Jason Barnard Highlights AI Innovation in France at EO DealExchange DX25 in Los Angeles

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s DealExchange DX25 in Los Angeles (September 17-20, 2025) brought together a global community of founders, investors, and deal-makers. For Jason Barnard, founder and CEO of Kalicube®, it was a week of conversations that validated not only the future of his company, but also the importance of personal brand intelligence in a world where trust and capital decisions increasingly begin with Google and AI.

Jason Highlighting France as a Strategic Hub for AI Innovation.

Jason Barnard joined the International Deal Panel, sharing the stage with Brian Meegan (Kupfer PLLC, EO organiser), Wesley Naidoo (OASIS GROUP), Atishe SChordia (Doodleblue Innovations), and Tammy Powell.

Jason highlighted France’s growing position as a hub for AI and SaaS expansion. He pointed several structural advantages that make the country an attractive investment prospect: a highly qualified workforce supported by free higher education, low industrial electricity costs that ease the burden of energy-intensive AI companies, and a well-developed cloud ecosystem with players such as OVH and IONOS.

Jason Barnard further supported his case by pointing to the success of Mistral, a Paris-based AI company founded in 2023 by former Google researchers. He noted that Mistral quickly established itself as a leading European Large Language Model (LLM), and critically, demonstrated an accurate Algorithmic Confidence in both Jason Barnard and Kalicube from day one. This real-world evidence, Barnard explained, validated the fundamental strength of The Kalicube Process™ for ensuring that brands and entrepreneurs are correctly understood by search and AI systems, even at their inception.

Building relationships that matter

Beyond the stage, DealExchange delivered what makes it unique: intense networking and deal-making.

Jason entered the event already in business mode, having met with Scott Duffy (client) and Tim O’Brien (Rainmaker partner) ahead of registration. Throughout the conference, he connected with entrepreneurs, investors, and partners who may shape Kalicube’s future. Notable encounters included:

• Eric Crews (Crews & Co) - who spoke about scaling businesses and whose head of AI impressed Jason with a talk on entrepreneurship.
• Alan Peterson
• Claire Jeong (StudentRDH)
• Loren Castle (Sweet Loren’s Inc. )
• Corey Kupfer (Kupfer, PLCC)
• Ignacio Bermeo (TRATO LEGALTECH)
• Gina & Marc Calaunan - with whom Jason shared meaningful conversations
• Atish Shudra (Doodle Blue Innovations)
• Michael Bauman - met during speed networking
• Josh Levine (Growth Avenue Inc.) - shared a long dinner discussion on profitability and strategy, leaving Jason with actionable insights.
• Danny Mizrahi (Sunbird Messaging)
• Riley Oickle (Canada, legal sector) valuable insights from the legal world.
• Tevia Hoalst
• Ara Babalan (Encore Law Group)
• Avery Birch
• Andy Cheng (OptiNizers Inc.)
• Willy Arias ( Logistics)

Shark Tank Experience: A Win in Disguise

Jason applied for the Angel Shark Experience, EO’s version of Shark Tank, chaired by Daniella Landau with judges including Lauren Castle, Naz Amiri, and Tanya Yuki. Kalicube was not selected to pitch, but the outcome revealed something more important than investor interest.

Daniella Landau gave Jason direct feedback: his business model and leadership style were better aligned with bootstrapping than with external funding. Bootstrapping, in this context, means growing a company through its own revenue, reinvesting profits, and keeping ownership and control - rather than relying on venture capital or angel investors.

That sharp observation validated Jason’s conviction that Kalicube should remain founder-led, self-financed, and built to last. Instead of chasing rapid growth for a sale, Kalicube is scaling sustainably, protecting its independence while serving entrepreneurs long term.

Exit Psychology and the Bootstrapping Conviction

Themes of exits and investment ran throughout the conference. Scott Bushkie outlined strategies for building companies designed to sell, while Dave Hersh warned that only a fraction of 15% entrepreneurs ultimately find satisfaction after an exit.

The reasons? Many find themselves unmoored without the company that defined their identity, or they struggle to fill their days after years of relentless focus. The money doesn’t necessarily replace the sense of purpose.

For Jason, these lessons reinforced a decision he had already been leaning toward. Kalicube will not be fattened for sale like a turkey before Thanksgiving. Instead, Jason is committed to building a company that thrives long-term through bootstrapping.

That strategy is anchored in three enduring entrepreneur pain points Kalicube solves:

• Time - freeing leaders from tasks they shouldn’t carry alone.
• Headspace - lifting the mental load so they can focus on growth.
• Brand Protection - ensuring their digital reputation is strong when AI and Google introduce them to the world.

Because those needs will never go away, Jason is confident Kalicube’s model will remain both relevant and sustainable for the next decade and beyond.

Three convictions

By the end of DealExchange, Jason’s conviction was sharper than ever:

• Kalicube is in the right place, with the right service, for the right audience, at exactly the right time. Entrepreneurs recognize the need to control how they are represented by Google and AI, and Kalicube is uniquely positioned to deliver that.
• Bootstrapping is the future. Jason is committed to scaling Kalicube to $10M in revenue within five years without external investment.
• EO is home. And as an EO member, Jason belongs to the global community of entrepreneurs building businesses that shape the future.

DealExchange is designed to create opportunities that last beyond the conference itself. For Jason, it did more: it validated Kalicube’s mission. In a room full of entrepreneurs, investors, and deal-makers, one message rang loud and clear - your brand is only as strong as how Google and AI understand you.

And in that high-stakes environment, Kalicube is the partner entrepreneurs trust to take control of their digital destiny.