/ About this event
🔥 Featured on the SF Tech Week website 🔥
View from the Top
AI's trajectory is defined by visionaries and backers actively building what comes next.
Join an exclusive room of accredited investors to gain direct insights from founders and investors behind iconic milestones including Pandora Radio ($2.6B IPO), Nuance Communications ($19.7B acq. by Microsoft), and early investments in OpenAI, discovering where they are heading next.
💡 Why this matters
- Scaling from $0 to landmark exits - Agentic security and enterprise GTM execution - High-signal network of accredited investors - Liquid vs. illiquid asset allocation strategies in AI - Exclusive AI market research beyond SF Tech Week
📍 Venue
Financial District, San Francisco (Exact venue details will be shared with confirmed guests.)
🎯 Attendance
Accredited investors
Definition: https://www.sec.gov/resources-small-businesses/capital-raising-building-blocks/accredited-investors
🔍 Vetting
Every registration is reviewed through sources such as LinkedIn to ensure a high-caliber experience.
📅 Agenda
10:00 AM: Check-In & High-Signal Networking 10:20 AM: Opening Remarks 10:30 AM: Panel I 11:15 AM: Break & Live Interactive Demos 11:30 AM: Panel II 12:15 PM: Networking with Light Bites & Beverages 1:30 PM: Event Close
🎤 Panel lineup
🛡️ Panel I: Scaling Agentic AI in the Enterprise (Including Live Product Demo)
Moderator: Chris Earley, Business Development Director at Escalon Services, helping founders with all of back-office needs and supporting his partnership ecosystem; Former accounting and finance professional at Fortune 500 companies, relationship management leader at Ramp (unicorn) and Xero (ASX: XRO) and CPA at PwC
Panelist: Pushpendre Rastogi, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CTO at Harden.Run, an AI cybersecurity startup offering Agentic Endpoint Security to enterprise clients such as Randstad (AMS: RAND) and Caldic; Former Senior Researcher at Google DeepMind; Ph.D. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins and Bachelor's degree in ECE from IIT Delhi
Panelist: Mica Eades Mayo, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Untapped Investing, an early-stage VC firm; Former Vice President at ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), fueling the rocket ship from $2B to $10B ARR in 5+ years; Vice Chair of the Board at American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley; LP in multiple funds; MBA from Cornell
Panelist: Niraj Saran, Founder & Managing Partner at Maya Valley Ventures, investing in early and growth-stage AI startups, with over 40 investments including OpenAI and 3 exits; Former Vice President of Engineering at TenMarks Education (acq. by Amazon); LP in multiple funds; Mentor of IIT Startups; Member of TiE Angels, Silicon Valley
Panelist: Tina Gregory, a seasoned CFO with over 20 years of experience leading financial operations and driving profitability across public and private companies in AI, SaaS, and digital assets; Proven expertise in financial planning, technology integration, fundraising, and scaling high-growth companies; Member of AI Finance Club
📈 Panel II: Allocation, AI B2B Scaling, & High-Value Exits
Moderator: Akio Kurata, Founder & CEO at Equity X, Inc. and Equity X Investments, LLC; Portfolio manager with over 16 years of experience in AI, investment banking, and quantitative strategies; Formerly at Nomura and Rothschild & Co; Series 65; 3 patents; U.S. O-1A; Bachelor's degree in Economics from The University of Tokyo
Panelist: Doug Barry, Co-Founder, COO & CFO at Proto, Inc., a next gen spatial AI platform with over 120 enterprise clients backed by $35M from Tim Draper, Christie’s Ventures, and True Capital; Co-Founder at Selby Ventures with founding investments in Pandora Radio ($2.6B IPO); Co-Founder & CEO at Size Technologies (acq. by First Data); MBA from Harvard Business School
Panelist: Ronald Croen, Co-Founder & CEO at GoldthreadAI, an AI brand marketing startup; Co-Founder & CEO at Nuance Communications (acq. by Microsoft for $19.7B in 2022); Former Member of the Board at Logitech (NASDAQ: LOGI); Former Partner at The Brandtech Group, backing Niantic (Pokémon GO); LP in multiple funds; JD from The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Panelist: Pablo Grodnitzky, Founder & Managing Partner at Plus Ultra Capital Partners, investing in Late Seed & Series A technology startups; over 28 years of experience in scaling technology startups from pre-revenue to $100M+ ARR; Former executive at Intel, Nuance Communications, and IBM; MBA from Harvard Business School
👔 Attire
Business casual
👋 Host
Equity X Investments, LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser in the San Francisco Bay Area (CRD #332527), serving accredited investors and qualified purchasers with fiduciary duties of loyalty and care by providing AI market research and liquid public equity strategies ($100k+ AUM) in the technology and healthcare sectors. For more information, please reach out to Akio Kurata at akio.kurata@equityxinvestments.com.
✨ Sponsors
Paul Hastings LLP is a global law firm whose Emerging Growth Companies & Venture Capital team partners with startups and investors in all industries, providing tailored legal and business solutions across transactional, regulatory and litigation matters, and offering strategic counsel to help clients navigate the competitive landscape, grow, and capitalize on new opportunities from formation to exit. For more information, please reach out to James Huie at jameshuie@paulhastings.com.
Escalon Services helps high-growth companies stabilize finance and HR quickly, so leaders can focus on building the business instead of managing operational complexity. We support financial operations, accounting, revenue optimization, HR, recruiting, payroll, and more. Escalon isn’t just an outsourced back-office solution. We’re a strategic growth partner that helps teams scale with confidence. For more information, please reach out to Chris Earley at chris.earley@escalon.services.
Carta is the leading equity management platform, helping startups, investors, and law firms manage cap tables, fundraising, and everything in between. Whether you're building a company, managing a fund, or supporting one of the two, Carta's intelligent platform connects the data, workflows, and people that drive private capital operations. Learn more at carta.com.
🤝 Partnerships
Speaking and corporate sponsorship opportunities for future AI briefings are strictly limited to aligned partners.
🔥 Our SF Tech Week AI Series
Accredited Investor AI Briefing: Longevity, Clinical Adoption, and Exit https://partiful.com/e/O5hf9C70fRnkC2JioBkD
Qualified Purchaser AI Debriefing Coffee https://partiful.com/e/fZpPmWFR5NB4rCOY0qhr
Exited Founders & QP Allocators: Coastal Walk & Coffee https://partiful.com/e/49vffuDjwlXrztaBu4Gh
🔔 Notes
RSVP required. Space is capped to venue capacity. Once approved, your pass will be non-transferable. Physical photo IDs and QR check-in are required at the lobby security desk.
⚠️ Disclaimer
By registering, you agree to receive communications from the host and sponsors, and consent to event photography for promotional use.
Content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice. Public equity strategies and private investments carry risk of loss.
This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
