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A Glimpse into AI Innovation at San Francisco's Networking Event with Founders


AI Networking event in San Francisco



Did you know that 44% of our labor force will be affected by AI in the future? Well, that’s what early stage AI founders are betting on. I had a chance to attend a Learn and Network event hosted by Wing Venture Capital in San Francisco where I got an opportunity to meet with leaders whose work is shaping the AI revolution.



Learning from Pioneers

Wing AI had a networking event and panel discussions led by founders of AI-first companies who have blazed the trail in the industry.


Hosted by Zach DeWitt of Wing at Notion’s HQ in San Francisco, the event featured insights from Keith Peiris of Tome and Paul Yacoubian of Copy.ai. The founders discussed their journey in building an AI-first company and the strategies they used to reach 10 million users. There was a lot of trial and error and in the end, Yacoubian shared that it’s important not to overthink and just ship the product. He challenged the founders in the audience to “go build and go ship” their product in the next 5 days and if they rose to meet the challenge, he would retweet their product to his followers on Twitter (aka X). I hope someone took advantage of his incredible offer!



Diverse Attendees at AI Event in San Francisco

One of the most remarkable aspects of the event was the diversity of attendees. There were a kaleidoscope of individuals, each with their unique background and expertise. Engineers, data scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors who came together, fostering an environment of rich collaboration and knowledge exchange. It’s an exciting opportunity because networking with industry professionals can spark innovative ideas and even lead to potential partnerships.


I personally enjoyed meeting AI founders who are bringing their ideas to life and hearing the challenges they face as they are lifting their startup off the ground. I’ve highlighted a few founders below and the innovative technologies that they’re working on.


ObligeAI

I met with Co-founders MJ Randolph and Amanda Furtado of ObligeAI who shared their mission to create an advanced mobile banking app designed to enhance your banking experience. ObligeAI allows you to perform touch-free ATM transactions and provides secure facial recognition authentication as an alternative to the conventional PIN code and debit card, all powered by Generative AI technology.


While working on ObligeAI, Randolph says his team faces challenges with rapid technological advancements, data privacy and security, adoption and integration, along with ethical considerations.


"ObligeAI is at the forefront of these trends, leveraging AI to address complex challenges, while continuously adapting to the evolving AI landscape and ensuring responsible and ethical use of this transformative technology," Randolph shared. "By doing so, we aim to elevate the entire banking experience for everyone involved."


CodeRabbit

I had an opportunity to meet Co-founder Vishu Kaur and learned about her work with CodeRabbit, an AI-driven platform that transforms the way code reviews are done. Her technology helps speed up the code merge process while improving the order of magnitude, which goes beyond what is possible with human reviewers. Kaur is growing her team and looking for great talent, which she says is hard to find.



Arnetta Technologies

Lastly, I got an opportunity to connect with Co-founder Shashidhar Sathyanarayan of Arnetta Technologies who focuses on developing cutting-edge technologies in AgriTech to transform seed production and breeding. Arnetta is headquartered in India, but they operate out of Des Moines, Iowa. Sathyanarayan and his team are incorporating innovative techniques and automation to enhance crop production in agriculture and enhance the livelihood of farmers worldwide.

I’m looking forward to seeing our founders continue their innovative pursuits and grow the company with an All-Star Customer Success team. Hopefully, others can follow their blueprint to success in the near future!


Go Ship or Go Home

It was amazing to see the sheer amount of talent in the room and it was hard not to be inspired! I learned a lot of valuable lessons from founders, product leaders and AI-enthusiasts alike. Reflecting on Yacoubian’s comments about ‘building and shipping,’ I want to challenge you on what you can do today to build and ship or iterate on an idea. Here are some opportunities:


  • If you’re in the job search, build your portfolio and share it with your network

  • If you’re trying to get a promotion, build and execute on your strategies to solve a pain point for your team

  • If you have a side hustle, create a website and land your first client


There are boundless opportunities. As for me, I was challenged by an attendee to write this article and ship it so that’s exactly what I did.


If you decide to ship, please make sure to share your progress with me - I’ll share it with my All-Star Community!





tech swag
Wouldn't be a tech event without free swag! Love the Wing branded giveaways. I already started using them!


 


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