Reflecting on Social Innovation Summit 2025: San Francisco
A front-row seat at the Social Innovation Summit is an 18 Coffees annual tradition. As the event’s social media strategy and marketing partner for the last 5+ years, our team manages pre-event promotion and produces live coverage.
Each year presents a unique set of circumstances and challenges for those in the social impact space. This year, however, a spectre of existential uncertainty hung low over the proceedings, like the Bay Area’s signature fog. Julian Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, put it succinctly: "It's fair to say that these are unique, crazy, unprecedented, and stressful times, but also times of opportunity."
What follows are observations from my time in San Francisco, where thought leaders and change makers set out to “Navigate the New Era.”
Polar explorer Robert Swan, OBE, BA, FRGS, helped set the tone early in the event: "In terms of survivors, think now of the bison. A bison, when faced with a blizzard, does not turn away. It turns its head into the storm and marches forward. Why? Because it's the quickest way out."
There was a wide range of topics discussed, with key themes centering on artificial intelligence, philanthropy, education, and equity in healthcare. If there was one overriding theme, however, it was the responsible use of AI—that is, putting the needs of people first and bringing underrepresented voices into the fold while we’re in the early stages of AI development. “It's about rejecting the assumption that only big tech and venture capital can define the future that we'll all be living in,” said Allison Scott, CEO of the Kapor Foundation.
It was fascinating to hear from investors and philanthropic organizations who have been forced to quickly adapt how they allocate funds. “We're changing the language to protect the work,” said Karen Little, Global Lead, Rapid Response & Strategic Partnerships at PayPal. “We are handling this change like any rapid response situation: we leveraged trust-based philanthropy and made grants FAST. We got the money moving."
In between panel discussions, the moments that really stirred the crowd were rooted in artistic expression and personal storytelling. Check out moments from Poet Charles Patton, civil rights activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, and therapist, healer, and entrepreneur Veronica Lightning Horse Perez.
Van Jones, a featured speaker and longtime friend of the Social Innovation Summit, delivered a message rooted in optimism and hope: "No pressure, no diamonds. Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs if you use them right. That wasn't an obstacle, it was a springboard to a better version of yourself."
Though we departed the same way we arrived—without the foggiest idea of what the future holds— the imperative was clear: we can all help shape the just, equitable, and sustainable future we want to see. Here’s to weathering the storm, continuing to march forward, and reconnecting at #SIS26.
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