Lunch Talks
Free, intimate talks designed to share ideas and foster community with friendly, creative people. Bonus: lunch (and beer) is on the house.
Our special sauce
Hyperakt has hosted Lunch Talks on a monthly basis since 2010. Lunch Talks are:
Accessible
Talks are always free to attend on a first RSVP basis. Free sandwiches from Court Street Grocer and Sixpoint beer will be waiting for you when you arrive.
Intimate
We cap our audience to 100 participants per talk so there are ample opportunities for networking and a robust discussion.
Casual
Lunch Talks are a Friday afternoon special. There’s time reserved before and after each talk for attendees to chat and mingle in a laid back setting.
Humble
We don’t have a big podium and stadium seating for 1,000. We host Lunch Talks in our space and welcome each guest personally.
Influential
We carefully curate our inspiring speakers, who are thought leaders across the design industry, social impact, and technology.
Fun
Lunch Talks should make people think first and foremost, but we also encourage our speakers to make us laugh and smile.

- 2010Year of first Lunch Talk
- 90Speakers
- 4,000+Attendees
Past Speakers
Going back to the first Lunch Talk in 2010, our speakers have included legendary designers as well as fresh new voices in the field. They have all generously volunteered their time and experience, to share advice, wisdom and stories with our creative community.
- David A. Banks
Co-chair of Theorizing the Web
May 17, 2019 - Doris Rothauer
Founder, Bureau for Transfer
November 16, 2018 - Ana Traverso-Krejcarek
Manager, The High Line Network
October 19, 2018 - Khoi Uong & Ritik Dholakia
Co-Founders, Studio Rodrigo
September 21, 2018 - Andrew Sloat
Creative Director at Brooklyn Academy of Music
August 24, 2018 - Katie Osborn
Founder & chief designer of Via Collective
July 27, 2018 - Christine Gaspar
Executive Director, CUP
June 22, 2018 - Andrew Chepaitis
Founder, ELIA
May 18, 2018 - Chelsea Mauldin
Executive Director, Public Policy Lab
April 20, 2018 - Marcelle Hopkins
The deputy editor of video and co-director of VR, The New York Times
March 23, 2018 - Rodrigo Moran
SVP Global Group Creative Director, Edelman
February 16, 2018 - Melis Sönmez
Founder & Design Researcher, Bright Side
January 19, 2018 - Celine Semaan
Founder & Designer, Slowfactory
November 17, 2017 - Scott Newman & Ray Marrero
Creative Director and Design Director, work x work
October 27, 2017 - Ave Carrillo
Senior Producer, The New Yorker Radio Hour
September 22, 2017 - Christopher Reardon
Chief of Content Production at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
August 11, 2017 - Andi Elloway
Photographer & Creative Director
July 21, 2017 - Leta & Wade
Creative Directors & Designers
June 23, 2017 - Claire Wasserman
Founder of Ladies Get Paid
May 12, 2017 - Michael Ciancio
Creative Director and Designer
April 28, 2017 - Michael Freimuth
Co-Founder of Franklyn
March 31, 2017 - Spencer Charles & Kelly Thorn
Co-Founders of Charles & Thorn
February 24, 2017 - Five Omar Mualimmak
Human Rights Activist and Artist
January 27, 2017 - Sagi Haviv
Partner and designer at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
October 21, 2016 - Kristin Lenz
Art Director at Inc. Magazine
September 30, 2016 - Jon Han & SooJin Buzelli
Freelance Illustrator & Creative Director, SVP, Asset International, Inc.
