Once a year, the threads of an ecosystem—researchers and founders, investors and policymakers, faculty, students and alumni—pull tight. For several days in May, Yale's campus becomes the place where the future of innovation takes shape. 

Yale President Maurie McInnis B.A., ’90 M.A., ’96 Ph.D. opened this year's Summit with a story about Josiah Willard Gibbs—a Yale scientist who, only at a university, had the freedom to follow his curiosity wherever it led. That wandering had consequences no one could have predicted: Gibbs mentored Lee De Forest, the man widely recognized as the father of radio. You cannot always see, at the moment of discovery, where a single thread of inquiry will lead.

That spirit was on full display May 27–28, as more than 2,600 founders, investors, researchers, and industry leaders gathered on Yale's campus for the 2026 Yale Innovation Summit. Hosted by Yale Ventures, the Summit has grown into the Northeast's premier gathering for innovation and entrepreneurship. This year's event represented a global community spanning 35 states and 24 countries. Two days, six pitch competitions, 60+ panels, and signature programming sparked real momentum for ventures working to improve human health, build more resilient cities, develop sustainable energy solutions, and pioneer new funding models for artists and creatives.

The cross-sector momentum extended beyond the stage. During the award ceremony, Mayor Justin Elicker highlighted Unilever's announcement to build a new U.S. research facility in New Haven—the company's largest U.S. R&D infrastructure investment in decades—a concrete signal of Connecticut's rising profile as a destination for serious innovation investment. That public-private alignment was woven throughout the program. Connecticut convened several panels exploring the forces reshaping industry and opportunity, including a conversation with RTX Chief Scientist Michael Winter M.S. '86, M.Phil. '87, '88, who reflected on the mega trends defining the next decade—and on why gatherings like this one matter: "I come here to meet people who think differently."

New this year, Developer Day kicked off the Summit on May 27, giving developers, engineers, and product leaders hands-on exposure to emerging tools from leading quantum and technology companies including Google, D-Wave, and Quantinuum—a sign of where the frontier is heading and who Yale is convening to get there. The Alumni Founder Reunion brought together Yale-affiliated entrepreneurs across generations, deepening the connective tissue of a growing ecosystem. Beyond the sessions, the Summit expanded its creative footprint: a marketplace spotlighting New Haven artists and creatives brought unexpected energy to campus, and an immersive experience in partnership with The Bushnell reminded attendees that innovation doesn't stop at the lab door.

The Summit also introduced the inaugural Yale Founders Award, presented to Craig Crews, John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology—founder of three drug development companies, creator of the PROTAC drug platform, and the scientist behind a breakthrough that, last month, earned the first-ever FDA-approved PROTAC therapy for breast cancer. 

More than $450,000 in funding and prizes—the largest prize pool in the Summit's history—was awarded to ventures spanning equitable housing, regenerative medicine, AI-enabled healthcare, and sustainable energy. These are the next wave of breakthroughs born from Yale research and Connecticut ingenuity.