DC Tech Meetup #94: Predicting 2026: What Wins. What Fails.
Predicting 2026: What Wins. What Fails.
Capital. Startups. Jobs.
2026 is already being shaped by what gets built, funded, and hired today.
DC Tech Meetup #94 kicks off the year with startup pitches and a fast-paced, opinionated panel focused on one question: what will win — and what will fail — in 2026?
🔮 What to Expect
🚀 Startup Pitches
We’ll open with pitches from 4 DMV startups building toward 2026 — a snapshot of where founders are placing their bets.
Pastell - Danny Beck
A platform revolutionizing interactive storytelling. Pastell uses generative AI to instantly transform voice and text into rich, illustrated narratives. They are building the toolset that will allow the next generation of creators to build non-linear, immersive media at speed.
Novolyze - Karim Khinouche
Digitizing the global food safety supply chain. Novolyze uses predictive data analytics to help major brands monitor food quality in real-time. They aren't just tracking data; they are preventing recalls and contamination events before they happen.
Lola Vision Systems - Tayo Adesanya
Pushing the boundaries of intelligent computer vision. Lola Vision Systems is building advanced situational awareness technology that helps machines "see" and predict risks in dynamic environments. This is the sensory layer that safety-critical industries have been waiting for.
TGS Tech - Sarrene Miller
Building the core technical foundation for 3D simulation and spatial computing. TGS is moving beyond simple VR and creating the "physics-grade" digital twins that allow industries to simulate complex environments before they ever break ground in the real world.
🧠 Panel: What Will Win — and What Will Fail — in 2026
This is not a traditional panel. The moderator will put forward strong statements about capital, startups, AI, and jobs. Panelists will react live: win, fail, or too early — and why.
Several statements will come directly from attendee submissions at registration.
🤖 The Tech: Felipe Milon (OpenAI) Representing the AI research and deployment company behind ChatGPT and the models reshaping the world. Felipe joins us to discuss the reality of enterprise adoption and what the next wave of frontier models actually looks like.
⚖️ The Safety: Alekhya Tallapaka (Fathom) Fathom is the leading platform for evaluating and auditing LLMs. Alekhya brings the critical perspective on AI governance, showing us how we build systems that are safe enough for the Fortune 500 to actually use.
💰 The Money: Blaire Rakowicz (District Angels) Blaire represents DC’s premier angel investment group, dedicated to funding early-stage, high-growth startups in the region. As our Moderator, she will be pressing our panelists on what is actually fundable in the current market.
🤝 The Talent: Alana Hyman (HireCapital) HireCapital is the go-to recruiting partner connecting high-growth startups with elite talent. Alana has the real-time data on which roles are spiking, which are fading, and the skills that will matter most in 2026.
📈 The Markets: Alex Cohen (Urvin Finance) Urvin Finance is the platform empowering retail investors with professional-grade data and market advocacy. Alex joins to discuss how the broader economy and retail markets react when technology shifts the ground beneath
📝 Audience Participation
When you register, you’ll be asked to submit your own prediction for 2026. Selected responses will be used live on stage.
🍻 Community After
Stick around after for informal networking and drinks nearby.
👥 Who Should Attend
Founders, builders, operators, job-seekers, and anyone making real bets heading into 2026.
No pitches on the panel. No fluff. Real signal.