Summit recap

    Principled Business Summit 2025

    October 15 to October 17, 2025 · New York · Sony Hall

    235 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

    Three days in New York City, October 15 to 17, 2025, bringing together founders, investors and executives who advance the principles of capitalism. The main program ran at Sony Hall, with breakouts at the Paramount Hotel, the Principled Business Awards Dinner at Bond 45, and a closing strategy day at Pubkey.

    By the numbers

    400+
    Attendees
    20
    Partners and sponsors
    100+
    Pitch competition applicants
    160
    Awards dinner guests

    Agenda

    Day 1 Wednesday, October 15, 2025

    • 9:00 AM
      Pitch & Run
      Joe De Sena

      A free 5K led by Joe De Sena of Spartan.

    • Building a network of capitalists
      Jeff Frazee, Alexander McCobin
    • Day 1 sessions
      Vivek Ramaswamy, Colin Greenspon, Tanner Jones, Ramses Alcaide, Mark Skousen, Brian Schultz, Richard Figura, Erick A. Brimen

      Topics ranged from defending capitalism to brain tech innovation and the world's first free private city.

    • 4:00 PM
      VIP Welcome Reception with Vivek Ramaswamy
      Vivek Ramaswamy
      LOOK Dine-In Cinemas W57, 657 W 57th St

    Day 2 Thursday, October 16, 2025

    • 8:00 to 8:45 AM
      Registration & Networking Breakfast / VIP Breakfast
      Main Stage / Whiskey Bar
    • 8:45 to 8:50 AM
      Welcome Remarks
      Alexander McCobin
      Main Stage
    • 8:50 to 9:10 AM
      Guided Sonic Meditation
      Alba Torremocha, Founder of Willowave
      Main Stage
    • 9:10 to 9:40 AM
      Principled Investing: Doing Good by Doing Well
      Main Stage
    • 9:10 to 9:40 AM
      Pitch Competition: Preliminary Round Group A
      Breakout, Paramount Hotel
    • 9:40 to 10:10 AM
      Bitcoin and the Future of Freedom
      Dusan Matuska, Matt Cole, Jorge Jraissati
      Main Stage
    • 9:40 to 10:10 AM
      Pitch Competition: Preliminary Round Group B
      Paramount Hotel
    • 10:10 to 10:30 AM
      Why Capitalism Matters: Betting on the Bold
      Tim Draper, Founder of Draper Associates
      Main Stage
    • 10:30 to 11:00 AM
      Job Fair: Careers in the Nonprofit Movement
      Whiskey Bar
    • 10:30 to 11:10 AM
      Pitch Competition: Preliminary Round Group C
      Paramount Hotel
    • 10:30 to 11:40 AM
      Coin Oasis: When Sunlight Becomes Digital Value
      Main Stage
    • 10:40 to 11:00 AM
      Investing in Alternative Asset Class
      Main Stage
    • 11:00 to 11:10 AM
      Defending Capitalism: How to Communicate Its Value and Answer Its Critics
      Brett H. Pojunis
      Main Stage
    • 11:00 to 11:30 AM
      Careers in the Nonprofit Movement: Networking Session
      Whiskey Bar
    • 11:00 to 11:50 AM
      Meet the Authors
      Nathan Lewis, Michelle Cirocco
      Speakeasy
    • 11:10 to 11:30 AM
      The New Era of Investing: Aerospace and Defense
      Main Stage
    • 11:10 to 11:30 AM
      Ending "Debanking" in America
      Jorge Jraissati
      Paramount Hotel
    • 11:30 to 11:50 AM
      Give Now, Grow Better
      Main Stage
    • 11:30 to 11:50 AM
      From Principle to Profit: Architecting a Values-Driven Tech Stack
      Paramount Hotel
    • 12:00 to 12:30 PM
      AI, Public Affairs & the Power to Persuade
      Main Stage
    • 12:00 to 12:30 PM
      Execution Over Ideas: What Really Drives Founder and Investor Success
      Paramount Hotel
    • 12:00 to 12:50 PM
      Book signing: Paper Belt on Fire
      Michael Gibson
      Speakeasy
    • 12:30 to 12:50 PM
      Freedom to Compete: How Capitalism Built XX-XY Athletics
      Main Stage
    • 12:30 to 12:50 PM
      Investing in Liberty
      Paramount Hotel
    • 12:50 to 1:50 PM
      Lunch / VIP Lunch
      Main Stage / Whiskey Bar
    • 1:50 to 2:10 PM
      The Duties of Corporate Leaders in the Face of Tyranny
      Patrick Byrne
      Main Stage
    • 2:10 to 2:40 PM
      Responsible Innovation: AI & Ethics in the Age of Misinformation
      Main Stage
    • 2:10 to 2:40 PM
      Story is Strategy: How to Be Remembered in a Forgettable World
      Paramount Hotel
    • 2:10 to 2:40 PM
      Job Fair: Opportunities with Growing Startups
      Whiskey Bar
    • 2:10 to 3:00 PM
      Pitch Competition: Semifinals
      Speakeasy
    • 2:40 to 2:50 PM
      The Journey Beyond Fear
      Main Stage
    • 2:40 to 3:00 PM
      The Compass Within: Find & Align To Your Core Values
      Paramount Hotel
    • 2:50 to 3:00 PM
      The Second Chance Advantage
      Main Stage
    • 3:00 to 3:20 PM
      Biohacking Success: Success Breeds Failure
      Joe De Sena, CEO of Spartan Race
      Main Stage
    • 3:20 to 3:40 PM
      Capitalism as Soulcraft
      Michael Gibson, Co-founder & GP at 1517
      Main Stage
    • 3:40 to 4:00 PM
      Pitch Competition: Finals
      Main Stage
    • 3:40 to 4:00 PM
      How Leaders Can Build Quality & Innovation Into Businesses in the Free Market System
      Paramount Hotel
    • 3:40 to 4:30 PM
      Book signing: Conscious Wealth
      Brandon Hatton
      Speakeasy
    • 4:00 to 4:30 PM
      Digital Backbone of Freedom
      Main Stage
    • 4:00 to 4:30 PM
      Mentorship Roundtable: Initiating an Expanded Reality
      Paramount Hotel
    • 4:00 to 4:30 PM
      Job Fair: Breaking Into Venture Capital
      Whiskey Bar
    • 4:30 to 5:00 PM
      Building the Future of Financial Freedom
      Main Stage
    • 4:30 to 5:00 PM
      The Executive & The Mystic: Finding Renewal in Leadership
      Paramount Hotel
    • 4:30 to 5:15 PM
      VC Networking Session
      Whiskey Bar
    • 4:30 to 5:15 PM
      Book signing: The Compass Within
      Robert Glazer
      Speakeasy
    • 5:00 to 5:15 PM
      How Talking About Money Can Make Us a More Loving, Kind, & Free Society
      Main Stage
    • 5:00 to 5:15 PM
      Telling Your Capitalist Story
      Paramount Hotel
    • 5:15 to 5:35 PM
      Capital Is Courage: Building the Future Through Entrepreneurship
      Brock Pierce, Chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation
      Main Stage
    • 5:35 to 5:40 PM
      Closing Remarks
      Alexander McCobin
      Main Stage
    • 6:00 to 7:00 PM
      Closing Reception
      Whiskey Bar
    • 8:00 PM
      Principled Business Awards Dinner
      Bond 45, 221 W 46th St

