Schedule | Fast Company Innovation Festival

What happens when a restaurateur starts thinking like a world-builder? Simon Kim’s 550 Madison was one of the most anticipated restaurant openings in New York City this year—and the wait has been worth it. Six years in the making, 550 Madison’s sprawling three-level concept, including Bar Chimera, Cote 550, and Sushi Yoshitake, reimagines what restaurants can be: part culinary destination, part hospitality laboratory, part cultural experience. Designed in collaboration with legendary architect David Rockwell, 550 Madison is one of New York City’s most iconic postmodern architectural landmarks. Together, Kim and Rockwell have created a collection of distinct hospitality experiences that honor the building’s heritage while embracing a new vision of blending the communal experience of Korean barbecue with the hallmarks of a classic American chophouse. 

The most consequential work leaders do doesn’t happen in the meeting, the pitch, or the launch—it happens in the space before. On the page. In the notebook. In the private ritual of thinking before they go public with a decision.
This conversation explores how great leaders think—the practices, tools, and constraints they protect to find clarity before taking action.
As AI makes execution faster and more accessible than ever, judgment becomes a greater competitive advantage. The leaders who succeed won’t be the ones who move the fastest—they’ll be the ones who create the space to think clearly, see what others miss, and decide with conviction.

Russell Wilson has turned lessons of elite performance on the gridiron into a portfolio of brands spanning fashion, sports, wellness, and entertainment. The through line of his ambition stems from lessons his father taught him around purpose, perspective, and perseverance, as well as how to ask the question all of us should be asking ourselves: “Why not you?” As he steps off the field as a Super Bowl champion quarterback and into his new role as a CBS sports analyst, Wilson unpacks his approach to building brands, finding opportunity, and turning success on the field into a lasting entrepreneurial legacy.

Walmart has spent decades building advantages few companies can match: thousands of stores, a world-class supply chain, massive e-commerce reach, and deep data. And now those insights are converging to create an integrated system that can move faster, anticipate customer needs, and unlock value at an unprecedented scale. Join Walmart U.S. CEO David Guggina to understand what’s at the forefront of retail for companies and consumers. 

Technology has become an intrinsic part of how kids learn, play, and grow. But where’s the line between tech that helps or hampers the next generation? This panel explores how to protect the essential elements of childhood while embracing tech that can genuinely help kids thrive. 

How do you cut through an endless feed to capture the next generation of sports fans? Step inside the home of TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, and House of Highlights to hear directly from the creators, executives, and on-air talent behind some of the most-followed sports brands on the internet. The session headlines with an exclusive one-on-one conversation with House of Highlights’ breakout creator duo the Broadcast Boys—Lucas Brody and Nelson Vergara—who will break down what actually breaks through the noise, and why a platform-first, YouTube-centered strategy is reshaping how young audiences experience sports. Then it’s your turn: Put your skills to the test in an epic head-to-head PopA-Shot tournament, where attendees compete for a grand prize. Light bites, drinks, and House of Highlights merch included. Come ready to play.

Step inside Cipriani 25 Broadway—a 100-year-old Italian Neo-Renaissance landmark transformed into a state-of-the-art, programmable multimedia environment. Following its celebrated work on SuperReal, Montreal-based entertainment studio Moment Factory partnered with the venue to turn its historic Great Hall into a technology-driven, adaptable canvas.
Join Moment Factory for an exclusive look at how 360-degree projection mapping, architectural lighting, and surround sound breathe new life into vaulted ceilings and historic domes. Discover how cutting-edge technology and customizable digital layers allow heritage architecture to seamlessly shift from ambient background to spectacular immersive experiences.

From energy and space to national security and sustainable agriculture, a new generation of Northern Virginia companies is tackling some of the world’s most complex challenges. Scaling breakthrough technologies requires more than bold ideas—it demands a new model for developing adaptable, highly skilled talent. This conversation brings together visionary executives and economic development leaders to examine how Northern Virginia’s innovation districts, university-industry partnerships, and experiential learning programs are creating a collaborative ecosystem that accelerates growth. Business leaders will gain insights into how the region has become a premier launchpad for deep-tech innovation, workforce transformation, and the industries shaping tomorrow.

