The Inaugural OpenWater Summit · San Francisco · 2026

Where decision-makers
discover their
most experienced talent

250 accomplished professionals. One room. Corporate leaders, talent decision-makers, and hiring executives in the audience. Members on stage, demonstrating decades of judgment that AI cannot replicate. AI gives your teams speed. These professionals know where to point it.

This is not a conference. It’s a talent showcase — and your front seat.

250OpenWater
Members
25Corporate
Guests
1.5Days
Single Track
1stInaugural
Year
The Opportunity
The most experienced talent pool in modern history

Nearly 100 million Americans aged 50 to 75 — operators, executives, and founders who built the systems your teams still run on. They are healthier, more productive, and more professionally engaged than any prior generation at the same age. Many have 15–25 productive working years remaining.

At the same time, AI is displacing white-collar work at a pace no one anticipated. But here’s what the market is missing: these professionals carry decades of judgment, pattern recognition, and systems thinking that AI cannot replicate. Companies that overlook this talent pool aren’t just making a social mistake — they’re making a strategic one.

~100MAmericans aged 50–75
30% of U.S. population
62%Growth since 2000
U.S. Census
15–25Productive working years
remaining for most

“Wisdom is making a comeback in the workplace.”

Chip Conley — Founder, Modern Elder Academy · Author, Wisdom @ Work
This generation built the modern economy

Not legacy talent — foundational talent.

Built the infrastructure the modern economy runs on

Led every major technology and business wave from the internet to AI. Designed the systems, platforms, and operational playbooks that organizations still depend on today.

Pattern recognition, systems thinking, and judgment

They’ve navigated market crashes, platform shifts, and regulatory upheavals. That judgment — knowing what to do, what not to do, and why — compounds over decades and cannot be synthesized.

The intergenerational multiplier

Nearly half of Gen Z workers now turn to ChatGPT instead of asking their manager a question. The generational AI divide is costing U.S. employers an estimated $56 billion in lost productivity annually. The fix isn’t more technology — it’s pairing experienced judgment with younger talent. These professionals don’t replace your workforce. They make it dramatically more effective.

A rare asset during rapid technological change

During the fastest technological transition in history, this is the only generation that has navigated comparable shifts before. That institutional memory is scarce — and becoming scarcer.

“This generation didn’t watch the digital revolution. They built it. And their greatest contribution may be what they help build next.”

Paul Walborsky — Co-Founder, OpenWater
What CHROs Are Saying

“These are the people that have been there, done that. They can see around corners. Let’s utilize them in a way that helps bring up the rest of the company.”

Lissa MinkinVP People, NetGear
Chief People Officer, Wrapbook

“Here we are in a war for talent, yet many organizations are not proactively thinking about how to recruit, engage, develop, and retain this particular segment of talent.”

Eric WohlCHRO, National CineMedia
SVP Human Resources, EchoStar

“Wisdom in the workplace should be regarded as valuable — as a treasure that we should mine.”

Lissa MinkinVP People, NetGear
Chief People Officer, Wrapbook

As AI makes knowledge and execution abundant, decision quality becomes the constraint. The companies that retain and engage experienced judgment will adapt faster, make fewer costly errors, and build more resilient organizations. This is not a social cause. It is a competitive advantage.

OpenWater at a Glance
A vibrant community built for this moment

OpenWater is a curated community of 1,200+ experienced professionals — former executives, founders, operators, and leaders with 20+ years of experience. We help them stay relevant, connected, and economically active through peer networking, AI fluency, and a member-driven economy of real opportunities.

A nonprofit workforce-development organization. Launched January 2024. Grew from 300 to 1,200+ members in 12 months.

1,200+Curated Members
20Regional Chapters
100+In-Person Events
59%Monthly Active (3× Benchmark)
Every member is nominated and reviewed

Curation is our most defensible asset. Every OpenWater member goes through an application and review process. That’s why conversations go deeper, why the Give & Get produces real outcomes, and why 90%+ of new members join through referral from people they trust. The quality of the room is the product.

Meet the members

Ricardo Quintero
Ricardo Quintero
Former Global GM, Clinique · President, Movado Group

Co-founded a DTC skincare company. Advises CEOs and investors on go-to-market strategy, unit economics, and applied AI in consumer businesses.

Mike Scafidi
Mike Scafidi
Former EVP/CTO, Digitas · Global Head of MarTech, PepsiCo

Public company board director. Leads digital transformation for enterprise brands, integrating data, AI, and MarTech at scale.

Michelle Jader
Michelle Jader
Former SVP Product & Strategy, Monj Health · Consultant to J.M. Smucker, General Mills, Visa

Founded a consultancy partnering arts organizations with companies like Google Arts & Culture. Designs community-centered programs that drive engagement.

Anja Lee
Anja Lee
Former Product Manager, Yahoo · Group Program Manager, SAP

Teaches Data Visualization with AI at Stanford. Advises leaders on AI adoption, decision-making frameworks, and data product strategy.

Members hail from organizations including

Apple Deloitte Starbucks Airbnb Citi Samsung AT&T Visa Gartner PepsiCo Adobe Mercedes-Benz Zoom Capital One GAP ServiceNow EY Best Buy Intuit Estée Lauder Sony Munich RE Comcast SAP WSJ Turner Clinique UnitedHealth Group Bristol Myers Squibb J.M. Smucker Movado Dish Schlumberger Safeway

“OpenWater empowers accomplished professionals to re-imagine what’s possible and connect to new opportunities.”

Chip ConleyFounder, Modern Elder Academy

“The aging workforce can solve the wisdom gap created by AI.”

