AN N UAL REP O RT FISCAL YEAR
2026
YEAR OF INNOVATION THE TECH | 1
Board of Directors
Letter from the President & CEO and the Board Chair
Courtney Blum
Dear Friends,
Greg Brown Gloria Chen Juan Cruz James C. Deichen Christopher S. DiGiorgio Sabrina Farmer Aymeric Gisselbrecht Shikoh Gitau Raquel Gonzalez Bill Heil John Heinlein, Ph.D. Gerald Held, Ph.D. Kate Hogan Priya Kannan, Ph.D. Joe Kava Tina Knauss Randall Krenzin, CFP Pat McGovern Lisa Millora Jody Mortimore Omkaram Nalamasu, Ph. D. Janine Pelosi Matthew Sapp Amit Walia Ken Washington, Ph.D. Sean White
(July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026)
We are calling Fiscal Year 2026 the Year of Innovation at The Tech Interactive. Innovation, at its heart, is not about having all the answers. It is about asking better questions, trying something new, learning from what doesn’t work, and moving forward. That is the mindset we encourage in every young person who comes through our doors, and this year, it was one we had to practice ourselves. Like many museums and cultural institutions, The Tech continues to navigate rising operating costs, shifts in public and philanthropic funding, and changing patterns in school and family participation. Schools are facing tighter budgets and declining enrollment, while families are making more careful choices about discretionary spending. Those pressures challenged us to find new, sustainable ways to serve our community. So we got creative. We redesigned field trip experiences to better fit school schedules, took hands-on STEM learning directly to students, launched our first staff-run summer camp, and expanded opportunities for adults to rediscover The Tech. While AI literacy was a major focus, we also doubled down on screen-free engineering experiences, from our new Innovation in Bloom exhibit to a record-setting Tech Topple featuring 50,000 carefully placed dominoes. That work feels more urgent than ever. As AI and other technologies rapidly reshape our world, young people need more than technical fluency. They need curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, ethics, agency, and opportunities to practice using technology to solve problems that matter. Nearly 300,000 people visited The Tech this year, including more than 62,000 field-trip participants and 22,000 learners in our hands-on labs. Thousands more experienced The Tech beyond our mango-and-azure building, including 5,444 people reached through community events and nearly 20,000 educators in Kenya who participated in our training program. Behind those numbers are moments when someone tested an idea, asked a question, met a role model, or began to imagine, perhaps for the first time, “I can do this.” Your support makes those moments possible. Philanthropy gives The Tech the freedom to adapt, experiment, expand access, and create the kinds of experiences future innovators need most. It allows us to respond to a changing world without losing sight of what has always mattered: helping people see themselves as capable problem-solvers. We are proud of what we built together in FY26 and even more excited about what comes next. From new learning experiences to Seismic Valley: The Earthquake Experience, we are ready to keep experimenting, evolving, and, quite literally, shaking things up. Thank you for believing in The Tech, in our community, and in the future innovators who need us most. With gratitude,
Katrina Stevens President & CEO 2 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Matthew Sapp Board Chair
BY THE NUMBERS: Your Investment at Work
297,583
Every number represents a moment of curiosity, confidence, and possibility.
Total visitors to The Tech Interactive
62,238
42%
Field trip participants
Field-trip participants from Title I schools
10,728
20,252 5,444
Museums for All and Discover & Go participants receiving free or reduced admission
22,251
Hands-on lab participants during field trips
Volunteer service hours
Children and their families reached through community outreach events
1,680
4,668
19,348
Students participated in The Tech Challenge Showcase in San Jose
Students participated in The Tech Challenge Showcase events in Kenya
Educators trained in Design Challenge Learning in Kenya THE TECH | 3
SPARKING CURIOSITY, INSPIRING POSSIBILITY
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Where Innovation Begins A spark can start with a question, a surprise, or the chance to try something for yourself. At The Tech, we create joyful, hands-on experiences that invite people to explore, experiment, and begin to see themselves as innovators. Our exhibit design philosophy starts with a simple idea: everyone deserves a way in. We ground new experiences in learning research, visitor testing, and community input, then design for different ages, abilities, interests, and ways of learning. That means thinking not only about what visitors will discover, but how they will participate, whether they can reach an activity, understand an invitation, collaborate with someone else, or find a challenge that feels right for them.
“As AI transforms our world, the skills that will matter most are deeply human: adaptability, creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. When visitors tinker, test, fail forward, and iterate, they aren’t just engaging with science, they are building skills that will serve them for a lifetime.” — Dr. Prinda Wanakule, Exhibits R&D Team We practice the same process we ask our visitors to use. Our team defines problems, imagines possibilities, prototypes, tests, listens, and iterates. The goal is not simply to create something impressive. It is to create experiences where play becomes meaningful practice in curiosity, creative problem-solving, collaboration, persistence, and confidence. In a world increasingly shaped by powerful technologies, those deeply human skills matter more than ever.
Generously supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Innovation in Bloom brought that idea to life in a bold new way. The 24-foot-tall kinetic installation transforms The Tech’s Innovation Design Process into a playful, screen-free experience that blends art, engineering, and hands-on discovery. Guests launch lightweight balls through air-powered tubes and winding pathways, then step into the role of designer themselves. Using magnetic track pieces, they build, test, adjust, and try again, with no single right answer. When visitors work together across the exhibit, they can trigger a collaborative “brainstorm,” sending hundreds of balls cascading overhead. The experience is also rooted in the place we call home. Its landscapes reference the Santa Cruz Mountains and East Bay hills, while kinetic flowers overhead celebrate communities across Silicon Valley, including California poppies, San Jose roses, marigolds, lotuses, and cherry blossoms. Behind the playful experience is serious engineering. The Tech’s exhibit team spent months prototyping, testing, and refining the installation, from its air-powered launchers to the custom system that cycles balls back through the exhibit. Visitor testing also helped shape the height, sensitivity, size, and magnetic strength of the interactive elements, making the experience more accessible across ages and abilities. That same spirit guides how The Tech approaches exhibit design. We use the same engineering design process we ask our visitors to practice: define a problem, imagine possibilities, build, test, learn, and iterate. Grounded in learning research and community co-design, every interaction is created with a purpose, to turn play into meaningful growth and give visitors opportunities to build the durable skills that will serve them far beyond the museum. Each experience may begin differently, but the goal is the same: create that first moment of possibility and give someone the confidence to ask, “What if I tried this?”
Prinda and her family at the Grand Opening of Innovation in Bloom.
