Beyond the AI Hype: What Investors Are Backing — #SFTechWeek

Wednesday, Oct 711:00am – 2:00pmHosted by Venture DockVenture Dock, 555 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA Cut Through the Noise: How AI Startups Stand Out & Get Funded An intimate gathering for AI founders, investors, and operators. Building with AI is easier than ever. Standing out is not. Investors are seeing more AI startups, more similar pitches, and more companies competing for the same attention and capital. So what actually makes an AI startup stand out? Join us during SF Tech Week for a working session on how to tell your story, followed by direct time with investors backing the next generation of AI companies. The Format Going Beyond the Deck, with Carl Fudge Carl Fudge, founder of Presentation Mode and former IDEO storytelling lead, opens with a session on how founders can go beyond their pitch slides and tell a compelling story about their business. The deck itself isn't the point — investors are evaluating the story, the argument, and the positioning behind it. This is about pitching your business, not just selling your product, and how to make your company compelling to venture investors. Carl runs about 30–45 minutes of presentation, then opens the floor for questions and discussion. Investor Breakout Rooms We'll then move into smaller, curated breakout rooms, giving founders the opportunity to engage directly with investors, ask questions, exchange perspectives, and go deeper on what it takes to build and fund an AI company today. What You'll Take Away A clearer understanding of what investors are looking for, how to position your company beyond "we use AI," and a sharper story to bring into the room right after you've built it. Agenda 11:00 – 11:30 AM — Arrival11:30 AM – 12:30 PM — Going Beyond the Deck, with Carl Fudge (presentation + Q&A)12:30 – 2:00 PM — Investor breakout rooms This event is a part of #SFTechWeek, a week of events hosted by the top founders, funds, and companies to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com. About Venture Dock Venture Dock is a founder-first community and fund based in Palo Alto and Milpitas, giving founders the resources and network that usually take years to earn alone. Members get weekly 1:1 sessions with experts, monthly investor sessions, and a monthly Master Session with operators who've built and sold companies before. Funding Labs, led directly by investors, walk founders through what it actually takes to raise, and curated Demo Days put you in front of our network when you're ready to show progress. Behind all of it: a community of 200+ founders building alongside you, sharing what's working and telling you the truth about what isn't. Founders Brunch — Oct 6A founders brunch with keynote Mohit Aron, founder of Nutanix and Cohesity, on the sales playbook from startup to unicorn. RSVP here: partiful.com/e/0xMab9yikzl9oeyW0j5v Poker Night — Oct 8A curated poker night with founders and investors. RSVP here: partiful.com/e/Zu4D5JnWWVqIA1KUn0AzCut Through the Noise: How AI Startups Stand Out & Get Funded Interested in joining?To RSVP, please sign up through our official Partiful page — SF Tech Week policy requires registration to go through the host's primary link: partiful.com/e/eKYOMUoCG7Ed9puWq4uX Become Part of the Venture Dock Community If you're building something and want a community that actually shows up for you, we'd love to have you. Apply for membership