Wharton Aerospace Ventures 2026
Join us for Wharton Aerospace Ventures 2026!
Dates: 15 October with evening reception, pitch event 14 October
Location: Washington DC (following AUSA)
Our 2026 conference title is: Forge Forward: Scaling Our Industrial Foundation
Made in China 2025- China’s industrial strategy that provided a foundation for its rise- is now being integrated into China’s broader 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). China's industrial strategy now touches almost every major sector in the economy and their underlying supply chains and advances technological self-reliance.
China has moved beyond simply chasing American innovation. It is pursuing a different theory of power, one that places production, scale, and control of critical inputs at the center of its national strategy. China has recognized to a greater degree that controlling lower level supply chain inputs controls production scale up and capacity. Our innovation capacity has suffered along with manufacturing moving offshore.
But America is a quick study. Increasingly Congress is calling for and approving budget allocation so shore up our weakened capabilities in the sourcing and processing of raw materials, rare earths and the lowest levels of supply chains. But, public capital is insufficient. America’s innovation and economic prowess is unmatched; we need to tap into these strengths and harness private capital as only the American system can.
Wharton Aerospace Ventures theme this year places these issues at center stage. We not only bring experts, founders, investors addressing these issues, but also have added a Market Crafting layer, putting innovations in industrial policy at the heart of all our discussions.