Progress Conference 2024
Toward Abundant Futures
A two-day event to connect people & ideas in the progress movement
October 18–19, 2024 • Berkeley, California
Meet great people • Catalyze new projects • Share ideas • Be energized & inspired
The progress movement has grown a lot in the last few years. We now have progress journals, think tanks, and fellowships. The progress idea has spread and evolved into the “abundance agenda”, “techno-optimism”, “supply-side progressivism”, “American dynamism”. All of us want to see more scientific, technological, and economic progress for the good of humanity, and envision a bold, ambitious, flourishing future.
What we haven't had so far is a regular gathering of the community. Let’s get together in Berkeley this fall!
In partnership with:
Sponsored by:
Sponsors: Contact us to support the progress community!
Sponsorships are available at levels from $5K–$25K. Sponsor keynotes, a speaker track, book signings, fellows attending the event, or food/fun at the event.
Depending on the sponsorship level, you’ll get access to:
- VIP reception ticket(s)
- Conference ticket(s)
- Branding at the event, from lanyards to book plates
- A room at the venue
Progress Conference 2024: Sponsorship Opportunities
Email progress-conference@rootsofprogress.org for details or to set up a call with Heike Larson, RPI’s Vice President of Programs, to discuss sponsorships.
The speakers
Top thinkers and doers in the progress community
Authors, founders, journalists, technologists, academics, nonprofit leaders
Our speakers all are inspired to create an ambitious, technologically advanced future—yet they may disagree (sometimes vehemently) about how we get there. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, from academics to company founders to investors, from journalists to YouTubers. They’ll provide thoughtful perspectives about all kinds of ways we can make progress happen—from meta-science to policy reform, from space to AI to biotech to defense and nuclear energy and more.
Keynote Speakers
Patrick Collison
Tyler Cowen
Jason Crawford
Steven Pinker
More Speakers
John Burn-Murdoch
Emily Chamlee-Wright
Saloni Dattani
Julia DeWahl
Eli Dourado
Casey Handmer
Chad Jones
Bret Kugelmass
Niko McCarty
Johan Norberg
Scott Phoenix
Virginia Postrel
Kanjun Qiu
Ben Reinhardt
Blake Scholl
Alec Stapp
Chandler Tuttle
Marian Tupy
Caleb Watney
Talks will align roughly to four tracks, which together cover the core of the progress movement:
- The big idea of human progress: history, philosophy, economics, and future visions
- Policy for progress: changes to laws and regulatory environments that remove barriers to progress or actively support it, at the federal, state & city level
- Technology for progress: making progress happen through technology and new ventures, from atoms to bits
- Storytelling and media for a culture of progress: shifting the public narrative from fatalism and defeatism to agency and ambition, through writing, podcasting, fiction, TV and movies
The attendees
200+ thinkers, builders, policy makers, storytellers, and students
Spend two days hanging out with others in our community and help shape the progress movement into a cultural force.
Whether you identify as a supply-side or abundance progressive, e/acc or EA, whether you come at progress from a classical liberal background or study meta-science, advocate for broad YIMBY or American Dynamism—you are invited to meet each other, share ideas in unconference sessions, and leave energized.
As an event invitee, you’ll join people from a wide range of backgrounds:
- Key academics and public intellectuals in the progress movement
- Leaders of progress-related organizations, from science to policy
- Founders and engineers working on solving the world’s biggest problems and building an ambitious future, from space to nanotech, from AI to deep tech
- Cultural leaders, from science fiction authors to YouTubers to Hollywood producers and script writers
- The Roots of Progress fellows and other up-and-coming progress intellectuals
- Supporters of the progress movement (including the conference sponsors)
Attendance is by invitation only. We want to maintain a high bar on participant relevance & engagement to ensure a great experience for everyone.
If you didn’t get invited yet you can ping us via our open application; share as much info as you think we’ll need to decide whether to invite you.
The venue
An inviting Berkeley campus perfect for mingling and engaging in deep conversations
This gathering is all about connecting interesting people so ideas can flow and new projects can be cooked up. Our venue, the Lighthaven Campus in Berkeley, is perfect for this. It’s a cluster of old homes with a wide range of lounge areas that invite conversation, several living-room and larger areas to hold sessions of up to 60 people, and a garden with many places to sit and chat or walk around. Plenary sessions will happen in the garden auditorium, or be held in a large session space & livestreamed to smaller spaces.
VIP & Speaker reception venue
The Institute, Salesforce Tower
Our invitation-only pre-event reception on Thursday evenings, for speakers and VIPs, takes place in the skies above San Francisco, on one of the top floors of the Salesforce Tower. This venue offers a small-group presentation room and a cafe where we will mingle over appetizers and desert and explore progress ideas over dinner.
The program
Two days of intellectual exploration, inspiration & interaction
We aim to make this event a highlight of your year.
Attend talks on topics from tech to policy to culture, build relationships with new people as you hang out on cozy sofas or enjoy the sun in the garden, sign up to run an unconference session and find others who share your interests and passions, or pitch your ideas to those who could help make your dreams a reality.
Agenda and flow
Buy your ticket now or
apply to attend!
- If you have received an invitation, check your email for the link to purchase a ticket.
- Not on our invitation list (yet)? We have an open application. Share just your contact info / company / website, or provide as much info as you think we’ll need to decide whether to invite you. Applications are due no later than July 15th; decisions will be made and shared by August 15th.
We want every qualified person to be able to attend, so we’re keeping costs low. Regular tickets are $300, and cover food and beverage costs during the two days. Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging; limited scholarships and waived ticket fees are available.
- If you’re applying to attend via the open application, we’ll ask about financial need there.
- If you received an invitation to attend, email us and let us know: (1) what level of support you need (free ticket, travel stipend, lodging support), (2) why we should support you, and (3) whether you’re willing to volunteer at the conference.
Questions? Email us: progress-conference@rootsofprogress.org.
Recommended event hotel
A limited block of rooms is available at the Hilton DoubleTree at the Berkeley Marina. 15 minutes by Uber/Lyft or 40 min by bus from the venue and right on the Bay, this hotel is both convenient and nice.
Reserve your room while our special rate of $159 per room, per night is available. The rate is available for any nights between October 16–20. Block expires on August 15, and only a limited number of rooms are available at this rate.
