Roots of Progress Institute Progress Conference 2026

The conference was invitation-only and reported approximately 400 guests.

It took place at Lighthaven Campus in Berkeley, California.

Audience categories included authors, founders, journalists, technologists, academics, and nonprofit leaders.

It suits writers, founders, researchers and policy people working on technology, science and economic growth who want to meet peers and start projects, since the roughly 400 guests included authors, journalists, technologists and academics, and speakers were billed to include Nobel laureates Michael Kremer and John Martinis. Access was by invitation, so it was a selective, relationship-driven gathering; practitioners looking for vendor demos, product exhibits or narrow technical training would get less from it, though the optional Thursday and Sunday days added factory tours and interest group events.

Attendees at gatherings of tech, writing and academic communities in Berkeley usually dress casually, in jeans or chinos with a sweater or casual shirt, and layers suit an October campus setting.