AI Founders Dinner

Description

By Invitation & Approval Only: AI Founders ($10M-$100M+ ARR/Funding), Enterprise Leaders & VCs AI founders are building in a market where enterprise adoption, investor conviction, & competitive intensity are all moving quickly. But the most useful conversations - what customers are actually buying, how investors are underwriting AI companies, & where durable application-layer opportunities are emerging - rarely happen in public. This private, off-the-record dinner brings together a curated group of AI founders, investors, & enterprise leaders for a candid peer-level discussion anchored by investment directors from SoftBank Vision Fund & YZi Labs. Together, we will discuss where the AI market is heading, what enterprise adoption is actually looking like, how investors are evaluating the next wave of AI companies, & what it takes to build & scale application-layer AI businesses with lasting value. The evening will follow Chatham House Rule to create a candid environment for open discussion among peers. The evening includes: An intimate fireside chat + live AMA with investment directors from SoftBank Vision Fund & YZi Labs AI-powered curated seating designed to maximize relevant peer connections Off-the-record discussions with fellow founders, investors, & enterprise leaders Networking before & after the discussion A complimentary three-course dinner in a private dining room in San Francisco Speakers: Jessica Gao, Investment Director, SoftBank Vision Fund ($166B AUM): Jessica Gao is an Investment Director at SoftBank Vision Fund, where she leads investments in AI applications, data infrastructure, & enterprise software. Since joining SoftBank in 2019, she has focused on identifying & backing high-growth technology companies across the AI ecosystem. Prior to SoftBank, Jessica worked in investment banking in New York, bringing extensive experience evaluating technology businesses, market opportunities, & founder-led companies. Jing Xiong, Investment Director, YZi Labs ($10B AUM): Jing is an Investment Director at YZi Labs ($10B+ AUM family office of Binance's Co-Founder) & leads their AI investments. She's a Co-Author of Gemini 2.5 & previously tech lead at Google Lens. Brought to you by: Howdy.com: Howdy helps U.S. companies hire & manage top software engineers across Latin America, handling everything from sourcing to payroll-so teams can scale faster with talent in their time zone. See how Howdy can help you find & manage exceptional talent. Schedule your demo today at howdy.com/book-a-demo. Ashurst Perkins Coie: Ashurst Perkins Coie's Emerging Companies & Venture Capital lawyers advise innovative startups & investors from formation to exit, offering practical legal & business counsel for financing, growth, governance, strategic transactions, & exits. Virio: Virio creates LinkedIn content for B2B founders & executives to drive pipeline. They've cracked the playbook on targeted content for B2B companies to get in front of specific logos & decision makers, helping B2B companies generate more than $110M Interfaze: Purpose built AI models. for your tech stack. Custom small models trained for specialized use cases powered by scalable infrastructure.