Emerging in Tech Summit Connects Wisconsin Communities to Technology’s Future

The Emerging in Tech (EIT) Summit brings together the people, ideas and technologies shaping Wisconsin’s future. Taking place Oct. 13, 2026, from 1–5 p.m. at Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood, the summit centers on one idea: Connected Through Innovation.

Nadiyah Johnson, founder of Jet Constellations, created Wisconsin Tech Month to make the state’s tech ecosystem more accessible and visible, connecting people across technology, entrepreneurship, education and community.

“Emerging in Tech Summit is part of Wisconsin Tech Month. It's one of our flagship events and our overall vision is to extend our reach outside of the city of Milwaukee and to start creating bridges with some of our neighboring tech hubs,” Johnson said. “I’m really excited to be working with Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood and Cream City Cybers.”

The goal for the summit is to inform and educate communities about available resources, how the technology industry is evolving, and how emerging technologies can be incorporated into daily life and the workforce.

One of the workshops Johnson is especially excited about is the Virtual Reality workshop, which will explore how emerging technology can create greater equity. Speakers will highlight how virtual reality is being used to help justice impacted individuals build skills while incarcerated, preparing them for successful reentry and employment opportunities from day one.

Johnson said a lack of awareness can be a barrier to preventing people from pursuing careers in tech.

“When I was just starting out I didn’t know what sort of opportunities technology could afford me.

I had to go to a conference in Texas to get hired at GE which was right in my backyard,” Johnson said.“There’s more exposure about what opportunities are right here in the state and also a mentality shift. People think you have to be a genius or a super nerd or really good at math to thrive in technology and that’s just not the case.”

Technology is part of virtually every industry offering numerous career opportunities that can provide family-sustaining wages.

“Technology has been around for a while now and we see the impact it’s had in our day to day lives,” said Johnson. “Now artificial intelligence is really advancing at a rapid pace. It’s without question necessary for our communities to be educated on how it works, how their career fields will be changing in the next two to five years and how they can leverage it so that the wealth gap and the achievement gap closes instead of widens which will absolutely happen if we do not get our heads in the game so that’s one of the reasons why Wisconsin Tech Month is so important because of its ability to drive awareness to this topic.”

Emerging in Tech Summit

Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood, 5522 26th Ave., Kenosha Oct. 13, 2026 | 1–5 p.m.

Tickets: $35

Register at Witechmonth.com or through Eventbrite