News & Events
Oct 8, 2025
Two days in Newport Beach that brought together the people, platforms, and ideas shaping what comes next.
Sway Minds 2025 unfolded across Newport Beach like a living tapestry — from the red-carpet glow of the historic Lido Theater to the soft ocean light of Emerald Bay. What began as a summit of ideas became a shared experience, where founders, investors, and creators explored how innovation and imagination converge to shape the world ahead.
Under the theme Innovation. Influence. Insight., the gathering bridged disciplines that rarely share a stage: space and cinema, finance and philosophy, AI and art. It was a reminder that progress is not born in isolation but in the collision of perspectives.
Day One: Hollywood, Heritage, and Human Story
The curtain rose at the Lido Theater, a Newport Beach landmark restored to its 1939 grandeur. Guests arrived to cameras, cocktails, and conversation, setting the tone for an evening that celebrated storytelling in all its forms.
Frank Marshall, the legendary producer behind Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park, opened the night in conversation with Brian Nugent, Co-Founder of Sway Capital. Marshall reflected on fifty years of cinematic history and the art of building creative systems that last. His advice to emerging creators echoed across industries: success is built one problem solved, one story told, one trusted collaborator at a time.
The evening culminated in a private film screening of Sway Media’s upcoming documentary on Def Leppard, co-produced with White Horse Pictures and Sobey Road Entertainment. Following the screening, guitarist Phil Collen and filmmaker Nicholas Ferrall joined Nigel Sinclair on stage for a spirited Q&A that bridged music, memory, and legacy.
It was a night where Hollywood met Newport — where film became a mirror for resilience, creativity, and collaboration.
Day Two: Ideas that Move the World
The next morning, the summit transitioned to HanaHaus Newport Beach, transforming the space into a forum for discovery.
Over breakfast and sunlight, Brian Nugent, Bill Malloy and Karl Karlsson and the Sway Capital platform leaders opened the day, reaffirming the firm’s mission: to back innovation that endures, across technology, impact, and culture.
The program began with Eric Poirier, CEO of Addepar, a Sway Ventures portfolio company that has become the operating system for global wealth management. Poirier shared how Addepar’s platform now powers over $8 trillion in managed assets and continues to redefine the way capital flows through private markets. His remarks underscored a central idea: transparency and technology are the twin engines of trust, enabling investors to deploy capital with clarity and purpose.
Edward Norton followed with a session that set the tone for the day. In conversation with Brian Nugent, Norton traced the through line of his career — from actor to investor to environmental strategist — and shared how creativity, capital, and conscience can be aligned to drive lasting systems of change.
Claudine Adamo, EVP & COO of Costco, offered a rare inside look at the company’s scaling philosophy in The Art of Scaling: Lessons from Costco’s Success. Her message was deceptively simple: discipline builds trust, and trust builds loyalty — in business, as in life.
Then came the frontier. Astronaut Michael López-Alegría, fresh from his command of Axiom Space missions, shared what it means to live and work in orbit.
His reflections on exploration, risk, and purpose set the stage for Tim Solms, CEO of Slingshot Aerospace, who unveiled how AI is transforming the orbital economy — turning space from a distant dream into an actionable market.
The afternoon brought sharper intersections of innovation and impact. Merck Mercuriadis, CEO of Hipgnosis, discussed how intellectual property and music catalogs have become a new asset class.
That conversation flowed naturally into Eclipse of Equity: When Credit Steals the Spotlight, a dynamic private credit panel moderated by Brey Jones featuring Mary Liz Guidry and David Ren. The discussion examined how private credit is reshaping capital markets, expanding access to liquidity, and creating new opportunities for investors in a rising-rate environment.
Yasmin Moaven, Co-Founder & CEO of Jo, presented how AI is redefining asset-backed lending, modernizing credit infrastructure for a faster, fairer system.
Mick Ebeling, Founder of Not Impossible Labs and CEO of Bento, reminded the audience that technology without humanity is hollow — sharing how Bento’s real-time logistics platform connects people in need with food, dignity, and care.
Werner Herzog — introduced by Soledad O’Brien — brought the room to silence. Reading from Chapter 11 of his new book, The Future of Truth, Herzog reflected on AI, authenticity, and the crisis of meaning in the digital age. His words transcended the screen: truth and imagination are not opposites, but partners.
Motorola Solutions followed with Mahesh Saptharishi in conversation with Ken Denman. Their session, AI and the Defense of the Future, focused on mission critical communications, computer vision, and edge AI. They emphasized interoperability, resilience, and human judgment as the foundation for real world deployment in public safety and defense.
The day closed with Mikael Taveniku, Ph.D., of Evolved Aerospace, presenting how his team is engineering autonomous systems built for mission-centric operations — where intelligence meets resilience at the edge.
A Night in Tulum
As the sun sank over the Pacific, guests gathered once more — this time barefoot on the sand at Emerald Bay. Beneath lanterns and moonlight, Chef Bruno’s curated global menu and Rob Garza’s music carried the energy of the summit into celebration.
Signature cocktails like The Cenote and The Tipsy Jaguar flowed as investors, artists, and technologists mingled — proof that the same spark driving innovation in labs and boardrooms thrives just as brightly on the beach.
Then came an unforgettable surprise: Phil Collen of Def Leppard serenaded guests in a private beachside concert, closing the summit with the same power and poetry that began it — a reminder that creativity, like progress, is meant to be shared.
With Gratitude
Sway Minds would not be possible without the partners who share our vision of progress through collaboration. Each represents the excellence, trust, and forward thinking that define this community. We are deeply grateful for your support.
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
If you are interested in sponsoring Sway Minds 2026, we invite you to reach out to our team to learn more about upcoming opportunities. Together, we can continue building spaces where innovation, influence, and insight come to life.
The Road Ahead
As Sway Minds 2025 drew to a close, one sentiment echoed through every conversation: innovation is not a moment, it is a mindset. It lives in the questions we ask, the people we bring together, and the stories we choose to tell.
We’re already looking forward to next year. Sway Minds 2026 will return to Newport Beach on September 23–24, 2026.
Visit the Sway Minds website to learn more, relive this year’s highlights, and request your invitation for next years summit. Until then, may we keep doing what Sway Minds has always celebrated — thinking boldly, building bravely, and shaping the future together.