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MORE WAYS TO SPARK CURIOSITY
Climate Quest
Climate & AI Partnership with IBM
The Tech’s first arcade-style exhibit puts young people in the driver’s seat of environmental action. Players explore choices involving water, food, wildlife, and sustainability, discovering how individual decisions connect to larger systems and real-world solutions. The experience also introduces learners to careers in climate and sustainability, helping a spark of curiosity grow into a sense of possibility. This vibrant addition to our Solve for Earth gallery was made possible by the California Natural Resources Agency, with special thanks to Senator Dave Cortese for his support and inspiration through the Silicon Valley Kids Climate Club.
A new immersive experience in our AI Sandbox gives visitors a window into how artificial intelligence can help scientists better understand our changing planet. Developed through a partnership with IBM, the installation explores how NASA and IBM use foundation models to interpret decades of geospatial and climate data, revealing patterns in Earth’s atmosphere and environment that can help researchers study global change.
Playing for the Planet
Seeing Our Planet Through AI
The experience connects an emerging technology with a challenge visitors already recognize: understanding and protecting the planet we share. It also gives young people another example of how AI can be used as a tool for solving meaningful human and environmental problems.
Partners in Innovation
Senator Dave Cortese: Investing in Access, Education and Agency A $3 million investment secured by California State Senator Dave Cortese is helping expand access to field trips while giving students new ways to explore climate change and sustainability. The funding supports visits for students from across Silicon Valley, including those from under-resourced schools that may otherwise face barriers to participating. It also helped bring Climate Quest to life, an arcade-style experience that invites visitors to explore how everyday choices connect to larger environmental systems. The investment brings together two important ideas: access and agency. More young people can participate in hands-on STEM learning while discovering that they can play a role in shaping a more sustainable future. 6 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Putt Putt Paradise
Creative Intelligence
Sometimes a spark starts with a familiar game and an unexpected challenge. In Putt Putt Paradise, more than 23,000 visitors explored mechanical engineering by designing and building devices capable of sending a golf ball toward the hole. This playful challenge gave guests an immediate reason to build, test, troubleshoot, and try again, turning mini golf into hands-on practice in engineering design.
Supported by the Knight Foundation, with artwork on loan from the Stevenson Arts Foundation, Creative Intelligence invited visitors to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, art, and human creativity. Through generative artworks and handson experiences, visitors explored the creative partnership between artists and AI, seeing how human ideas, choices, and imagination shape what AI produces and how technology, in turn, can open new possibilities for expression. The temporary exhibition included Winds of Yawanawa #874, by Yawanawa and Refik Anadol (2023), pictured above.
Engineering a Hole-in-One
Art Meets AI
Your Support Creates the Spark Every breakthrough begins somewhere. A question. An experiment. A moment when someone realizes there might be another way to solve a problem or says, “I can do that!” Your support creates the spark that can grow into confidence, skills, and a future in STEM. THE TECH | 7
EXPERIMENTING BEYOND THE EXPECTED
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A Year of Firsts
HOMESCHOOL DAYS AT
First summer camp designed and run by The Tech Interactive
First Homeschool Days
First volunteer-led Tech Challenge Showcase (Reno, NV)
First arcade-style exhibit: Climate Quest
New Tech Challenge recognition system
First STEAM Mobile Tour to local elementary schools
New AI literacy lessons and trainings
First Howl-Off on from the balcony
First hands-on workshop for adults
THE TECH | 9
Tech at Nite: Bringing a New Generation Back For many young adults in San Jose, The Tech is a place they first knew through school field trips. Tech at Nite gives them a reason to come back. Launched in late 2024, Tech at Nite has grown from 347 tickets sold at its first event to a record 637 for Space Out! in May 2026. Each night blends handson art, music, science, and playful nostalgia, with themes such as Space, Techtoberfest, and Rewind (‘90s), giving the series its own personality.
Tech at Nite Attendance Rewind ’90s: July 24, 2025 527 attendees Techtoberfest: Oct. 9, 2025 340 attendees Love Lab: Feb. 12, 2026 592 attendees Space Out!: May 14, 2026 637 attendees
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A key force behind the program is The Tech Interactive’s Marketing Manager Joanna Acevedo, who created Tech at Nite as an experience rooted in local culture and community. As a zillennial who grew up in San Jose, Joanna understands both the nostalgia many adults feel for The Tech and the desire for more meaningful, in-person ways to connect. She builds each event around local artists, musicians, makers, and community organizations, creating something that feels less like a standard museum party and more like a celebration of San Jose. That local focus has created a positive ripple effect throughout San Jose. Tech at Nite has become a platform for the local creative economy, with more than 75 vendors, makers, and artists participating across the series. Foundational partner Local Color SJ has been part of the program from the beginning, helping bring hands-on art experiences into the mix. The series also serves as an important model for growth. Like many museums navigating post-pandemic financial pressures, The Tech is exploring new ways to grow earned revenue, deepen donor engagement, and stay relevant to a generation looking for real-world, interactive places to gather. What began as a pilot is now a repeatable model shaped by what the community responded to most. Tech at Nite shows how a downtown institution can evolve with its community while staying true to what made it special in the first place. What started as an experiment is now one of San Jose’s most distinctive nightlife experiences, making The Tech a place people can return to throughout their lives to play, connect, and discover.
Cozy Crafternoon: We’re Going Back to the Crafting Board Inspired by the growing popularity of DIY and craft meet-ups, The Tech piloted Cozy Crafternoon as a new way to engage adults during the holiday season. The inaugural event drew a modest crowd, but guests who attended responded positively to the daytime, hands-on format.
Reinventing the Dome After Dark The IMAX® Dome Theater has long been one of The Tech’s most distinctive experiences. In FY26, we began experimenting with new ways to use it, especially during evenings and weekends, to give adults more reasons to visit. That experimentation started with music. After seeing strong audience response to rented laser shows the previous year, The Tech invested in its own laser system and expanded LASERS!, turning the Dome into an immersive venue for music, light, and full-dome spectacle. Some of the most popular shows featured K-Pop Demon Hunters, Daft Punk, Pink Floyd, Taylor Swift, and Bad Bunny, giving us the chance to test a wide range of genres and audiences while building a repeatable evening experience around an asset we already had. We also experimented with Hollywood films aimed more directly at adult audiences. Titles such as Project Hail Mary, Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Mandalorian, and Superman gave guests new reasons to experience the Dome outside of a traditional museum visit.