Too ambitious. Too strange. Too much. Tyra Banks has heard it all, and she’s turned it into a business advantage. From breaking barriers in modeling to reinventing herself as an entrepreneur and brand builder, Banks has built a career by betting big on ideas others weren’t ready for—and making them impossible to ignore. In this candid conversation, Banks unpacks the business of being “too much,” why the ideas that seem outlandish today can become your greatest advantages tomorrow, and how to tell the difference between being too early and being right on time.

Give back during the Innovation Festival by crafting some personalized birthday and holiday cards for New Yorkers living with severe illness and dealing with isolation. God’s Love We Deliver is a nonsectarian charity that is based in New York City and delivers meals to those living with severe illness. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll hear how the organization has evolved over its 40 years of operation while staying true to its unwavering commitment to its mission. And you’ll put purpose into practice by creating cards for God’s Love We Deliver clients, which will be delivered alongside their meals. At a time when humanity seems to be at a premium, you can make an impact one card at a time.

For decades, Martha Stewart has been one of the most trusted authorities on how people live in and care for their homes. Now, with her new company Hint, she’s aiming to bring real expertise to even more people at a moment when technology is reshaping how consumers make decisions. Join Stewart alongside Yih-Han Ma, Hint cofounder and CEO, and Brian Kelly, founder of the Points Guy and an investor in Hint, for a conversation on why expertise, curation, and human judgment—not just access to information—are what consumers are really looking for and how Hint is bringing that philosophy to the future of homeownership.

AI, electrified mobility, and always-on devices are pushing energy systems beyond what today’s infrastructure was built to support. The next phase of the clean energy transition is no longer just about generation. Protecting against disruptions is increasingly critical. The key question is how infrastructure can reduce risk, strengthen resilience, and remain operational under pressure.
From battery safety to critical-material recovery and circular supply chains, this panel explores the technologies, strategies, and partnerships that will enable more resilient energy systems—and help power the future.

Every company wants to be more creative, but far fewer know how to turn creativity into results. New research from Accenture Song finds that while 81% of business leaders say their organizations can generate creative ideas, just 16% say they consistently turn those ideas into growth. Join Accenture Song CEO Ndidi Oteh to explore the emerging discipline of applied creativity: building the commitment, structure, and expertise that allow great ideas to survive the journey from imagination to execution. 

Creativity may be the product, but it’s also a business—and the rules are changing fast. As AI reshapes how ideas are made, distributed, and monetized, creative talent is under pressure to think more like entrepreneurs, building multiple revenue streams and protecting their intellectual property. In this conversation, Leslie Odom Jr. and SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe explore what it takes to build a sustainable creative career in an era of disruption, from turning talent into a business to making sure you’re paid when your work travels across an increasingly complex digital ecosystem. 
And make sure you stick around after this session for a live performance from Odom Jr.

By the time most companies spot a trend, it’s already over. The brands that are winning have learned how to turn viral moments into products—not months or years later, but while the conversation is still happening. Join Dave Ritterbush, CEO of Califia Farms, and Mark Barrocas, CEO of SharkNinja, for a conversation on building organizations that move at the speed of culture. This session will teach you how to spot cultural shifts before competitors do, redesign product development for speed without sacrificing quality, and create products that consumers don’t just buy—they can’t stop talking about them.

Growth creates momentum, but it also creates complexity. Every new hire, market, policy, benefit, and back-office decision adds weight to a business that still needs to move quickly. In this conversation, founders and small business leaders will discuss how to build a company that scales without losing its culture, agility, or vital human connections. They’ll explore how smarter systems and infrastructure can help growing businesses reduce operational drag, unburden employees to focus on what’s important, and allow founders and leaders to stay focused on growth.

The 2026 midterm elections are shaping up to be a consequential moment not just for American politics, but for business leaders. The outcome could reshape policies affecting trade, immigration, technology, and the economy. And at the same time, state-level elections could have an outsize impact on companies as states increasingly set their own rules on issues ranging from AI and data privacy to climate and energy. This panel will examine the political forces and voting dynamics shaping the election—and what business leaders should be watching.

