Programming Lineup for Edge Esmeralda 2025

Four weeks of exploration at the edge of science, technology, and culture.

Apr 30, 2025

Tickets are still available. Apply now—once accepted, you’ll choose your week and purchase your ticket. Prices rise every Monday.

Information on day and weekend passes is now available here.

Edge Esmeralda (May 24th - June 21st) is a month-long experiment in how we live, learn, and build together. Each week explores a different theme through hands-on programming led by people shaping the future of their fields.

We've got an amazing set of people already joining, and tickets are selling fast with increases in prices weekly. If you're unsure which week you want to attend, you can always reassign your ticket later!

Below is a running list of confirmed programs so far. We'll keep this post updated as more are finalized. For full descriptions and speaker details, head to the Edge Esmeralda website!

Get Your Ticket!

Week 1: Protocols for Flourishing

May 24 – June 1 | AI, Consciousness, Health, Governance, Protocol Design, Human Potential

How do we design systems, tools, and practices to enhance human flourishing? This week explores emerging protocols across biology, consciousness, and technology that are expanding our understanding of health, cognition, and human potential.

Here's a full breakdown of each program, who’s involved, and how to join week 1.

Truth-Seeking AI (May 26—29)

Translating philosophy into AI system design
Brendan McCord (Cosmos Institute)

Consciousness Week (May 24—30)

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Minds: Enlightenment across traditions and cognitive frontiers
Mike Johnson (Symmetry Institute), Ryan Pripstein (Anagram), Janine Leger (Edge City)

Vital Futures (May 24—30)

Biotech innovation and radical health optimization
Justin Mares (TrueMed), Ben Brummell (Full Circle)

Protocol Worlds (May 24–30)

30 fellows prototype experimental “protocol courses” through live mock classes. Some sessions are closed to the cohort. If interested in joining, apply here.
Venkatesh Rao (Summer of Protocols), Tim Beiko (The Ethereum Foundation), Timber Schroff

Transhumanism Workshop (May 29)

Rethinking the boundaries of being human across biotech, neurotech, space, and somatics
Fynn Comerford (Cradle)

Week 2: Reality Reinvented

June 1 – 8 | d/acc• Hard Tech • Techno-Humanism • Decentralized Governance

What does it mean to reclaim agency in reshaping our realities? This week explores how technology, governance, and philosophy shape the foundations of our world. Through hands-on demos, collaborative builds, and big-picture conversations, we’ll examine frameworks for progress, hard tech breakthroughs, and the social systems needed to guide and govern them.

Here's a full breakdown of each program, who’s involved, and how to join week 2.

d/acc week (June 2–6)

Cross-disciplinary work on decentralization, privacy, defense, and epistemics
Aleksandra Smilek & Lou de K (NODES)

Tomorrowland (June 1–June 5)

An expo of frontier demos in hardtech, energy, space, bio, and manufacturing
Cameron Weise (World’s Fair Company)

Roots of Progress (June 2–6)

Conversations on techno-humanism, moral progress, and long-term thinking
Jason Crawford (Roots of Progress)

Governance Games (June 2–6)

Experiments in mechanism design, collective decision-making, and protocol governance
Butter (Decentralized Governance Protocol)

Week 3: Environments of Tomorrow

June 8 – 15 | Neurotech, Education, Agtech, Cities

This week explores regenerative agriculture, city-building, and experimental learning models—alongside emerging neurotechnologies that reshape how we relate to our surroundings. Join builders reimagining the systems we depend on every day.

Here's a full breakdown of each program, who’s involved, and how to join week 3.

Cities of Tomorrow (June 9–15)

Designing urban ecosystems for health, sustainability, and long-term impact
Jonny Bates, Devon Zuegel (Esmeralda), Timour Kosters & Janine Leger (Edge City)

AgTech Week (June 9–15)

Gathering agtech founders, regenerative producers, and land stewards to reimagine the food system
Dawn Musil (McKinsey), Indigenous collaborators

Edgeucation (June 9–13)

A convening of alternative school builders and education reformers
Amaan Ahmad (Pathfinder), Kelly Smith (Prenda)

Neurotech Summit (June 8–10)

A 2.5-day intensive with founders and researchers working on neurotech, BCI, and open-source tools
Protocol Labs

Ignite Talks (June 14)

A fast-paced session where selected participants give 5-minute talks using 20 auto-advancing slides — a rapid-fire format to share obsessions, ideas, or stories. Submit yours here→
Brady Forrest (Ignite Talks)

Week 4: Emergent Futures

June 15 – 21 | Final Demos, Prototypes, Community Showcases, Decentralized Tech

The culminating week of Edge Esmeralda. A celebration of the ideas, systems, and prototypes built over the month, through open demos, installations, and spontaneous collaborations. Programming this week will be emergent, shaped by the people and projects on site. From decentralized technologies and open-source AI to biohacking and off-grid infrastructure, this week highlights what's possible when 300+ residents co-create at the edge.

Here's a full breakdown of each program, who’s involved, and how to join week 4.

Cybernetic Society Summit (June 15)

A gathering on open, distributed, and privacy-first machine learning systems
Cyberfund

Crypto Academic Camp (June 16–19)

A week of research, debate, and collaboration at the forefront of crypto and DeFi. This is an invite-only program designed specifically for leading crypto researchers. Interest form here.
Uniswap Foundation

Month-long Tracks

Beyond our weekly themes, these ongoing tracks provide continuous spaces for creation, collaboration, and community-building across the entire month. Whether you're building a project, developing as a maker, or exploring the intersection of art and technology, these tracks offer sustained engagement opportunities.

Long Journey Residency

A cohort of eleven builders exploring “magical weirdness” at the frontier of new worlds.
Long Journey Ventures

Edge City Fellowship

A fully funded experience for six emerging builders (ages 18–25) working on human flourishing and frontier tech.
Edge City

World Builder Residency

A cohort of developers to build with World’s tools, test projects in a live village environment, and co-create with a global network of technologists. Read more and apply here!

If you're interested in participating in or supporting any of the tracks, please reach out to info@edgeesmeralda.com We’ll continue adding programs in the coming weeks. Stay tuned and grab your ticket while spots are still available!

— Edge Esmeralda Team ☀️