If you’ve been wondering what’s actually happening on the ground in the startup and investor world in 2026, this conversation offers a rare ground-level view from two Sterlingers who spent Q1 attending events across Silicon Valley, San Diego, and Hawai‘i. They share candid observations from JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, DISTRIBUTECH, a PEN Ventures pitch night, and the East Meets West in Honolulu — covering where investor attention is shifting, how the AI conversation is evolving across different industries, and why robotics and physical AI are emerging as the themes of the moment. They also get into something most event recap conversations skip entirely: what makes a startup pitch land versus fall flat, why founders need communications coaching earlier than they think, and what the surprisingly vibrant Hawai‘i tech scene looks like from the inside. If you’re a founder, investor, or communications professional trying to stay ahead of where things are headed, this is a genuinely energizing listen from two people who were in the room.
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