In this talk, Sam Fok, Co-Founder and CEO of femtoAI, shares how ultra-efficient AI inference is enabling intelligence to run directly on embedded and edge devices. Drawing from real-world experience at the intersection of silicon and software, he explains why efficiency—not scale alone—will define the next wave of AI, how co-design unlocks major gains in power and cost, and what it takes to move edge AI from research prototypes into scalable, deployable systems.

In this talk, Laura Swan, General Partner at Silicon Catalyst Ventures, shares a clear and practical view of what it takes to scale semiconductor startups from early concepts to real-world impact. Drawing on decades of engineering and venture experience, she explains why hardware and semiconductors scale differently from software, how founders should think about timing, capital, and ecosystem support, and why Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain is critical in helping startups

In this talk, Janis Skriveris, Principal and Deeptech Lead at Plug and Play Ventures, breaks down what it really takes to scale semiconductor and deep-tech startups from early innovation to global impact. Drawing on years of experience running accelerator programs and investing in frontier technologies, he explains how ecosystems, corporate partnerships, and cross-border collaboration—especially between Silicon Valley and Taiwan—enable startups to move beyond prototypes into

As AI reshapes global industries, all roads lead to silicon — and TSMC stands at the center. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang credits the Taiwanese foundry for making modern AI possible, while Elon Musk eyes a bold move to build Tesla’s own fab. This deep-dive unpacks the chip bottleneck defining our technological era and why investing in hard tech has never mattered more. Join Investing in Hard Tech, Nov 18 at CreaTV San Jose.