time at Microsoft Learning she led the development of online technical courses that reached 100,000 developers worldwide. A long-time advocate for underrepresented groups in STEM, Sage is an active mentor to various underestimated entrepreneurs and technologists, and frequently speaks internationally on diversity and inclusion, the future of work, and ethical technology.