Welcome to OODAcon 2023

The annual OODAcon event brings together the hackers, thinkers, strategists, disruptors, leaders, technologists, and creators with one foot in the future to discuss the most pressing issues of the day and provide insight into the ways technology is evolving. 

Planning is underway now for OODAcon 2026, which will be held 4 Nov 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Reston.

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Planning is underway now for OODAcon 2026, which will be held 4 Nov 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Reston.

OODAcon 2023 October 25th – Reston, VA

The anticipation of disruptive technologies has allure for those of us trying to develop informed strategies about the future, but what if those disruptive technologies already exist today?

Our theme for this year’s OODAcon is FUTURE NOW as we focus on the technologies, ideas, and risks that exist right now that leaders need to understand today.  It is time to stop treating the future like some distant possibility and address the inherent reality of the innovation that exists today and will impact your organization.  Are you ready for the FUTURE NOW?

OODAcon 2023 is over. But now is the time to help us shape OODAcon 2024! To do that join us as a Network Member. See: Join OODA Loop

You can also dive into some of the results of OODAcon 2023 by downloading our event summary: “Imperatives for Action“.

Become an ooda network member

The updated agenda is at: OODAcon Agenda

OODAcon 2023 Topics Include:

Keynote Conversation: Backing the Mavericks and Mad Scientists the Nation Needs Now

In this conversation we’ll explore the current state of disruptive innovation and how the next generation of solutions could emerge from unconventional channels to include non-institutional entrepreneurs, mad scientists, and basement hackers.  Michael is the author of the book Paper Belt on Fire and currently a general partner at the 1517 Fund. Prior to that he established the Thiel Fellowship program which paid young adults to work on disruptive ideas instead of attending college. Notable awardees of the Thiel Fellowship include Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum inventor) and Dylan Field (CEO of Figma).

Matt Devost, CEO, OODA
Michael Gibson, author of Paper Belt on Fire and founder of the 1517 Fund

Zero Trust Societies and Disruptive Technologies

How do we maintain societal trust as individuals migrate from platform to platform, identities get impersonated, and technologies like ChatGPT and Midjourney produce conversations and images indistinguishable from the truth through malicious prompts or hallucinations.  This session will explore the trust threats and emerging trust wars and look to identify solutions that help alleviate these risks.

Heather McMahon, UMD Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security
SJ Terp, Cognitive Security Expert

Cyber is the New Cyber – Managing Emergent Risks

While the field of cybersecurity is easily over 30 years old, it continues to be a nexus for significant risk in emerging technologies.  This session will explore how threat actors are adapting to new environments and adopting disruptive technologies to achieve their goals.  

Kristin Del Rosso, Field CTO, Public Sector, Sophos
Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Sr Director of SentinelLabs, SentinelOne
Sarah Jones, Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst, Microsoft
Visi Stark, cofounder, The Vertex Project

The Space Edge – Defining New Opportunities, Economies, and Risks

After decades of stagnation, space innovation keeps pushing the boundaries of the possible with new firsts emerging on a monthly basis.  This session will dig deep into the emerging opportunities, economies, and risks associated with the rapid development of space-based technologies, resource acquisition, and shift from the public to private sector.

Ryan Westerdahl, CEO Turion Space
Sita Sonty, CEO Space Tango

Building Trust Back into Blockchain

Blockchain technologies have experienced a period of Creative Destruction as fraudsters and opportunists exploited an environment with lots of misaligned economic incentives and lagging regulatory oversight.  Despite the hurdles, blockchain technologies continue to be incredibly disruptive in the market and offer new opportunities in both the public and private sectors.  This session will explore leading blockchain innovation with a specific focus on how it might enable new models for business and governance.

Angela Dalton, CEO and Founder, Signum Growth
David Ackerman, CCO MobileCoin
Mohsan Farid, Co-Founder, LedgerOps

The Generative AI Surprise

During our 2022 conference, we predicted that ChatGPT would take the business world by storm and included an interview with OpenAI Board Member and former Congressman Will Hurd.  Today, thousands of businesses are being disrupted or displaced by generative AI.  This session will take a closer look at this innovation and the impact it is having on business, society, and international politics.

Pulkit Jaiswal, Co-Founder NWO.ai
Bob Flores, former CTO, CIA

Hacking Humans – The New Genetic Frontiers

There have been groundbreaking advancements in genetic engineering and new medical technologies are poised to disrupt the dialogue on health, ethics, global security, and the future of humanity.   This session will explore  disruptive technologies, such as the revolutionary CRISPR gene-editing tool, breakthroughs in synthetic biology like Xenobots, and the emergence of exponential medical treatments that demonstrate rapid adoption properties. 

Natalie Barrett, Phaedrus Engineering, Biomedical Engineer
Marc Salit, MITRE Fellow, Synthetic Biology
Andre Watson, CEO, Ligandal, Biomaterials Scientist

Robots, Automation, and Autonomy

From Amazon warehouses to military conflict in Ukraine we have become increasingly dependent on automated and autonomous platforms. This session will explore the current state of the field with a specific focus on the impact to national and economic security.

Matthew Steckman, CRO, Andruil Industries
Duyane Norman, DIU

OODA Global Risk Briefing

Drawn from our OODA Network of Experts, this global risk briefing will update you on the latest conventional and cyber threats and geopolitical considerations that should inform your decision making.

Johnny Sawyer, CEO the Sawyer Group
Jen Hoar, Corporate Intelligence and Investigations

The New Space Rush: The Final Frontier for the Economy and National Security

Humanities high water mark in space was in 1972 with the last of the Apollo missions. Since then no humans left Earth’s orbit and and all efforts on the ISS or from our Satellites seemed so very linear and exploratory. All indications are that we are entering a new age of exploration and human expansion into space with humans soon returning to the moon, Mars and perhaps soon afterwards even the asteroids. Explore the new national security and economic realities of this new space rush in our closing keynote discussion with the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of the US Space Force.

Bob Gourley, CTO, OODA
Lisa Costa, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of the US Space Force

OODAcon can only be made possible with the help of some really great sponsors. They include:   

• Carahsoft: Trusted government IT solutions provider & top-ranked GSA Schedule Contract holder driving public sector IT modernization.
• Hubble: Technology asset visibility and cyber posture management solution that gives you the information you need to stop breaches and remain compliant.
• Accenture: Creating value through strategy and consulting.
• Fortem Technologies: The leader in airspace awareness, security, and defense for detecting and defeating dangerous drones.
• General Systems/Excession: Understanding machine data in real time to enable better faster decisions.
• Cooley: Where innovation meets law.
• MissionLink: Connecting passionate problem solvers with the right resources to solve national security concerns across commercial and federal sectors.
• Innovyz USA: Turning great ideas into great companies.
• NXT1: The developer’s platform to build and operate secure SaaS

Thank you for your support to the OODA community!