August 26, 2016 - Alex Blumberg
Co-founder and CEO of Gimlet Media
July 22, 2016 - Jonnie Hallman
Freelance designer/developer and Cushion creator
Friday, June 24th 2016 - Kristen Lewis
Co-Director of Measure of America
May 20, 2016 - Luke Williams
Creative Director of Paperless Post
April 29, 2016 - Jonny Naismith
Design Director of Moving Brands
March 25, 2016 - Ping Zhu
Freelance Illustrator
February 19, 2016 - Justin Manor
Co-founding partner at Sosolimited
January 22, 2016 - Justin Gignac
Co-Founder, Working not Working
November 6, 2016 - James Patten
Founder and Principal of Patten Studio
October 23, 2015 - Tobias Frere-Jones
Founder Frere-Jones Type
October 9, 2015 - Bruno Maag
Type designer and founder of Dalton Maag
September 18, 2015 - Thierry Blancpain
Co-Founder of Grilli Type Foundry
September 11, 2015 - David Carson
Graphic Designer
July 17, 2015 - James J. Williams III
Executive Strategy Manager of Nanotronics
June 26, 2015 - Jason Bacher + Brian Buirge
Co-founders of GFDA
May 8, 2015 - Lauren Hom
Designer and letterer
April 17, 2015 - Jeff Rogers
Multidisciplinary Designer and Illustrator
March 20, 2015 - Armin Vit
Co-founder of UnderConsideration, designer and writer
February 27, 2015 - Vann Alexandra Daly
Crowdsourceress and founder of Vann Alexandra
February 13, 2015 - Damon Rich
Planning Director and Chief Urban Designer for the City of Newark
January 23, 2015 - Cheryl Heller
Chair, MFA Design for Social Innovation SVA NYC & Partner, CommonWise
November 7, 2014 - Manuel Lima
Founder, VisualComplexity.com & Design Lead, Codeacademy
October 3, 2014 - Michael Bierut
Partner, Pentagram
September 19, 2014 - Ashok Sinha
New York based Photographer
August 29, 2014 - Jakob Trollbäck
Executive Creative Director, Trollbäck + Company
July 25, 2014 - Daniel D'Oca
Principal and co-founder of Interboro Partners
June 13, 2014 - Scott Stowell
Creative Director & Proprietor, Open
May 16, 2014 - Christopher Fabian
Senior Advisor on Innovation to Exec. Director, UNICEF
April 25, 2014 - Jessica Banks
Founder, RockPaperRobot
March 21, 2014 - Steve Daniels
Founding Director, Makeshift
February 21, 2014 - Matt Owens
Founding Partner, Athletics
January 17, 2014 - Matias Corea
Co-Founder and Chief Designer, Behance
December 6, 2013 - Paola Antonelli
Senior Curator of Architecture & Design, MoMA
November 15, 2013 - Colin Vernon
Head of Web, littleBits Electronics
October 18, 2013 - Matt Ipcar
VP of Strategy, Blue State Digital
September 27, 2013 - Willy Wong
Chief Creative Officer, NYC & Company
August 23, 2013 - Randy Gregory II
Creator, 100 Ways to Improve the NYC Subway
June 28, 2013 - Criswell Lappin & Eliza Spang
Creative Director & Learning Director, Institute of Play
May 24, 2013 - Jake Porway
Executive Director, DataKind
April 5, 2013 - Lance Wyman
American Graphic Designer
June 18, 2013 - Maria Aiolova
Co-President, Terreform ONE
December 14, 2012 - Debbie Millman
President of Design at Sterling Brands
November 16, 2012 - E Roon Kang
Founder, Math Practice
September 21, 2012 - Jesse Ragan
Typeface Designer
July 20, 2012 - Javier de la Torre
CEO & Co-Founder, Vizzuality
June 8, 2012 - Matteo Bologna
Founding Partner & Principal, Mucca Design
May 4, 2012 - Steven Heller
MFA Designer as Author Department & Special Consultant to the President of SVA
March 9, 2012 - Scott Lachut
Director of Consulting, PSFK
February 10, 2012 - Steve Duenes
Graphics Director, The New York Times
January 12, 2012 - James Victore
Founder, James Victore Inc.
December 2, 2011 - Eddie Opara
Partner, Pentagram
November 11, 2011 - Gail Anderson
Teacher, School of Visual Arts MFA
October 4, 2011 - Paula Scher
Partner, Pentagram
August 11, 2011 - Jon Contino
Alphastructaesthetitologist
July 29, 2011 - David Heasty & Stefanie Weigler
Founders, Triboro Design
June 3, 2011 - Louise Fili
Founder, Louise Fili Ltd.
May 6, 2011 - Randy Hunt
Product and Design Director, Etsy
April 15, 2011 - Mike Perry
Designer, Artist
March 4, 2011 - Todd St. John
Founder, HunterGatherer
January 28, 2011 - Khoi Vinh
Creator, Subtraction
October 15, 2010 - Todd Truesdale
Founder, Recycled Paper Printing
September 17, 2010 - Charles Adler
Co-Founder, Kickstarter
August 13, 2010 - Emily Cohen
Consultant to Creative Professionals
July 16, 2010 - Amrit Richmond
Director of Community & Platform, RRE Ventures
June 11, 2010