Tech Futures Week - Innovation Summit

Published: October 7, 2026 | 4 Min Read

6 October 2026 | 9:00am - 5:00pm | The Harquail Theatre & Studio Theatre

One day. Big ideas.
Real conversations about Cayman’s AI future.

Tuesday, 6 October 2026 • The Harquail Theatre & Studio Theatre • 9:00am - 5:00pm • Free Admission • A Tech Futures Week Event

AI is changing how companies are built, how decisions are made, how capital moves and how economies compete. The Tech Futures Innovation Summit brings Cayman’s technology, business, investment and entrepreneurial communities together for a full day focused on what that means, and what comes next.

No endless theory. No AI hype for the sake of it. Just smart people tackling the questions that matter.
Free-to-Attend Policy • Access Over Ticket Revenue • Register Below ⬇

Conference Agenda

9:00am-9:30am: Coffee and Networking
9:30am-10:00am: Welcome Remarks
10:00am-10:30am: AI Is Not an IT Project: Who Actually Signs Off?
10:30am-11:00am: The AI Worked. So Why Did the Business Get More Complicated?
11:00am-12:00pm: The AI Founder Advantage: Build Faster. Scale Smarter. From Cayman to the World.
12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch
1:00pm-1:30pm: How Intelligent Technology Is Rewriting Markets
1:30pm-2:00pm: The AI Workforce Shift: Jobs, Skills and What Cayman Does Next
2:00pm-3:00pm: AI, Digital Assets and the Future of Finance
3:00pm-3:30pm: Coffee & Connections
3:30pm-4:00pm: Investors Take the Stage! Reverse Pitch @ Studio Theatre
4:00pm-5:00pm: Pitch & Sip @ Studio Theatre

Featured Sessions

AI Is Not an IT Project: Who Actually Signs Off?

10:00am-10:30am • Main Stage • Mary Davies • The Cayman Islands Computer Science Society (CICSS)

When AI systems make or escalate decisions, regulatory judgement can become embedded in technical work without clear approval from compliance, legal or risk teams. Using a Cayman based case study, this session will explore what each function must own before an AI system is deployed. Attendees will leave with a practical RACI matrix they can apply to AI projects within their own organisations.

The AI Worked. So Why Did the Business Get More Complicated?

10:30am-11:00am • Main Stage • Daphnée Daniel

AI can make work faster, but it can also shift responsibilities, create new review steps and introduce unexpected operational pressure. This session looks beyond whether the technology works to examine what changes inside the business when AI is adopted, and what leaders need to consider before scaling AI-enabled ways of working.

The AI Founder Advantage: Build Faster. Scale Smarter. From Cayman to the World.

11:00am-12:00pm • Main Stage • Michael Garrett, Darren Jack, & Michael Staniewicz •The Cayman Islands Venture Founders Society (CIVFS)

AI is rewriting the founder playbook. Products can be built faster, ideas tested earlier, teams kept leaner, and global markets reached sooner, but judgment, differentiation and execution still matter. This founder-led panel discussion cuts through the hype to explore how entrepreneurs can use AI to accelerate research, product development and customer discovery, build smarter teams, protect IP, prepare for investment and scale internationally, and how Cayman can provide a strong platform for globally ambitious, AI-enabled companies.

How Intelligent Technology Is Rewriting Markets

1:00pm-1:30pm • Main Stage • Josh Hecht & Mario Yaksetig • The Cayman Islands Virtual Assets Society (CIVAS)

AI will do more than make existing businesses faster and more efficient. Combined with stablecoins, tokenisation and programmable finance, it is creating new assets, new business models and entirely new markets. This keynote will explore how intelligent technology is reshaping the global financial landscape, where the next wave of opportunity may emerge, and the role Cayman can play not simply as a domicile for innovation, but as a place where new ideas are built, financed and scaled.

The AI Workforce Shift: Jobs, Skills and What Cayman Does Next
1:30pm-2:00pm • Main Stage • Wesley Howell & Leonard Lewis
AI is changing the work inside jobs; the skills businesses need and how organisations think about talent. This 30-minute fireside discussion will bring together public-sector and technology perspectives to explore how roles and workflows are evolving, what employers should be preparing for now, and how Cayman can equip its people and businesses to compete in an increasingly AI-enabled economy.

AI, Digital Assets and the Future of Finance

2:00pm-3:00pm • Main Stage • Josh Hecht, Ariana Kosyan, Mario Yaksetig • The Cayman Islands Virtual Assets Society (CIVAS)
AI, tokenisation and digital assets are beginning to reshape how capital moves, how financial decisions are made and how global commerce operates. This panel discussion will explore the impact of AI on underwriting and financial decision-making, the growing role of stablecoins and tokenised assets, and the new risks emerging around fraud, identity, model error and increasingly automated markets. The conversation will also examine how Cayman can position itself to govern, finance and participate in the next generation of financial infrastructure.

Investors Take the Stage! Reverse Pitch

3:30pm-4:00pm • Studio Theatre • Launch Labs Studios
Reverse Pitch is a founder-focused event where investors and service providers take the stage to share what they’re looking for, who they want to work with, and how they can support growing businesses. Founders then take the lead during Q&A, asking the questions that matter most before connecting one-on-one with potential investors, partners, and service providers.

Pitch & Sip

4:00pm-5:00pm • Studio Theatre • Launch Labs Studios
See what Cayman’s next wave of AI ventures are building. Founders will take the stage for a series of short pitches, giving investors and ecosystem leaders a first look at emerging ideas, products and opportunities. Stay for refreshments, meet the founders, and continue the conversation one-on-one.

BRIKS Advisory, Goodman Powery • BRIKS Advisory is a Cayman Islands decision intelligence firm that gives real estate developers rigorous, independent analysis of a project before they commit capital to it.
Habitly, Rochelle Ogilvie • Habitly is a lifestyle challenge platform that turns everyday habits into an engaging, trackable experience through dynamic challenges that inform your next clinic visit.
Violet Sky Security SEZC, Rudolf Coetzee • Violet Sky Security has developed SPT-Txn, a secure, identity-based transaction authorisation layer that verifies whether a digital payment is permitted before funds move. SPT-Txn integrates with an organisation’s existing identity providers and security policies to enforce transaction-specific authorisation, helping prevent unauthorised payments, reduce financial risk, and strengthen trust across traditional and Web3 payment systems.