Rather than write the idea off, we are treating the pilot the same way we approach any design challenge: look closely at what worked, question what did not, and iterate. Was the barrier price, timing, promotion, or simply demand? Those are exactly the questions that will shape what we try next. Innovation is not only about successful launches. It is also about learning quickly, adapting thoughtfully, and being willing to go back to the drawing board. Would you attend a Cozy Crafternoon? We’d love to hear from you!
At the same time, educational films remained an important part of the Dome experience, with Wild Rescue, Penguins: A Love Story, Horse Power, and Wolves of Yellowstone among the year’s most popular titles. The goal was not to replace the educational films families and school groups know, but to broaden what the theater could be and when people might choose to visit. Like Tech at Nite, the experiment reflects a larger question we asked throughout FY26: How can The Tech create more reasons for people to come back at different stages of their lives? By testing new programming in the Dome, we learned that science, technology, music, and entertainment can share the same screen, helping The Tech become a more vibrant evening and weekend destination.
THE TECH | 11
Where Soccer Meets STEM When World Cup excitement took over downtown San Jose, The Tech saw an opportunity to bring STEM into the middle of the celebration. The city designated the nearby San Pedro Square as its official Soccer Celebration Headquarters, where all 104 tournament matches were broadcast live. Across those watch parties, attendance topped 400,000 people.
Summer CAMP Fun This summer, The Tech Interactive put its own spin on camp. For the first time, our staff designed and ran CAMP at The Tech, bringing our hands-on, design-driven approach to a full-day summer experience for rising second through sixth graders. Campers built, tinkered, experimented, and explored themes including BioTinkering, Ultimate Upcycle, Kinetic Commotion, and Planet Protectors. The pilot drew 147 campers, along with strong repeat participation and overwhelmingly positive feedback from families.
The Tech joined the party and brought math and soccer together at San Jose Earthquakes Celebration events at San Pedro Square with Ready, Set, Goal!, a hands-on outreach activity funded by the Simons Foundation. Participants tested their reaction times, compared their results with professional players, and created personalized trading cards featuring their own stats. The activation was part of a broader summer of soccer programming that also included Let’s Kick It at The Tech Interactive, where visitors designed and built devices to launch a ball down the pitch and past a goalie. By showing up where our community was already gathering, The Tech turned the excitement around one of the world’s biggest sporting events into another opportunity to discover that STEM is everywhere.
CAMP gave us a new way to extend The Tech’s learning model beyond a single visit, giving young people more time to practice creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and persistence.
“My child loved CAMP at The Tech so much that we quickly signed them up for another week. The Tech has always been one of their favorite places, so being able to spend so much time there exploring, building, and discovering new things was really special. They’re already asking to come back next summer.” — Becky Tomer, CAMP parent
Innovation Requires Experimentation New ideas rarely come with guaranteed outcomes. That’s the point. The engineering design process teaches us to build, test, learn, and try again, and we believe organizations can benefit from the same mindset. This year’s experiments helped us reach new audiences, respond creatively to changing circumstances, and discover new ways to connect people with science and technology. What we learned is already shaping what comes next. Your support gives The Tech the freedom to test new ideas, learn what works, and find new ways to serve our community. 1 2 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Innovation in Progress Not every innovation visitors experienced in FY26 began this year, and not everything our teams worked on is ready to be seen yet. Exhibits take time to get right. Behind every finished experience are months, and sometimes years, of research, prototyping, engineering, visitor testing, redesign, and more testing. In FY26, The Tech’s Exhibits R&D Team was already deep into that process for two future experiences generously funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. That work may begin with sketches, cardboard models, engineering problems, conversations with subject-matter experts, or prototypes that never make it beyond the workshop. Each iteration teaches us something about what will make the final experience more engaging, accessible, durable, and meaningful. Innovation in progress rarely looks polished. That is exactly the point. Your support gives The Tech the time and freedom to experiment before an idea ever reaches the exhibit floor.
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BUILDING SKILLS, BUILDING CONFIDENCE
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TURNING CURIOSITY INTO CAPABILITY A spark is only the beginning. Young people build confidence when they have opportunities to practice, make decisions, solve problems, and try again. At The Tech, hands-on learning is designed to help learners develop the durable skills that will serve them in school, work, and a rapidly changing world.
The Tech Challenge: Learning by Doing For nearly four decades, The Tech Challenge has given young people the chance to think and work like engineers. In 2026, the challenge was Raise the Roof, inspired by the Bay Area’s need for affordable housing. Students in grades 4 through 12 were asked to design, build, test, and demonstrate an innovative lifting device that could transfer housing modules from one place to another at a simulated construction site. The challenge introduced students to real engineering concepts such as forces, balance, weight distribution, and simple machines, while asking them to solve a problem connected to their own community.
That matters because STEM confidence is built in many ways. One student may shine as a builder, another as a communicator, problem-solver, or teammate. By giving young people opportunities to demonstrate those strengths and be recognized for them, The Tech Challenge helps learners begin to see themselves as people who can do STEM.
Teams spent months designing, testing, documenting, and improving their solutions, learning firsthand that innovation rarely happens on the first try. This year, 1,680 students on 430 teams participated in Showcase weekend, with 43% coming from Title I schools and afterschool programs. A new badge system recognized a wider range of strengths, from collaboration and engineering journals to device performance, shifting the focus toward growth, persistence, and each team’s personal best.
Recognition Pins for Participants THE TECH | 15
Field Trips That Meet Educators Where They Are For more than 62,000 students, a field trip to The Tech offered a chance to step outside the classroom and put science into action. More than 22,000 learners participated in hands-on labs, and 42% of field-trip participants came from Title I schools. This year, The Tech also applied the same iterative mindset we teach. After hearing from educators that packed school schedules were making longer experiences difficult, we redesigned our offerings. Hands-on labs were shortened from 90 to 60 minutes, and new 25-minute educational IMAX experiences gave schools more flexibility without sacrificing meaningful learning time. Participation in both experiences increased over the previous year. The Tech also created five special field-trip days around The Great ShakeOut, Computer Science Education Week, Teen Week, AI Literacy Day, and DNA Day, bringing together more than 20 partners and serving nearly 9,000 students through programming connected to relevant topics and real-world expertise. The lesson was simple: listen, test, adapt, and keep improving. 1 6 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Building AI Literacy for an AI-Powered World As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, young people need more than technical fluency. They need the judgment to ask when AI should be used, when it should not, what risks it creates, and whose voices may be missing.
