Dent

What Dent does

Dent The Future is a private, invitation-only community and conference company founded in 2012 by Steve Broback and Jason Preston and headquartered in Seattle, WA. The company curates a multi-disciplinary peer network of executives, entrepreneurs, technologists, creatives, scientists, and astronauts, bringing them together at an annual flagship conference held in Santa Fe, NM at La Fonda on the Plaza, supplemented by a portfolio of year-round programming: regional Dent:Blend events, intimate Dent:Explore trips, Dent:Dinner gatherings, Dent:AI receptions, San Diego Comic-Con panels, Dent Sprints virtual working sessions, and a free Coaching Cohort for Passport members. The company's flagship tangible product is the Dent:Space Watch, a limited-edition Swiss-made timepiece flown to the International Space Station via the SpaceX CRS-32 mission in 2025 under a Space Act Agreement with NASA.

Dent has no proprietary technology platform; it is fundamentally a curation, events, and community-access business rather than a software product. Revenue is generated primarily through premium conference ticket sales ($2,999-$3,499 per attendee), with supplementary revenue from lower-priced regional event tickets ($119 for Dent:Blend Austin), Dent Passport annual memberships included with conference registration, premium Dent:Space Watch collectibles, and coaching services. The go-to-market model relies on invitation-only applications, word-of-mouth referrals from existing members, earned media (Entrepreneur Magazine, NYT, LA Times), and partnerships with high-profile organizations (NASA, Voyager Space, San Diego Comic-Con, La Fonda on the Plaza). Customer segments are horizontally diversified across technology, government, consulting, education, and entertainment verticals, with named participants including Apple, Google, Microsoft, NASA, Deloitte, Vox Media, MIT, and Meow Wolf. The company operates with 1-10 employees and has no disclosed external venture capital or private equity investment, remaining entirely founder-controlled.

Name

Dent

Legal name

Dent The Future

Website

https://dentthefuture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dent The Future is an invitation-only community and conference company founded in 2012 that serves executives, technologists, and creatives through curated events in Santa Fe, NM and regional US gatherings. Revenue comes from conference tickets, Passport memberships, and collectibles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sun Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Conference Registrations: The primary revenue stream comes from ticket sales to the annual Dent The Future conference. The conference is a premium, invitation-only 3-day event held in Santa Fe, NM featuring talks, workshops, meals, and adventures. Pricing is tiered with early-bird discounts ($2,999 through June 30, 2026) and regular pricing ($3,499). Group discounts are available for multiple attendees from the same organization.
2. Dent Passport Membership: Year-round membership program providing access to Passport-exclusive events, the coaching cohort, collaboration weekends, and ongoing community experiences. Conference attendance includes Passport membership. The membership creates recurring engagement and revenue opportunities through annual renewals.
3. Dent:Space Watch Sales: Limited-edition Swiss-made commemorative watches that were flown to the International Space Station. Each watch includes a certificate of being flown in space. This represents a one-time product sale with premium pricing for space-flown collectibles.
4. Local Event Tickets: Regional events like Dent:Blend Austin ($119 per ticket) and other local gatherings generate additional revenue through ticket sales. These smaller-format events provide accessible entry points to the Dent community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dent operates an invitation-only annual conference (Santa Fe, NM, Sept 13-15, 2026) and a year-round Dent Passport membership program that provides exclusive access to community events, regional gatherings, and coaching. It sells premium tiered conference tickets ($2,999–$3,499), Passport membership subscriptions, regional event tickets, and limited-edition Dent:Space Watches (Swiss-made timepieces flown to the International Space Station).

Product overview

Dent The Future is a curated community and annual conference platform offering a portfolio of experiences centered on exploration, innovation, and human potential. The core offering is the annual Santa Fe conference (September 13-15), supplemented by the Dent Passport membership providing year-round access. The product suite includes regional events (Dent:Blend, Dent:Explore), specialized programming (Dent:AI for artificial intelligence startups, Dent:Space for space exploration initiatives), social dining experiences (Dent:Dinner), coaching services (Dent Coaching Cohort), and virtual collaboration (Dent Sprints). The flagship tangible product is the Dent:Space Watch, a limited-edition Swiss-made timepiece flown aboard the International Space Station.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dent:Blend: Regional one-afternoon community-powered experiences modeled after the national Dent conference, bringing together thoughtful leaders for innovative leadership and creativity discussions.
• Dent:Explore
• Dent:AI
• Dent Passport
• Dent:Space
• Dent Coaching Cohort

