Women in Business Conference | Reclaiming Innovation in the Age of AI

At the Temecula Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Conference, Bridge 5D Founder Leslie Valmonte spoke to an audience of over 600 entrepreneurs about what it means to lead with courage and creativity in a time of rapid technological change.

Her keynote explored how navigating the disruption of AI can feel like a form of grief—the loss of familiar roles or identities—and how that loss can also open the door to rediscovery. Drawing on the concept of the “Lost Einsteins”—the innovators who never get seen because they never get access—Leslie challenged attendees to reclaim their creative power and redefine what innovation looks like when it’s driven by inclusion and purpose.

The event celebrated women who are not waiting for permission to lead—they’re building, collaborating, and ensuring that the future of AI and entrepreneurship is one shaped by empathy, access, and shared progress.