/ About this event
AI is moving quickly. The harder question is where it should fit into the work your team already does.
Join the Okou team during LA Tech Week for a practical panel on how teams are adopting AI across real workflows, from sales and marketing to enterprise operations. We’ll explore what AI should own, what still requires human judgment, and how to introduce AI without adding unnecessary complexity.
⸻ 🎯 What to Expect
👥 Five Practitioner Speakers Firsthand perspectives from AI product builders, enterprise automation leaders, SMB growth strategists, and real-world AI practitioners.
🎤 Interactive Panel + Audience Q&A A practical conversation about integrating AI into existing workflows and making adoption work in practice.
🧠 Real-World Lessons and Examples Candid insights from different teams, clients, and business environments.
🤝 Casual Networking Connect with founders, operators, business owners, marketers, sales leaders, consultants, and AI practitioners.
🍽️ Happy Hour Enjoy complimentary food and non-alcoholic drinks after the panel.
🛠️ Okou AI Teammate Office Hours Bring a real workflow or repetitive task for a short, guided conversation and optional demo. No technical background required.
⸻ 🗓 Agenda
5:00 to 5:20 PM Arrival & Check-in + Networking
5:20 to 6:30 PM Practical Panel + Audience Q&A: Can AI Teammates Unlock Your Next Stage of Growth?
6:30 to 8:00 PM Happy Hour + Okou AI Teammate Office Hours
⸻ 🎤 Featured Speakers
✨ Ming Li, Co-founder of Okou Leads Product Design and Go-to-Market, bringing 10+ years in SaaS and product design, 5 years of startup-building and PLG experience, and firsthand experience building and using AI Teammates.
✨ Sharon Palawandram, Director of Enterprise Solutions at WonderBotz Leads enterprise automation across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, supply chain, and legal, and is a five-time consecutive UiPath MVP in Agentic AI.
✨ Ritu Arora Thakur, Founder & CEO of Smart Tech Inc. and SMB Growth Strategist Brings 20+ years in strategy, technology, and operations, helping SMBs adopt practical AI, CRM, and business systems to improve growth and execution.
✨ Kaave “Rain” Kashefi, Founder of REIGN AI Strategies Brings 22 years of business-building experience and hands-on work across hospitality, real estate, and e-commerce, designing practical AI systems for owners, employees, and customers.
✨ Jeff Czischke, Co-Founder & CEO of Fulcrum AI Labs, Brings an AI-native services perspective, embedding small, high-output pods within customer teams to redesign workflows, with people orchestrating the work and staying accountable while AI agents handle the heavy lifting.
🎙️ Moderated by Scarlett Xie, Marketing Manager at Okou
⸻ This event is part of #LATechWeek, a week of events across Los Angeles bringing together founders, investors, operators, and builders. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
