PRIVATE STRATEGY DINNER
Mission-Grade FinOps
An evening briefing on flying cloud spend the way a fighter pilot flies a $30M jet — with fuel discipline, real-time telemetry, and zero wasted mission value.
DATE
29 Oct 2026
ARRIVAL
18:00
VENUE
The Manhatta - Liberty Room
Seats are limited. This is a closed-door
session for qualified executives.
Could you defend your AWS bill to the Board tomorrow?
WHY THIS BRIEFING EXSITS
The cloud gap
Organizations struggle with massive cloud waste, typically burning 27–35% of their budget on unmanaged resources that deliver zero mission value. They face a complete lack of real-time visibility, relying on delayed 30-day monthly bills rather than active telemetry to adjust spend. This creates constant friction and misaligned priorities between engineering, finance, and business teams.
The event targets the severe waste in cloud computing, where mid-market organizations lose 27–35% of their budget on idle or over-provisioned infrastructure due to retroactive 30-day billing loops and siloed teams.
Our conversation will specifically addresses the "cloud gap" for companies spending between $30,000/month and $5,000,000/year on cloud resources—organizations big enough to suffer massive cloud complexity, but too small to receive undivided, non-transactional attention from direct AWS or GCP sales teams.
27–35%
of cloud budget wasted on idle or over-provisioned infrastructure
30-day
billing lag standing in for real-time spend telemetry
$30K–$5M
monthly-to-annual spend band where the cloud gap bites hardest
Your Board doesn't understand cloud spend. Can you explain it?
EVENT DETAILS
Key Discussion Points
The presentation bridges military operational discipline and cloud financial management by applying F-15 combat pilot principles—such as the OODA Loop, fuel planning, and "Bingo Fuel" budget limits—to AWS spending. Key discussions cover strict tagging policies ("No Tag, No Fly"), replacing monthly bills with real-time HUD cost dashboards, and tracking unit economics like cost per transaction. Attendees also explore tactical purchasing models (On-Demand as Afterburner vs. Savings Plans as Cruise Power) and using market intelligence to negotiate preferential terms and maximize EBITDA.
HUD cost dashboards
Setting a hard minimum-reserve spend floor before costs spiral — the same discipline that gets a jet home.
Afterburner vs. cruise power
Observe–Orient–Decide–Act, applied to live AWS telemetry instead of a bill that lands thirty days late.
Cost per transaction
A zero-tolerance tagging policy that ends untraceable resource sprawl for good.
The OODA loop for cloud spend
Setting a hard minimum-reserve spend floor before costs spiral — the same discipline that gets a jet home.
Bingo fuel budgeting
Observe–Orient–Decide–Act, applied to live AWS telemetry instead of a bill that lands thirty days late.
No tag, no fly
A zero-tolerance tagging policy that ends untraceable resource sprawl for good.
EVENT DETAILS
Mike Fontaine
President and CEO
LucidPoint
Mike Fontaine is the CEO of LucidPoint, a company dedicated to helping organizations regain control and clarity over their cloud infrastructure and costs. With deep expertise at the intersection of enterprise tech strategy and financial accountability, Mike works closely with executive teams and Boards to translate complex cloud economics into clear business outcomes. Under his leadership, LucidPoint helps leaders navigate high-stakes cloud management, ensuring tech spending aligns directly with growth and performance goals. An active voice in the cloud optimization space, Mike frequently speaks on cloud spend transparency, executive tech leadership, and bridging the gap between engineering teams and the Boardroom.
Erika Simon
Sales and Marketing Director
LucidPoint
Erika Simon focuses on harnessing cloud technology to drive business growth and optimise customer ROI. At LucidPoint, she leads a team dedicated to successful migrations, robust security and cost efficiency, with ethical standards and customer interests at the forefront. With expertise in new business development and key account management, Erika fosters trust and builds long-term partnerships. Her role combines sales and marketing leadership with hands-on solution development, supported by her PMP certification and cloud economics accreditation. Her expertise helps LucidPoint navigate the evolving cloud landscape, including AWS, delivering tailored solutions aligned with clients’ unique business needs.
RUN OF THE SHOW
Timetable
18:00 | Arrival & registration
18:15 | Welcome reception
18:45 | Welcome address & introductions
19:45 | Move to private dining room
19:45 | Dinner service
20:45 | Open floor: questions & discussion
21:00 | Closing remarks & departure
28 Liberty St, 60th Floor New York, NY 10005
Manhatta is a modern New York restaurant, inspired by the unmatched energy of New York City.
Their ever-evolving menu draws on traditional techniques and global influences, bringing unexpected depth to two distinct experiences at the bar and dining room.
Manhatta's seasonal menu celebrates the versatility of local ingredients through a culinary approach that feels both familiar and inventive.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH
Debrief Package
Every attendee leaves with a 90-day execution roadmap for advancing their organization's FinOps maturity — plus objective architectural advice that's independent of any vendor's sales quota.
Establishing visibility
Move off the 30-day bill and onto real-time cost telemetry across every environment.
Stopping the bleeding
Enforce tagging discipline and shut down the idle, over-provisioned spend draining the budget.
Establishing visibility
Embed FinOps discipline into engineering, finance, and the business so it holds without a briefing.
