Build the System: 1871 Emerging Tech Innovation Summit
From Signal to System: What Are You Actually Shipping?
Overview
Technology has moved from signal to system.
AI, blockchain, and quantum are no longer ideas to track, they are systems being built, deployed, and scaled right now.
This summit is for the people doing that work.
Following May 27’s Chicago Accord Policy Summit, this day shifts from reading the signal → building the system:
What’s real vs hype
What’s actually making it to production
What breaks between demo and deployment
What gets funded and why
Chicago is where systems get built. This is where that happens in real time.
Who Should Attend
Founders building in AI, blockchain, quantum, and deep tech
Enterprise leaders deploying emerging tech into production
Platform and infrastructure operators
Investors backing scalable, production-ready companies
What to Expect
⚡ Real Signal, No Hype
Blunt perspectives from operators and founders who are actually shipping, not theorizing.
🧠 The Signal Shorts
Rapid, high-intensity sessions tackling the hardest questions in emerging tech, no fluff, no panels dragging on.
🚀 Founder Showcases
Short, sharp demos from companies building real products with real traction.
🤝 High-Value Connections
Curated rooms of founders, enterprise leaders, and investors, designed for real conversations, not passive attendance.
Agenda Highlights
12:00–1:00pm — Invitation-Only Rooms
A closed-door start to the day. Built for the people actively doing the work.
Corporate Innovation Leaders: Peer-to-peer exchange on what’s working and what’s not
Founders x Investors: Direct connections between founders and the capital behind them
Builders / Tinkerers (Claude, Codex, + AI Agents): Builders connecting to share workflows and learn from each other
Access is based on approval. Placement is intentional.
Opening Provocation
Why Today Matters
We’re not here to speculate. We’re here to talk about what’s already being built.
Policy → Builder Bridge
The Signal Founders Keep Ignoring
The decisions being made right now will shape what gets built — and who wins.
State of the System
What Is Actually Being Built Right Now?
What’s real. What’s noise. Where the market actually is.
Founder Showcase I
A small set of founders. No slides.
What they’re building — and proof it’s working.
The Signal Shorts
No panels. No filler. Just the questions that matter:
Is quantum closer than we think — or still a decade away?
Why do most AI pilots never reach production?
Is emerging tech creating an infrastructure crisis?
Is this the best time to build — or the most expensive?
Founder Showcase II
More builders. More signal. No fluff.
Closing Fireside
Is the 10x Engineer now the 100x Founder?
What it actually means to build right now.
Startup Alley + Happy Hour
Where the room turns into partnerships, deals, and what happens next.
Supported by Microsoft, Deloitte, and DeVry
Built in partnership with C:TPI