Reflections on a Year of Connectivity: The 2026 GraphGeeks Impact Report
It has been an incredible journey since we founded GraphGeeks in October 2023. What began as a simple idea—to create a vendor-neutral, socially inclusive space for graph enthusiasts—has blossomed into a thriving global ecosystem.
As we recently released our Impact Report, we’re taking a moment to look back at our growth and forward to the pivotal role graph technology plays in the future of AI and data science.
Bridging the "Human Gap" in Graph Technology
While analysts forecast a 15% annual growth for graph technology, a critical challenge remains: the human gap. Technical progress is moving fast, but many practitioners still struggle to "think natively" in relationships or translate graph insights into tangible business value.
We believe technical maturity must be matched by graph literacy. Together, we address this through:
Shared Language: Expanding thinking beyond simple databases to include analytics, engines, and global standards.
Mental Models: Helping our members identify exactly when and how to apply graph logic to complex realities.
A Third Space for Debate: Providing a neutral ground where experts and novices can vet ideas without the pressure of vendor sales.
A Year of Breakout Growth
Since its founding in late 2023, our
community has transitioned from a
foundational first year into a period of
accelerated breakout growth, more than
doubling its membership across all core
platforms. The past year has been one of accelerated momentum. We’ve seen our community grow across all core platforms:
YouTube Community: Our views skyrocketed 8.5x (from 2k to 24k), and subscriptions grew 5x to over 1,300.
Discord Engagement: Our private community grew 2.2x, now reaching nearly 1,200 members.
Event Sign-ups: Unique engagement in our events increased 3x, with over 2,100 people joining the conversation.
Education in Action: We hosted 9 live workshops and 5 in-person events, training nearly 300 practitioners face-to-face.
The AI Imperative: Graphs & Grounding
We are currently witnessing a shift where graph technology is becoming the essential missing piece for modern AI. Our members are at the forefront of GraphRAG (Graph Retrieval-Augmented Generation), using graphs to eliminate LLM hallucinations and provide multi-hop reasoning and explainability. And as AI matures from passive assistants to autonomous agents, graphs are becoming the foundational infrastructure for Agentic Memory and Contextual Decisions.
“Modern AI requires a hybrid approach... GraphGeeks is the best place for the community to learn about building compound, multi-vendor graph + AI solutions.”
Looking Ahead: Shaping Our Future
The strength of our community determines the trajectory of graph adoption. In 2026, we are focusing on:
Global Outreach: Bringing "graph thinking" to AI engineers, journalists, and domain experts.
Specialized Curriculum: Moving beyond "talks" to professional mastery in Enterprise Knowledge Graphs.
Community-Led Labs: Supporting open-source initiatives like GraphFaker and the #30DayGraphChallenge.
Be Part of the Story
GraphGeeks is built on relationships. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a curious beginner, your perspective is needed. Would you like to help lead the future of our community? We are looking for project maintainers, study group facilitators, and social media leads for our 2026 programs. Feel free to reach out to us on Discord or on our volunteer interest form.
-Amy Hodler, Executive Director and Founder of GraphGeeks
-Dennis Irorere, Data Engineer and GraphGeeks Director of Innovation