The Tech also created AI Adventures: The ’Zine, a playful resource filled with puzzles, activities, and stories designed to make complex AI concepts approachable for young learners. The publication earned an Award of Excellence, the highest honor from the Communicator Awards.
The Tech’s AI literacy work helps students build those skills through lessons focused on evaluation, ethics, sustainability, community decision-making, and responsible use. In FY26, The Tech developed new learning experiences including Making the Call on AI Referees, Community Voices: Evaluating AI Risks and Rewards, and The AI Sustainability Challenge.
Visit thetech.org/aiadventures or scan the QR code to read now.
“How can young people be creators with AI and not only have the skills they need to use it as a tool for learning?” — Suja Viswesan, VP, Security Products, IBM “How do you take AI and then combine it with your innate qualities like ethics, critical thinking, curiosity and be great?” — Dr. Kip Glazer, Principal, Mountain View High School
Together, those questions capture The Tech’s approach: preparing young people not simply to use emerging technologies, but to think critically about how those technologies should shape the world. THE TECH | 17
OPPORTUNITY STARTS WITH ACCESS 1 8 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Rooted in San Jose. Open to Everyone. Vietnamese families enjoyed Community Day with free admission and cultural programming.
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not. The Tech is deeply rooted in the community it serves. Nearly 69% of visitors come from within 20 miles, and more than half come from within five miles. Our audience reflects the diversity of Silicon Valley, with visitors coming from neighborhoods across San Jose and the surrounding region. But living near a science center does not automatically mean having access to everything it offers. Cost, transportation, school budgets, language, and time can all shape whether a young person gets to participate. That is where access becomes part of our mission.
Removing Barriers to Participation For local families, programs such as Museums for All and Discover & Go help make a day at The Tech more affordable. Multilingual resources in Spanish and Vietnamese help parents and caregivers engage alongside their children, while free Community Open Houses create additional opportunities for families to explore The Tech together.
Nearly 69% of visitors come from within 20 miles
The Tech also reaches households across a broad economic spectrum. The average household income associated with visitors is lower than the surrounding metro-area average, underscoring the importance of maintaining affordable ways for families to participate.
Partners in Innovation
Corporate Partnership With a Long View A new three-year, $1.65 million partnership with ASML is expanding that pathway even further. The investment supports subsidized field trips and greater access to The Tech Challenge, with a particular focus on students who have historically had fewer opportunities in STEM. The partnership also reaches beyond financial support. ASML employees will have opportunities to volunteer, mentor students, and share how classroom learning connects to technologies shaping the world. That gives young people something especially valuable: access to people already working at the frontier of innovation. The idea behind the partnership is simple and powerful: talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.
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STEAM Mobile Tour at Pomeroy Elementary
Meeting Communities Where They Are Access is not only about reducing the cost of a visit. Sometimes it means bringing The Tech directly to people who may not otherwise be able to come to us. In FY26, The Tech participated in 39 community outreach events, reaching 5,444 children and families through partnerships with schools, libraries, local governments, and community organizations. These efforts helped lower barriers by bringing hands-on STEM experiences into familiar, trusted community spaces. That same approach shaped our new STEAM Mobile Tour, which brought The Tech Interactive directly to local elementary schools while the museum was closed during NVIDIA GTC in March. Our educators worked directly with 2,622 TK–5 students, building roller coasters, designing earthquake-resistant structures, creating wind-powered vehicles, exploring DNA, experimenting with optical illusions, and imagining how artificial intelligence might shape their futures. 2 0 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
By meeting students and families where they already are, The Tech can expand access to meaningful STEM learning, especially for communities facing barriers related to cost, transportation, school budgets, or time.
“The Tech’s mobile outreach and subsidized lab trips give our students opportunities they simply wouldn’t have otherwise.” — Title I Teacher, San Jose
When It Was More Than Just Science
Building Relationships That Last
On March 11, students and educators at Canoas Elementary School received the news they had been dreading: their school would be one of five San Jose Unified schools closing at the end of the academic year.
Access is most powerful when it is not a single experience, but the beginning of a longer relationship.
That same morning, by coincidence, The Tech arrived for the first stop on its STEAM Mobile Tour. The mood at the school was heavy. Educators were processing the loss of a place where many had built their careers and relationships. Students were facing the reality that the routines, friendships, and community they knew would soon change. For a few hours, though, the focus shifted. The Tech’s Educators set up a variety of STEAM activities in the school library, and students spent the day building, testing, laughing, comparing ideas, and cheering one another on. They worked together, tried again when something failed, and had the chance to simply be kids. For educators, the visit also offered a little breathing room on an emotionally difficult day while our team facilitated the activities and kept students engaged.
Ulyssa D., Cristo Rey San Jose student
The Tech’s work in East San Jose builds on decades of educator training through Tech Academies and years of community listening. Young people may first encounter The Tech through a mobile STEAM activity, return for a subsidized field trip and hands-on lab, then deepen their skills through programs such as The Tech Challenge. Families can engage alongside them. Educators reinforce those experiences in the classroom. Through a longstanding partnership with Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, students also gain workplace experience supporting museum operations. Each interaction creates another way in. Your support helps turn access into opportunity, giving more young people the chance to discover their curiosity, build confidence, and see a place for themselves in STEM.
Amy V., Cristo Rey San Jose student
The day became a powerful reminder of why we do this work. STEAM activities build skills and confidence, but they can also bring people together. At a moment when the Canoas community was facing uncertainty, students had the chance to create side by side, solve problems as a team, and experience the joy of learning together. THE TECH | 21
OPENING DOORS, CREATING FUTURES Strengthening STEM Identity A future in STEM often begins long before a first job or college major. It starts when a young person sees someone solving a meaningful problem, practices those same skills, and begins to think, “Maybe I could do that, too.” At The Tech, we create those moments intentionally. By connecting hands-on learning with role models, real-world challenges, educators, universities, and industry, we help young people build not only STEM skills, but a stronger sense that they belong in the worlds of science, engineering, and technology.
The Tech for Global Good 2025 laureates, joined by (L-R) Gabie Boko, CMO at NetApp, Global Humanitarian Steve Wozniak, President and CEO Katrina Stevens, Board Member John Heinlein, Katie Ferrick from Applied Materials, and Board Member Patrick McGovern. 2 2 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Each year, Tech for Global Good celebrates people using science and technology to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The annual gala brings those innovators together in San Jose, and then showcases their inspiring stories through films, curriculum, and an exhibit designed to help visitors see the people, problems, and persistence behind world-changing ideas. This year, The Tech honored Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, as the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian, presented by Applied Materials. In a lively fireside chat with longtime friend Drew Carey, Wozniak reflected on a lifetime of curiosity, invention, and his belief in making technology more accessible. His story, from sketching computer designs as a kid to helping bring personal computing into homes and schools, offered a powerful reminder that innovation often starts with curiosity and the freedom to keep experimenting.
