RAD Summit

What RAD Summit does

RAD Summit is a privately-held experiential event company that organized a 3-day, 3-night camp-style conference at Camp Shady Brook in Dillon, Colorado. Founded in 2018 by Chris Alvarez, Jeff Rodanski, and Tessa Reuber, the event targeted creative professionals—including designers, product managers, developers, artists, and entrepreneurs—combining professional development workshops with outdoor activities such as hiking, yoga, and adventure races. The format was intentionally low-tech: no WiFi or cell service, cabin lodging, and structured programs designed to foster peer connection and personal reflection alongside craft development.

The company's commercial model consisted of ticket sales for its single annual event, supplemented by sponsorships from brands in fitness, food/beverage, design tools, and outdoor gear. The 2018 inaugural event featured 9 workshops; the 2019 event expanded to 12 workshops, with facilitators drawn from major technology companies including Google, Pinterest, Amazon, Pivotal, Notion, Workday, and SnapEngage. RAD Summit had no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed funding, and no external investors, operating as a lean founder-led venture with all three founders holding full-time roles elsewhere.

The 2020 event was cancelled on May 17, 2020 due to COVID-19, with ticket refunds issued minus processing fees. No subsequent events have been announced or documented in available source material, and the company is currently classified as closed.

Name

RAD Summit

Legal name

RAD Summit

Website

https://radsummit.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RAD Summit operated a 3-day, 3-night camp-style conference for creative professionals at Camp Shady Brook, Colorado, combining professional development workshops with outdoor team-building activities. Founded in 2018, the company ceased operations after cancelling its 2020 event due to COVID-19.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Conferences and Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Design conference
• Camp-style conference
• Creative professional events
• Design workshops
• Experiential learning events

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Tickets: Revenue generated through ticket sales for the annual camp-style conference. The 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19, with refunds issued to ticket purchasers minus processing fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

RAD Summit operates a 3-day, 3-night camp-style conference held at Camp Shady Brook in Colorado for designers, product managers, artists, leaders, developers, and entrepreneurs. Attendees participate in curated professional-development workshops facilitated by senior practitioners from Google, Pinterest, Amazon, Pivotal, Notion, and other major technology companies, combined with outdoor team-building activities such as adventure races, yoga, and hiking. The event is intentionally held without WiFi or cell service to encourage in-person connection, storytelling, and personal reflection.

Product overview

RAD Summit is a single product offering — a camp-style conference experience held at Camp Shady Brook, Colorado. It is a 3-night immersive event that combines outdoor activities with professional development workshops centered on Research and Design themes. The conference targets creative professionals including designers, product managers, artists, and developers, offering various workshops, team-building exercises, adventure activities, and networking opportunities in a camp setting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RAD Summit Conference A 3-day, 3-night camp-style conference held at Camp Shady Brook in Colorado for individual creative professionals (designers, product managers, artists, developers, leaders, entrepreneurs). Combines curated professional-development workshops led by senior practitioners from companies such as Google, Pinterest, Amazon, Pivotal, and Notion with outdoor team-building activities and personal-reflection sessions. Includes bus transportation from downtown Denver.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered featured, minor and core.

• StravafeaturedGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of RAD Summit 2019. Strava is a fitness tracking and social network application for athletes.
• TattlyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2019. Tattly is a temporary tattoo company.
• IrontonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2019. Ironton is an e-commerce platform.
• Coffee RidefeaturedGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor of RAD Summit 2019. Coffee Ride is a specialty coffee roasting business in Colorado.
• Natalie'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2019. Natalie's is a juice and beverage brand.
• New Belgium BrewingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2019. New Belgium is a craft brewery based in Colorado.
• Crooked StaveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2019. Crooked Stave is a craft brewery in Denver, Colorado.
• AbstractminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2018. Abstract is a design versioning and collaboration platform.
• Limina.cominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2018. Limina is a wellness and mindfulness company.
• RxBarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2018. RxBar is a protein bar manufacturer.
• TrackerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2018. Tracker is a GPS and outdoor tracking device company.
• AlpineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2018. Alpine is an outdoor gear company.
• Pop-ArtminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of RAD Summit 2018. Pop-Art is a design agency.
• Boredom FighterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial entrepreneurship organization operating a mobile music production studio called 'The Instrument Garden.' Partnership sends marginalized youth to summer camp through RAD Summit participation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Config (Figma): Figma's annual design conference. Comparable in audience (designers, product managers) but materially larger in scale and operated by a major SaaS company rather than independent founders.
• SXSW: Large multi-track conference with parallel design and product programming. Comparable in its professional creative audience but far broader in scope and scale.

Direct peers

• UX London: Annual UX conference curated by Clearleft. Comparable as a small, curated, workshop-rich design conference with a focus on practitioner learning and craft.
• Mind the Product: Global product management community and conference series. Directly comparable to RAD Summit's product manager target audience and workshop-style learning format.
• Cascade SF: Small, curated design and product conference held off-site with intimate formats. Closely comparable to RAD Summit's boutique, non-traditional conference approach.
• Leading Design: Annual leadership conference for design managers and directors. Directly comparable to RAD Summit's target audience of senior design and product leaders seeking peer-driven professional development.
• Beyond Tellerrand: Independent design and development conference held in multiple European cities. Comparable as a curated, boutique design conference emphasizing craft, community, and personal connection over scale.
• Foo Camp (O'Reilly): Invite-only, participant-driven unconference emphasizing peer-to-peer learning. The closest analog to RAD Summit's no-WiFi, cabin-style, intimate attendee format.
• Design Matters: Annual design conference held in Copenhagen. Comparable as a boutique, design-focused conference with curated talks and a community-driven feel.

Emerging players

• School of UX: Workshop-based training provider for designers and product managers. Comparable adjacent offering in the design professional development space, though delivery is online rather than in-person.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 RAD Summit