The most sustainable thing in your closet might be the clothes you already own. In this experiential lab, Paul Dillinger, head of global design innovation at Levi’s, will explore how to rethink fashion’s throwaway culture through better design, circularity, and one deceptively simple idea: make clothes last. Then you’ll put that idea into practice. Inspired by Levi’s Wear Longer Project, you’ll learn the basics of repairing and refreshing pre-worn Levi’s garments—with guidance from experts who know how to give old denim new life. You’ll leave with a one-of-a-kind repaired piece and a new appreciation for the power of wearing, caring for, and reimagining what you already have.

Siegel+Gale’s World's Simplest Brands 2026: B2B Report offers compelling insights into the relationship between simplicity and business performance. As organizations grow, complexity often follows through products, processes, technology, and brand experience. At what point does complexity stop reflecting expertise and start creating friction? To stand out when customers face tyranny of choices, being understood is as important as being innovative. Why do some organizations become more difficult to navigate as they scale, while others build trust, loyalty, and competitive advantage through clarity? This conversation explores the relationship between simplicity and business performance, and why making brands easier to understand has become a strategic imperative.

Becoming CEO is one of the biggest—and most scrutinized—transitions in business. The moment you take the top job, employees are watching to see what kind of leader you’ll be. Meanwhile, society at large is watching CEOs more closely than ever amid growing skepticism of corporate power and leadership. In this candid conversation, three CEOs from very different industries share what they’re learning in the early days of leading at the top and how they’re navigating all the pressures that come with the job. This is a practical playbook for anyone leading a team, stepping into greater responsibility, or preparing for the C-suite.

Fox News’s The Five is the most-watched program in cable news—and Jessica Tarlov is the lone liberal voice on the show. That vantage point gives her a front-row seat to the country’s political divide, debating conservative cohosts who can be her fiercest opponents on air—and, apparently, genuine friends off the air. In her new book, I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends, Tarlov turns that experience into a playbook for navigating conflict with confidence, data, and emotional maturity. In this timely conversation, she’ll unpack the lessons she’s learned from debating politics in front of millions, the surprising ways her relationships with her cohosts have evolved, and what The Five reveals about the possibility—and limits—of finding common ground in an increasingly polarized America.

ESPN wrote the sports-TV playbook, and now it’s tearing it up. As audiences cut the cord and move among streaming, social, fantasy, and online betting, ESPN is banking on the future of sports looking less like a network and more like a personalized, interactive digital platform. This conversation explores the changing economics of sports media and how ESPN plans to stay at the center of the action as the business around it continues to evolve.

For decades, the golden rule of branding was simple: Win the human heart. Design brands that move people, spark emotion, drive memorability, and build lasting relationships. That is still essential today, but humans are no longer the only audience. In addition to reaching and resonating with people, brands must now also get noticed, understood, and recommended by an entirely different entity: artificial Intelligence.
In this session, Design Bridge and Partners will explore the friction and the synergy of two-brain brand building. They’ll break down the shift from search engine optimization (SEO) to generative engine optimization (GEO) and demonstrate how brands can master a delicate balancing act—maintaining the emotional storytelling that wins human memorability, while structuring the factual evidence that wins AI citations.
Attendees will walk away with a practical blueprint for building coherent, future-proof brands optimized for both human survival and algorithmic processing.

Explore how creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation are shaping the future of sustainable fashion through an immersive workshop led by FIT faculty professor Whitney Crutchfield. Guests will create one-of-a-kind naturally dyed scarves using plant-based colorants harvested from FIT’s NYC rooftop Natural Dye Garden, bringing a spectrum of vibrant colors to life through sustainable design practices. The hands-on experience invites participants to tap into their creativity while discovering the principles of circular design and the innovative approaches redefining fashion’s future.

