
Progress Conference 2025
A four-day event to connect people & ideas in the progress movement
October 16-19, 2025 • Berkeley, California
Meet great people • Catalyze new projects • Share ideas • Be energized & inspired
The first annual progress conference was a resounding success. Well over 200 people came together to discuss ideas, at what many said was the best conference they ever attended. We're excited to continue this regular gathering of the progress community. Let's get together again in Berkeley this fall!
In partnership with:



Sponsored by:






Media sponsored by:

Progress Conference 2025 Overview
October 16-19 in Berkeley, California
LOCATION. We'll be back at the beautiful Lighthaven Campus that received rave reviews for the first conference.
EXPANDED TIME. The main two-day conference will happen all day Friday and Saturday, similar to 2024. New for 2025, Thursday and Sunday will be add-on days, with optional gatherings for interest groups and other activities, such as SF Bay Area company tours.
SPEAKERS. Our initial slate of speakers is below. More speakers will be announced soon.
ACCESS. This will again be an invitation-only event, with ~300 attendees. Tickets are now available for purchase by invited guests. We also have an open application period where anyone can apply for a ticket.
Sponsors: Contact us to support the progress community!
Sponsorships are available at levels from $5K–$100K. You can sponsor the keynotes, a speaker track, book signings, audio-visual support, or food/fun at the event.
Depending on the sponsorship level, you’ll get access to:
- Branding at the event, from signs to lanyards to book plates
- VIP reception ticket(s)
- Conference ticket(s)
- A room at the venue
Progress Conference 2025: Sponsorship Oppurtunities
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 2025 conference 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 scientists. They’ll provide thoughtful perspectives about all kinds of ways we can make progress happen—from building the bold future with AI, biotech innovation, and hard tech, to ensuring policy enables builders in housing, longevity, AI, energy, and more.

Sam Altman

Alex Armlovich

John Burn-Murdoch

Tyler Cowen

Misha Chellam

Jason Crawford

Laura Deming

Jerusalem Demsas

Eli Dourado

Chris Elmendorf

Tim Fist

Samuel Hammond

Luke Iseman

Martin Borch Jensen

Tom Kalil

Bret Kugelmass

Séb Krier

Francisco LePort

Mark Lutter

Charles C. Mann

Lada Nuzhna

Jennifer Pahlka

Dwarkesh Patel

Nico Perrino

Erin Price-Wright

Ryan Puzycki

Sam Rodriques

Santi Ruiz

Blake Scholl

Alec Stapp

Isaiah Taylor

Ruxandra Teslo

Derek Thompson

Caleb Watney

... and more
Four tracks will go deep on specific topics within the progress movement:
And how to not mess up beneficial AI deployment. AI to accelerate science, how to secure free speech in an AI-enabled world, AI to break through government inertia, and discussions on how fast and in what ways AI will re-shape our world more broadly
Agenda-setting and improving the policy-readiness of ideas, the abundance policy agenda, and pro-progress policy implementation at the city, state, and federal level. Case studies in policy, from the pending lawsuit against the NRC, to freedom cities and how we might apply federal leverage to drive local policy change
Biotech approaches to longevity, discussions about specific bottlenecks in longevity, visions for the FDA in the age of AI, AI's potential for accelerating innovation, fertility and its impact on population growth or decline, healthcare reform focused on prevention rather than treatment, and more broadly, a positive vision for a world where we regularly live to be 100
Innovations in aerospace, defense, supply chain, industrials, manufacturing, and other deep-tech industries. Other topics may be the importance of founders and their impact on policy, how to invest in American Dynamism, and how AI will shape these industries and the jobs of the future
General talks outside of these tracks will cover a wide range of topics, such as education and its role in appreciating and being inspired to make progress, the climate and our ability to engineer it to our benefit, and telling stories that inspire progress.
2024 Testimonials
The attendees
300+ thinkers, builders, policymakers, storytellers, and students
Spend four 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
Back at the 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, was perfect for this last year and so we're glad to be back. 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 100 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.
Venue gallery








The program
Four 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.
Friday & Saturday
The main event


Optional add-on days
Thursday & Sunday
Two extra days for interest-specific events—some open to all, some focused on specific groups. More details to be announced.
- Factory tours at Bay Area deep tech companies
- Sessions on specific topics, such as far-future meta-science and funding, housing abundance policy, and bringing progress studies to universities
- Unconference time and space for 1:1 meetings at Lighthaven
- Demos, such as a balloon launch of a stratospheric aerosol injection
- Capstone gathering for the 2025 Roots of Progress blog-building fellows
- An invitation-only pitch session for progress-focused not-for-profit initiatives
Open sessions are included in your ticket, and you may also just hang out and mingle at Lighthaven on either day.
Buy your ticket now or apply to attend!
- If you have received an invitation, check your email for the link to purchase a ticket. Invitation doesn't guarantee a ticket as we expect to sell out.
- 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. Application deadline is May 15th; decisions will be made and shared by June 30th.
We want every qualified person to be able to attend, so we’re keeping costs low. Regular tickets are $600, and cover food and beverage costs during the two core days (six meals, snacks, and drinks). 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 and need financial support, 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 hotels
We have reserved blocks of rooms at a handful of nearby hotels. Each hotel has a different rate and way to book; please see details below.
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 $219 per room, per night is available. The rate is available for any nights from October 16th through October 18th. Book as soon as possible; only a limited number of rooms are available at this rate.
To book, use this reservation link or enter group code "CDT923".
Located close to the venue, SenS hotel is 10 minute drive or a 40 minute walk from Lighthaven. Newly renovated, this charming local hotel is centrally-located in one of the best walking neighborhoods around. This hotel is cozy and convenient.
Our special rate is $175 per room, per night, valid on any nights from October 16th through October 18th. Book as soon as possible, as this hotel is small there are only a handful of rooms available at this rate.
To book, call the hotel directly at (510) 548-9930 and mention the group name "Progress Conference".
Located right by the Walnut Creek BART station, the Residence Inn is a great option if you're willing to stay a bit further away. It's just 5 stops (1 transfer) to the Ashby station which is less than one mile from Lighthaven.
Our special rate is $175 per night, valid on any nights from October 16th through October 18th, and includes a reduced parking rate to $10/day.
To book, use this group link.
This hotel is also located near the Walnut Creek BART station. We don't have a block of rooms reserved but you can use this link for a 15% discount, subject to availability, booked at least 7 days in advance.
Brand new! This hotel is located a few blocks from the Walnut Creek BART Station. This is a great value option if you're willing to stay outside of Berkeley. It's only 5 stops (1 transfer) to the Ashby station, less than one mile from Lighthaven.
Our rate is $179 per night, available for any nights from October 16th through October 18th.
To book, call the hotel directly at (877) 782-9444 and ask for group "Roots of Progress".
We recommend booking accommodations early as some hotels in the area are already sold out.
