NEARCON 2026 is not simply a conference. It is a civic experiment where builders, researchers, and thought leaders come together to explore how intelligence, privacy, and the open web can reshape how we live, create, and govern. It is a stage for ideas, a workshop for prototypes, and a gathering place for those who believe technology should serve people, not platforms.
It is also the flagship gathering of the NEAR ecosystem and one of the most forward-looking events at the convergence of AI and open technologies. Each year, developers, investors, and community members join NEARCON for two days of keynotes, technical workshops, demos, and networking.
The 2026 edition takes place at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco under the theme “Private. Intelligent. Yours.”
This theme reflects a turning point in the evolution of AI — a moment when intelligence becomes personal, private, and decentralized. At NEARCON, we explore how open infrastructure can enable an AI economy built on trust, ownership, and autonomy.
Inspired by the spirit of open-source collaboration and the long traditions of science, art, and civic innovation, NEARCON invites participants to help build a new digital commons. Together, we imagine and design systems that are not only intelligent but also ethical, transparent, and human-centered, setting the foundation for the next era of the internet.
Join founders, researchers, and builders redefining how intelligent systems run – private, open, and on your terms.
What to Expect?
- Visionary keynotes from global AI and open technology pioneers.
- Live agent demos and hands-on workshops.
- Deep dives on why privacy is the key to user-owned AI at scale.
- Debates between industry leaders on adoption, ethics, and billion-dollar use cases.
- Partner activations and a dedicated builders lounge.
Speakers include:
- Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder, NEAR Protocol
- Lukasz Kaiser, Researcher, OpenAI
- Kaushal Kurapati, Group Vice President, AI Agents, Oracle
- Abhishek Fatehpuria, Vice President, Product Management, Robinhood
- Alex Skidanov, Co-Founder, NEAR Protocol & NEAR AI
- Erik Voorhees, CEO, Venice AI
- Diogo Mónica, General Partner, Haun Ventures; Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Anchorage Digital
- Avichal Garg, Co-Founder and Partner, Electric Capital
- Richard Muirhead, Chairman & Managing Partner, Fabric Ventures
- Matt White, GM of AI, Executive Director, PyTorch, Linux Foundation
- Marvin Tong, CEO & Co-Founder, Phala Network
- Jan Liphardt, Founder & CEO, OpenMind
- Jordan Gray, CoFounder, CMO, Public AI
- Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner, Dragonfly
- Matthew Wang, Founder, OpenGradient
- Ben Wu, Co-founder, PIN AI
- Ben Fielding, CEO & Co-Founder, Gensyn
- Jeff Wilser, Founder, AI-Curious and The People’s AI
- Jasper Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder, Hyperbolic
- Alec Foster, Chief AI Strategist & Responsible AI Lead, Media Alliance (MMA)
- Naomi Brockwell, Founder, President, Ludlow Institute
Find Hotels NEARCON 2026 San Francisco