With more than 20 years of experience in event planning, Sandy Bacon knows what it takes to organize, project-manage, and help execute high-quality events: whether it’s a small forum featuring industry leaders and experts or a large conference with hundreds of attendees, like our annual Alloy Summit.

As our Events Marketing Specialist, Sandy certainly has plenty on her plate to ensure High Alpha Innovation connects with leaders at scaled organizations to help them realize their venture-building goals.

Discover why Sandy decided to join High Alpha Innovation; how her strong attention to detail and people skills enable her to tackle event-planning tasks with ease; and what she most enjoys about connecting our team with executives, innovators, and entrepreneurs from across industries.

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Tell us about your career to date and what led you to want to join High Alpha Innovation.

I had over two decades of experience planning private events for various organizations, nonprofits, and individuals before joining the High Alpha Innovation team in March 2024.

I was really intrigued by the vision, brand, and goals at the company, and I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to help create events that align with and highlight those elements.

Walk us through a typical day. What are some core tasks and projects you take on daily?

One of the best parts about my job is that I don't have a typical day. I may be working with a team to understand their event needs (e.g., a launch party for one of our new portfolio companies or venture studios), executing on a wide variety of logistical tasks, or conducting research into potential venues and speakers.

It’s this kind of variety that makes each day exciting and unique at High Alpha Innovation.

Share one of your favorite projects you’ve worked on so far at High Alpha Innovation.

The 2024 Alloy Summit was by far the largest project I have worked on and is definitely a favorite. To see a project of that size come together after countless hours of ideas, work, organization, and collaboration was so fulfilling.

I learned so much along the way, got to interact with amazing people both inside and outside of the company, and, ultimately, felt very proud of what was presented to and enjoyed by the attendees.

What inspires and motivates you to thrive in your role?

I really enjoy the process of taking an end goal and deconstructing it to plan and organize an event. I know it may be strange to some, but I love details! I also love working hard, seeing a vision come to life, and ultimately bringing people together to enjoy the end product.

What skills do you need to be successful in your role on your team?

Organization, an eye for and willingness to focus on the finer details, and being a genuine people person who likes to interact with people across and outside the organization are keys to be successful in my role.

How do you collaborate internally and externally in your role to help build new startups?

I have the unique opportunity to work very closely with both the Build and Go-to-Market teams in my position.

Organizing launch parties and studio events, helping to coordinate business development opportunities, supporting a Sprint Week, or working on brand development through HAI events — all contribute to our venture-building efforts or strengthening existing portfolio companies.

Describe our culture. How does the company live its mission, vision, and values?

The culture is collaborative, creative, and built for those who want to move fast and push themselves to be better and know more. The company builds, makes bold decisions, and creates opportunity together. It's not just a soundbite. It's the reality of what we do daily.

What sets the business apart from others you’ve worked at? What makes you want to grow here?

The quality of people that work at High Alpha Innovation is staggering. Their willingness to share knowledge and be helpful is refreshing. And their desire to solve problems and build great businesses is exciting.

It’s unusual to have all of those elements in a workplace. When you add in the fun we have as a team and the hard work we are able to collectively accomplish, it makes it easy to want to grow with the company.