Meet the inventors (not just the execs)

Most people encounter new technology in a product launch or a headline – or maybe when a prototype appears on stage. In our Tech Arena, every technology being showcased comes with a much longer story: the experiments that failed; the assumptions that changed; those moments of persistence that transformed an idea into something tangible. 

And it’s those stories that will be at the heart of a new feature for LEAP 2026: the Inventor Fireside Chat. 

Where ideas become reality 

Across the four days of Tech Arena, visitors will experience technologies that touch almost every aspect of modern life: 

• Brain-computer interfaces
• AI-powered prosthetics
• Spatial computing
• Surgical intelligence
• Frontier science

The programme features 44 sessions and places demonstrations, prototypes and live experiences at its centre.

Alongside those demonstrations, a series of conversations will bring audiences closer to the people responsible for turning ambitious ideas into reality.

Meet the minds behind the tech 

Among them is Mike Pell (Inventor of PDF and Acrobat, Adobe), whose work helped shape how information moves through the digital world. Today, as artificial intelligence reshapes how people find, organise and interact with knowledge, his perspective spans several generations of technological change.

Koichi Wakata (Astronaut and CTO, Axiom Space) offers another angle on innovation. His career connects the history of human spaceflight with the rapidly expanding commercial space sector – providing insight into one of the most ambitious engineering efforts of our time.

Gregory Constantine (CEO and Co-Founder, Air Company) brings a different perspective again, exploring how industrial technologies evolve from scientific research into scalable solutions.

Together, these conversations highlight a theme running throughout Tech Arena: technology advances are driven by the people willing to pursue difficult questions.

The journey behind every breakthrough 

Over the last few years at LEAP, we’ve discovered that innovation unfolds through iteration and unexpected turns. Engineers refine prototypes and scientists challenge assumptions. Founders adapt their ideas as new possibilities emerge.

Each breakthrough accumulates through hundreds of decisions that are invisible once a product reaches the market.

The Inventor Fireside Chats create space for those stories 

For students, founders, engineers, investors and technology enthusiasts, these conversations offer an opportunity to hear directly from the people closest to the work. They reveal how ideas evolve and challenges are overcome – and show how emerging technologies move from concept to reality.

A front-row seat to innovation 

The conversations also add another dimension to Tech Arena's growing focus on experience.

In 2026, 93% of sessions will feature demonstrations, showcases, prototypes or interactive elements, creating an environment where audiences can see technology in action while hearing from the people behind it.

The result is a programme designed to make complex technologies more accessible, and more tangible. 

Register now for LEAP 2026 

Join the conversations driving technology development for the future.