Architects and designers have the incredible opportunity to design the public spaces where life happens. From libraries and theaters to museums and more, these spaces define our communities and lives.  
As society evolves, designers are creating innovative solutions for these types of spaces that help them adapt to change, do more for communities, and inspire wonder. This Fast Track will highlight a range of projects, from a fossil park to the theater where Shakespeare in the Park is performed, that are setting new precedents in public architecture across New York City. Attendees will then break into groups to imagine and start designing their own future-focused public architecture spaces.

PwC's latest Holiday Outlook research reveals a season defined by resilience and reinvention. Gift spending is expected to remain flat year over year, even as many consumers scale back travel and millennials anticipate pulling back more than any other generation. At the same time, more shoppers are turning to AI to discover gifts, while Gen Z is fueling a growing preference for analog gifts and screen-free experiences. Explore what's driving these shifts, what they reveal about evolving consumer priorities, and what they signal for retailers, brands, and the year ahead. 

So much of our lives are spent on screens, moving from one thing to the next, that it’s easy to forget the simple pleasure of slowing down and making something with our hands. Bonsai Bar is bringing that feeling back—one tiny tree at a time. Founded in 2021 as a series of pop-up workshops at New England breweries, Bonsai Bar has since grown into a nationwide movement, teaching more than 100,000 people how to make and care for their own bonsai. In this experiential lab, you’ll get your hands dirty as you learn to pot, shape, and style your own tree—all while tapping into your creativity, connecting with new people, and taking a much-needed break from the digital world. No experience necessary. No artistic talent required. Just come ready to slow down, make something, and have some fun!

In an era when consumers can scroll past anything in seconds, the brands that inspire real loyalty are the ones that give people a community and something worth belonging to. But that can’t be manufactured with a hashtag or bolted onto a marketing strategy after the fact. Community has to be earned—and it requires companies to listen differently, give up some control, and understand what their most passionate customers actually value. Join this discussion to understand how you can apply this thinking to your business and what it takes to scale a community without killing the magic that made people care in the first place.

There’s a new path to running a business, and it doesn’t mean spending years climbing the corporate ladder or starting your own company from scratch. Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), which involves buying an established, often profitable business, has emerged as a viable wealth-building alternative. The movement is gaining traction, but that doesn’t mean it comes without challenges. This panel of industry experts, business owners, and investors will demystify ETA and break down why some entrepreneurs are increasingly pursuing this route to the C-suite.

As consumers become more discerning and more skeptical of excess, the definition of luxury is being rewritten. Today, what feels truly valuable is often harder to manufacture: craftsmanship, radical sustainability, and the kind of experience that turns an everyday object into something coveted. From giving preowned fashion a new life to transforming humble ingredients into high-design rituals to rethinking the materials luxury products are made from, these leaders are redefining luxury—and in the process, revealing where consumer culture is headed next. Because what luxury consumers demand first, the rest of the market often comes to expect.

Workplaces are no longer simply places where people come together—they are ecosystems that shape how teams connect, collaborate, and perform at their best. As hybrid work, artificial intelligence, and evolving employee expectations reshape the workplace, organizations are exploring how intentional design can unlock human potential and business impact. Research across behavioral science, evolutionary psychology, and workplace design reveals how environments influence trust, creativity, knowledge sharing, and decision-making. This session examines how design grounded in human science can help organizations create workplaces that strengthen teams, foster innovation, and shape the future of work.

Join Evan Sweet, director of neighborhood planning, on an immersive walking tour through one of New York’s most remarkable urban transformations. Explore how the Meatpacking District’s shift from a gritty industrial hub to a thriving arts and culture destination has unlocked bold opportunities for streetscape reinvention. From cobblestone corridors to curated public spaces, discover how thoughtful placemaking continues to shape and deepen the district's unique creative identity. This is a tour not just of a neighborhood, but of a model for how culture can drive, and be sustained by, intentional streetscape transformation.

Join leaders from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS)—including Adam Sharp, NATAS president and CEO; Amy Schmelzer, NATAS head of news; Kyra Darnton, Retro Report executive producer and president; Andrew Metz, managing editor of FRONTLINE; and Chai Dingari, director of video at More Perfect Union—to explore and celebrate excellence in reporting, documentary filmmaking, and journalism and the importance of recognizing fearless storytelling.

