The future is now: Inside DC Startup & Tech Week’s Futurist Series and AI x Business Track

This year marks a major milestone — 10 years of DC Startup & Tech Week — and it’s bigger, bolder, and more future-focused than ever. 

This year’s DCSTW theme, “A Decade of Disruption,” pays homage to the past while giving full credit to the future — to the founders, innovators, and leaders who continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

I’m honored to co-chair this year’s conference alongside Rachel Koretsky and our incredible DCSTW team of track leads, partners and volunteers, who have worked with hundreds of speakers, sponsors, and organizations to curate a week that not only celebrates how far our region has come, but also prepares us for what’s next.

If you’ve been following my work, you know that I’m deeply passionate about how AI is reshaping the future of business. Not just for big enterprises, but for founders, creators and changemakers of every kind. 

As the founder and CEO of Disruptive AI, I’ve seen firsthand that we are living through one of the greatest business transformations of our lifetime. 

Every company, no matter the size, sector or mission, is being asked the same question: How will you evolve when intelligence itself becomes a capability inside your organization, and how will you seize the innovation opportunities that come with it?

That’s why this year’s AI x Business Track was designed to meet founders and leaders where they are — and the only way I know how to build fluency: strategically, practically, and tactically.

Inside the new AI x Business Track: SEC chair, McKinsey and more

Futurist Series (AI & Emerging Tech) — for those who want ideas that disrupt.

We kick off with our first-ever Futurist Series on Day One of DCSTW (Oct. 20) at John Hopkins Bloomberg Center.

Expect a collection of forward-looking sessions with some of the top voices in industry and innovation. These conversations are designed to evoke ideas, spark partnerships, and inspire the next wave of innovation, connecting startup founders, investors and leaders who are ready to build what’s next.

• Can AI Disrupt Unhappiness? — Paul Allen, founder and CEO of Soar AI and former CEO of Ancestry.com
• AI > Internet: The Revolution Startups Can’t Ignore — a provocative discussion with Paul Allen and Seema Alexander (me) on the future of business as we know it
• AI + Healthcare: The Billion-Dollar Startup Opportunities — a hard-hitting discussion with health care and AI leaders from Pfizer, Johns Hopkins, Kaiser Permanente, Amazon Health Services and IndyGeneUS Bio
• The $1 Trillion Classroom: How AI Is Rewiring Education and Creating the Next Startup Boom — with representation from American University, Howard University, John Hopkins, BuiltWithin and the Capital Workforce Innovation Consortium
• Is It the End of Consulting As We Know It? — A TED Talk-like presentation by McKinsey & Company
• Fireside Chat with SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins: Navigating the Next Wave of Innovation & Regulation
• Defending the Future: How Innovation Is Rewriting National Security — a fireside chat with Justin Fanelli, moderated by James Barlia
• The Next Decade of Disruption: What History Teaches Us About the Future of Tech & Innovation — with UK technologist and futurist Peter Swain (on Friday)

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Strategic Panels — for those seeking a roadmap to integrate in your business

You will hear from some incredible leaders from Open AI, Microsoft, growth stage companies, AI experts, legal counsel, and more. Sessions like:

• The End of Marketing & Branding As We Know It
• Automations, Agents & the New Rules of Product Design (No Fluff)
• Don’t Get Sued: Top Legal Minds to Help You Build AI Products the Right Way
• The New Operating System for Business in the AI Era
• Build Differently: How AI Is Reshaping the DNA of Business, Communities and Humanity

Practical + Tactical Workshops — for those who want to learn and play

Interactive sessions — such as Vibe Coding 101 Workshop sponsored by Lovable, Practical Application of AI for Startups, and How to 10X Your Productivity with Notebook LM — give attendees hands-on experience with real tools, workflows, and agentic systems they can bring back to their businesses immediately.

Every track has an AI / emerging tech twist where the conversations are appropriate, so no matter what track / sessions you choose, you will start to understand the gravitas of the change we are in right now — and the opportunities it lends itself for startups, growth companies and investors alike.

Build for the bold: Where unicorns are born

DC Startup & Tech Week isn’t just a conference — it’s a movement. It’s where the region’s best minds come together to celebrate, collaborate, and create.

My mission through Disruptive AI, The AI CEO Podcast, AI BusinessCon^TM (in April 2026), and now this year’s AI x Business Track at DCSTW, is to help leaders reimagine what’s possible and build the future with intention.

So whether you come for inspiration, strategy, or hands-on learning, this week will give you what you need to move from AI-curious to AI-powered.

Join us for DC Startup & Tech Week 2025 — and step into the future of business, right here in the nation’s capital.