9:00 AM
Romanian American Chicago Choir
Romanian children born in America, in traditional costume, singing in their parents' language
·Directed by Nicoleta Roman, mezzo-soprano
9:05 AM
Sesiunea Plenară
Romanian Community Summit Plenary
·Elena Gabor, PhD, Professor of Organizational Communication — MC
·Ligia Apostoaia, CEO, MDL Investments — MC
·Message from the President of Romania, read by the designated presidential advisor
·Recognitions from the stage: Oana Țoiu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania; Lucian-Ilie Stănică, Consul General of Romania in Chicago; the Honorary Board
·Fireside chat — Andreea Răducan, Olympic champion, author and former President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, with Laura Sgaverdea, journalist and broadcaster
·Interview — Mihai Lehene, Founder & President, Romanian United Foundation, with Laura Sgaverdea
·Video — Cristian Mungiu, film director, two-time Palme d'Or winner
10:00 AM
Panel
The Romanian-American Vote, and What the Community Could Do About It
What the numbers show, and who will take the next step
·Proposed by Mihai Lehene, Founder & President, Romanian United Foundation
·Responses from an Orthodox parish, an evangelical congregation and a campus group
·Moderator: To be confirmed
10:45 AM
Fireside chat
Artificial Intelligence Updates from RebelDot
·Tudor "Tudi" Ciuleanu, Founder & CEO, RebelDot
11:20 AM
Panel with action items
The Diaspora Brain Trust for Responsible Strategic Development
Romania's SMR nuclear program, a National AI Data Center and a sovereign cloud strategy — and the world-class diaspora expertise not being consulted on them
·Panelists to be confirmed
12:05 PM
Panel
Leadership Panel: Building Global Technology Companies
Run with the Romanian Tech & Innovation Summit (RACC-IT). Executives from UiPath, AROBS, DruidAI, Endava, Recognos, Eloquentix, RebelDot and FintechOS, including:
·Voicu Oprean, Founder & CEO, AROBS Transilvania Software
·Sergiu Neguț, Co-founder, FintechOS
·George Roth, Founder & CEO, Recognos Inc.; Honorary Consul of Romania, San Francisco
·Matei Puiu, VP of Engineering, Banking & Capital Markets, Endava
·Moderator: Cătălin Briciu, Co-founder & Co-CEO, Linnify
1:58 PM
Video — Nadia Comăneci
Olympic legend · Main Hall re-opener after lunch
2:05 PM
Panel
Immigration 360
Before the move → first-year compliance → building something lasting
·Four panelists to be confirmed
·Moderator: Dana Bucin, Attorney; Honorary Consul of Romania in Connecticut
3:30 PM
Diaspora + Labs + Industry
A live cross-border session on Romania's 1Health Innovation Bootcamp 2026
·Mihaela Mădăraș, Consular Liaison, Romanian United Foundation
4:05 PM
Update on Youth Programs
RoScholars, MentLink and Student Ambassadors
·Cristina Fărmuș, Higher-education and research programs
4:25 PM
UnpublishedRomania Awards
Author of the year
·Nelu Lazar, Founder, UnpublishedRomania
4:40 PM
Romanian Heritage Awards
Third edition · Organized by FORA
·Simona Vasile and Nelu Lazar, FORA
5:00 PM
Community Impact Awards
Third edition · Individual Leadership, Organizational Leadership, Steward of Our Roots, Impact Through Excellence, Future Maker
·Monica Zabo, Awards Coordinator
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Library
Young Leaders Summit
Students, early-career professionals and mentors · speed mentoring, student programs, GlobalRomania student-year elections
·Teodor Cosmovici, Youth Summit Coordinator
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Loft
From Manuscript to Marketplace
Celebrating the author entrepreneurs of UnpublishedRomania
·Nelu Lazar, Founder, UnpublishedRomania
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Student Center
Lunch
Catered by Transylvania Kitchen
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Side Hall
Book Signing & Meet the Authors
UnpublishedRomania
·Nelu Lazar, Founder, UnpublishedRomania
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Library · Workshop
From Income to Wealth: The 3 Skills of Money
·Luminița Ispas, Real Estate Educator, Coach and Investor
2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Side Hall · Panel
Corruption — Causes and Solutions
·Hosted by Elena Gabor, PhD, Professor of Organizational Communication
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Classroom
The Real Estate Wealth Blueprint
5 ways real estate builds wealth, and how you can get started
·Luminița Ispas, Real Estate Educator, Coach and Investor
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Library · Workshop
Understanding and Deploying AI Agents, with RebelDot
·RebelDot team — presenter to be confirmed
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
After Summit Networking Cocktail
Organizer
RACC-IT (Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce for Information Technology)
Partner
Romanian United Foundation
Registration
Separate free registration · lu.ma/71146ewk
Registration deadline
September 15, 2026 · Seats limited, subject to host approval
Full-day summit ticket
Includes morning sessions and lunch · rosummit.org/registration
Check-in
Dual attendees check in at 8:00 AM with the main summit · Tech Summit-only attendees arrive 9:00 AM
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Registration & Check-in
10:00 – 11:30 AM
Competition
Startup Pitch Competition
Romanian and US startups pitch live to investors. $2,000 Grand Prize sponsored by Lofty Ventures.
·Organized by RACC-IT and Lofty Ventures
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Break & Leadership Panel Prep
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Panel
Leadership Panel: Building Global Technology Companies
Executives from UiPath, AROBS, DruidAI, Endava, Recognos, Eloquentix, RebelDot and FintechOS. Also listed in the Main Hall program.
·Voicu Oprean, Founder & CEO, AROBS Transilvania Software
·Sergiu Neguț, Co-founder, FintechOS
·George Roth, Founder & CEO, Recognos Inc.; Honorary Consul of Romania, San Francisco
·Matei Puiu, VP of Engineering, Banking & Capital Markets, Endava
·Moderator: Cătălin Briciu, Co-founder & Co-CEO, Linnify
1:00 – 1:45 PM
Lunch
Traditional Romanian cuisine
1:45 – 2:45 PM
Session
Expanding into the U.S. Market
Legal, operational and strategic guidance for Romanian companies entering the American market
·Presented with Penningtons Manches Cooper and GlobalRomania
3:00 – 4:30 PM
Roundtables
Networking & Roundtable Discussions
Investors, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and innovation ecosystem partners
4:30 – 8:00 PM
Romanian Community Summit Celebration
Full Romanian Community Summit 2026 program · rosummit.org
Startup Pitch Competition
Organized by RACC-IT with Lofty Ventures, following the success of the RACC-IT Pitch Competition held in New York earlier this year. Romanian and US startups pitch live to a panel of investors, competing for a $2,000 Grand Prize sponsored by Lofty Ventures.
Applications: forms.gle/J31C46B2LuHdpcPh7 · Deadline September 10, 2026
Who Attends
·Founders and startup executives
·CTOs, CIOs and technology leaders
·Venture capital and private equity investors
·Corporate innovation and digital transformation leaders
·Senior executives across enterprise software, AI, cloud, cybersecurity and fintech
·Business organizations supporting transatlantic innovation
Confirmed participants include MDL Investments, SlingShot, Stoica.co, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and other members of the Romanian-American business ecosystem.
About RACC-IT
The Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce for Information Technology strengthens commercial and technological collaboration between Romania and the United States. Through executive networking, industry events, strategic partnerships and thought leadership, RACC-IT supports Romanian technology companies expanding into the US market across AI, cloud computing, enterprise software, cybersecurity, fintech and digital transformation. racc-it.com
Agenda Leaflet 2026
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