Join us for a celebration of Fast Company's annual Best Workplaces for Innovators honorees.

Join us for a celebration of Fast Company's annual World Changing Ideas honorees.

SpaceX’s record-setting IPO has ushered in a new era for the public markets—and the biggest listings may still be ahead. With Anthropic reportedly targeting a valuation of $2 trillion or more and OpenAI also eyeing the public markets, a handful of mega-IPOs could reshape not just Wall Street but the industries and economy around them. Will these blockbuster listings unlock a new wave of innovation and investment or crowd out smaller companies trying to enter the public markets? Join this session to better understand the impact of mega-IPOs for markets, investors, and industries at large.

Being considered “taboo” doesn’t negate a product or sector’s existence or market relevance. Categories like cannabis, sexual wellness, and gender-affirming healthcare have ballooned into billion-dollar industries, yet the companies leading these sectors face constant underinvestment, regulatory roadblocks, and both social and government pushback. Hear from business leaders who have built successful brands and learn how they’re navigating a period of unique friction, whether that’s frozen research funding, state restrictions on delivering care, or a surprise hemp ban.

The conventional wisdom of personal branding has been to build an audience on someone else’s platform. OnlyFans offers a different proposition: Build a direct relationship with your audience—and get paid for it. CEO Keily Blair is making the case that the platform is about far more than its reputation for adult content, offering creators, entrepreneurs, and experts a way to control their content, cultivate a loyal community, and turn influence into a business. In this conversation, Blair unpacks why owning your audience is the next frontier of personal branding, and whether everyone—from executives to entrepreneurs to creators—should be thinking about building an OnlyFans of their own. 
The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, giving attendees the chance to ask Blair directly how they might use the platform to build and monetize their own brands.

Innovation doesn’t stall for a lack of good ideas. It stalls when people struggle to navigate conflict and power. As part of Fast Company’s “A Brand Called You” track, negotiation expert Susan Coleman reveals how your real brand emerges when the stakes and emotions are high during a disagreement or when you’re advocating for an idea or setting a boundary. Through storytelling and a practical exercise, you’ll explore how to move beyond accommodation and aggression and negotiate in a way that is firm, fierce, and fair.

Even successful companies can find themselves at an inflection point. Markets shift, customers evolve, and the strategies that fueled years of growth may no longer apply. At Match Group, CEO Spencer Rascoff is focused on building the company’s next chapter and rethinking what the future of connection looks like in the age of AI. In a candid conversation, Rascoff unpacks Match Group’s turnaround strategy and the leadership tactics he’s using to help a global organization move with greater speed, accountability, and entrepreneurial energy—and what he’s learned about leading through moments of transformation.

Social impact is society’s stabilization layer. The data speaks volumes—nearly 13 million jobs in the sector, $600 billion in charitable giving last year, and more than $1 trillion in annual economic contribution—a backbone of the economy. When the sector is strong, employment rises, talent thrives, and innovation accelerates. When it’s weak, workforce disruption, public health setbacks, and strained systems follow. The social impact ecosystem goes beyond charity. It helps keep society on track. This panel explores the untold economic story of the sector and how AI could strengthen—or weaken—this critical layer of society.

Join Nike’s chief design officer, Martin Lotti, for an exclusive tour of Nike: Form Follows Motion as it makes its U.S. debut at the Museum of Arts and Design. Organized by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, Nike: Form Follows Motion is the first comprehensive museum exhibition on the brand and includes prototypes, original design studies, rarities and one-offs drawn from the Department of Nike Archives (DNA), a collection of more than 200,000 objects never before accessible to the public in this depth.

Located in the heart of Manhattan’s Financial District, Printemps’ first U.S. location bridges legacy Parisian retail and award-winning American hospitality. At this Fast Track, hear how Printemps New York wants to position itself as more than a department store, instead aiming for the feel of a French apartment where luxury shopping becomes experiential rather than simply transactional. 
Join the Printemps team for a private tour of the store’s design and history, with the opportunity to discover the historic landmarked Red Room, built in 1931. Following the visit, attendees will enjoy a coffee and pastry and have time to explore more than 450 brands, including exclusive French brands that can only be found at Printemps New York.

