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At CPL, our mission is grounded in principles and practices of convening. We cultivate and inspire leaders from all walks of life to be engaged, inspired, and part of essential conversations that imagine and build a world that works for all. We believe that anyone can be a change agent and set intentions that have a positive impact on those we serve.
We have the honor and pleasure of partnering with organizations and individuals from across the globe to engage and focus on what matters and empower you to innovate, to lead.
Each month we host an intentional, convened thought leadership conversation. Please join us! Read below to learn more about this month’s Essential Conversations.
We are artists, we are creatives, and we represent this community in a positive way we are here as hope even if it doesn't give us like monetary value.
Katherine Mahon
Co-Founder and CEO
Alex Szebenyl
Co-Founder and CTO
Join Acquaint’s co-founders, Katherine Mahon and Alex Szebenyi, on Wednesday, June 11 for a powerful Essential Conversation about how intentional human connection can reshape our relationships, communities, and sense of belonging.
Together, we’ll explore the story of Acquaint - a global, volunteer-powered platform designed to make the practice of human connection more accessible and rewarding for people of all backgrounds.
We’ll reflect on why connection matters now more than ever, how Acquaint fosters mutual, non-transactional relationships, and how thoughtful use of AI can support communication growth - without replacing the magic of real conversation.
Through storytelling, breakout discussions, and shared reflection, we’ll consider what it means to value connection for its own sake - and how each of us can play a part in building a more connected world.
Why Human Connection?
We believe that meaningful connection is more than just a skill - it’s a joyful, challenging, and rewarding art. Yet today, it’s often seen as a chore or necessity rather than something to be celebrated and practiced.
We’re losing the incidental spaces where connection once happened:
🎥 Movie theaters
🎳 Bowling alleys
🏛️ Town squares
Acquaint is here to offer something different: a digital space where anyone, anywhere, can connect with someone else for no reason other than to connect. It’s fun. It’s surprising. And it’s meaningful.
We believe that by choosing to connect on purpose, we grow as people and get better at being human together. Every conversation makes a difference, and we’re always looking for more volunteers to help make these moments possible. If you’re someone who values real connection, or wants to have deeper connections in your life, we’d love to have you join us.
Topics We’ll Explore
Who This Is For
Anyone curious about:
Deepening their connection with others
Exploring non-transactional relationships
Building community across cultures and geographies
Practicing humility, curiosity, and communication in conversation
Volunteering in a way that helps everyone grow
About Katherine and Alex
KATHERINE MAHON
Co-Founder & CEO, Acquaint
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-mahon1/
info@acquaint.org
Katherine Mahon believes that disconnection is one of the most urgent challenges of our time, and that practicing human connection is a powerful way to push back. As Co-Founder and CEO of Acquaint, she’s working to ensure that genuine connection doesn’t disappear in a world increasingly shaped by division, distraction, and transactional relationships.
Before co-founding Acquaint, Katherine built a career at the intersection of creativity and technology. She worked in 3D product design at Amazon and in architectural visualization, developing a sharp eye for detail and a passion for designing meaningful experiences. She’s also an alum of the Atlas Corps Virtual Leadership Institute, where she joined a cohort of social change leaders from both the U.S. and Russia to collaborate on cross-cultural problem solving.
Katherine and her husband, Acquaint’s CTO and Co-Founder Alex Szebenyi, welcomed their daughter in March 2025. Becoming a mom has added a deeper sense of urgency and inspiration to her work, fueling her drive to help create a more compassionate and connected world for future generations.
Katherine is determined to see Acquaint grow well beyond its founders and become a lasting force for good in the world.
ALEX SZEBENYI
Co-Founder & CTO, Acquaint
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-szebenyi/
info@acquaint.org
Alex Szebenyi is a software engineer and systems thinker who co-founded Acquaint to explore how technology can support more reflective, meaningful human connection. With a background in building large-scale systems, Alex became interested in the inner workings of social interaction - how people build trust, shift perspectives, and grow through conversation. He believes the future of technology is about designing for empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking.
Before Acquaint officially launched in 2021, its predecessor was an intergenerational program addressing social isolation during the pandemic. But Alex and Co-founder Katherine Mahon noticed an unintended hierarchy in the model: “volunteers” were seen as the givers, while “participants” were the receivers. They responded by redesigning the system so that everyone would contribute, reframing connection as a mutual practice rather than a service.
Today, Alex leads the development of tools that help people become more intentional communicators - not by removing friction, but by making the effort itself more rewarding and accessible.
Acquaint Testimonials
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