Three scientists explain how their work is changing the world. Learn about why they started their projects, and the discoveries they’ve made along the way. Prepare to be wowed.

(Case Studies)

You’ve gained another customer — yay! But what led them to your service or product? Why did they decide to opt in or buy? Which touch-points did the trick? You’ll hear from a variety of agencies and big brands on how they track customer journey and the innovative ways they cultivate and measure brand loyalty.

(Panel Discussion)

Three lightning talks will discuss why accessibility is something to consider for all companies and why it leads to better overall products and services for everyone. Hear specific examples and use cases, and the processes behind these decisions. Come with an open mind and walk away with specific things you can do to improve the user experience of your customers and clients.

(Lightning Talks)

There’s so much innovation happening specifically in the healthcare space. Hear from different organizations that are making changes to not only improve the experience of patients, but also workers interacting face-to-face with these users. From insurance providers to actual healthcare services, what are the major problems and who are the people working to solve them?

(Panel Discussion)

In an age of excess, mis- and disinformation, how can you filter through and know what’s real? With “deep fakes” quickly becoming indistinguishable from reality, what does the future of public discourse hold? How do we keep our eyes on the truth?

(Panel Discussion)

From coding to 3D printing to virtual reality, how can technology change the landscape of education and how plausible is this to implement? This session features case studies on specific programs being used in schools locally, focusing on goals, successes and shortcomings.

(Case Studies)

Hear from the largest colleges and universities as we explore how education is changing and what is currently being done to stay ahead of trends. How are each of these disruptors making a difference in their field. What is the lasting impact on the tech ecosystem and what still needs to be done?

(Panel Discussion)

Hear from product-related companies like Hershey’s and La Colombe on how they implement specific marketing tactics. How do companies that compete in saturated industries like candy and coffee, respectively, stand out from the crowd? Especially when it’s a brand-new type of product that needs to be explained to consumers. Join this panel to learn marketing tips specific to products — be it coffee or code.

(Panel Discussion)

The growth of the tech sector requires a steady pipeline of talent moving into a city’s tech workforce and staying in the city’s tech workforce. Groups are working to address this opportunity by attracting talent to the city and opening up opportunities for nontraditional workers. Specific to Philly, this is punctuated by the City of Philadelphia's February roll out of a workforce-development strategy, Fueling Philadelphia's Talent Engine. The question is: how are community and educational organizations working with local companies to bring fresh talent into the tech community - and what makes a good partnership?

(Panel Discussion)

Organized with Support From:

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney in our annual overview conversation about his innovation agenda priorities. Hear Kenney’s perspective on tech, entrepreneurship and innovation and what the impact is for Philadelphia and cities everywhere. What progress has been made already with his administration and what is yet to come?

(Fireside Chat)

Eventually the efforts done for most hacks become widespread and lose their impact, hacks at best work for a while, at worst well they can destroy trust. This leaves marketers with more damage to clean up. I prefer to start with ... understanding people and how to provide value for them, solve their problems, and put them first. When companies have a spine, they give their marketing teams a superpower, likability, we'll show examples of companies with a spine and the impact that can have.

(Keynote)

Dick’s Sporting Goods banned AR-15s in response to the Parkland shooting. Microsoft eliminated forced confidentiality for employees making sexual harassment claims following #MeToo. But what is a company’s true responsibility in addressing these types of movements, either internally or externally? How can founders, CEOs, HR execs and more take informed steps towards healthier work environments? How should employers address the polarizing issues of the day?

(Panel Discussion)

Join a conversation on the importance of expanding your network as an entrepreneur. This panel will explore creating community around your work and finding the balance between friendship and business. Each speaker will share lessons on how their friends and communities have contributed to their success.

(Panel Discussion)

Organized with Support From:

For many firms today, innovation is a necessity. But innovation can be challenging to identify, capture and implement. Design Thinking is changing that.

This panel will discuss how Philly’s top firms are using Design Thinking to transform their brands and drive development of innovative products and experiences for their customers. Join us to learn more about the role of empathy-led, design-based delivery and applicable ways to use Design Thinking across your organization

(Panel Discussion)

Organized with Support From:

Why’d you start a tech company on the East Coast? Why is Silicon Valley so unappealing? What should your cities do to support young startups? We’ll ask these questions and more to five of the most promising startups in the Northeast, as drawn from Technical.ly’s annual realLIST.

(Panel Discussion)

Get that money! Join this investor and founder conversation as we explore the process of seeking funding for your startup, including: Should you even? We’ll discuss the pros and cons of this method of fundraising, best practices for winning that pitch and tips for maintaining VC relationships along the way. You’ll hear from founders that have raised serious money as well as others that chose not to seek investment from venture capital firms. Plus, our investors will share their insider tips for what they look for and what they avoid at all costs.

(Panel Discussion)

Projection mapping, augmented reality and more. What are the new methods that organizations are using to tell their stories? You’ll hear four different lightning talks on clever ways for brands to promote themselves. Get inspired and walk away with some out-of-the-box thinking for how to solve problems and engage your audience.

(Lightning Talks)

Flying cars and lush greenery has always been the idealistic vision of sustainable cities of the future. But what’s the more realistic picture look like, and what’s involved in making it happen? How are certain companies currently working towards more integrated cities and what types of considerations are needed? What does a truly “smart” city look like and how close are we to getting there?

(Panel Discussion)

Whether you’re building an internal product or working with an agency to deliver for a client, product launches certainly have their challenges. This panel will share specific examples of previous launches and lessons around what worked and didn’t. What’s the actual process from start to finish? What are the things most people forget or don’t think of? What are the key metrics to measure a successful launch?

(Panel Discussion)

From a solo trek across Antarctica to partnering with The Clinton Foundation to open the Haiti Coffee Academy, Todd Carmichael has had an impressive resume. But what were the steps on his journey that led him to opening La Colombe? How did he come up with one of the most innovative coffee products, the draft latte, which became the fastest growing ready-to-drink coffee beverage on the market? Hear about Todd’s early start and the steps that led him to where he is today.

(Fireside Chat)

With booming tech economies, cities are quickly becoming home to prominent businesses and ambitious startups alike. While certainly exciting, such transformation poses as much peril as it does promise. In order to ensure the pipeline reflects our community, this discussion will focus on actionable steps our city and others can take to ensure innovation is accessible, inclusive and diverse.

(Panel Discussion / Roundtable)

 Organized with Support From:

For startup communities to thrive, we need a fuller picture of founders. In order for any community to have a healthy startup economy, there needs to be diversity. What can we as individuals, companies, investors and current founders do to encourage more people of color and women to start their own ventures and, critically, how do we ensure they get the support that’s needed.

(Panel Discussion)

Tune in to four lightning talks on creative ways individuals are using technology to satiate the left side of the brain! Expect quirky ideas and the people behind them, and learn how to cultivate your own creative process.

(Lightning Talks)

There are a variety of opinions on whether Amazon HQ2 would be win for Philadelphia or other large U.S. cities. At this panel we’ll discuss these differing ideas and share a behind-the-scenes look at how the official proposals were created.

(Panel Discussion)