Physical AI Pitch Night @ Beckhoff

​Join us for an evening of live pitches and demos from founders working at the frontier of AI for the physical world.

​Apply to pitch!

​We'll be showcasing 4 breakthrough startups pitching to a live panel of leading VCs giving on the spot feedback. Real pitches, real feedback, and the kind of in-person networking that only happens when people who love hardware, build hardware, and invest in hardware are in the room. Hosted by our friends at Beckhoff Automation.

​​​​Agenda

• ​5:30-6:30p: Arrival & Networking

• ​6:30-7:30p: Pitches & Feedback

• ​7:30-8:30p: Networking, Food, and Wrap up

​Judges:​

• ​Katie Vasquez, Investor at Calibrate Ventures

• ​Nima Ashraf, Founder / Managing Director at Physical Fund and former robot builder.

• ​Akshay Bhushan, Partner at Tola Capital

​The startup line up:

​TBD

​This event is part of SoCal Deep Tech Week 2026, a week of events hosted by VCs, startups, corporates, universities, and labs to build community in the deep tech and dual-use ecosystem in Southern California.

​​​​Thank you to our community partners!

• ​informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in hardware. Whether you're looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals to work on everything from product development to go-to-market, the informal collective has the perfect collection of people for the job. Learn more.

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