Boston's Voice AI Meetup @ Build617

The inaugural Boston Voice AI Meetup is happening at Build617 in Downtown Crossing! Join software founders, product leaders, and developers interested in voice AI. Are you: Enjoy a mix of networking, learning, sharing, humor, and light snacks/drinks. SEPTEMBER TOPIC: "When Should Software Talk Back? Exploring conversational voice agents embedded in software UX." 2026 is the year that conversational voice agents escaped the 1-800 support line. And it's more than developers whispering into their goosenecks- real users are conversing with business software in the office, the car, the job site, and the soccer sideline. How should product leaders think about this new interaction pattern? When is it useful, and when is it fluff? And what technologies and tactics afford the best conversational UX? AGENDA, SPEAKERS, & TOPICS: 5:00pm Networking (drinks & snacks too)5:30pm Introductions & Welcomes from Modulate.AI and Build617. 5:40pm "When Should Software Talk Back? A Framework Discussion" by Tom Elliott.6:00pm "Getting the UX Right: Tools & Techniques for Building Conversational Software" by Nick Leonard, CEO & CoFounder of 6:20pm Jamb.AI Donna Demo by Sharat Chikkerur. Sharat will demonstrate how Jamb's "Donna" agent participates inside group conversations. 6:40pm Audience Demos: Are your users conversing with your software? Show and tell! Audience demos are limited to 3 minutes each, so be ready. 7:00pm Wrap Up and Goodbyes SPEAKERS: Nick Leonard, CEO & CoFounder of VoiceRun Nick Leonard is the co-founder and CEO of VoiceRun, a developer-first, code-first platform for building secure, reliable, and scalable enterprise voice agents. Before founding VoiceRun, Nick held product and startup leadership roles at Jobcase and Posh Technologies and began his career working on the F-135 Joint Strike Fighter at Pratt & Whitney. An MIT alumnus and former decathlete, he now builds infrastructure designed to help enterprises deploy and optimize production-grade voice AI. Sharat Chikkerur, co-founder and CTO of Jamb AI, an AI-powered communication platform built for construction teams. Previously a technical leader at Google Brain/DeepMind, Microsoft, and Nanigans, he brings expertise in machine learning, applied AI, and production-scale data systems. Sharat holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. This meetup is FREE thanks to our sponsors: Autonomous Voice AI for Enterprises Build the future in Boston. Audio-native voice intelligence for developers and platforms "Hey Hub Come Here!" & the Old Guy Who's the old guy in the logo? That's Alexander Graham Bell, who made the first phone call in Boston 150 years ago (1876). Bell spoke his famous "Mr. Watson, Come Here" line about 100 yards from Build617's front door. (Read the plaque on your way to the meetup!) Lead Organizer Tom Elliott The Boston Voice AI Meetup is organized by Tom Elliott, a voice AI developer and agentmaker who builds communities, too.