Enjoy a light breakfast while mingling in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether you’re looking to expand your network, collaborate on new opportunities, or simply start your day with great conversation.

Professor Stefano Puntoni is the Co-Director of the Wharton Human-AI Research Center and Sebastian S. Krege Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of Business in the University of Pennsylvania. In this plenary keynote address, Professor Puntoni will share insights on using AI in research, and the benefits and limitations of infusing AI into innovations or related innovation adoption processes. Dr. Puntoni is a top researcher on AI for innovation and marketing. His AI research was honored with the 2025 Jagdish Sheth Best Article Award by the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

Career Incubation: Presentations by premier practitioners and academics showcasing career opportunities in the product development profession.  Open Q/A between the professionals and students.  Discussions with professionals across industries and job roles in product development. This session offers networking opportunities designed to help students explore career paths, build confidence, and make valuable connections, choosing either the industry practitioner track or the academic research track, based on their individual interests.

Lunch is provided to all attendees

• Hands-on challenge where student teams solve a product or innovation-related problem and pitch solutions such as:

• “Design a simple, scalable innovation to reduce food waste”

• “Create a mobile product to help remote teams collaborate more effectively”

• “How might we make sustainable packaging a competitive advantage?”

Jod Kaftan will be delivering the Ignite Innovation Opening Keynote titled - Re-thinking Product Experiences with Strategic Foresight. As Head of Product Design & Research at Oracle, Jod leads a design practice that provides SaaS solutions that bring critical energy and construction services to populations globally. With over 20 years of end-to-end expertise in driving cross-channel experiences across platforms for clients such as Sony, Google, and Wells Fargo. As a design leader, he has always focused on long-term thinking, successfully aligning Oracle's vision with the evolving needs of society.

Join us for an evening of networking and celebration as we kick off the 2025 Ignite Innovation Summit! Connect with fellow students, attendees, speakers, and sponsors in a relaxed setting and enjoy light appetizers and refreshments. This is the perfect opportunity to build relationships and meet new faces. Casual attire recommended.