The year’s Unlock Your Mind theme also recognized four laureates whose work is reshaping neurotechnology and improving people’s lives: Andreas Forsland, Cognixion, presented by NetApp Cognixion is pioneering noninvasive brain-computer interfaces that combine neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality to help people communicate and control devices, restoring voice, autonomy, and connection. Forsland’s work was inspired by his mother’s loss of speech while hospitalized.
Sidney Collin, NexStride NexStride helps people with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other mobility challenges overcome “freezing of gait” using light and rhythmic cues. What began as an effort to help one person walk more confidently has grown into technology designed to restore mobility and independence.
Jay Sanguinetti, Sanmai Technologies Sanmai Technologies is developing noninvasive neurotherapies that use low-energy ultrasound to influence brain activity. The goal is to support mental health and well-being by helping people respond more effectively to anxiety and other challenges.
Ian Burkhart, BCI Pioneers Coalition, presented by Patrick J. McGovern Foundation After becoming quadriplegic at 19, Ian Burkhart volunteered for an experimental brain-computer interface trial and became the first person to restore movement to a paralyzed limb using a BCI neuroprosthetic. Today, through the BCI Pioneers Coalition, he advocates for ethical, accessible brain-computer interface development shaped by the people who will use it.
These stories do more than celebrate breakthrough technology. They give young people tangible examples of what it looks like to use STEM skills with creativity, persistence, empathy, and purpose. THE TECH | 23
From Silicon Valley to Kenya That multiplier effect is becoming global.
Helping Educators Become Innovators Young people build STEM identity not only through the experiences they have at The Tech, but through the educators who encourage them to question, create, persist, and see themselves differently.
The Tech has been training educators in Design Challenge Learning in Kenya since the beginning of our work there. In FY26, those training materials were assessed and approved by the Kenyan government, opening the door to expanded training in five additional counties and creating the potential to reach 59,150 additional teachers. The Tech expects the program to move toward the national training circuit in the coming year.
Through The Bowers Education Institute, The Tech helps educators develop the confidence, tools, and leadership skills to bring hands-on, design-based STEM learning into their own classrooms and communities. The goal is bigger than introducing a new lesson or activity. It is helping educators see themselves as innovators who can shape the STEM identities of the young people they teach. In July 2025, 16 educators from Santa Clara and San Benito counties joined five program alumni for The Tech Academies Summer Institute. Over two weeks, Fellows developed new activities, tested ideas, received feedback, and strengthened their own leadership skills. Like the students they teach, educators were asked to prototype, reflect, revise, and keep improving. The Tech also experimented with new ways to make professional learning more accessible. Between January and May, a new workshop series reached 38 educators from across the Bay Area, while customized partnerships brought professional development to schools and organizations including City Year and Japan’s National Institute of Youth Education. A new two-year partnership with Julia Baldwin Elementary School is helping educators build toward becoming a STEAM option school within the Oak Grove School District. The impact extends far beyond the educators who participate directly. Every teacher who gains confidence using Design Challenge Learning can bring that approach back to dozens, and eventually hundreds, of students.
It Started at The Tech Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil shared that one of his earliest experiences doing “real science” happened at The Tech, where an educator introduced him to DNA work and laboratory tools. He described the experience as a turning point that helped shape the path he later followed in mathematics, biology, and public service. 24 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Curriculum That Travels The Bowers Education Institute’s reach also extends through specialized curriculum. The Tech’s lessons and resources are shared through organizations including Harvard LabXchange, Stanford’s youcubed, and Science Buddies, while FY26 also brought the development of online educator courses through IBM SkillsBuild. Together, this work allows an idea developed at The Tech to travel far beyond San Jose, giving educators more ways to help young people build the skills and confidence to see themselves in STEM.
“Every time they come through the doors is an opportunity to transform one of them in the same way that The Tech literally transformed my life.” — DJ Patil, former U.S. Chief Data Scientist
Partners in Innovation: Board Member John Heinlein
John Heinlein has been a dedicated and deeply engaged member of The Tech’s Board of Directors, bringing thoughtful leadership, strong advocacy, and a longstanding commitment to our mission. As Chair of The Tech Challenge since 2020 and a member of the Executive Committee, John has played a central role in strengthening one of our signature programs, helping raise approximately $1 million annually to support its reach and impact. His leadership has helped ensure that thousands of young people have the opportunity to build, experiment, collaborate, and see themselves as problem-solvers.
From Opportunity to Identity The Tech’s STEM identity framework is built around a progression: spark curiosity, build skills, create opportunities to demonstrate those skills, and provide recognition that helps learners see themselves as STEM people.
Spark
Skill Development
STEM Career Pathways
Then, we must help more youth build their confidence and problem-solving skills.
Finally, we must connect students with mentors, career opportunities, and real-world experiences that give them the social capital and STEM skills to succeed.
That is what opening doors looks like. A young person tries something new. Someone recognizes what they can do. A role model makes a future feel real. And possibility becomes a pathway. Your support helps more young people see not only what they can do, but who they can become.
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THE HEART OF THE TECH Every day, volunteers help turn a visit to The Tech Interactive into something more personal. They welcome school groups through the doors, help a child troubleshoot a design, facilitate hands-on activities in the galleries, usher guests into IMAX®, and make some of our biggest events possible. Some volunteer for a day alongside their coworkers. Others return month after month, or year after year. The Tech calls its ongoing volunteer community the Volunteer Innovator Program, and for good reason. Volunteers are not simply helping behind the scenes. They are an essential part of our mission to inspire the innovator in everyone. No science or technology background is required, just curiosity and a desire to help others discover what they can do. In FY26, 339 Volunteer Innovator Program and corporate volunteers contributed their time to The Tech, including 185 newly onboarded volunteers. Together, active volunteers donated an extraordinary 20,252 hours of service.
