Summerfest TechAI Announces Featured Panels With Rockwell and Johnson Controls, Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab
New Breakout Session Details Released
MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. (MWF) today announced new keynote panels, industry breakout sessions, and entrepreneur programming for the ninth annual Summerfest Tech, June 23–26, 2026, taking place throughout downtown Milwaukee. The conference also aligns with the second weekend of the nationally renowned independent music festival, Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance.
Registration for the conference’s core programming remains free, with new add-on experience badges offering enhanced perks, programing, and festival access. To register and purchase visit https://www.summerfest-tech.com/register/.
“We’re excited to welcome attendees from across the country to Milwaukee for Summerfest TechAI as we bring together the ideas and industries that are shaping the future,” said Sarah Pancheri, President and CEO, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “This conference highlights how Wisconsin is helping drive AI innovation, while continuing to elevate the region as a growing tech hub.”
The conference will open with a panel featuring the Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab and how it helps companies utilize AI to solve operational challenges. The lab is an engine of applied AI unique to Wisconsin, operated in partnership with UW-Milwaukee’s Connected Systems Institute and TitletownTech. The panel will also feature companies who have built solutions in the lab, highlighting how Wisconsin has become a hub for applied AI innovation.
Closing the conference on June 26, M7 will lead a panel featuring executive leaders from Rockwell Automation and Johnson Controls. The discussion will explore how bold ideas and purposeful AI drive transformative innovation, with real-world examples from Southeast Wisconsin companies putting these strategies into action. (open to Marquee or All-In Badge holders only).
These sessions build on previously announced keynotes featuring Shazam founder Chris Barton, executives from Generac Power Systems, UW-Madison, BMO, and Microsoft Data Centers.In addition to keynotes, this year’s breakout sessions will center on the theme: “Technology as a business strategy—not just an IT function.” Six tracks will highlight key industries, emerging technologies, and AI adoption, and include the following topics:
- Advanced Manufacturing – sponsored by AWS & Syntax – AI in design innovation, software-defined vehicles, AI-powered smart manufacturing, practical tech ROI, and more.
- Healthcare/Biotech – sponsored by JBS Dev – food as healthcare, actualizing biohealth careers, customer-centric AI intelligence, and more.
- Food, Beverage, and Agriculture Tech – sponsored by Molson Coors Beverage Company – AI at Scale, Profiting Through Volatility, ABC, and more.
- FinTech – sponsored by Potawatomi Ventures – consumer protections in AI, modernizing financial services, and more.
- Trending & Cross Industry Track: sponsored by Michels – immersive talent pipelines, tech in sports, AI transforming lead generation, applied AI blueprints, and more.
- MarTech: how AI is affecting the customer experience, whether to build, buy or AI marketing software technology, revenue systems alignment, and more.
Additional Entrepreneur Alley sessions include:
- Beyond the City Bias: Rural entrepreneurship isn’t a compromise; it’s a strategic advantage. This session explores how founders outside major urban hubs are building resilient, high-impact businesses by leveraging trusted networks, lean operations, and place-based strengths to compete and scale far beyond their geography.
- Collaboration Over Competition: The next great startup ecosystems will be built by regions, not individual cities. This session explores how investors, universities, and regional leaders can collaborate to create durable startup corridors that retain talent, attract capital, and build long-term economic momentum beyond the coasts.
- Capital Confidence: Fundraising in today’s Midwest takes more than a strong idea, it requires strategy, storytelling, and persistence. This session brings together founders to share practical lessons on navigating investor relationships, overcoming regional challenges, and raising capital with confidence in a changing funding landscape.
To see more details and updates on the agenda, visit Summerfest-Tech.
Summerfest TechAI is supported by: ABC Pathways, AE Business Solutions, Aleysian, Arista, AWS/Syntax, Bayforce, BMO, Briggs & Stratton, Concurrency, Cream City Cyber, CU Ventures/Bridge to Cures, Customertimes, Dell, Experience Milwaukee, Funded House, Generac Power Systems, GuidePoint Security/Sublime Security/Torq, Heartland Business Systems, Hitachi Vantara, Husco, JBS Dev, Light The Hoan, Majic Productions, Michels, MKE Tech Hub Coalition, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Moreland Connect, Ping Identity, Potawatomi Ventures, Regal Rexnord, Red Foundry/i.c.stars, Rehlko, SailPoint Technologies, SDG Corporation, Slalom, STEP CG, T-Mobile for Business, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education, University of Wisconsin School of Business, Vadar Alpha, Waukesha County Technical College, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation .
Organizations interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact SummerfestTech@summerfest.com.
About Summerfest Tech
Summerfest Tech began in 2018 with the goal of leveraging the Summerfest brand to showcase technology and provide a forum for attendees from the tech and business community to network, educate, and celebrate the evolution of technology. Summerfest Tech continues to champion the regional business community, while shining the spotlight on Wisconsin’s growing reputation as a tech hub, highlighting the growth and opportunity in the region. Programming from local, regional, and national speakers, as well as a cash-prize pitch competition, connects the tech community around relevant topics. Summerfest Tech will be held June 23-26, 2026, For more details, visit Summerfest-tech.com.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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