    Day 3 Friday, October 17, 2025

    • 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
      Strategy Session (invitation only)

      Donors and members planned 2026.

      Pubkey, 85 Washington Pl
    • Afternoon
      Demo Day, VC Office Hours and Dealflow Lounge

    What happened

    A pitch competition with real stakes

    More than 100 companies applied. 24 were selected, 10 reached the semifinals and 5 pitched in the finals on the Main Stage.

    Tim Draper on betting on the bold

    Tim Draper of Draper Associates gave the morning plenary, Why Capitalism Matters: Betting on the Bold.

    Bitcoin and the future of freedom

    Dusan Matuska, Matt Cole and Jorge Jraissati took the Main Stage on Bitcoin, and Jorge Jraissati spoke on ending debanking in America.

    Book signings and a job fair

    Authors including Michael Gibson, Brandon Hatton, Robert Glazer, Nathan Lewis and Michelle Cirocco signed books, and job fairs covered nonprofit careers, startups and venture capital.

    Next stop: Austin

    The Summit closed with a strategy session with donors and members to plan 2026, and the announcement that the next Summit would move to Austin.

    Awards

    • Founder of the Year: Caroline Carralero, Daily Nouri
    • Executive of the Year: Brian Schultz, LOOK Cinemas
    • Investor of the Year: William "Liam" Krut, Reinforced Ventures
    • Ambassador of the Year: Dustin Palmer, Creative Blinds

    Pitch competition winners

    • 1st place: Arterra Pet Science, Jonathan Willbanks
    • 2nd place: UpSmith, Wyatt Smith
    • 3rd place: Portable Diagnostic Systems, Glennon Simmons

    Photos

    A speaker addresses guests from the stage at the VIP reception at LOOK Cinemas, October 15, 2025A group of guests on stage in front of the LOOK Cinemas backdrop at the VIP receptionA speaker in a hat talks with the audience in a LOOK Cinemas theater during the VIP receptionGuests talk at the bar during the VIP reception at LOOK CinemasAttendees mingle in the LOOK Cinemas lobby during the VIP receptionGuests in conversation during the VIP reception at LOOK CinemasFour attendees pose together at the VIP receptionTwo attendees talk beside the Academy on Capitalism banner at the 2025 SummitAttendees seated at high tables in a networking lounge at the 2025 SummitAttendees gather in a crowded lounge during a 2025 Summit evening eventAttendees networking in a meeting room during the 2025 SummitTwo attendees smile during a networking session at the 2025 Summit

    In their words

    "The 2025 Principled Business Summit was truly the most enjoyable conference I've attended in years. A unique and welcome breath of fresh air. 10/10 will attend again next year."
    Jonathan Willbanks, Arterra Pet Science
    "What an amazing trip! The New York Principled Business Summit was fantastic with some truly amazing people!"
    Brett H. Pojunis, on X, 20 Oct 2025
    "Just back from the Principled Business Summit in New York! What an amazing group of people! Grateful for the new connections that'll help drive our expansion plans."
    GPO Plus, on X, 22 Oct 2025
    "Talking aligned investing at Principled Business Summit in NYC. Thank you for hosting @amccobin + Liberty Ventures."
    Nathan Halberstadt, on X, 19 Oct 2025

    Speakers

    • Alexander McCobin
    • Vivek Ramaswamy
    • Tim Draper
    • Joe De Sena
    • Michael Gibson
    • Patrick Byrne
    • Brock Pierce
    • Jeff Frazee
    • Colin Greenspon
    • Tanner Jones
    • Ramses Alcaide
    • Mark Skousen
    • Brian Schultz
    • Richard Figura
    • Erick A. Brimen
    • Dusan Matuska
    • Matt Cole
    • Jorge Jraissati
    • Alba Torremocha
    • Brett H. Pojunis
    • Nathan Halberstadt
    • Brandon Hatton
    • Robert Glazer
    • Nathan Lewis
    • Michelle Cirocco
    • Roya Mahboob

    Sources