ShipSummit

  • LEARN from the practitioners who wrote the book on shipping software. Sharpen the practices that have defined your career and see how they’re evolving in an AI-accelerated world.
  • BUILD real software with peers and top practitioners. Put ideas to the test in our hands-on Impact Lab. Get feedback from the people who’ve shipped at the highest levels.
  • CONNECT with the people shaping mission-centric software. Hone your craft alongside practitioners making SHIP happen — across government, industry, and the teams in between.
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BRING SHIPSUMMIT TO YOUR CITY
ABOUT SHIPSUMMIT

Where mission-driven teams learn to ship with AI.

The way software gets built is changing faster than most teams can keep up with. Vibe coding. Agentic workflows. AI-native tooling. The practitioners who figure this out first will define the next decade of mission-critical software — and the ones who don’t will get left behind.

ShipSummit is where mission-driven product managers, designers, and engineers come to figure it out together. Three days of hands-on workshops, keynotes from the people who literally wrote the book on shipping, and a working Impact Lab where you don’t just learn the practices — you apply them to a real-world challenge and walk away with a working prototype.

WHAT ATTENDEES SAY

The room speaks for itself.

“The amount of preparation and excellence in execution was amazing. The Rise8 team clearly cares and desires to go the extra mile.”

Federal Government Leader, ShipSummit 2026

“The hands-on experience in a small-group environment gave us the freedom to openly communicate, collaborate, and learn as a team.”

Government Product Owner, ShipSummit 2026

“Hands-on learning at its best. Would recommend to anyone looking to build confidence in their skills and learn what’s possible with AI.”

Industry Technical Director, ShipSummit 2026
RECORDINGS

Watch the talks. Feel the room.

Keynotes and fireside chats from past ShipSummits — free to watch, share, and learn from. Pull a session into your next team meeting, send one to a peer, or queue them up for your next flight.

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Ship Stories: Shipping Software at the Speed of Need – Max Reele

Rise8's VP of Delivery Max Reele shares a gripping case study from August 24th, 2021 — the day Kessel Run's air operations software broke under the pressure of Operation Allies Refuge, the largest airlift in US history.

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Ship Stories: State-Level Benefits – Pooja Shaw

Former USDS leader and current Head of Growth at Desmos, Pooja Shaw shares a look at a part of government that often flies under the radar: state-administered social programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and childcare assistance.

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Fireside Chat: Going Zero to One | Bryon Kroger & Mina Hsiang

Rise8 founder Bryon Kroger and former USDS Administrator Mina Hsiang sit down for a candid fireside chat following the Ship Stories session. They dig into the "never let a crisis go to waste" theme — including the idea of deliberately surfacing hidden crises to create the conditions for change.

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Vibe Coding with Gene Kim

DevOps pioneer and author Gene Kim shares what he believes will be the biggest shift in software development since the DevOps movement — and he's calling it vibe coding.

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Single Player to Multiplayer: AI, Context, and Collaboration – John Cutler

Product expert John Cutler delivers a thought-provoking talk on one of the most underexamined risks of the AI boom: that the same tools promising to supercharge teams are quietly pushing people into single player mode.

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Features vs. Futures: Software Design in the Age of AI – Kent Beck

Software pioneer Kent Beck delivers a candid talk on one of the most pressing problems in AI-assisted development: why codebases decay faster than ever when you let the "genie" run unchecked.

VIEW FULL LIBRARY ON YOUTUBE
PHOTO ALBUM

What it actually looks like.

Keynotes, hands-on builds, hallway conversations, mountain air. A glimpse of what happens when the people shipping mission-critical software get in a room together.

Want to be in the next one?

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PARTNERS

Partners who show up.

ShipSummit partners aren’t sponsors with a logo on a banner. They’re builders — bringing their tools, their engineers, and their expertise into the room to work alongside attendees on real challenges.

Interested in partnering with a future ShipSummit?

