Last week, 3,000 attendees gathered in NYC for 4 days of engaging content at Fast Company Innovation Festival. The event brought together top leaders, creators, and cultural changemakers across business, tech, and design for forward-thinking conversations and immersive experiences in Manhattan.
Key themes included ethical AI, inclusive innovation, and the future of health, work, and consumer culture, with standout sessions featuring speakers like Hailee Steinfeld, Tracee Ellis Ross, Allison Ellsworth and Sam Bakhshandehpour. From Fast Tracks inside startups to big-stage conversations on creativity and leadership, the festival spotlighted how innovation is being redefined across industries.
Some of our favorite panels include…
From Automation to Autonomy: Navigating the Rise of Agentic AI
Featuring cred speaker Grant Lee, Co-Founder & CEO, Gamma; Arvind Jain, Founder & CEO, Glean and Gautier Cloix, CEO, H Company
Moderated by Max Ufberg, Senior Editor, Fast Company
Creativity Meets Connection: Designing the Future of Experiential Branding
Featuring James Chester, Co-Founder and CEO, WVN; Jamie Reilly, General Manager, Moment Factory Sports and Entertainment and Court Williams, VP of Creative Strategy, De-Yan
Moderated by Jeff Beer, Senior Staff Editor, Fast Company
Exit Strategy: How These Founders Built Brands Buyers Couldn’t Ignore
Featuring Allison Ellsworth, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Poppi; Sarah Gibson Tuttle, Founder and CEO, Olive & June; Chriselle Lim, Creative Director, Phlur and Giorgos Tsetis, Co-Founder and Chair, Nutrafol
Moderated by Ainsley Harris, Senior Writer, Fast Company
A few other highlights from the week include…
FastCo’s onsite podcasting booth. Always great when there’s an option to maximize your time on-site by recording a podcast episode or two!
FastCo’s original scent powered by aera
The Tea Lounge, hosted by grace farms, a CT-baed non-profit that gives back 100%
After four busy days, we can’t help but feel excited for what’s ahead as countless industries experience a huge innovation push. And with all this rapid growth, we can’t forget how much our community matters! Part of what makes the Innovation Festival so influential is the opportunity to meet, see behind the curtains, build new relationships – yielding change in unexpected ways.
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