October 22, 2026 · News
Culture Convergence 2026: Three Panels, One Packed Night
Culture Convergence is now a three-year tradition, and this year's event was a great one.
About 70 people filled Baja Haus in Wayzata for three expert panels, a fajita buffet, and a music performance to close out the night.
The first panel, “A Minnesota Culture Reset this November?”, featured Mayor Tom McKee of Corcoran, Mayor Julie Maas-Kusske of Maple Plain, Mayor Todd Albers of Medina, and Plymouth city council candidate Sarah Anderson on the challenges facing Minnesota. Our president, Brandon Ferdig, moderated.
The second, “Decentralized Systems Benefiting Local Communities,” brought Wes Sanda of GVolt, Mike Killeen of First Ave, Tony Margarit of the Zcash Open Development Lab, and Marcus Taplin of DeepFreezeData showed how decentralized tech helps communities close to home. Chris Pederson moderated.
The third, “A.I. Working For Us (not against us),” featured Greg Burt of Time Into Pixels, Benjamin O'Laughlin of Larkin Hoffman, recording artist Violetta Zironi, and Matt Kramer of Kramer Tech looked at how AI can work for people. David Espindola moderated.
The night ended with a live performance by Violetta Zironi. Attendees also picked up shirts, hats, and yard signs, and were encouraged to vote.
Thank you to Chris Pederson, the main organizer; to every panelist; to our host Baja Haus; and to Stand With Crypto, whose support made this event and our other work possible.
Want to help with the next one? Email connect@mnblockchain.org about volunteering, or become a member.
-MNblockchain