Whether you’re a tooling provider, a host organization, or a mission-driven company looking to invest in the people shipping software that matters — we’d love to talk. Reach out at shipsummit@rise8.us.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between ShipSummit and ShipCity?
What’s the difference between ShipSummit and ShipCity?

ShipSummit is our flagship event — a multi-day, immersive training experience that brings together top practitioners, keynote speakers, and a hands-on Impact Lab challenge. It’s where the broader community comes together once a year to push the craft of mission-driven software forward.

ShipCity is the regional, focused version — smaller cohorts, hosted in cities and organizations across the country, designed to bring the same hands-on AI-native training closer to the teams who need it. Think of ShipSummit as the flagship and ShipCity as the movement spreading.

Who is ShipSummit and ShipCity for?
Who is ShipSummit and ShipCity for?

Product managers, designers, software engineers, and platform engineers building mission-critical software — especially in government, defense, and the industry partners serving them. If your work involves shipping software that matters, and you’re trying to figure out how to do it faster and better in an AI-accelerated world, you’re who we built this for.

Both events welcome federal employees, military personnel, contractors, and industry practitioners. ShipSummit tends to draw a national audience; ShipCity is built for regional teams who want focused training without the travel.

How can I bring AI training to my organization?
How can I bring AI training to my organization?

A few ways. If you want to host a ShipCity edition for your city or organization, fill out the partnership form below — we’ll work with you to scope a hands-on training experience tailored to your team’s mission. If you’re looking for something more bespoke — embedded coaching, custom workshops, or an AI-native delivery transformation for your agency or company — Rise8 offers that too. Get in touch.

Can I earn CPE credits?
Can I earn CPE credits?

Yes. ShipSummit attendees can earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for sessions attended. Specific credit amounts and qualifying sessions are confirmed closer to each event. ShipCity editions may also offer CPE credits depending on the format and host — we’ll share details with each event announcement.

When is the next ShipSummit?
When is the next ShipSummit?

ShipSummit happens annually, with ShipCity editions throughout the year. To get notified the moment the next event is announced, drop your email below. Get notified.

Are sessions recorded?
Are sessions recorded?

Yes. Keynotes and select sessions from past ShipSummits are available free in our Recordings library. Workshop and Impact Lab content is reserved for in-person attendees — the value of those sessions comes from doing the work alongside others, which doesn’t translate to video.

What should I expect from the Impact Lab?
What should I expect from the Impact Lab?

The Impact Lab is a hands-on, multi-day challenge where you’ll work with a small team to take a real-world problem from prompt to prototype using AI-native tools. You’ll get embedded coaching from speakers and practitioners, follow-up deep dives, and a chance to present your solution on the final day. You leave with working software, not just slides.

Do I need to know how to code to attend?
Do I need to know how to code to attend?

No. ShipSummit and ShipCity are designed for product managers, designers, engineers, and platform teams alike. Vibe coding and AI-native tools have changed who can build software — and our programming meets people across that spectrum. Whether you’re shipping production code or shaping the product strategy behind it, you’ll find sessions and labs built for you.

I’m a vendor or solution provider. Can I attend?
I’m a vendor or solution provider. Can I attend?

ShipSummit and ShipCity aren’t vendor showcases — there are no sales pitches or expo halls, and our programming is built for practitioners. That said, if your company is interested in supporting the work as an Impact Lab partner, host, or sponsor, we’d love to talk. Reach out at shipsummit@rise8.us.

Pattern
GET INVOLVED

Two ways to ship with us.

ShipSummit is more than an event — it’s a growing community of practitioners building mission-critical software in an AI-accelerated world. Whether you want a seat at the next one or you want to bring it home to your team, here’s how to plug in.

Stay in the Loop

Be the first to know when the next ShipSummit or ShipCity edition is announced. We’ll send dates, locations, speaker lineups, and registration details — nothing else.

Get Notified

Bring ShipSummit Home

Want to host a ShipCity edition for your city, agency, or organization? Tell us a bit about your team and goals — we’ll set up time to explore what a partnership could look like.

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