Tony Lim at the Annual Volunteer Dinner
That commitment takes many forms. Gallery volunteers facilitate hands-on STEM experiences at activities such as Social Robots and the Jet Pack Chair. Greeters welcome families and school groups, help guests find their way, and support IMAX experiences. Special-event volunteers step in wherever (and whenever) they are needed, which, this year, often meant facilitating activities for enthusiastic revelers at Tech at Nite. And some volunteers make The Tech part of their lives for decades. This year, we celebrated Tony Lim for 26 years of service and Don Clendenin for surpassing an incredible 12,000 lifetime volunteer hours. It’s people like this who give The Tech its heart. 2 6 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Don Clendenin celebrating 10,000 hours
BY THE NUMBERS 339
Volunteer Innovator Program and corporate volunteers
20,252
Hours of service donated by active volunteers
185
New volunteers welcomed to The Tech
154
Volunteers Power The Tech Challenge Few programs demonstrate the scale of volunteer impact quite like The Tech Challenge. In FY26, 286 volunteers showed up for Showcase shifts, serving as judges, rig assistants, team check-in assistants, journal judges, area assistants, and more. Nearly half were Showcase Event Judges, giving students the opportunity to explain their thinking, demonstrate their designs, and receive recognition for months of persistence and iteration. Volunteers also brought expertise and enthusiasm from companies across Silicon Valley, including Accenture, Adobe, Amazon, ARM, ASML, EY, Hitachi, Intel, Marvell, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Thermo Fisher, Zoom, and others. Their participation reinforces an important part of The Tech Challenge experience: young people are not only building something. They are sharing their work with adults who take their ideas seriously.
Corporate & nonprofit volunteers who participated in Done-in-a-Day opportunities
495
Hours contributed through Done-in-a-Day groups
286
Volunteers who served during The Tech Challenge
A Day of Service, A Lasting Impact
143
Volunteering at The Tech can also become a meaningful way for companies and community organizations to serve together.
7
In FY26, 154 corporate and nonprofit volunteers contributed 495 hours through Done-in-a-Day experiences, including groups from Sage Intacct, SJSU Sembradores, Hitachi, SEER Bio, Alpha Clinic, Zoom, Morgan Stanley, Samsung, Google, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Thermo Fisher.
The Tech Challenge Showcase judges alone
Student volunteers awarded college scholarships
$14,000
in scholarship support awarded
The program allows groups of employees to spend a half or full day engaging young people in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities. For The Tech, those hours expand what our team can make possible. For volunteers, they offer something equally valuable: the chance to see a young person’s curiosity take shape in real time. THE TECH | 27
INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION For some young people, volunteering at The Tech becomes more than a way to give back. It becomes a place to build confidence, practice leadership, deepen a passion for STEM, and discover what comes next. Each year, The Tech awards scholarships to outstanding student volunteers who have demonstrated academic achievement, meaningful service, and a strong commitment to inspiring the innovator in everyone. Recipients are selected by the Volunteer Scholarship Committee, a group made up of Tech volunteers, making the recognition especially meaningful. These students are being honored by people who have worked alongside them and seen firsthand the curiosity, generosity, leadership, and dedication they bring to The Tech community. In 2026, seven student volunteers received the David H. Liu Memorial Scholarship and Janie & Wayne Lambert Scholarships. Their next steps span engineering, computer science, biology, and neuroscience, but each carries forward something shaped through service at The Tech: STEM is not only knowledge to acquire. It is something to share.
Braxton Kimura Attending UC Berkeley majoring in Engineering High School: Pinewood School Braxton loved the moments when a difficult idea suddenly clicked for a visitor, especially a younger child. Volunteering strengthened his ability to explain complex concepts with patience and creativity and helped him see STEM not only as something to study, but something to share. That instinct to make science understandable and exciting for others reflects the kind of thoughtful leadership he will bring to engineering. “My favorite part of volunteering at The Tech Interactive has been those moments when the curiosity lightbulb goes off, especially with younger kids.”
Clara Kerr Attending Johns Hopkins University majoring in Mechanical Engineering High School: The Athenian School Clara brought imagination and humor to every interaction, even turning Jet Pack Chair instructions into a mission briefing for aspiring astronauts. Once selfdescribed as very introverted, she found herself energized by working with visitors and grew more confident collaborating, teaching, and learning from others. Those are skills she plans to carry directly into mechanical engineering. “I’ve gone through countless iterations of my Jet Pack instructions spiel, but my current favorite begins with, ‘Alright astronaut(s), today your mission is...’”
Alison Liu Attending UC Berkeley majoring in Computer Science High School: Cupertino High School For Alison, the best moments were the ones that showed how quickly curiosity can turn into possibility. After helping a group of elementary students troubleshoot a circuit at Social Robots, she overheard one child announce, “I want to be an engineer when I grow up!” Experiences like that deepened Alison’s own passion for computer science and education and inspired her to continue helping other students discover STEM. “As the kids left, still talking excitedly among themselves, I overheard one student exclaim, ‘I want to be an engineer when I grow up!’” 2 8 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Angela Mendoza Dorantes Attending UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular Environmental Biology High School: Evergreen Valley High School Angela saw volunteering as a way to create for other young people the kind of welcoming experience she remembered from visiting The Tech as a child. Her warmth with guests, combined with volunteer work at the Humane Society and a growing interest in wildlife and conservation, reflects a commitment to using science in service of others. She hopes to become a veterinarian specializing in wildlife and conservation medicine. “Anyone can become an innovator if given the right resources and support.”
Minh-Phuong Nguyen Attending UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology High School: Oak Grove High School Minh-Phuong was drawn to the moments when hesitant visitors became fully engaged. At the Jetpack Chair, she saw curiosity and confidence grow in real time, including while helping a visitor in a wheelchair discover that he could successfully participate. Her experience at The Tech brought her own childhood visits full circle and strengthened her desire to become a pediatrician who can offer young people the same sense of reassurance and possibility. “I have realized that a person’s whole demeanor can change in a second.”
Naira Niyamathullah Attending UC San Diego majoring in Computer Engineering High School: Milpitas High School Naira rarely missed an opportunity to spend part of her shift at Social Robots, where she could share her enthusiasm for electronics and let visitors learn by doing. Volunteering helped her discover an interest at the intersection of electronics, sustainability, and education. At UC San Diego, she plans to continue bringing STEM opportunities to students from underrepresented communities. “I’ve found that the best way to explain concepts, especially to children, is to let them try things themselves.”
Hannah Washington Attending University of Vermont majoring in Neuroscience High School: Summerville High School Hannah found her place in BODY WORLDS, where she delighted in sharing unexpected science facts and watching younger visitors become more curious. The experience gave her practice making complex information approachable while reinforcing something she already loved: sharing scientific knowledge with others. She plans to become a neurogeneticist and continue doing exactly that through research and discovery. “I enjoyed seeing the interest on the visitors’ faces when I would tell them fun/ weird facts, especially when it comes to the younger visitors.”
