2026: The Year of Execution
- Rich Washburn

- Dec 31, 2025
- 2 min read

In my world, resolution isn’t a promise — it’s a setting. Something you tweak on a monitor until things look sharp enough. Static. Fixed. Done.
But I’m not interested in static anymore. This year, I’m not setting resolutions. I’m setting direction and executing.
The Past Two Years: The Build Phase
The last couple of years have been about building — systems, tools, prototypes, proofs of concept. Some for Eliakim Capital, some for Data Power Supply, and some just because I couldn’t not build them.
It’s been a kind of professional superposition: by day, helping with the infrastructure that powers the AI revolution; by night, at the workbench, translating ideas into hardware that shouldn’t exist yet — but does.
Now the lab shelf is full. It’s time for these things to move from the bench to the world.
The Shift: From Projects to Products
2025 was about invention. 2026 is about execution.
I’ve built enough “what ifs.” Now it’s about finding the right people — the ones who can take a finished prototype and turn it into a thriving product.
Here’s what’s ready for liftoff:
VaporVault – A zero-cloud, local-first security vault. Built for a world that’s had enough of “trust us” cloud storage.
Beacon – A Wi-Fi business card and guerrilla marketing tool that makes your digital presence visible to anyone in range.
Firefly – A wearable UV smart light. Minimalist, useful, and overdue.
ThermoSpine – A wearable designed to calm the nervous system — posture meets biofeedback.
Penny University – A modern take on the Enlightenment coffeehouse. Builders meet backers. Ideas meet capital.
All of it works. All of it’s real. What’s needed now isn’t another idea — it’s operators.
The Invitation
I know my lane: I build the impossible and make it functional.But the next stage needs people who can:
Fund Fast – See the opportunity and move.
Scale Smart – Take the working model and make it reproducible.
Move Loud – Tell the story, build the movement.
I don’t care whose name ends up on the door. What matters is that these things exist. That they get out of the lab and into the world where they can do their work.
If you’re looking for something real to attach your talent, capital, or energy to — the on-ramp is open.
Happy New Year. Let’s get to work.





Comments