about the conference

Building on the momentum of our 2025 conference, the MIT Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship (KSC) will once again bring together a dynamic community of entrepreneurs, policymakers, corporate leaders, academics, and investors from across Africa, Latin America, the Arab Region, Central Asia, and South and Southeast Asia—regions defining the future of the global economy.

During last year’s conference, we spoke about the importance of designing a New Calculus for Global Prosperity. The center is grounding its work around this new calculus—an approach that places entrepreneurship and innovation at the very heart of building sustainable and inclusive prosperity.

conference panels and workshops

During our 2026 Conference, we'll go deeper into what action items need to be taken for all of us to collectively translate this new calculus into practice. Sessions will examine how innovation ecosystems, ethical technology deployment, and new models of capital allocation can drive prosperity that is both inclusive and sustainable. Through immersive discussions, ministerial dialogues, and hands-on workshops, participants will explore how emerging technologies can become powerful engines of shared progress and collaborate on designing practical frameworks for a more equitable global economy.

day one

The 2026 Conference will open with a reflection on MIT KSC’s impact over the past year, including how we have centered our work around a New Calculus for Global Prosperity. Throughout the day, participants will engage in a series of discussions and action-oriented workshops exploring the key dimensions of the New Calculus; from redefining how we measure growth, to the role of deep tech innovation in solving real-world challenges, and advancing new forms of capital mobilization strategies catered for growth markets.

Day two

The second day will delve into how growth markets are adopting advanced technologies, in addition to discussing the importance of sectors like energy to our ability to achieve shared prosperity. Participants will also co-create regional roadmaps for applying The New Calculus for Global Prosperity within their respective contexts. Panels and workshops will discuss topics including:

• Reframing growth: Moving beyond traditional capitalism towards a more holistic model for achieving prosperity.

• Disruptive science: How deep tech should solve real world problems in growth markets.

• Nothing about us without us: The critical role of participatory design in innovation-driven entrepreneurship ecosystems. 

• Systems investing: Investment strategies that can help unlock change across entire ecosystems. 

• AI: The complicated relationship between AI, national sovereignty, and ethics, and how it can serve public interest without stifling innovation.

• The energy transition: The path forward in turning energy vulnerability into a catalyst for innovation and sovereignty.

• Legacies of purpose: Stories of phenomenal founders who have built successful enterprises that delivered prosperity to entire communities (or entire economies in some cases) in the process.