THE TECH | 29
Come Innovate With Us The stories above represent only a fraction of what volunteers make possible each year. Whether welcoming a family, helping a student work through a design challenge, sharing professional expertise, or simply encouraging someone to try again, volunteers help create the moments of connection that define The Tech. And there is room for more people to join us. Adults 18 and older can become Volunteer Innovators, and no science or technology expertise is required. The Tech asks ongoing volunteers to commit to two shifts per month for six months, with opportunities in galleries, guest welcome, special events, and other programs. Volunteers receive training along with benefits including admission for themselves and a guest, parking while volunteering, and discounts at The Tech Store and Cafe. Curiosity is contagious. Share yours.
Featured Volunteer: Vincent Oddo “Welcome to The Tech Interactive!” For many visitors, those are the first words they hear when they walk through our doors, delivered with a huge smile by longtime volunteer Vincent Oddo. Vincent has volunteered with The Tech for seven years and, as of June 30, had contributed 2,815 hours of service. Two full days each week, he takes his place in the lobby and greets staff, families, school groups, first-time visitors, and returning guests with the same warmth and enthusiasm. It may seem like a simple gesture, but Vincent has a way of making people feel genuinely seen and glad to be here before they have even reached their first exhibit. His impact extends beyond the lobby. Vincent regularly joins The Tech’s monthly all-hands meetings, where he brings a thoughtful volunteer perspective and a deep understanding of the guest experience. Vincent is a reminder that creating a place where people feel they belong often starts with something very simple: a warm welcome, a helping hand, and an ear-to-ear smile.
VINCENT BY THE NUMBERS
7
2,815
2
MILLIONS+
Years volunteering at The Tech
Full volunteer days each week 3 0 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Service hours
Heartwarming smiles
Members Make More Possible Membership turns a day at The Tech into an invitation to come back again and again. In FY26, The Tech had 2,483 active memberships, including families and individuals who made curiosity part of their year while helping sustain the exhibits, programs, field trips, and hands-on learning experiences that serve our broader community. Membership is designed to make returning easy. Every membership level includes unlimited general admission for a full year, including all exhibits and one educational IMAX® film per day. Members also receive half-price admission for guests, discounts at The Tech Store, The Tech Cafe, and the IMAX concession stand, and invitations to exclusive member events and screenings. Membership can pay for itself in just two visits.
BY THE NUMBERS 2
Visits until membership pays for itself
2,483
Active Tech Interactive members
300+
ASTC institutions offering free admission and/or discounts
“We joined to support science education, which our children and friends enjoyed for many years. Now, our grandkids enjoy it, too.” — Dave Armstrong, Charter Member The benefits also travel beyond The Tech. Members receive free or discounted admission to more than 300 science and technology centers worldwide through reciprocal admission programs, along with special discounts at participating Bay Area institutions including Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, CuriOdyssey, Lindsay Wildlife Experience, and The Lawrence Hall of Science. But membership is more than a collection of benefits. Membership dollars help The Tech provide exhibits and programs for the community, including field trips and hands-on science labs for students who might otherwise face barriers to participating.
Exclusive member event for the grand opening of Innovation in Bloom
Come Back Curious The best part of membership may be simple: there is always another reason to return. A new exhibit. A favorite IMAX film. A member event. A rainy Saturday. A child who wants to show a friend what they discovered last time. Members make The Tech part of their lives, and in doing so, help make The Tech possible for others.
“We believe it is very important to support our future in the science and technology industries. Children are our future, and they will help make this area, this country, and our world a better place. We’re proud to be part of that support.” — Jeff and Ellen Fratzke, Charter Members THE TECH | 31
INNOVATION WORTH TALKING ABOUT Innovation does not stop at the edge of our building. In FY26, stories from The Tech traveled across newsrooms, social feeds, television screens, and communities throughout the Bay Area and beyond. That visibility mattered because it helped more people see the breadth of what happens here: engineering as spectacle, AI as a subject for thoughtful exploration, technology used for good, and new experiences that invite people of all ages to see The Tech differently.
BY THE NUMBERS
288
Tracked media placements in FY26
2.59M Instagram impressions
3 2 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
174
66
Media outlets featured The Tech
Media placements generated by The Tech Topple
+10%
444K
Instagram follower growth
IG impressions in June, the strongest month of FY26
THE TECH ON SOCIAL
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE TECH!
THE TECH | 33
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS Volunteers, donors, and the City of San José make our mission possible. The Tech Interactive could not be a resource to young people and educators without this generous group of supporters. Thank you! CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT DONORS (July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026)
INSPIRATIONAL | $1,000,000+ ASML City of San José Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation BENEFACTOR | $250,000–$999,999 California Natural Resources Agency Ford Motor Company William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation VISIONARY | $100,000–$249,999 Adobe IBM Corporation Institute of Museum and Library Services James and Rebecca Morgan Charitable Foundation NetApp The Davidson Family Foundation The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation FOUNDING | $50,000–$99,999 Adobe EY Grimm Family Fund House Family Foundation Intel Corporation KLA Foundation Knight Foundation Simons Foundation Smith Family Foundation PRINCIPAL | $25,000–$49,999 Amazon Anonymous Gifts Arm Bank of America Bozicevic & Reed Llp Franklin “Pitch” Johnson GitLab Foundation Inflection AI KPMG LLP Leo M. Shortino Foundation Marvell Morgan Stanley Neat Nokia Oracle Quest Foundation Snowflake Synopsys Outreach Foundation The David H. Liu Foundation The Koret Foundation Workday UNDERWRITING | $10,000–$24,999 Accenture AMD Boydston Foundation Davidow Family Foundation First Tech Federal Credit Union Geschke Foundation 3 4 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6
