Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe and CrunchLabs Founder Mark Rober host the ultimate autonomous robot challenge.
This interactive presentation pits audience members against the robot brainchild RJ and Mark teamed up to build, testing human reactions vs machine learning. Can people compete with computers? How is Rivian approaching autonomy? Are people really that slow? We’ll find out.
Panelist(s): RJ Scaringe, CEO - Rivian, Mark Rober, Founder & CEO - CrunchLabs
Register here.
We’ve spent a decade making cars "smartphones on wheels," but the next era is about AI-defined mobility. And while the industry talks about "software-defined vehicles," the real breakthrough lies in the marriage of high-performance compute and intelligent systems.
This conversation explores how Rivian is building a proprietary hardware-software stack to create vehicles that don't just react to the world, but actively anticipate the needs of the adventurer. We’re moving beyond "smart" features toward a world where the car’s local processing power drives performance and supports safety features and presence, even at the edge of the map.
Panelist(s): Wassym Bensaid, Chief Software Officer - Rivian
Moderator: Max Ufberg, Senior Editor - Fast Company
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Electric vehicles are often discussed as a climate solution or a technological milestone, but their most powerful benefits may be human. Beyond emissions, EVs have the potential to change how our cities sound and feel, how people experience daily movement, and how transportation impacts health, stress, and overall quality of life.
In this panel, ALSO President and Co-Founder Chris Yu and Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe explore the science behind why EV adoption can meaningfully improve everyday life, why EV adoption leads to better public health and more time spent outdoors, and the broader systems required to make electric mobility feel intuitive, enjoyable, and worth choosing every day.
Panelist(s): RJ Scaringe, CEO - Rivian & Chris Yu, President & Co-Founder - ALSO
Moderator: Kara Swisher - VOX Media
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Women are leading the transformation of legacy industries and reimagining how we lead, move, and show up in the world with confidence. This panel brings together female leaders to explore how women are shaping the future through innovation, purpose-driven leadership, and consumer-centered solutions.
These leaders will give insight into how to build brands that disrupt the status quo; how staying true to a clear vision creates space to be responsive and agile; and share lessons in cultivating teams to drive long-term success. A conversation about what’s next — with the women building it.
Panelist(s): Claire McDonough, CFO - Rivian, Amy Errett, CEO & Founder - Madison Reed & Dustee Jenkins, Chief Public Affairs Officer - Spotify
Moderator: TBA
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The session is about the pivot from distraction to immersion; how design and intuitive technology can help people feel more connected to the outdoors. We will explore how to create spaces and products that amplify the environment rather than block it out, and how “bringing the outside in” can transform our daily spaces from isolating barriers into seamless bridges to the natural world.
Panelist(s): Jeff Hammoud, Chief Design Officer - Rivian, Tenna Florian, Associate Partner - Lake Flato Architects & TBA
Moderator: Rich Roll, Podcast Host, Endurance Athlete, & Thought Leader - The Rich Roll Podcast, Voicing Change Media
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Who gets to feel at home in nature? This panel explores findings from The Mix Global’s cross-Atlantic research on underrepresented outdoor collectives in the UK and US. Featuring pioneers like Wanderlust Women, Black Outside, Inc., and Camping to Connect, we uncover how Black, Brown, and Latinx-led initiatives are transforming outdoor spaces into hubs of healing, joy, and belonging.
Expect data-driven insights, lived experiences, and bold questions that challenge brands and organizations to rethink who they design for, who they speak to, and who they show up for in outdoor culture.
Panelist(s): Liz Bacelar, Global Head of AI & Advanced Analytics - Under Armour & Manny Almonte, Founder & CEO - Camping to Connect
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Revolutions don’t always begin in the streets. Sometimes they begin in the kitchen. Moderated by Kamila Avila-Salmon, Founder and CEO of Kas Kas Productions, this fireside chat features James Beard Award–winning chef Sean Sherman and explores how storytelling can confront erasure, reclaim identity, and build bridges across communities.
They will dive deeper into how “The Sioux Chef,” Sean Sherman, has been at the forefront of reclaiming and mainstreaming Native American cuisine in the United States. Through his groundbreaking restaurant Owamni, his nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, and recent NYT best-selling cookbook Turtle Island, he has reintroduced Indigenous ingredients, techniques, and foodways to national audiences, challenging colonial narratives about American cuisine and redefining what “American food” truly means.
By centering pre-colonial ingredients and eliminating colonial staples such as wheat flour, dairy, and cane sugar, Sherman’s work is both culinary innovation and cultural restoration. This conversation asks us to see food not just as sustenance, but as a story—and to recognize that when we honor the origins of what we eat, we honor the people and cultures who have carried those traditions forward against all odds.
Panelist(s): Kamala Avila-Salmon, Founder & CEO - Kas Kas Productions & Sean Sherman, Celebrity and Award-winning Chef, author and activist The Sioux Chef
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This panel brings together leaders from mission-driven organizations to discuss how they are using business as a force for good. Panelists will share real-world stories about creating impact, building values-driven cultures, and partnering across sectors to address complex challenges.
The conversation will highlight innovative models and practical lessons for anyone seeking to create meaningful, lasting change.
Panelist(s): Jorge Richardson, Founder & CEO - HOPE Hydration, Uma Srivastava, Executive Director - KultureCity & Alex Amouyel, President & CEO - Newman's Own Foundation
Moderator: TBA - Business Insider
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From natural disasters, to government shutdowns, when crises strike, 'community frontliners' are the first to answer the call. Hear from experienced community organizers and leaders on the frontlines of crisis response in Central Texas. This conversation explores the inspirational women who serve as first responders, bridge builders, and architects of sustainable change when things hit the fan, and trusted systems fail. Their stories and wisdom serve as a template for grassroots community initiatives locally, and around the world.
Panelist(s): Sasha Rose, Lead Organizer - Austin Mutual Aid, Nyeka Arnold, Founder & Executive Director - The Healing Project, Markeatha Kiki Simmons, Founder and Executive Director - My Sister’s Keeper ATX & Jonathan 'Chaka' Mahone, Founder & Dir -
DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action)
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Austin has long been known as the Live Music Capital of the World, but in 2026, sustaining a creative city requires more than venues and festivals. It demands investment, inclusive policy, and leaders committed to giving back to the cultural ecosystems that shaped them, and what has made Austin uniquely itself.
This panel explores what it really takes to build (and sustain) a thriving music city. From affordability and artist support to cultural preservation and equitable growth, the conversation will spotlight those doing meaningful, on-the-ground work in Austin while drawing lessons applicable to cities everywhere.
Panelist(s): Torrence and Thurman Thomas -THEBROSFRESH
Hanna Cofer - HOME Austin & Rebecca Reynolds - Music Venue Alliance Austin
Moderator: Nick Shuley - Armadillo World Headquarters
Register here.
