May 27, 2026
This event listing is sponsored by Expansion Capital Group.
The Sioux Falls-based company comes as small businesses across the country grapple with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence. expansion capital group recently convened an influential panel of technology leaders and entrepreneurs to drive “Beyond the Hype.”
Held at Startup Sioux Falls Inc. MarketBeat Theater featured discussions focused on practical “Monday morning” applications of AI that can help local businesses beat national competitors by streamlining operations, expanding business intelligence, and recovering lost time.
$25,000 Small Business Spotlight Winner
ECG CEO Tim Mages presented Nancy Kirstein of The Good Earth Farm with a check for $25,000. Photo credit: Hannah Schweiss
As a highlight of the event, ECG presented Nancy Kirstein. good earth farm near Lenox with a check for $25,000 as the first winner. Small business spotlight contest.
- vision: Founded by Kirstein, the farm is a hub of sustainable living and community connection.
- Impact: The $25,000 grand prize will help fund a new commercial-grade kitchen and relocate operations from the residential space to expand the farm’s wood-fired pizza and catering services. This infrastructure upgrade is expected to increase revenue by: 50 percent.
Key takeaways: How small businesses are winning with AI
ECG CEO Tim Mages welcomed over 40 small business professionals to the event. Chief Operating Officer Herk Christie then led a panel that included international experts. Chipp.ai, Five Star Call Center, AiEdge, DelegateIQ We’ve outlined the big changes in the AI landscape.
- We solve “despair” rather than “innovation”. Don’t use AI just because it’s popular. Panelists noted that the best implementations occur at “bottlenecks.” example: A local company used AI avatars for initial job interviews, reducing “time to hire.” 70 percent, the reduction rate is 35 percent.
- Data is new oil: AI needs context to be effective. Small businesses need to do away with “cluttered” folders and move to “AI operating systems” like AI Notetaker. This builds a “corporate brain” that can turn a 3-week quoting process into a 30-minute task.
- “Robot vs. Robot” economy: Businesses need to optimize now Generation engine optimization. In the near future, an individual AI agent will negotiate prices and book services directly with a corporate AI agent. “After 12 months, the difference will not be ‘AI or no AI,’ but the margin,” the committee said. “Today’s integrated businesses have reduced overhead, faster response times, and are able to outperform their competitors in marketing while maintaining higher profitability.”
- “Hype” check: The most commonly misunderstood point is that AI is a “knowledge engine” rather than an “inference engine.” Instead of using Google like an intern, business owners use it like Google to find facts and try to process data according to their instructions.
- Human element: Upskilling isn’t about teaching plumbers how to code, it’s about teaching them how to use it. Natural language prompts. Their job description has shifted from “data entry” to “AI editor.”
- Risk and trust: “Best practice” here means Data silos. Small and medium-sized businesses should look for “enterprise” versions of tools like ChatGPT Team or Microsoft Copilot that legally guarantee that business data is not used to train global models.
Speakers and panelists
- Tim Mages, Expansion Capital Group CEO: A 20-year fintech veteran and former investment banker, Mages leads ECG’s mission to provide rapid, data-driven capital to thousands of small and medium-sized businesses across the country.
- Hark Christie, Expansion Capital Group COO: A seasoned executive, Hark joined the fintech specialty lender in 2016 and has been a driving force in the company’s mission to provide capital to small and medium-sized businesses across the United States.
- Scott Meyer, CEO and Co-Founder, Chipp.ai: A leader in low-code AI, Meyer helps companies build and monetize custom AI agents, making advanced automation accessible to non-technical founders.
- Joel Sylvester, Partner and Chief Customer Officer, Five Star Call Centers: With 25 years of industry expertise, Sylvester specializes in sentiment tracking and champions AI as an efficiency tool that shortens hiring cycles by up to 70%.
- Andy Jorgensen, Founder, AiEdge: A cornerstone of the region’s technology scene, Jorgensen’s advisory firm and annual AiEdge Summit help business leaders bridge the gap between AI theory and practical application.
- Jacob West, Founder, DelegateIQ: With a background in software engineering and enterprise sales, West helps companies run efficiently through AI training, talent development, and custom automation systems built for measurable ROI.
The entire photo album will be published in the ECG News section.
About Expansion Capital Group
Expansion Capital Group is a Sioux Falls-based fintech company that provides working capital solutions to established small businesses across the United States. Founded in 2013, ECG has helped more than 40,000 small businesses access more than $1.6 billion in capital, helping business owners overcome challenges, pursue growth, and keep their businesses moving forward.
ECG works directly with business owners through a national network of referral partners, intermediaries, and advisors, with a focus on serving established small businesses that are underserved by traditional financing channels. ECG combines technology-enabled underwriting, human support, and easy processes to help established businesses access capital faster, with more clarity, and with more confidence.
