​Are you a venture capitalist interested in where AI is heading and how to navigate the technology to find success? 

​Join this half-day workshop to learn about the latest in AI startup strategy and brainstorm about how to pick AI startup winners. 

​The workshop will be hosted at the Palo Alto office of 500 Global, a VC firm with $2.3B in AUM, investing in founders with a global outlook building fast-growing startups. The event will be co-hosted by Stanford Angels and by Stanford's d. school.

​Note that this event is for active venture capitalists only, and admission will be granted on a rolling basis.

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​Agenda:

​AI and Tomorrow's Startups

​Delivered by Stanford Angels Co-President Alec Walker.

• ​AI intro.

  • ​What traditional AI projects entail, and an intuition behind how some of the popular models work.

  • ​How GenAI is a step change in the AI world as a data science model and as a business model.

  • ​The traditional AI Hype Cycle, and what's "different this time around".

• ​Primer on GenAI for startups today.

  • ​A nod to how GenAI is used to build products (even if the product itself isn't an AI-tool for the customer).

  • ​Dodging the GenAI Overshadow Problem: how future iterations of foundational models can render AI startups obsolete (examples with code).

  • ​GenAI deep integration: Alec's thesis on what types of AI startups will be successful and how to spot them.

• ​Empirically proven strategies for needfinding and ideation, adapated for a focus on GenAI.

  • ​Startup needfinding -- selecting a vertical, customer segmentation, bottom-up research and experimentation.

  • ​Defining a problem statement -- distilling insight from needfinding, tactics for concise representation, use of the problem statement as a "creative tether".

  • ​Rapid ideation and prototyping -- tactics to maximize disruptive potential of solution ideas, prototyping as efficient experimentation.

​AI Startup Brainstorming Session

​Facilitated by Stanford d.school's Head of Learning Collaborations Ariel Raz, and by Alec Walker.

• ​Rapid iteration through the following:

  • ​Formation of groups by shared interest (B2C/B2B, industry, etc).

  • ​Facilitated brainstorming.

  • ​Critical evaluation of ideas.

  • ​Presentation to the whole group.

• ​Networking -- explore all the valuable experience and brainpower in the room, finding ways to collaborate.

​Following the event, we'll assemble key insights gleaned from the session and share them with participants. This event is limited to active investors in early stage startups with backgrounds conducive to fruitful discussion of current and future trends in AI startups.

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​Key People:

​Alec Walker, co-president of Stanford Angels (Stanford Alumni Association Angel Investor Network). 

​Alec is a twice-exited AI founder and active startup investor. He has created several self-running businesses, and advises numerous startups. He has helped companies like GM, AECOM, and Intel set up internal entrepreneurship programs, and he has run data science projects for clients ranging from growth stage startups to large incumbents like Swarovski, Dow Chemical, Danone, Goldman Sachs, Chevron, and Sheraton. Alec has helped several dozen startups iterate to product-market fit across verticals like cloud management, database optimization, edge device management, satellites, data science platforms, finance, and education. Alec holds a BS in engineering from Rice University and an MBA from Stanford. He has taught entrepreneurship and data science at several universities around the world, and he regularly runs workshops at major industry conferences and for private clients. Alec founded Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs' Texas Chapter in 2021.

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​Ariel Raz, Head of Learning Collaborations at Stanford's d.school

​Ariel brings his expertise in design thinking and innovation to the startup world, where he has focused on helping entrepreneurs and organizations foster creativity and collaboration. As the Head of Learning Collaborations at Stanford's d.school, Ariel works closely with startups and corporations to implement design thinking strategies and foster creative problem-solving. He facilitates workshops and training sessions that challenge leaders and teams in both corporate and startup settings to rethink their approach to innovation, preparing them to adapt to rapidly evolving futures.  Ariel has also been involved in training startup founders on how to integrate empathy and creativity into their problem-solving processes, especially when navigating the complexities of launching and scaling new ventures. Through his role, he has contributed to shaping the next generation of founders who are building startups with a strong human-centered approach, ensuring that their products and services truly address the needs of diverse users​.

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​About Stanford Angels:

​Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs (SA&E) is a non-profit component of Stanford University working to help foster the startup community. The organization boasts >1k angel investor members (~$60MM capital pool) and >10k startups in the network. Member angels are 90% Stanford affiliated. Membership is $100/year.

​Several chapters of SA&E exist. SA&E TC (originally the "Texas Chapter") is the most active nationally and in Silicon Valley. The group hosts educational events as well as pitch sessions featuring selected startups, having seen >$10MM invested since 2020 and three startup exists, netting investors an average of >10X ROI. Member angels are interviewed to clarify what they're looking for and then sent information about startups matching their criteria. This curation is done manually and is iterative based on angel feedback. Introductions are blind (angels get the startup's info, not the other way around). SA&E does not take carry and is not compensated for these efforts, being focused on growing community rather than in the business of curating deal flow. The goal of this give-first mentality is to build a vibrant and thriving community.