Summit Agenda

Four days of insights, access, and action in the heart of New York City

The VentureOut Generative AI Summit is designed for action. Over four immersive days, founders will gain real-time insights from AI leaders, connect with top investors and enterprise executives, and sharpen their story for the enterprise market. From private coaching to investor meetings and high-impact panels, every session is built to help you fundraise faster, sell smarter, and lead with clarity. This is not a spectator conference—it’s a hands-on, curated experience for 15 generative AI CEOs ready to scale.

DAY 1: FOUNDATIONS & FUNDING

Tuesday, May 27th

09:00am | Introductions & Orientation

A welcoming session led by VentureOut leadership to outline the core goals, schedule, and expected outcomes for the week. CEOs will be introduced to NYC’s unique position in the global AI ecosystem, setting the stage for a week of strategic insights, networking, and hands-on learning.

Brian Frumberg CEO & Founder VentureOut

Summit Host, Global Ecosystem Builder, Capital Strategist

Lexie Kier Chief Strategy Officer VentureOut

Summit Co-host, Serial Entrepreneur, Pitch Strategist

10:00am | NYC's Generative AI Landscape

Explore New York City's vibrant generative AI ecosystem with insights from Tech:NYC’s Julie Samuels. This session highlights current industry trends, prominent startups, key investors, and funding dynamics. You'll learn about valuable local resources, targeted programs, grants, and strategic opportunities designed specifically to accelerate AI-driven startups in NYC and NY State.Explore the vibrant AI landscape in New York City—home to world-class universities, cutting-edge startups, and major corporate innovation hubs. This session dives into the investment climate, key AI players, and partnership opportunities that can accelerate growth for emerging AI companies, especially those aiming to scale in the U.S. market.

Julie Samuels President and CEO Tech:NYC

Tech policy veteran shaping NYC’s AI future

11:30am | Beyond the Buzz: How to Actually Use AI for Marketing

In today’s AI-saturated market, it’s not just what, where, or to whom you share your message—it’s how you do it. This session is your field guide to cutting through AI hype and fear, delivering practical insights on how AI can enhance—not replace—creativity, strategy, user acquisition, and sales results. Whether you lead marketing, product, or the entire company, David Berkowitz, Chief Community Officer at Marketecture Media and author of Using AI for Marketing, breaks down how to make AI work for real teams and real workflows. Moderated by Lexie Kier, Chief Strategy Officer at VentureOut, this conversation gives you actionable next steps if you’ve ever thought, “Great, but how do I actually use this stack to get customers?

Lexie Kier [Moderator] Chief Strategy Officer VentureOut

Serial Entrepreneur, Pitch Strategist, Storytelling Expert

David Berkowitz Chief Community Officer Marketecture Media

Ecosystem Builder, AI Thought Leader, Marketing Columnist

1:30pm | Unlocking Government Partnerships: Generative AI Needs & Opportunities

Join John Paul Farmer, former CTO of NYC and leader behind landmark tech initiatives like the NYC Internet Master Plan, AI Strategy, and IoT Strategy, as he outlines practical opportunities for generative AI startups to collaborate with government agencies. Learn firsthand about government's generative AI needs, strategic priorities, and approaches to partnerships that can lead to successful public-sector engagements.

John Paul Farmer President Smart City Expo USA

Fmr CTO NYC, GovTech Visionary, Public-Private Innovato

3:00pm | Fireside Chat: Navigating IP in the Age of Generative AI

Join Nelson Mullins partners Jason Epstein and Joe Daniels in a candid fireside chat moderated by Joe Daniels. Explore the front lines of IP law as it collides with the generative AI boom—from the legality of model training data to the murky status of copyright and patent rights for AI-generated content. Gain clarity on how to protect your startup’s assets, avoid infringement risk, and prepare for what’s coming next in AI-related litigation and regulation.

Jason Epstein Partner, Intellectual Property Nelson Mullins

IP Attorney, Generative AI Legal Expert, Startup Protector

Joe Daniels Partner, Venture Technology Nelson Mullins

VC Counsel, Deal Architect, Legal Partner to AI Founders

4:00pm | Pitch Support

Optional time for founders to work on their decks and get advice.

DAY 2: FOUNDATIONS & FUNDING

Wednesday, May 28th

9:00am | VIP Reception | How AI is Reshaping B2B Revenue Teams

Jake Dunlap CEO & Founder Skaled

AI Sales Pioneer, GTM Architect, Growth Operator

Traditional GTM strategies are broken—and AI is accelerating the collapse. In this tactical keynote, Jake Dunlap unpacks how AI is disrupting every layer of the B2B revenue engine: prospecting, lead scoring, SDR workflows, customer onboarding, churn prevention, and more. He’ll share frameworks from the field, including how top teams are automating tasks, rewriting job descriptions, and shifting from static playbooks to dynamic, AI-augmented systems. If you lead sales, marketing, or CS—and want to stay ahead—this is your roadmap.

9:30am | VIP Reception | The Frontier Firm: Outbuilding Your Competitors with AI

Join UI Path & IBM to explore how leading companies leverage AI to transform their operations and gain a competitive edge. This session delves into the concept of the "Frontier Firm," where AI agents are not just tools but integral team members driving innovation and efficiency. Gain insights from industry pioneers who are at the forefront of this transformation.

