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Drones over Austin skyline at dusk — DRON8 Summit 2026
UT Austin · Austin Tech Week · October 28, 2026
DRON8
SUMMIT 2026

Drones · Robotics · AI · Dual-Use Innovation

Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, University of Texas at Austin
October 28, 2026 · 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM CT
200–250 Elite Participants
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200+
Elite Leaders
4
Power Keynotes
OCT 28
Austin, Texas
Deploy, Don't Just Talk
Mission-driven sessions focused on real-world deployments in defense, disaster response & critical infrastructure.
EU–US Bridge
The only summit purposefully connecting European innovation with American defense & commercial markets.
Curated 1:1 Matchmaking
Startups meet investors. Operators meet innovators. Procurement meets solutions. Scheduled. Purposeful. Effective.
UT Austin Campus
Hosted at America's leading research university for robotics, autonomy & aerospace. The prestige venue matters.
Inside Austin Tech Week
October 28 sits in the heart of Austin Tech Week. Maximize your trip, multiply your meetings.
Dual-Use Intelligence
Navigate regulations, export controls & commercialization with clarity. From battlefield to lifesaving: same tech, different missions.
The Event

Dual-Use Innovation
For a Safer,
Smarter World

DRON8 Summit is the most exclusive gathering of global leaders shaping the future of autonomous systems. Intimate in format, elite in audience, global in ambition. This is where the next era of autonomy is decided.

Prime Timing
Smack in the Middle of Austin Tech Week
October 28 is the peak of Austin's most powerful tech convergence of the year. Every innovator, investor, and executive is already in Austin. DRON8 is your most strategic stop.

Not a trade show. Not a generic conference. DRON8 is a working platform: one full day of strategic dialogue, live demonstrations, curated deal-flow, and the relationships that will shape the dual-use technology ecosystem for years to come. Defense meets startup. Europe meets America. Lab meets launchpad.

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Triple-A Global Ambition
Austin
2026 · Now
→
Amsterdam
2027 · Europe
→
Abu Dhabi
2027 · MENA
DRON8 is building a three-city global circuit: Austin anchors the US, Amsterdam bridges Europe, Abu Dhabi opens the Gulf. Be a founding partner of all three.
UT
University of Texas at Austin
DRON8 is hosted in partnership with UT Austin, a world leader in robotics, autonomous systems, GPS navigation, and aerospace engineering. Held at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, the summit brings academia directly into deal-making conversations.
Summit Theme
"Beyond Autonomy: Drones, Robotics & AI Shaping Tomorrow's Security and Economy"

Defense. Disaster Response. Critical Infrastructure. Logistics. Public Safety. One technology platform. Infinite applications.

October 28, 2026 · UT Austin

Program at a Glance

One full day. Zero fluff. Built for decision-makers who value deep signal over conference noise.

08:00 – 09:30
Doors Open & Demo Gallery
Coffee, badges, and immediate access to live drone demos, startup booths, and university research showcases.
09:00 – 09:30
Future Makers Lab: STEM Track
Next-gen high school students & educators explore drones, robotics & AI missions in defense and disaster response.
09:45 – 10:05
⚡ Power Keynote #1
Autonomy, Connection & Security: how drones, robotics and AI are reshaping security and critical infrastructure, today.
10:05 – 10:55
Lab to Launchpad: UT Autonomy Showcase
UT Austin and partner universities reveal frontier breakthroughs in autonomy, robotics, sensing, and AI.
11:10 – 11:30
⚡ Power Keynote #2
Securing the Sky: Threats, Risks & Real Needs. What operators actually need from tech and policy.
11:30 – 12:15
Panel: Rules of the Air
Regulators, lawyers and industry tackle airspace integration, export controls and dual-use legislation.
12:30 – 14:00
Dealflow Lunch & Matchmaking
Standing lunch + curated 1:1 meetings: startups ↔ investors, defense ↔ innovators, US ↔ EU.
14:00 – 15:10
Battlefield to Lifesaving
Concrete dual-use case studies: defense, firefighting, emergency medicine, infrastructure, disaster response.
16:00 – 17:00
Investors' Playbook
Top funds reveal how they assess dual-use & defense tech and what it really takes to get funded in 2026.

