AI Fireside Chat with Mike Vernal @ Conviction, Former Sequoia Partners

​Join us at Pilot HQ for an exclusive evening with Mike Vernal, General Partner at Conviction Partners, a venture capital firm founded by Sarah Guo, former General Partner at Greylock Partners. Before joining Conviction, Mike was a partner at Sequoia Capital and spent eight years at Facebook as VP of Product and Engineering. He has led investments in companies like Notion, Rippling, and Verkada.

We’ll explore:

• ​AI: Separating Hype from Opportunity

• ​Raising Capital in Today’s Market – How to do it with confidence, even in uncertain times.

• ​Building a Sustainable Moat – Why your competitive advantage might not be what you think.
  
  Calling for all AI founders and VC investors - Come for the insights, stay for the lively conversation, Goldenboy pizza, beer, and great company.

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​About Pilot
Founded in 2016, Pilot is a Series C fintech company that provides high-quality bookkeeping and fractional CFO services for startups. We specialize in helping high-growth companies scale with confidence by delivering reliable financial insights, raising capital, and building sustainable financial strategies. With over $100M raised, our team of CFOs and bookkeepers has experience in investment banking, venture capital, and high-growth startup environments, working with some of the most exciting names in tech and beyond. Pilot is backed by top investors, including Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Jeff Bezos, and many others.

​About Conviction Partners
Founded in 2022, Conviction Partners is a venture capital firm co-founded by Sarah Guo, formerly of Greylock Partners, who became the youngest person to make partner at Greylock in record time. The firm focuses on backing transformative AI companies. Conviction recently closed Fund II at $230M, bringing its total AUM to $330M in just three years. Mike Vernal, a former partner at Sequoia Capital and VP of Product and Engineering at Facebook, joined Conviction as a General Partner in 2025. The firm has invested in companies like Mistral, Harvey, and Sierra.