One-day, curated summit on Oct. 28 brings 200+ leaders in drones, autonomy, AI and dual-use technology together, and puts Texas student robotics teams on the main stage.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Secretary of State Robert S. Howden, the consuls general of Finland and Sweden, a UT Austin aerospace engineering chair and a slate of defense-tech investors will headline DRON8 Summit 2026, a curated one-day gathering on drones, robotics, artificial intelligence and dual-use technology on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at The University of Texas at Austin's Etter-Harbin Alumni Center.
Held during Austin Tech Week under the theme "Beyond Autonomy: Drones, Robotics & AI Shaping Tomorrow's Security and Economy," DRON8 expects professionals: officials, operators and procurement leaders from U.S. and European agencies, dual-use founders, investors, diplomats, university researchers and students. Organizers built it as a working platform, not a trade show, with scheduled one-to-one meetings between buyers, program directors, fund managers and the companies they are looking for.
The program focuses on what comes after the demo: capital, identity and trust, procurement, workforce and allied cooperation.
What is on the agenda
"Why Texas: Through Texas to the World." Secretary Howden on the state as the landing zone for dual-use and autonomous technologies.
"From the Moon to the Mission." Opening keynote by Prof. Maruthi Akella, Cockrell Family Endowed Chair in Aerospace Engineering at UT Austin, on what autonomy has already proven, from lunar-landing guidance to systems flying today.
"Autonomy Under Fire." A live address from Ukraine by Prof. Sergiy Gnatyuk of the National Aviation University Kyiv on how research becomes an operational system.
"Investors' Playbook: Capital, Partnership and the Path to Scale." Mike Sherbakov of The Veteran Fund, Larry Covert of Oxcart Ventures, moderated by Joseph Kopser, president of Grayline Group and the day's master of ceremonies.
"Who Is Flying That?" Security keynote by Ligeia Zeruto of Beyond Identity on identity, trust and authentication for unmanned systems.
"Beyond the Demo: What It Takes to Become Mission-Ready." Panel with Scott Firsing, Ph.D. of CesiumAstro; Marcos Cervantes of Q-Branch; Jessica Steinhoff of BidWell; and Matthew Strebe.
"The Human Systems Behind Autonomy." Unscripted fireside chat with Drew Scheberle of the National Security Innovation Council and Alex Fink, president and U.S. CEO of Swarmer.
“Landing in Texas.” Unscripted fireside chat led by Joseph Kopser with Rob Mark, who leads Forge, Mach’s component and contract manufacturing division, scaling advanced manufacturing across the United States and allied nations.
"Your Worst-Case Scenario Is Their Tuesday." Stefan Lindström, Consul General of Finland in Houston, and Anna Hammarlund Blixt, Consul General of Sweden in Houston, join Alex Fink on Northern European lessons in resilience and public-private cooperation.
Live showcases and a Demo Gallery where operational systems are shown to buyers, government and investors, including talks and demos from Ty Audronis of Tempest Droneworx and Jonathan Josephson of Quantum Interface and many others.
Office of the Governor, will deliver the Texas welcome. Dr. Michael W. Mosser, director of the Center for European Studies at UT Austin, will open the program.
Students on the main stage. A "Future Makers" segment will recognize FIRST STEM Robotics and BEST Robotics teams from five Central Texas schools. Selected students and educators join a sponsored morning program with hands-on time in the Showcase Gallery and a guided visit to UT Austin research labs. BRIGHTPICK is a partner and sponsor of the student program.
"Jozef and I did not want to create another conference where people simply exchange business cards," said Andrea Hrusovska, co-founder and curator of DRON8. "We curated DRON8 to bring the right people into the same room, innovators, investors, universities, government and international partners, so that important relationships can begin before they become urgent."
The summit is built on "Invest in relationships before you need them," an original professional maxim of Hrusovska, first stated publicly in her 2026 AmCham Slovakia interview, "Bridging Slovakia and Texas."
"Texas, and Austin in particular, offers a powerful combination of university research, entrepreneurial energy, government access, investment and international connectivity," said Jozef Hrusovsky, co-founder and curator. "DRON8 is designed to activate that combination."
DRON8 is conceived and curated by Andrea Hrusovska and Jozef Hrusovsky of HR4U Solutions and co-organized with the Center for European Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, which also serves as the event’s main sponsor. Other partners and sponsors are Clements Center for National Security, HR4U Solutions, BRIGHTPICK, Tempest DRONEWORKS, SWARMER, Mach Industries, Q-Branch, The Veterans Fund, Oxcart Ventures, Quantum Interface and many others mentioned on the web page DRON8.us. Organizers will announce plans for 2027 at the close of the summit.
Event details
- Event: DRON8 Summit 2026
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026
- Registration and Demo Gallery: 8:30 a.m. CT
- Program: 9:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m. CT
- Evening networking: 4:30–5:30 p.m. CT, Demo Gallery
- Venue: Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, The University of Texas at Austin
- Registration: www.dron8.us
- Media accreditation: info@dron8.us, by Oct. [23]
About DRON8
DRON8 is a strategic summit platform focused on drones, uncrewed systems, robotics, artificial intelligence and dual-use innovation. Conceived and curated by Andrea Hrusovska and Jozef Hrusovsky, DRON8 convenes leaders from technology, government, defense, investment, academia and international institutions to build the trusted relationships needed to advance responsible, mission-ready solutions.
Program details, participating organizations and speaker availability are subject to change.