SOMEDAY
THEY’LL FIGURE OUT HOW TO CAPTURE AND STORE ALL THIS FREE SUNLIGHT
ENERGY
SOMEDAY
THEY’LL BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR EVERYONE
SOMEDAY
THEY’LL MAKE SAFE NUCLEAR ENERGY SCALE TO POWER THE WORLD
The ‘they’ is you, and
Today’s the day.
The world is full of problems. At Idealab Arizona we own those problems.
We don’t ask “what are they doing?” We ask “what can we do?” At Idea Day 2026 at ASU, any participant can bring one of the world’s problems and walk out with a job, an idea, funding, or even a company to solve them.
Whether you’re a student, an entrepreneur, an investor, or just someone with an idea, you are welcome. Let’s make IdeaDay 2026 at ASU a day that lights up your life, lights up your career, and lights up the world.
Let’s make today the day.
Sticky note voting on ideas
Working to bring more ideas into the world
Teams work on their pitch stories
Teams meet and connect
Bill Gross, a prolific innovator and entreprenuer
Investors and founders mingle
Snacks served with a side dish of vision
Breakout groups attack the worlds biggest challenges
INSPIRATION LAST YEAR | IDEADAY 2025
CAREERS
Today’s the day
to join the C-Suite
Engineers, accountants, creatives — whatever your expertise there’s one thing a startup needs more than anything: you.
Find an idea you love, get involved, and take your career to the next level.
FOUNDERS
Today’s the day
to get started-up
If you have an idea — or simply a problem you want to solve in the world — you’ll connect with seasoned startup experts who will help you refine the concept and craft a compelling pitch for investors.
INVESTORS
Today’s the day
to get in on the
ground floor
Unique access to the Idealab Arizona and Idealab Studio companies and a chance to be in the room where it happens when an idea lights up the world.
ALEX
GOLDSTEIN
FOUNDER IN TRAINING
Graduating college in May, specialist in the intersection of venture capital and AI-driven innovation, using data and technology to transform investment decisions and global business strategy.
MICKEY
MCMANUS
SYSTEMS FUTURIST
Exploring the convergence of AI, complex adaptive systems, and digital design to reimagine how humans engineer, build, and evolve the physical world.
THIBAULT
LETENDRE
ASU STUDENT
Applying advanced NLP to sales conversations to uncover intent and decision signals, helping turn everyday dialogue into smarter insights.
DRENA
KUSARI
FOUNDER/INVESTOR
Founding Idealab Arizona investor and Microsoft leader advancing the next generation of generative AI transforming how humans work, create, and make decisions.
ILENE
SMITH
FOUNDER/INVESTOR
Founding Idealab Arizona investor and champion for the next generation of female investors, empowering women to step into venture capital and shape the future of innovation.
NATE
JOHNSON
ASU LEEPSX
ASU LEEPSX leader accelerating next-generation power systems and extreme-scale energy technologies to power the future electric grid.
JASON
CATANESE
EDUCATION EXPERT
Camp Catanese leader empowering first-generation students with mentorship, STEM education, and pathways to college and opportunity.
ADAM
SEMEL
ENERGY & ARCHITECTURE
CEO of Ourea Energy building next-generation gravity energy storage systems to power a resilient, low-carbon global grid.
JAY
MASKA
ENTREPRENEUR
Entrepreneur and business strategist building scalable systems that empower entrepreneurs to grow, lead, and create lasting wealth.
CHRISTIAN
KOCH
INVESTOR
An Idealab Arizona founding investor who is passionate about empowering the Arizona start-up ecosystem.
STARTUP EXPERTISE
