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Sammy Wegent, CEO of FreeStyle+, facilitating an interactive session at the 2025 ATC Summit.

In May, we brought our full ecosystem together in Washington, D.C., for the ATC Summit & Founders Day, a three-day gathering designed for ATC participants to connect, share what they’re working on, and explore where collaboration could go next. It was a much-needed opportunity to take conversations that usually happen online and continue them in person, with time and space to go deeper.

The event started with Founders Day, creating space for startup teams to work through what they’re building and where they’re headed, alongside others navigating similar challenges. From there, the ATC Summit opened into a mix of one-to-one meetings, small group conversations, and sessions that helped people get specific—what it takes to run a strong pilot, what enterprises need to move forward, what investors are looking for, and where testbeds can help solutions get ready for real-world use.

Across the three days, it was often the moments in between that stood out: conversations that picked up where emails had left off, introductions that turned into longer discussions, and connections that carried on after everyone headed home.

Amplifying founders and innovators through storytelling

Linda Mayhue, Director of Clinical Care Management for Xandar Kardian, giving a pitch to event attendees via Proto.

Storytelling became an even bigger part of how we supported the ecosystem this year. Alongside events, exhibits, and programs, we focused on creating digital space for AgeTech Collaborative participants to share their perspectives and connect with new audiences who want to understand the people behind the innovation.

This was a breakout year for the ATC blog. Annual readership grew by more than 25%, making it our most popular year to date. That momentum was driven by thought leadership from across the ecosystem, including founder spotlights, guest posts, and insights from investors and enterprises—pieces that went beyond announcements and updates to share what’s working, what’s changing, and what others can learn along the way.

We also expanded our storytelling through video, capturing startup founder stories in a 12-part series that offers a more personal look at the journeys behind the solutions. And we continued to grow our collection on Proto, a holographic video display that shows founders delivering one-minute pitches directly to viewers. With more than 120 startups now featured, it’s become another way to extend founder visibility and bring AgeTech innovation into new settings, even when startup teams can’t be in the room.

Expanding the ecosystem to create more opportunities for collaboration

Susie Spigelman, Co-Founder & COO of Beacon, now an ATC startup portfolio company, pitching for our judges in January 2025.

Much of this growth was fueled by the strength of our Accelerator program. Across 15 pitch competitions and open mic events, we reviewed 567 startup applications and advanced 113 finalists to present to our judges. It was a strong year for bringing new solutions into the ecosystem and expanding the pipeline of companies ready to collaborate.