The Next 10 Years Won’t Look Like the Last
When you’ve spent 10 years building something, there comes a moment when you have to ask yourself: Do we keep repeating what worked yesterday? Or do we experiment with what tomorrow could be?
This month, we’re choosing experimentation.
Not because the old way was wrong, but because every decade deserves a fresh look. For much of our history, cultural districts in this country were formed by redlining, exclusion, and discrimination. That is real.
A New Model for Cultural Districts
The Filipino Cultural District is being built under a different set of conditions. Our entrepreneurs aren’t being forced into a single neighborhood. They’re choosing where they can thrive. That’s a testament to how far we’ve come. It also means our district won’t evolve in the same way historic districts did.
Rather than concentrating everything into one corridor, we’re beginning to imagine a hub-and-spoke model—distinct but connected clusters of Filipino creativity and enterprise. That is exactly what this year’s Undiscovered is testing.
A Transition at KOHO
Another experiment is coming to an end in Japantown. In January, KOHO will leave its Creative Hub at the 1675 Post St after the financial and operational terms for remaining there changed substantially. The Japantown Task Force asked KOHO to take on a new monthly financial obligation to support Visitor Center operations, alongside additional conditions for use of the space. After months of discussion, KOHO determined those terms were not financially sustainable or aligned with its mission.
The 1675 Post St space showed what was possible when a culturally rooted organization had room to build alongside its community. While that chapter is ending, KOHO’s work will continue across Japantown and San Francisco as it seeks a permanent, community-controlled home.
Three Connected Moments
We’re trying three connected moments:
1. First, the UNDSCVRD Entrepreneur Summit on 9/29/26—a small, curated gathering of 40 entrepreneurs helping us sketch the next decade.
2. Then, UNDSCVRD Golden Hour on 10/24/26—our first night market since before the pandemic.
3. And finally, the Mahal Mural unveiling and a celebration of Kultivate Labs’ 10th anniversary on 11/13/26.
Simplify Your Work
That same spirit of experimentation is behind Eksplora: Simplify Your Work.
Over the past few years, I’ve been testing AI workflows in my own nonprofit practice. Like many leaders, I used to live in 50-plus-hour workweeks. I don’t believe that’s inevitable anymore. By rethinking how I work—not necessarily working less—I’ve been able to bring my weeks closer to 35 hours or less while staying focused on what matters.
Eksplora is a six-week cohort where nonprofit staff learn practical AI workflows, build strong data privacy habits, and develop a capstone project—either a grant-writing or reporting system—that they can take back to their organization.
My hope is that folks leave not just with tools, but with time reclaimed. Time for their teams, their communities, and themselves.
If any of this sparks something for you, whether you’re a longtime friend or just getting to know our work, we’d love to have you with us.
Join Us
Apply for the summit or explore the cohort. The next 10 years shouldn’t look like the last 10. And that’s something worth getting excited about.
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