Dinner, Drinks & Debates with The Zurich Risk Club
BlueYard and J floor would like to invite you to a gathering of The Zurich Risk Club, on the evening of Thursday, May 7, 2026. In an intimate setting of a maximum of 20 people, we will discuss and debate the key risks of our time, over drinks and dinner in a Jeffersonian format. However, instead of being fearful and focusing on mitigating risks - we will collectively discuss and develop strategies of how to go risk on in these ultra-volatile times—volatility and risks as opportunities, not threats. We will document & share our joint strategies after the session.
Topics we will (attempt to) cover include:
Congratulations, the multi-polar world you ordered is here. What now?
You're building a company through this transition. What signals are you watching that would change how you operate in 2026 and beyond? Where do you think we actually are in the shift to a new system?
Which kinds of companies, and which geographies, do you think win and lose from here?
How is the reshuffling of alliances showing up in your customer conversations, your hiring, your supply chain?
What's a development you're positioning your company around that your peers and investors aren't taking seriously yet?
Is there a version of this story where founders should be optimistic? What are you seeing on the ground that the macro commentary misses?
Concretely, what have you changed in the last year in how you run the company? Capital structure, geographic footprint, customer concentration, team, board? What's next on that list?
It looks like we have to wait for AGI a little longer, and brace for it to cause turmoil in labour markets sooner
Where is AI genuinely augmenting your team versus replacing roles you would otherwise have hired for? How, if at all, has that changed your hiring plan for 2026?
What new categories of work or companies are you seeing emerge that couldn't have existed 24 months ago? What are you building, or wishing someone would build, in that space?
If AI-driven productivity accrues mostly to capital, founders end up on both sides of that equation. How are you thinking about it as an employer, as a builder, and as someone whose customers and employees will live through the disruption?
Where would you put a long and a short today based on how you see AI reshaping markets over the next three to five years?
Europe has usually been bad in good times and good in bad times. These are very bad times — but what's the path for Europe to emerge stronger? Is this all just a blessing in disguise?
What capacities, skills, or trade lanes are you actually betting on? Where is Europe genuinely competitive versus where is the narrative ahead of reality?
Defense and deterrence has gone from taboo to tailwind for European founders. How is that shift showing up in your business (customers, capital, talent, regulation) and what do you think the next 24 months look like?
With the occasional palate cleanser questions such as:
Would you let an AI pick your life partner if it could guarantee a 99% compatibility rate? Why or why not?
You might soon have the choice to be able to live forever. Would you like to? Why, why not?
If you were to build a society from scratch, what existing norm would you abandon?
Are there certain truths we can know without evidence?