Plus: Live Tech Demos · Themed Networking Corners · VIP Leaders Breakfast (invitation only)

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Featured Sessions

2 Power Keynotes

Two anchor keynotes designed to ignite the room: one sets the strategic vision, one grounds it in operational reality.

09:45 AM · Opening Keynote
Autonomy, Connection & Security: The Now, Not 2050
Sought Profile: Defense Innovation / Global Tech Leader
e.g. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) · US Army Futures Command · Skydio · Anduril
A high-impact 20-minute keynote from a senior defense or top-tier industry voice on how drones, robotics, and AI are already reshaping national security, critical infrastructure, and supply chains. Not hypothetically, but right now. Concrete deployments. Real numbers. A call to action for the room.
Why Speakers Say Yes
"An elite, intimate audience of 200 decision-makers at UT Austin. No noise, no fluff, just the people who are actually building and funding the future of autonomous systems."
11:10 AM · Security Spotlight Keynote
Securing the Sky: Real Threats, Real Needs, Real Urgency
Sought Profile: Airspace Security / Operational Leader
e.g. FAA · DHS · NATO Autonomy · State Homeland Security · CUAS Expert
A direct, unfiltered briefing from the operational trenches: what the real threat picture looks like in airspace security, counter-UAS, and critical infrastructure protection, and what practitioners actually need from technology, regulation, and industry that isn't being delivered yet. No slides full of jargon. Just truth.
Why Speakers Say Yes
"Speak to the startups, investors, and tech leaders who can actually solve the problems you're describing. DRON8 is the room where real requirements get met with real innovation."
Also Pursuing Top-Tier Speakers For Panels & Showcases

Prof. Todd Humphreys · UT Austin GPS, Dr. Mitch Pryor · UT Robotics, Skydio CTO / VP Engineering, Anduril Industries, Google Wing, Palantir · AI Decision Systems, Zipline · Autonomous Delivery, Tesla Gigafactory TX · Robotics, EU Delegation · Washington DC, Slovak & Czech Embassy, EIC Fund · Dual-Use VC, Airbus Ventures

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The Room

Who's in the Room

DRON8 is invitation-curated and ruthlessly selective. Every seat is filled by someone with the authority to make decisions, or fund them.

Defense & Security
Officials, operators, procurement leaders
Startups & Scale-ups
Dual-use founders ready to scale
Investors & VCs
Defense-tech & deep-tech funds
Government & Policy
Regulators, embassies, diplomats
Academia & Research
UT Austin + EU partner universities
Corporate R&D
Aerospace, energy, logistics leaders
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Get Your Seat

Limited capacity. Curated audience. This is not a conference you discover late. Early movers get the best seats, the best matchmaking, and the full DRON8 experience.

Students
Student / UT Community
$49
Limited seats · UT ID required
  • Full Day Summit Access
  • Demo Gallery + STEM Track
  • Networking sessions
  • Lunch included
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Most Popular
General Admission
$199
Best value for founders & investors
  • Full Day Summit Access
  • All Keynotes & Panels
  • Demo Gallery
  • Dealflow Lunch
  • Matchmaking access
Register →
VIP Leadership
$799
20 seats only · Invitation or request
  • All Professional benefits
  • Exclusive VIP Leaders Breakfast
  • Private roundtable access
  • Personal intro by DRON8 founder
  • Post-summit strategic follow-up
Apply →

Group rates available for 5+ tickets. Government & nonprofit discounts upon request. info@dron8.us

Austin. Amsterdam. Abu Dhabi.
It Starts Here. It Starts Now.

DRON8 Summit 2026 is the founding edition of a global movement. The leaders in the room on October 28 will shape the transatlantic dual-use ecosystem for the next decade. Will you be among them?

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Direct Contact
info@dron8.us