Yiannis Broustas Vice President, Product Marketing UI Path

GenAI Product Marketer, Automation Evangelist, Enterprise AI Storyteller

Saleem Hussain Head of AI Partnerships & Bus Dev IBM Research

AI Strategist, Enterprise Partnerships Leader, Global Connector

Brian Frumberg [Moderator] CEO & Founder VentureOut

Summit Host, Global Ecosystem Builder, Capital Strategist

11:30am | AI at Scale: Delivering Generative and Explainable Systems for the Enterprise

Most enterprises don’t want a black box—they need clarity, control, and results. In this session, Lazarus AI shares how they built a generative AI platform that blends the creativity of LLMs with the structure of deterministic logic and explainability. Alex Panait, VP of Strategy at Lazarus AI and former Accenture strategy lead, explains how his team gained trust in a Fortune 100 rollout by aligning with real workflows, enabling human-in-the-loop review, and ensuring auditability. Moderated by Sevak Avakians, a pioneer in explainable AI and the founder of Intelligent Artifacts, a company known for developing deterministic AI systems for defense, aerospace, and other high-stakes environments. Now serving as Chief AI Officer at a stealth AI venture, Sevak brings a deep technical lens to the challenge of building enterprise-grade AI that is both powerful and accountable.

Alex Panait VP of Strategy Lazarus AI

Platform Strategist, Fortune 100 AI Operator, Enterprise GTM Builder

Sevak Avakians CTO & Explainable AI Expert Stealth AI Startup

Explainable AI Pioneer & AI Systems Architect

1:30pm | The Investor Lens: How VCs Value Generative AI Startups

Since the emergence of OpenAI, the generative AI space has moved at breakneck speed—upending traditional playbooks for both founders and investors. In this candid discussion, top VCs reveal how they’re navigating the volatility, what stands out in today’s crowded AI market, and how they assess real defensibility versus hype. Moderated by Bloomberg TV’s Katie Greifeld, the panel will equip founders with the mindset, metrics, and messaging needed to raise capital in one of the most scrutinized sectors of tech.

Katie Greifeld [Moderator] Markets Reporter, TV Anchor Bloomberg News

Markets Commentator, Tech Reporter, Voice of Bloomberg TV

Jenny Fielding Co-Founder & Managing Partner Everywhere Ventures

Exited Founder, Community-Driven Investor, Global Ecosystem Builder

Matt Hartman Managing Partner Factorial Ventures

Early GenAI VC, Product-Led Backer, Early-Stage Builder

3:30pm | Building Brand Trust in the Age of Generative AI

How brands build trust in a digital-first, AI-enhanced world. The conversation explores authenticity, sensory branding, and specific challenges in financial services where interactions are invisible. Strategies to build trust in synthetic, automated environments.

Maja Lapcevic SVP, Martech, Innovation and Commercialization Mastercard

Enterprise & Responsible AI Thought Leader

Rori Duboff [Moderator] Co-Founder Alt Future

Brand Futurist, Sensory Strategist, Experience Designer

DAY 3: FOUNDATIONS & FUNDING

Thursday, May 29th

10:00am | Next-Gen Compute: Rethinking Chips for Generative AI

As AI models grow more complex, compute has become the defining constraint—and frontier—of progress. In this session, Hector Gonzalez, CEO of SpiNNcloud, shares how neuromorphic and bio-inspired design can unlock new paths to scale, speed, and sustainability. SpiNNcloud’s architecture offers a radical departure from traditional GPU-based systems, aiming to emulate the efficiency of the human brain. As a member of NVIDIA’s Inception program, Hector brings a unique vantage point—building at the edge of innovation while collaborating with industry leaders. Expect a candid discussion about the practical challenges of large-scale AI deployment, and how rethinking systems-level design can help power the next generation of generative intelligence.

Hector Gonzalez Co-Founder & CEO SpiNNcloud

Neuromorphic Compute Pioneer, Brain-Inspired Systems Expert, Low-Power Compute Advocate

2:00pm | Fireside Chat: Can Generative AI Be Responsible by Design?

What if the challenge of ethical AI isn’t in the technology—but in the incentives of the people building it? In this candid conversation, Esther Dyson, prolific investor and systems thinker, and Soraya Darabi, serial entrepreneur and founding partner at TMV, go beyond guardrails and governance to explore the deeper forces shaping AI’s impact: business models, leadership priorities, and societal values. Moderated by Lexie Kier, this session will challenge founders to think beyond technical ethics and ask harder questions about what they’re optimizing for—and why. If you’re building with generative AI, this session is your chance to re-center outcomes, not just outputs.

Soraya Darabi Co-Founder & General Partner TMV

Agentic AI Investor, Brand-Driven Operator, Exited Founder

Esther Dyson Angel Investor, Author, Futurist EDventure Holdings

"AIngel" Investor, Author, You.com Investor

Lexie Kier [Moderator] Chief Strategy Officer VentureOut

Exited Founder, Pitch Strategist, Brand Storytelling Expert

3:30pm | Pitch Prep

Mentorship and rehearsal time before pitch showcase.

6:00pm | VentureOut’s Generative AI Investor Pitch Night

Hear from some of New York’s most respected investors as they evaluate live pitches from our cohort of generative AI founders. These investors have backed breakout AI companies and know what separates hype from high-potential. Expect real-time feedback, insights into today’s funding dynamics, and guidance on what top VCs are really looking for in the next wave of generative AI.