Steve HatfieldFormer Global Leader, Deloitte Consulting’s Future of Work Practice
The Summit
Our members are the content

The OpenWater Summit is a single-track, day-and-a-half gathering where members present their expertise — on stage, to each other and to corporate leaders sitting in the audience. When you watch someone present a hard-won insight to a room of 250 people, you understand their value in a way no résumé can communicate.

Not a conference.

A talent showcase.

No paid speakers. No passive audiences. Every keynote is member-led or community-sourced. Every session is an opportunity for an accomplished professional to demonstrate who they are, what they do, and how they think.

Structured speed networking
10–12 new connections in the first hour. The room warms before the first talk.
Member-led sessions
20–30 minute presentations with built-in transition time. The conversations between sessions are as valuable as the sessions themselves.
Mastermind breakouts
Live peer advisory. A member presents a real business challenge. 12–15 peers collaborate in real time.
AI in Action
Members demonstrate real AI applications they’ve built and use in their work. Experience meets fluency — live, on stage.
The Multiplier Effect
A live case study in intergenerational collaboration. Before the Summit, we give the same real business challenge to two Gen Z professionals and two OpenWater members — separately. Each team has one week. Neither sees the other’s work until they’re on stage. Both present. A moderator leads the debrief: where approaches diverged, what each side missed, and what they would have built together. Twenty minutes. No theory. Just proof.
Give & Get showcase
Four members share specific economic outcomes from the community. Five minutes each. Concrete and specific.
The lightning round
8–10 members, 3 minutes each, one career lesson. No slides. No notes. Just presence and clarity.
The CHRO Working Session

A 60–90 minute invitation-only session where CHRO Advisory Council members and corporate guests collaborate on a live workforce challenge. Not a panel. A working session that gives corporate guests something they cannot get elsewhere.

Women of OpenWater breakfast

A dedicated gathering strengthening one of the most vibrant sub-communities in OpenWater.

Collective intelligence wall

A physical installation where every member contributes one piece of hard-won professional wisdom. By the end of the Summit, it becomes a shareable artifact — photographed, digitized, and distributed across the platform.

The design philosophy

Most conferences optimize for content consumption. The OpenWater Summit optimizes for relationship density and economic activation.

Why Sponsor
Three reasons to be
in this room

The Summit compresses what would normally take months of outreach into a single day. Corporate decision-makers witness member quality in real time. The value is undeniable when experienced live.

The Corporate Guest Experience

We design a distinct journey for every corporate guest — before, during, and after the event.

Before
Curated preparation

A briefing packet with community demographics, the full program, and 5–10 recommended members to meet based on your industry and hiring needs.

During
White-glove access

Private executive welcome breakfast. Curated introductions by a dedicated OpenWater host. Observation seats at masterminds. Corporate Discovery Lounge.

After
Personalized follow-up

Member profiles and direct introductions within 48 hours. A 30-minute debrief call within one week. Priority access to future OpenWater corporate programming.

Sponsorship Tiers
Sponsorship tiers

The Summit is designed to make the right conversations happen — intentionally. Every tier is built around curated access: thoughtful introductions, designed moments, and hands-on support to connect you with the talent that matters most. We don’t guarantee volume. We focus on making the right connections happen.

Title Sponsor
Primary Access Partner
$50,000
1 Available

The highest level of hands-on support and priority access to the OpenWater community.

Curated introductions
  • Pre-event consultation to understand your goals — hiring, advisory, partnerships
  • We actively identify and connect you with members aligned to your priorities
  • Dedicated on-site host to connect you with the right people throughout the Summit
Private & exclusive access
  • Private dinner with select members and OpenWater leadership
  • Main stage fireside chat — a moderated conversation positioning your perspective on the future of experienced talent
  • The Multiplier Effect — your team defines the business challenge and your high-potential professionals work it alongside OpenWater members, presented live on the main stage
  • 8 complimentary attendee passes
Post-Summit follow-up
  • Member profiles from key conversations
  • Warm introductions to members you didn’t get to meet
  • Strategy session with OpenWater team
Summit presence
  • Premier branding across all Summit materials
Supporting Sponsor
Curated Access
$25,000
5 Available

Meaningful, guided access to the community — anchored by a Summit moment you own.

Each Supporting Sponsor hosts a named Summit moment:

  • Cocktail Reception
  • Women of OpenWater Breakfast
  • Speed Networking
  • AI in Action
  • Lightning Round
Curated introductions
  • Pre-event alignment on your areas of interest
  • We work with you to identify and connect you with relevant members
  • On-site introductions from the OpenWater team
Access & participation
  • Brief welcome remarks at your sponsored moment
  • 4 complimentary attendee passes
Post-Summit follow-up
  • Member profiles from key interactions
  • Direct introductions to continue conversations
Summit presence
  • Logo on Summit materials and event signage
Community Sponsor
Network Access
$10,000
10 Available

An entry point into the OpenWater ecosystem — build initial relationships and explore the network.

Guided access
  • Light pre-event input on your interests
  • Organic introductions during the Summit
Summit participation
  • 2 complimentary attendee passes
  • Full access to programming and networking
Post-Summit follow-up
  • Member profiles from connections made
Summit presence
  • Logo on Summit website and printed program
  • Acknowledgment in community communications
Let’s Talk

The inaugural year
The best seat in the room

Founding sponsors shape how the market engages with experienced talent. This is the year to establish your presence — before the room gets bigger.

Contact Seth Potter

Seth Potter, Co-Founder

seth@openwater.group

OpenWater Group, Inc.