Influencer marketing has become an essential part of the branding mix—but the playbook is changing fast. As audiences grow savvier, creators become more influential, and the line between advertising, entertainment, and community continues to blur, brands have to rethink what makes a creator partnership actually work. This panel will unpack what comes next for the creator economy—and what brands need to know to keep up. From choosing the right creators and building partnerships that go beyond a single post to creating content that’s truly authentic, they’ll explore the strategies that break through, the metrics that matter, and why the best influencer marketing may not look like influencer marketing at all.

Artemis II sent humans farther from Earth than ever before, putting next-generation communications, navigation, spacecraft controls, and life-support systems to the ultimate test. But this historic mission is only the beginning. Leaders from NASA and Firefly Aerospace take us inside the breakthroughs, high-stakes engineering challenges, and bold ideas shaping the next era of space exploration, and they reveal how Artemis II and emerging commercial space technologies are laying the groundwork for a lasting human presence on the moon, future missions to Mars, and innovations that could ultimately change life here on Earth.

In 2022, Adidas faced a crossroads after ending its lucrative partnership with Yeezy. Fast-forward to today, and the company is sprinting ahead of the athletic apparel industry, hitting record revenues in 2025 to the tune of $28.7 billion. So what’s driving Adidas’s turnaround story? Join CEO Bjørn Gulden and Marc Makowski, SVP of innovation, as they reveal the playbook that put Adidas back at the center of culture and performance.

The best founders aren’t just visionaries. They’re systems thinkers who know what to hand off. In this hands-on Innovation Festival workshop, Fast Company and Justworks will guide founders and growth-stage leaders through a practical framework for identifying the operational complexity slowing businesses down and building the infrastructure to streamline. Attendees will leave with a clearer map of where complexity is compounding in their organization, and concrete steps toward the kind of operational clarity that lets leaders lead and scale.

The cloud built for the internet era was designed to serve many different workloads. Today, AI demands something fundamentally different. CoreWeave cofounder and CEO Mike Intrator discusses why AI requires a cloud rebuilt from first principles and how that infrastructure and software is helping more people turn ideas into action. This session will help you gain clearer understanding of the massive technological and physical demands behind AI—and the decisions that will determine whether its next phase can deliver on its promise.

Consumers are more fragmented, unpredictable, and difficult to reach than ever. Meanwhile, companies have more data than they know what to do with. So what actually separates signal from noise? How do you spot a cultural shift before it becomes a trend? And in an age of AI-generated insights, where is the place for human intuition? Leaders across media and retail unpack the new science and art of understanding customers, and why the companies that win won’t necessarily be the ones with the most data—they’ll be the ones that know how to read it.

Everyone is talking about AI, but the organizations seeing measurable results are focused on something else: trusted data, business readiness, and the ability to adapt. As disruption reshapes supply chains, consumer expectations rise and regulatory complexity increases, the biggest barrier to transformation isn’t the technology—it’s the business itself. Join leaders across industries for a candid conversation on what separates real transformation from AI hype. Discover why standardized, high-quality data is the foundation for scalable AI, how organizations are breaking through adoption barriers, and what it takes to build trust across data, systems, and people to create lasting competitive advantage.

Can an exhibition be highly engaging, visually arresting, and broadly accessible while still maintaining serious artistic and curatorial rigor?
Explore the answer to this question at the Balloon Museum, New York’s new experiential art exhibition featuring works by artists including Marina Abramović, Turner Prize winner Martin Creed, and other acclaimed international names. A Balloon Museum executive will guide attendees through new immersive exhibits while explaining how the museum works with established artists to translate complex ideas into monumental, participatory environments—without reducing the work to a photo opportunity.

