IT Arena 2026 Program Is Out: What to Expect Across the Conference Stages
The IT Arena 2026 program is now live.
This September, tech leaders, founders, developers, investors, and innovators will come together to explore what’s next for the industry. Across the Business, Product, Dev, Pitching, and Innovation stages, the program covers AI, product development, startups, investment, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.
AI is one of the key themes — from transforming businesses and products to changing how teams work and make decisions. But the program goes further, exploring Ukrainian innovation, global startups, robotics, and technologies like quantum computing.
Here are some of the key themes to look out for at IT Arena 2026.
AI Is Moving From Experimentation to Execution
AI is no longer just a technology companies are experimenting with. At IT Arena 2026, the conversation is shifting toward what happens when AI becomes part of everyday business operations, product development, and decision-making.
On the Business Stage, Eric Maroyan, AI Transformation Leader at RSM US LLP, will look at the shift from AI adoption to AI accountability in the emerging agentic enterprise.
The Product Stage will approach the topic from another angle. Laura Morgan, Director of The Product Pathway, will explore what it means to be a product manager in an AI-driven world, while Ihor Isakov, Synthetic Speech Artist from Respeecher, will dive into the challenge of making voice agents sound genuinely human.
On the panel, The Death of Average Creativity: Art Tools in the AI Era, experts from science, AI, entrepreneurship, and art will discuss what becomes truly valuable when almost anyone can create high-quality content with AI.
Together, these sessions reflect a broader shift in the AI conversation: from What can AI do? to How do we build, manage, and take responsibility for systems that use it?
Product Is Changing — and So Is the Way We Build It
What makes a product successful today? It’s no longer just about building a useful feature or solving a specific problem.
The Product Stage will explore this evolution from multiple perspectives. Mikko-Pekka Hanski of Idean will look at what it means to build a product from a small country, while Roman Miroshnychenko of BlaBlaCar will explore how user experience can drive the evolution of a niche product into a multimodal platform.
Data is another key part of the equation. In Data Products as Internal Startups, Evgen Bukhalskyi of Ukrsibbank will share insights on how analytics can shape product decisions and create value inside organizations.
But building a product is also about building a recognizable identity. Bohdan Hetmanov of Banda Agency will discuss why tech brands need a cohesive image and how a strong visual identity can become part of the product experience itself.
The agenda also looks at what happens when AI changes the way products grow and how creative teams work. Nataliya Yakymchuk of Aleph will explore Microsoft Ads as a growth channel in the AI era.
Together, these sessions offer a broader look at product evolution — from user experience and branding to data, growth, AI, and creativity.
Ukraine as a Technology and Innovation Powerhouse
Ukraine’s tech ecosystem will be another major theme throughout IT Arena 2026.
The program looks beyond the familiar narrative of resilience to explore how Ukraine’s ability to move quickly, innovate under pressure, and solve complex problems can become a global competitive advantage.
On the Business Stage, Mark Lennon of Polar Spark will discuss how Ukraine’s speed and ingenuity can translate into global business opportunities. Barry Katz of IDEO will take the conversation in both directions, exploring what Ukraine can learn from Silicon Valley — and what Silicon Valley can learn from Ukraine.
The program will also spotlight Ukraine’s growing role in cutting-edge technologies. Ukraine: Where the Future of Human Bionics is Built will bring together experts working at the intersection of technology and human augmentation, while the Innovation Stage sessions, such as Built in Ukraine. Sold to the World will focus on taking Ukrainian innovation to international markets.
The conversation will also extend to international cooperation, with Beyond Aid: The New Deal Between Ukraine’s Tech and Its International Partners examining what the next stage of collaboration between Ukraine’s technology sector and its global partners could look like.
From Startups to Investment: Building Companies That Scale
For founders, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs, the Innovation and Pitching Stages will shed light on one of the biggest challenges in tech: turning a promising idea into a company that can grow globally.
The agenda covers the entire journey — from fundraising and finding product-market fit to entering the US market and eventually scaling toward an exit.
Florian Andrews of Strategy Tools will explore the path from idea to exit, while Axel Tillmann of Pitch Global Group will look at what it takes for a foreign founder to become fundable in the US.
Investors will also share what happens on the other side of the table. In Before You Pitch: Inside the Investor’s Mind, Dominique Piotet, Dave Morgan, Alexandra Balkova, and Mike Butcher will discuss what investors actually look for before deciding to back a startup.
And the focus will not be limited to theory. The Pitching Stage will host the Startup Competition, bringing founders directly into the spotlight as they pitch their companies to an expert audience. The competition will culminate in the finals and awards.
Explore the IT Arena 2026 Program
These are just some of the conversations happening at IT Arena 2026. Across the conference stages, the program brings together global tech leaders, Ukrainian innovators, founders, investors, and technology experts to discuss where the industry is heading — and what it will take to shape that future.
Explore the IT Arena 2026 program and start planning your conference experience.
IT Arena 2026 takes place in Lviv on September 25–27.