Product Futures Summit 2026: A Day of Discovery

Celebrating the people and ideas driving tomorrow’s products.

Author

Groundswell Startups
February 06, 2026

Yesterday, Groundswell Startups hosted the SCI Product Futures Summit 2026, the first flagship event of the year under the Space Coast Initiative (SCI) with New World Angels.

The half-day summit brought together founders, investors, product leaders, and ecosystem partners from across the Space Coast and Florida to explore how AI, hardware, and next-generation product development are reshaping how new ventures are built, scaled, and funded.

Special thanks to our emcee, Stephen Sopko, a mentor at Groundswell Startups and the UCF Business Incubator, for guiding the day with clarity, energy, and thoughtful perspective.

A Grounded Look at Building the Future

Throughout the morning, attendees heard candid, experience-driven insights across four focused panels:

Panel 1 (Left to right): Derek Tishler, Meghan Wolfgram, and Eric Becnel

Early-Stage Commercialization & Founder Readiness

Panelists shared practical lessons on navigating early traction, avoiding common pitfalls, and preparing founders for the realities of taking products to market.

Alternative Paths to Market: Licensing & IP Strategy

This conversation explored non-traditional commercialization models, including licensing, IP-first strategies, and how founders can unlock value beyond direct-to-market approaches.

Panel 2 (Left to right): Ray Catania, Bud Deffebach, Stephen Thomas, and Mark Ingram

Panel 3 (Left to right): Ryan Bailey, Mike Maniscalco, Sailesh Kadam, Thomas Larkin, and Kwadwo O. Mensah

AI and the Future of Hardware Design & Manufacturing

Panelists discussed how AI is accelerating design cycles, reducing iteration costs, and transforming how hardware products move from concept to production.

What Investors Look for in Early-Stage Tech & Hardware Ventures

Investors offered a candid perspective on capital readiness, risk assessment, and what truly differentiates investable teams beyond the pitch deck.

Panel 4 (Left to right): Ron Tarro, John Vecchio, Richard Greco, Bud Deffebach, and Dennis Pape

Where Connections Happened

While the panels delivered valuable insights, some of the most impactful moments happened between sessions, during conversations, introductions between founders and investors, and informal exchanges that sparked new relationships and follow-up meetings.

This kind of organic connection is at the heart of Groundswell and SCI’s mission: creating spaces where ideas, expertise, and opportunity intersect.

Early-stage founders in conversation with Groundswell Startups co-founders, Bud Deffebach and John Vecchio (Left to right)

Our Partners & Community

We were proud to host the Summit in collaboration with New World Angels, whose partnership brought thoughtful investor perspectives and meaningful dialogue to the event.

Team New World Angels

We’re deeply grateful to our sponsors Rossby Financial, Menlo Park Patents, UF EII IGNITE, and Protodromics, and our media partners Publify Press and Red Hat Studio for their support in making the Summit possible.

Equally important were the people in the room, moderators, panelists, founders, investors, product leaders, industry and ecosystem partners, whose participation made the conversation candid, constructive, and future-focused.

You can view the highlights and gallery here 👉 spacecoastinitiative.com

What’s Next for SCI

The Product Futures Summit sets the tone for the year ahead under the Space Coast Initiative. Up next is the SCI Hackathon 2026, happening April 11-12, focused on HealthTech, SpaceTech, and DefenseTech, and registration is now live here.

We’re excited to build on this momentum!