Go behind the scenes at Roscioli NYC for an intimate tasting and conversation exploring how one of Rome's most beloved culinary institutions successfully translated its century-old legacy to New York City. Guests will enjoy a guided tour of the restaurant and its acclaimed wine cellar while hearing firsthand from the team about preserving authenticity, adapting to a new market, and building a hospitality experience that honors tradition while embracing innovation. As attendees taste some of Roscioli NYC's most beloved wine, cheeses, and salumi, they will gain insight into the business, branding, and operational decisions behind bringing an iconic Italian institution across the Atlantic.

The most innovative brands are rethinking packaging and product design as a canvas for culture, connection, and storytelling. From Stanley 1913’s culturally savvy collaborations with icons like Kacey Musgraves and Post Malone to Tilt Beauty’s radically inclusive approach to makeup that’s easier to open, hold, and apply, brands are finding new ways to turn everyday objects into objects of desire and conversation.

Everyone has a story to tell. But what’s your angle and how can you tailor it to advance within your industry? As part of Fast Company’s “A Brand Called You” track, SolComms—the award-winning PR agency that’s worked with notable founders including Allison Ellsworth (Poppi), Andy Dunn (Bonobos, Pie), Daniel Lubetzky (Kind LLC), and more—will offer communications advice to startup founders and executives operating across consumer, tech, and healthcare industries. Through this “office hours”–style session, the SolComms leadership team will guide you through how to reenergize your narrative and stand out in your industry.

Small businesses have driven 61% of net new U.S. job creation, and they will continue to punch above their weight as the economy undergoes an AI-driven transformation. Small business owners are eager to use AI, and small business employees are concentrated in industries less likely to see job displacement. At the same time, they lag their larger peers in AI adoption, and rural small businesses are falling behind their urban peers in AI use. By drawing on insights from Goldman Sachs’s 16-year legacy working with entrepreneurs through its program 10,000 Small Businesses, the panel will explore AI’s impact on the small business workforce, its implications for customers, and the opportunities it creates for small businesses in an AI economy.

Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative and design arm of the Walt Disney Company, has spent more than 70 years at the intersection of storytelling, design, and engineering, creating worlds across theme parks, cruise ships, resorts, and more. Now, as robotics and AI rapidly evolve, Imagineers are rethinking what’s possible in the physical world and what advanced technology should be used for. Join Walt Disney Imagineering president and chief creative officer Bruce Vaughn and his team for a rare look inside the Imagineering workshop to see how they turn ambitious ideas into reality and why speed and experimentation matter. There’ll also be a few surprises in this session, so you don’t want to miss it!

This session celebrates a new Fast Company recognition program: Fast Company Pacesetters. These are executives who are innovating at the intersection of AI, technology, and the customer experience. How can companies use AI to remove friction without sacrificing trust? What does it mean to design experiences that are not only smarter, but truly natural? If you have customers, you won’t want to miss the insights these leaders will deliver. Pacesetters is presented by TCS.

Corporate America has long promised women they can have it all. But for senior-level mothers, that promise is looking more like a trap. Fast Company’s reporting reveals a workforce where the demands of work and parenting have intensified in tandem, leaving even highly successful women burned out, stretched thin, and questioning whether the system was ever designed for them to succeed. This candid conversation examines the workplace around the realities of caregiving, and what responsibility companies have to make sure women don’t have to choose between leadership and family.

For decades, scale defined success in the food industry. Today, a new generation of challenger brands is proving that authenticity, agility, and a clear point of view can matter just as much as size. Consumers are increasingly seeking products that feel personal, transparent, and purpose-driven, creating opportunities for emerging brands to compete with established players in new ways. At the same time, advances in manufacturing, distribution, retail access, and digital marketing have lowered barriers to entry, accelerating innovation across every grocery aisle. This session explores the forces reshaping CPG innovation, why challenger brands are winning consumer loyalty, and how they are redefining the future of food.