Google.org Hugh Stuart Center Charitable Trust Maud And Burton Goldfield Family Foundation Micro Lithography, Inc Nacthsheim Family Foundation National Institutes of Health PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. Siegel Family Endowment Silicon Valley Community Foundation Sonatus Tech CU The Kiely Family Fund The Krause Foundation The MOCA Foundation INVESTING | $5,000–$9,999 Adobe Systems Inc. Matching Gifts Program Apple Matching Gifts Program Ariko Family Foundation Arista Barnholt Family Foundation Black Opal Ventures IMLS Kaplan Consulting Metzger Family Foundation Mirnahill Foundation Northrop Grumman Foundation Qatalyst Partners LP Samsung Semiconductor San Francisco Bay University The Brett & Michelle Galloway Foundation X&W Foundation SPONSORING | $2,500–$4,999 Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards Cushman Family Foundation Morrison Foerster Foundation Qualcomm Incorporated San Jose Water Company The Research Foundation for Suny IN-KIND Accenture Adobe Systems Incorporated Amazon Web Services Atlassian Bozicevic, Field & Francis LLP Cisco Eileen and Christopher DiGiorgio Discretion Brewery Event Architects, Inc. Google Barbara and Bill Heil House Family Vineyards J.Lohr Vineyards & Wines Steve Jurvetson Raquel and Patrick McGovern Microsoft NetApp, Inc. Signia by Hilton San Jose Venus Distillery Steve and Janet Wozniak Zoom
INDIVIDUALS & FAMILY FOUNDATIONS INSPIRATIONAL | $1,000,000+ Ann Bowers Trust BENEFACTOR | $250,000–$999,999 Guthrie Family Revocable Trust Barbara and Bill Heil VISIONARY | $100,000–$249,999 Amit Walia and Awartika Pandey Charmaine and Dan Warmenhoven FOUNDING | $50,000–$99,999 Connie and Jerry Held Joseph Kava Estate of Charles H. Rulofson Amy and Matthew Sapp PRINCIPAL | $25,000–$49,999 Esther John and Aart de Geus Eileen and Christopher DiGiorgio Barbara Glynn Shannon Hunt-Scott Ana Mendez and Rajeev Jayavant Charlene and Dirk Kabcenell Raquel and Patrick McGovern UNDERWRITING | $10,000–$24,999 Penny and Ron Blake Drew Carey Gloria and Michael Chiang Kathy and James Deichen Susan and John Diekman Sabrina Farmer Gloria Chen and John Kibarian Jaynie and William Kind Jennifer and Randall Krenzin Wayne Lambert Karen and Walter Loewenstern Jr. Julie Packard Janine and John Pelosi Hal Powell Susan and Richard Roche Santa Rita Foundation Carol and David Schwartz Trine Sorensen and Michael Jacobson Angela Stribling and Kenneth Washington Marva Warnock INVESTING | $5,000–$9,999 Ariko Family Foundation Janice and Thomas Berthold Courtney Blum and Jeffrey Brown Gregory Estes Maureen and David Kennedy Katherine and James Lau Rosemarie and Dale Luck Jennifer and Chris Urmson Toni and Russell Vanwinkle SPONSORING | $2,500–$4,999 Anastasia Brown Robert Bynum
THE TECH CHALLENGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Lupe and Juan Cruz Peggy and Yogen Dalal Nancy and John Decker Roxi Wen and Aydrian Drewery Celia and Jim Dudley Joe Ellegood Claudia Hill and Larry Enoksen Mackenzie Family Jody and Abigail Mortimore DJ Patil Josie and Dan Perez Cindy and Randy Pond Rachel and Simon Segars Katrina Stevens Erica and Judy Swanson Charles Trimmier Chris Tsuji Fred Widman
THE TECH LEGACY SOCIETY
Anonymous John Adler Laura Becker-Lewke and Reynold Lewke Susan and John Diekman Leanne and Peter Giles Marion and Robert Grimm Guthrie Joan and Mike Hackworth Louise Hornor and Sean Welsh Maureen and David Kennedy Karen and Richard King Terry and Bill Krivan Lorry Lokey Deedee and Burton McMurtry Nancy Mueller and Bob Fox Carole and Donald Norling Marilyn and David Pratt Charles Rulofson Christina and Duane Sand Anne and Peter Thorp Wheatley Family Charitable Fund
FY26 Revenue & Expenses
John Heinlein, Ph.D., Committee Chair, Sonatus, The Tech Board Theodore Lamour, Vice Chair, Formerly Hitachi Vantara Courtney Blum, PwC, The Tech Board Greg Brown, Program Founder, The Tech Board Prasad Chaparala, Amazon Lab126 Kim Elise Chrissan, Nokia Dan Christman, Formerly Marvell Semiconductor Sabrina Farmer, GitLab, The Tech Board Aymerica Gisselbrecht, Tsavorite Scalable Intelligence, The Tech Board Tammy Gollotti, Hitachi Vantara Bill Heil The Tech Board Brendan Ittelson, Zoom Ken Washington, Ph.D., Medtronic, The Tech Board
THE TECH FOR GLOBAL GOOD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Patrick McGovern, Committee Chair, The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, The Tech Board Marimo Berk Chris DiGiorgio Katie Ferrick, Applied Materials Jerry Held Christine Lopez, NetApp Beth McBride, NetApp Doug Scott, Tectonic Sean White, Inflection AI
Fiscal year is July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026
REVENUE
8% 15% 8% 15%
Contributed Support 54%
23%
54%
23%
Earned Contributed Support Government Earned Endowment Draw Government Endowment Draw
Partners in Innovation: Dan and Charmaine Warmenhoven: A Legacy of Leadership For decades, Dan and Charmaine Warmenhoven have helped shape The Tech through generosity, leadership, and sustained personal commitment. Dan has served in senior volunteer leadership roles, including as vice chair of The Tech’s Board of Directors, and continues to support the organization through campaign leadership, counsel, and advocacy. Together, Dan and Charmaine made a $1 million campaign gift, reflecting their belief in creating opportunities for young people to explore, create, and see themselves as capable problem-solvers. Their impact is not defined by one gift or one role. It comes from showing up over time, opening doors, and helping build a stronger future for The Tech.
8%
EXPENSES
16% 8%
Programs
16% 76%
Marketing & Administration Programs Fundraising Marketing & Administration
76%
Fundraising
THE TECH | 35
201 S. Market St., San Jose, CA 95113 thetech.org |
The Next Innovation Starts Here Every breakthrough starts somewhere. A question. A sketch. A failed prototype. A teacher who says, “Try again.” A moment when a young person realizes, “I can do this.” FY26 was a Year of Innovation because donors, partners, educators, volunteers, and families helped create those moments. Together, we sparked curiosity, built confidence, expanded access, and opened new pathways into STEM. The next generation of innovators is already here. They are in our classrooms, our neighborhoods, our labs, and our exhibit galleries, waiting for the opportunity to discover what they can do. With continued support, we can make sure that opportunity is there for them. The next innovation starts with a spark. Together, we can help it grow. 3 6 | A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 2 6