Attendees at the Greater Irvine Chamber's Innovator's Journey didn't just hear about the future of innovation—they experienced it firsthand.
From interacting with autonomous AI to gaining insights from leaders at the forefront of commercialization, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and emerging technology, the event brought the innovation continuum to life—from breakthrough discovery to real-world impact.
Field AI delivered a memorable experience with a live autonomous robotics demonstration that gave attendees a rare, up-close and in-person look at next-generation artificial intelligence operating in a dynamic, real-world environment.
Personified for the event as “JiJi,” the quadruped robot autonomously navigated the room before selecting its path onto the stage and adapting its movements in real time. Tony Tran, Director of Business Development & Field Operations at Field AI, walked attendees through the technology, its commercial applications, and what sets Field AI's approach to autonomous intelligence apart.
JiJi wasn't finished when the demonstration ended. It later moved to the event's step-and-repeat, where attendees could interact with the robot and take photos—turning a demonstration of emerging technology into a shared experience.
Building on the demonstration, an on-stage Executive Conversation between Dave Coffaro, President & CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber, and Tran explored how technologies such as Field AI's autonomous intelligence move from research and development to commercially viable solutions with applications across industries.
The immersive experience began even before JiJi entered the room. To set the stage, the Greater Irvine Chamber debuted its original video, Why Irvine is Built for Innovation | Irvine in Motion, highlighting the people, companies, institutions, and ecosystem that continue to strengthen Irvine's position as a center for innovation.
The day's executive content further explored how innovation moves from idea to impact.
Keynote speaker Errol Arkilic, Chief Innovation Officer at UC Irvine and Executive Director of UCI Beall Applied Innovation, examined the complete innovation lifecycle and why market risk can outweigh technology risk when bringing new ideas to market.
Marques McCammon, President of Karma Automotive, delivered a signature executive address exploring how leadership, vision, and strategic execution drive innovation and business transformation.
Coffaro moderated an executive panel featuring Janelle Brunette, Chief Operating Officer and incoming Chief Executive Officer of Octane; Ryan Honary, Founder and CEO of SensoRy AI; Thomas Katavic, Head of Digital at Hoag; and Sarah Liang, Partner & Global Responsible AI Leader at EY. Together, they explored how innovation takes different forms across industries and organizations, while sharing many of the same challenges: understanding the problem, listening to the market, earning trust, building support, adapting, and ultimately turning breakthrough ideas into meaningful outcomes.
Additionally, three attendees were randomly selected in a drawing to receive special event packages. Elias Santamaria Calero of Field AI received the exclusive Karma Vehicle Experience, offering rare, behind-the-scenes access not ordinarily available to the public, including a curated factory and Karma Design Studio tour, and a Karma test drive; Monica Greene of Right Click received a luxury Karma Merchandise Collection; and Christine Singer-Luna of Second Harvest Food Bank received a handcrafted holiday centerpiece from Kate Flowers LA/OC.
Hoag presented the 2026 Innovator's Journey, along with support from Leadership & Digital Experience Sponsor Cityside Fiber, Business Sponsor University of California, Irvine, Media Sponsor Video Resources, Inc., Floral Design Sponsor Kate Flowers LA/OC. Table sponsors were Concordia University Irvine and Parker Aerospace.
From conversations about risk, leadership, trust, commercialization, AI, and scaling to watching innovation quite literally walk into the room, Innovator's Journey was designed to give attendees more than ideas to consider. It offered new perspectives, practical insights, meaningful connections, and firsthand experiences they could take back to their own organizations.
