Only the curious will thrive: Top takeaways from Nexus 2025

Curiosity was the common thread at Nexus 2025, our annual flagship client event. This year, we gathered in San Diego with leaders across industries to connect over human-centered AI and what’s next. We also celebrated our Catalyst Award winners: leaders who are driving change and building the future of their industries. Enjoy some of the top moments and takeaways from our time together.

1. Curiosity is a leadership advantage

“Only the curious will thrive” was our theme and set the tone. In her opening keynote, Launch President Tammy Soares expressed the urgency of the moment, saying, “If people are sitting back and waiting to see what happens with AI, they’re going to get left behind.” That sentiment echoed across every session.

Throughout Nexus, leaders shared stories about how they’re staying curious and moving ideas forward. That included a healthcare founder describing how she’s reshaping patient access and a 40-year tech veteran who’s still asking what’s next. People leaned into the idea of asking questions and embracing uncertainty.

2. Start with humans, not technology

Many of the strongest stories of the day started with people, not technology. In insurance, logistics and healthtech, leaders talked about spending time in the field and watching how people actually use their products and tools, then designing for them.

3. AI is not a strategy. It’s a tool.

There was plenty of excitement about AI alongside a healthy amount of realism, too. To temper the hype, people spoke about where they’re using it now and seeing impact. One panelist shared how his 3½-year-old grandson interacts with AI in ways that would never occur to him. This underscored how the next generation will be AI natives. Our job is to stay curious enough to learn alongside them.

4. Small steps, big impact

Sean Jantzen, Vice President of Applications Development at UPS, shared how his team discovered that smaller deployments are easier to manage and that the “blast radius is smaller” when things go wrong. After months of small-batch releases, his business partner noticed something unexpected: “Isn’t it odd that there’s not as many bugs or defects?” These smaller releases create software stability, which helps gain consumer trust and leads to a better user experience.

5. It helps to be in the room

The best part of Nexus? Being in person. The side conversations, connections and shared energy. Getting inspired by curious leaders who show up authentically. Nexus 2025 started with an all-room game of rock-paper-scissors and ended on the dance floor with a robot dog. When it was all said and done, we left feeling energized and ready to take on what's next.

We’re grateful to everyone who joined us in San Diego. Thanks for showing up with open minds and big questions. And thanks for proving, again and again, that only the curious will thrive.