Blustery outside, buzzing inside. Elemental Interactive 2026 gathered builders and backers wrestling with the same question: what does it take to be bold and build? Four themes kept surfacing:
1️⃣ It’s not just about growth. It’s about growing with intention.
We opened the day with our first ever joint Annual Investor + Donor Meeting—a chance to learn from one another and to compare not just what we back but why.
Melissa Uhl shared the story of her first venture at age 10, selling lei on the side of the road in Maui—until one order of 20 became her first scale-up moment.
That theme carried into an important conversation about AI and data center growth. We discussed the deeper question—not just how to grow, but how to do it with environmental and community benefits baked into the design. Thank you to
Amy Harder for asking the hard questions and
Melanie Nakagawa,
Amanda Peterson Corio, and
Robinson Meyer for deepening the conversation with urgency and nuance.
2️⃣ Resilience is built in the rough edges.
One of the most memorable moments happened when
Arcady Sosinov spoke candidly about what happens when things do not go to plan.
Elemental invested in Arcady’s company in 2014 and, for years, it showed the kind of momentum that can make a company feel unstoppable. But then the pressure to scale collided with a series of unrelenting market shifts.
With candor and grace, Arcady shared the gut-wrenching story of shutting down something he had spent years building. About losing sight of business fundamentals while chasing the next raise. Arcady put it plainly: “Growth at all costs is not a strategy.”
There was heartbreak, but there was also proof that the story doesn't end at the hardest moment.
3️⃣ Big ideas need systems to match.
Breakthroughs only matter if the infrastructure exists to move them into reality.
Leila Banijamali—making a full sequin-suit dance-entrance—and
Alex Modon reminded us that some of the biggest opportunities are hiding in plain sight: permitting, construction, local policy.
Tony Martens brought big laughs while making a serious point: local policy is deeply human work. Fresh off the tailwinds of a hard-won local hearing, Tony recounted the unexpectedly difficult task of proving the community benefit of a company that has already increased the minimum wage in the small Texas county where it operates by +60%.
4️⃣ Connection is part of the infrastructure.
All day, we saw relationships form in real time. In Deal Rooms, investors + partners got an inside look at what’s ahead for
Bedrock Energy,
Nth Cycle,
Terviva, and
Vaulted Deep. And at the Founder + Funder meet-and-greet, we sparked hundreds of connections between entrepreneurs, capital providers, + partners who can help build scale.
The day ended with a hula from Hālau O Keikiali'i and a spirited team karaoke showdown.
To everyone who joined us: thank you for showing up with ambition, honesty, and heart. We’ll see you next year. Until then, keep building.