America turned 250 this month.
That's a pretty good run for an experiment in self-government.
250 years later and the startup is still scaling.
The reason that experiment has worked for so long is simple. Every generation produces people who build.
Some built farms and mills. Others built railroads, factories, and airplanes. More recently, people have built software, rockets, nuclear reactors, and technologies that would have sounded like science fiction not very long ago.
Every generation gets its turn.
The build menu has expanded significantly.
And this one has plenty to build.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping entire industries. Breakthroughs in biology are changing medicine. New energy technologies are opening possibilities that barely existed a decade ago. At the same time, the world is asking big questions about housing, infrastructure, manufacturing, and national security.
The future is being built right now.
And a surprising amount of that work is happening in New Hampshire.
Almost every day, I learn about another fascinating founder, scientist, engineer, investor, or builder who has chosen to call Live Free or Die country home.
There are founders building companies, scientists working on breakthrough technologies, investors backing ambitious ideas, and students preparing to tackle problems that don't have answers yet.
Our startup community is growing quickly, and there are still plenty of connections waiting to happen.
"Wait, you're building a startup in New Hampshire too?"
That's why Freedom Summit exists.
On August 20 and 21, Manchester will become a gathering place for builders. Founders, investors, engineers, scientists, students, and curious minds will come together for two days of conversations about hard tech, biotech, energy, entrepreneurship, and the future.
This isn't a conference about collecting lanyards.
It's about putting interesting people in the same room and seeing what happens.
Because good things happen when builders find each other.
No offense to the lanyard collectors.
Companies get started. Ideas get sharper. Partnerships form. Sometimes one conversation changes everything.
The best conferences leave you with new friends, new ideas, and something you can't stop thinking about.
That's what I hope Freedom Summit becomes.
More than ten years ago, Dyn hosted Geek Summer Camp. The idea was simple. Bring together interesting people building interesting things and celebrate summer in New England.
It's time to bring that back.
The next 250 years will be built by people who decide to create something new.
This August, many of those people will be in Manchester.
The only question is whether you'll be there too.
The most interesting room in New Hampshire will be here this August.
Adapted from a recent LinkedIn post by Jeremy Hitchcock. Edited by Shayla Karo.
Freedom Summit
August 20–21, 2026
Manchester, New Hampshire
🧬 Day 1 (8/20): Bio Innovation
Keynote: Niklas Anzinger — Exit, Voice, and Loyalty in FDA Modernization
Headline Address: Governor Kelly Ayotte — A conversation on New Hampshire's future and the role innovation can play in shaping it.
Featured speakers include:
🚀 Day 2 (8/21): Built Futures
Opening Keynote: Dean Kamen — Inventor, entrepreneur, and founder of FIRST.
Closing Keynote: Jeremy Hitchcock, Rae Lambert, Ryan Lambert, and Benjamin Sachs unveiling the vision for Freedom Village.
Featured speakers include:
🤝 Interested in sponsoring Freedom Summit? This is a grassroots event built by the community. Sponsors help make everything beyond the talks possible—from coffee and lunch to attendee experiences and the closing party. If you or your organization believes in building New Hampshire's innovation ecosystem, we'd love to have you involved.
We'll be announcing more fun updates as we get closer to August. We hope to see you in Manchester!