Sponsorship alone rarely earns real audience love. A logo on a jersey, a name on a stage, or a placement in someone’s feed buys visibility, but it doesn’t buy affection. This Fast Track traces how brands move from logo placement to narrative ownership and why that shift matters for any company competing for attention in a crowded celebrity and cultural landscape.
Modern Arts and RadicalMedia will walk through real case studies and projects that mark that evolution, including a short film built around a marquee athlete, a documentary that used a brand’s own platform as the mechanism that made the story possible, and a lighter, more personal social series that brought a different side of a driver to a platform built for speed and immediacy.
This conversation is for marketers and brand leaders who want to think past sponsorship dollars and ad space and start asking a hard question: Do you want to be one of the top 10 films, or do you want to buy the ad space around it? Networking and light bites will follow.

Rare Beauty entered one of the world’s most crowded categories and quickly became one of its most influential brands—not just by creating products people love but by building a business anchored in authenticity, community, and measurable impact. Founder Selena Gomez joins chief impact officer Elyse Cohen for a conversation about Rare Beauty’s trajectory, purpose-driven marketing, and the brand’s commitment to expanding youth mental health access through the Rare Impact Fund. Together, they’ll discuss what it takes to scale a mission-driven company, why youth mental health remains central to the brand’s strategy, and how purpose can become a lasting competitive advantage rather than just a marketing message.

Join Alison Moore, CEO of Chief, and Kristin Mooney, SVP of events at Fast Company and a Chief member, for an intimate networking meetup with fellow Chief members. Connect, exchange ideas, and continue the conversation in a relaxed setting with an inspiring group of women leaders.

More people are launching businesses with the help of AI. Some are doing it deliberately. Others are doing it because their jobs disappeared and they needed something new. Either way, getting started has never been easier. But growing the business? That’s the hard part. This session will share the stories of multiple successful entrepreneurs who launched new businesses using AI and are exploring the need to add non-AI capabilities to scale further.

The biggest challenges facing society don’t come with easy fixes—and the most effective philanthropists aren’t waiting for someone else to solve them. Making an impact at scale requires a willingness to take risks, challenge entrenched systems, and rethink what “giving back” can actually accomplish. This conversation brings together leaders who are pushing philanthropy beyond the traditional playbook to explore how businesses can use their resources and reach to create lasting change—and why the smartest investments in society may also be investments in the future of business.

Every leader is asking the same question: What does AI mean for my workforce? The loudest answer is: “Make it smaller.” But that’s only part of the story. As AI takes over, routine tasks, human judgment, creativity, and connection are becoming even more valuable. This conversation explores why some of the highest-performing organizations are investing more—not less—in people as a core part of their AI strategy, and why the companies winning with AI are betting big on the human workforce.

Before you can build a personal brand, you have to get clear on what you actually want—and how to get there. As part of Fast Company’s “A Brand Called You” track, DJ and licensed clinical therapist Julie “Hesta Prynn” Slavin leads this interactive workshop designed for high-performing executives and creators. Through a blend of neuroscience, music, and writing prompts, you’ll leave with both greater clarity about the future you want to create and one clear, actionable strategy designed to move you toward it.

AI may be the future—but the data centers powering it are already putting unprecedented pressure on the present. They require enormous amounts of electricity and water and can place a disproportionate burden on the communities where they’re built. The question is no longer whether we’ll build the infrastructure for an AI-powered world. It’s whether we can build it as cleaner, smarter, and more equitable. From renewable energy and grid resilience to next-generation cooling and water conservation, this panel explores a defining question for the AI era: Can we power the future without burning through the resources and communities we need to sustain it?

In a culture obsessed with optimization and speed, Richard Christiansen is building a business around a radical proposition: What if we slowed down? The founder of Flamingo Estate has transformed his Los Angeles home and garden into a global brand spanning food, fragrance, beauty, and ritual—all designed to reconnect people with the natural world and the simple pleasures of everyday life. In this conversation, Christiansen shares how he turned a personal obsession with nature into a distinctive and rapidly growing business, why prioritizing pleasure can be a radical act, and what the garden has taught him about creativity, taste, and building brands.
And the conversation won’t end once guests leave the room: You’ll take home a little piece of the Flamingo Estate philosophy with a curated gift designed to inspire you to slow down, get your hands dirty, and grow something of your own.

Celebrate a week of innovative conversations and new connections during our closing night party.