Innovate 2026
Bringing global attention & talent to the bluegrass
Louisville, Kentucky
The crossroads of global ideas and local opportunity.
The smart money around the country and world is looking for culture, work ethic, affordability, talent.
When:
May 26 – 28, 2026
Where
2026 Agenda
Check-in
11:00am – 2:30pm
Welcome Remarks
Don Woolridge Sr
2:30pm – 3:00pm
Lessons Learned from Raising $400 Million and The Future of Cloud Security
Segev Halfon
3:00pm – 3:30pm
5 Keys to Greatness
Ari Gunzburg
3:30pm – 4:00pm
Connection Conductors
Drew Sutton
4:00pm – 4:30pm
Appetizers available
4:15pm – 6:00pm
Bourbon Pouring Featuring Kentucky Peerless
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Check-in
8:00am – 12:00pm
Breakfast
8:00am – 8:30am
Book Signing
8:30am – 9:00am
The Vision of Innovate
Brian Wallace
9:00am – 9:15am
Responsible AI
Kelly Cohen
9:15am – 9:45am
What it Takes to Win
Darryl Isaacs
9:45am – 10:15am
Break
10:15am – 10:30am
Investing in an AI World: The Case for Local Capital
Drew Sutton
10:30am – 11:00am
Corporate Innovation
Rachael Schwartz
11:00am – 11:30am
Lunch
11:30am – 12:30pm
You Might be the Difficult Coworker Others complain About Even if You Don’t Realize It
Alina Doran
12:30pm – 1:00pm
Israel Innovation
1:00pm – 1:30pm
Break and Group Photo
1:30pm – 1:45pm
Why You Can’t Think Straight Right Now – Your Brain on 2026
Melanie Marshall, Dr. Heather Collins
1:45pm – 2:15pm
Fireside Chat: Where are We Going With AI?
Kelly Cohen, Chris Reitz, Samuel Zaruba Smith
2:15pm – 2:45pm
Supply Chain and Logistics Innovation
Allison Myers, David Lopez
2:45pm – 3:15pm
Break
3:15pm – 3:30pm
Society Needs: Intellectual Property and Peace, Harmony, and Joy
Scott Frank
3:30pm – 4:00pm
Health Innovation
Ben Whitaker, Nimrod-Avraham May
4:00pm – 4:30pm
Shorty Awards Live Podcast
Jeff Barrett
4:30pm – 5:00pm
Memory Darts & Connection Conductors
Drew Sutton, Steve Woodruff
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Podcast Lounge Open
8:00am – 3:00pm
Breakfast & Connection Conductors
8:00am – 9:00am
How LLMs are Changing How People Search and Decide
Garrett French
9:00am – 9:30am
Marketing Strategy Innovation
Jeremy Knauff, Jessika Suter
9:30am – 10:00pm
Kentucky Success Stories
Sunny Dronawat, Demetrius Gray, Dr. Quentin Young
10:00am – 10:30am
Break
10:30am – 10:45am
Connection Conductors
Drew Sutton
10:45am – 11:15am
Food Innovation
Jeremiah Chapman
11:15am – 11:45am
Lunch
11:45am – 12:45pm
Why Working Less Like a Professional Makes You More Effective
Jeff Howell
12:45pm – 1:15pm
SESSION
1:15pm – 1:45pm
SESSION
1:45pm – 2:15pm
2026 Speaker Lineup
