Partnership combines Xapa’s AI-powered transformation platform with Athena Alliance’s leadership development expertise to accelerate how executives and their teams turn vision into action

Silicon Valley, CA, February 24, 2026 — Xapa, Inc., the company that provides employees with 5 minutes of play a day to transform organizational goals into consistent action at scale, today announced that Coco Brown, Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, will join its Board of Directors. The appointment, effective February 2026, coincides with a strategic partnership between Xapa and Athena Alliance to accelerate leadership development and organizational execution across the C-suite and frontline teams.

Coco Brown brings exceptional entrepreneurial and governance expertise to Xapa’s board. As
founder of Athena Alliance, a premier community that propels leaders to build impact across the C-suite, boardroom, investing, entrepreneurship, and thought leadership, Coco has helped thousands of leaders advance their careers and placed over 500 women on corporate boards,
from high-growth private companies to prominent public organizations. A five-time entrepreneur, she previously led Taos (acquired by IBM) and serves on multiple corporate and nonprofit boards, including as Audit Chair. She is a member of Nasdaq’s Governance Insights Council and was named to the 100 Most Powerful People in Silicon Valley list.

“Leadership in the age of AI requires more than strategic vision; it demands the ability to activate that vision across entire organizations,” said Christine Heckart, CEO of Xapa. “Coco understands this deeply, both as an entrepreneur who has scaled companies and as a board
member who guides leadership teams through transformation. Her expertise in building modern leaders, combined with Athena’s platform for executive development, creates a powerful alignment with Xapa’s mission to close the gap between what organizations plan and what actually gets done.”

A Partnership Built on Shared Mission
The partnership between Xapa and Athena Alliance addresses a critical need for today’s leaders:
translating leadership excellence into organizational execution. Through this collaboration:

● Xapa contributes content to Athena’s executive learning programs and provides its AI-powered application, enabling leaders to learn, practice, and develop critical leadership skills in the age of AI.

● Athena’s members gain access to Xapa’s platform, which provides 5 minutes of play per day to build critical success skills. Athena members also receive a special package if they use Xapa to scale the training to their teams.

● Athena Alliance will Xapify some of its leadership development content.
Athena will have its own Xavatar in the system to deliver its interactive, personalized Xperiences to Athena members and the broader Xapa user base.

“Athena Alliance is committed to elevating leaders at the highest levels while shaping the future of leadership on a broader societal scale,” said Coco Brown. “Xapa’s technology enables us to do something we’ve never been able to do before: take the frameworks, principles, and practices our executives learn and help them activate those learnings across their entire organizations. This isn’t just about individual leadership development; it’s about creating organizational movements that drive real business impact.”

From Individual Excellence to Organizational Impact
The Athena Alliance platform offers tight integration between community and learning, helping leaders build their Portfolio of Impact™ by advancing and diversifying their professional experience across leadership, governance, investing, entrepreneurship, and inspiring the next generation. With Xapa’s platform, Athena members can now extend their leadership development beyond personal growth to team and organizational transformation.

“Coco has personally advised hundreds of top executives, CEOs, and boards on evolving modern leadership,” added Heckart. “She knows that great leadership requires constant practice, real-time feedback, and the ability to translate insight into action. That’s exactly what Xapa enables, and having her perspective in our boardroom will accelerate our ability to serve leaders and organizations at the highest level.” 

About Athena Alliance
Athena Alliance is a community that propels leaders to build impact, whether it’s in the C-suite, in the boardroom, as an investor, as an entrepreneur, as a thought leader, and beyond. Athena has
helped thousands of leaders build their Portfolio of Impact™ by advancing and diversifying their professional experience across leadership, governance, investing, entrepreneurship, and inspiring
next generations. The Athena platform offers a tight integration between community and learning, elevating individuals at the highest levels of business while shaping the future of leadership on a broader societal scale. Under Coco Brown’s leadership, Athena has placed over
500 women on corporate boards and has become the premier platform for modern leadership development. For more information, visit athenaalliance.com.

About Xapa
Xapa helps leaders drive transformational change and accelerate business results by turning organizational goals into consistent action with 5 minutes of play a day. Through interactive experiences and AI-powered practice environments, Xapa enables employees to access
company-specific knowledge, rehearse critical skills, and execute with confidence in the moments that matter. For more information, visit xapa.com.

Media Contact:

Betty Gower CMO [email protected] 310-435-8217
Athena Alliance: Cailyn Johnson, [email protected]