Products and services

• Dent The Future Annual Conference A curated three-day annual conference in Santa Fe, NM featuring talks, workshops, meals, and adventures designed to bring together executives, entrepreneurs, technologists, creatives, and change-makers to explore ideas at the intersection of technology and human potential.
• Dent Passport Membership Year-round membership program providing priority access to Dent events, including the annual conference, regional gatherings, and exclusive experiences like the Dent:Space watch mission.
• Dent:Blend Smaller one-afternoon community-powered events modeled after the national conference, bringing together curated audiences of bold thinkers for inspiration and connection.
• Dent:Explore Intimate three-day gatherings combining talks, workshops, and local exploration in inspiring destinations like Maui and Sun Valley.
• Dent:AI AI-focused events including startup showcases and receptions featuring AI entrepreneurs and innovations in healthcare, mining, decision-making, and manufacturing.
• Dent:Dinner Smaller dining experiences for Dent community members to connect and engage in meaningful conversations.
• Dent:Space Watch Limited-edition Swiss-made commemorative timepieces designed to withstand space and undersea environments, featuring automatic movement, stainless steel case with sapphire glass, water resistance to 500 meters/50 ATM, and helium escape valve. Each watch includes a certificate of being flown in space after a 31-day mission aboard the ISS.
• Dent Coaching Cohort Coaching services available to Dent Passport holders, providing access to professional coaches for leadership development and personal growth.
• Dent Sprints Virtual working sessions using Zoom where small groups of participants work together over 6 weeks with daily check-ins and structured collaboration.

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• PCSI (Professional Continuing Education Institute)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Featured sponsor and venue host for Dent:Blend Austin 2026 on June 4, 2026. Located at 718 W Farm to Market 1626, Austin, TX 78748.
• Voyager SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2025Collaboration with Voyager Space enabled the Dent:Space Watch mission to the International Space Station. Voyager facilitated the payload delivery through SpaceX CRS-32 Dragon capsule. The mission carried specially designed Swiss-made Dent commemorative watches to the ISS, where they spent 31 days aboard the station before returning to Earth on May 25, 2025. Voyager received the payload back from NASA on June 23, 2025.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Dent:Space Watch mission was memorialized in a Space Act Agreement with NASA and viewable on the NASA website. NASA provided access to the ISS for the payload, and Denters have participated in NASA's NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) program through the Aquarius Reef Base. The relationship enables unique space-related experiences and content for the Dent community.
• Aquarius Reef BasesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Dent:Space Watch project was conducted in support of Aquarius Reef Base, the world's only underwater laboratory dedicated to science and education. The undersea research station is widely recognized for serving as a training ground for NASA's NEEMO program. Several Denters have spent time undersea aboard Aquarius, with some spending the night at 10 fathoms below the surface. Dent has a rich history of supporting Aquarius and space-related education.
• Felix & Paul StudiossupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-founders Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël presented at Dent 2025, sharing insights on redefining immersive entertainment. Their company creates acclaimed VR experiences and is involved in location-based entertainment. They are developing the Interstellar Arc experience in Las Vegas.
• La Fonda on the PlazasupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025The official Dent hotel and conference location is La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A special negotiated rate is available for conference attendees. The historic hotel in downtown Santa Fe provides the venue for all conference events within walking distance.
• Common House RichmondsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Venue partner for the annual Dent:Blend Richmond event, held for the ninth consecutive year in 2024. The venue hosts the afternoon 'oasis of ideas' experience featuring speakers and activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Summit: Invitation-only annual gathering for founders, technologists, and creators (originally Summit Series, Summit LA, Summit at Sea). Closest direct competitor in format — curated, application-based, premium-priced experience community targeting innovators and executives.
• DLD (Digital Life Design): Invitation-only conference and community for digital, technology, and creative leaders founded by Burda. Comparable curated format targeting an international mix of executives, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.
• PopTech: Long-running curated conference and community for innovators, scientists, and social entrepreneurs. Directly comparable niche in the 'innovator/thinker gathering' category with similar speaker quality and small-format experience design.

Broad incumbents

• Dreamforce: Salesforce's annual user conference combining keynote programming, training, and community. Comparable as a single-vendor/community-anchored annual mega-event, though far larger and tied to a software platform rather than an independent community.
• Web Summit: One of the largest technology conferences globally, attracting founders, executives, and media. Broader and higher-volume than Dent, but operates in the same 'premium tech/innovation event' category with similar sponsor and attendee overlap.
• TED: Globally recognized ideas conference with a paid TED Conference tier and TED membership community. Comparable in inviting high-caliber speakers and building a brand around transformative ideas, though at a much larger and more institutionalized scale.
• SXSW: Large-scale annual conference and festival covering technology, music, film, and culture. Sits at the intersection of innovation and creativity that Dent also targets, but at far greater scale and with a public (non-invite) admission model.
• INBOUND: HubSpot's annual marketing, sales, and customer experience conference with a strong community and educational content focus. Comparable in building a year-round community around an annual flagship event, though with a marketing-specific vertical.

Others

• World Economic Forum (Davos): The defining invite-only gathering of global leaders across business, government, and civil society. Different scale and topic mix, but a clear conceptual cousin to Dent's curated-executive-community model and a benchmark for what such a community can become at the highest level.
• Burning Man: Iconic annual community-driven experience in the desert. Different content and audience, but a useful comparable for an experience-first, community-led organization that monetizes through ticket sales and has cultivated a devoted, self-selecting participant base over decades.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dent-the-future
• Instagraminstagram.com/dentthefuture
• Facebookfacebook.com/DentTheFuture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dent