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 artificial intelligence saturates the headlines and dominates investment portfolios, the most forward-looking voices in tech and venture are already asking a deeper question: what comes after AI? This panel, filmed at Willow Workplace in Menlo Park as part of Taiwan Demo Day 2025, convenes three of the sharpest minds at the intersection of research, startup acceleration, and deep-tech foresight to unpack that very question.