San Diego AI Showcase #2 (North County) March 2026
Note: we are charging $10 just to help with food and drinks, we already have an awesome space, and we will record the session. If you don't feel like paying, please choose the INVITEE ticket (free). Thanks!
San Diego AI Showcase (North County)
A Homebrew-style night for AI experiments and demos.
This is a monthly, in-person gathering for San Diego founders who are actively building with AI, and who are willing to show their work before it’s perfect.
Inspired by the original Homebrew Computer Club, where builders like Steve Wozniak casually shared what they were experimenting with, this is a space for real demos, early prototypes, bold ideas, and honest lessons. No polished pitch decks. No sales. No pressure.
This is about learning in public, helping each other think sharper, and accelerating progress through thoughtful feedback.
The San Diego AI Showcase is designed to grow a tight, curious, builder-driven founder community in the region.
What you’ll see
Early AI products, tools, agents, workflows, and experiments
Things that are half-working, just launched, or still a little rough
Lessons from what didn’t work (often the most valuable part)
Live demos, screen shares, short walkthroughs
Format
5–10 founders present for ~10 minutes each
3-minute Q&A and group discussion after every presentation
Hang out, meet other builders, and keep the conversation going
Who this is for
Founders actively building with AI (pre-seed to growth)
Engineers, designers, and product leaders experimenting hands-on
People who value curiosity, humility, and substance over hype
What this is not
Not a pitch night
Not an investor demo day
Not a sales event
Just builders helping builders.
📍 Event Details
When: March 3, 6:00 pm
Where: LVLUP USA (North County San Diego. Vista, California)
Organizer: Demian Borba, Founder and CEO of Pactto (Stanford StartX S25, ex-Adobe, Intuit, PayPal, BlackBerry)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/demianborba/
If you’re interested in presenting, attending, or shaping the future of this meetup, please email Demian at [email protected]. The goal is to create something long-lasting for San Diego — a place where meaningful work gets shared early, and momentum compounds over time.
Presenters
Raul Pegan, Co-Founder & CTO of Qbox-ai.com
6:15 pm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raulpegan/
Title: AI-Powered Sales, from MVP to customers.
Details:
Traction is the most common bottleneck in scaling a startup and validating your product. The founder of Qbox AI will share his own journey of attracting new users and giving a demo of how AI-assisted human-to-human sales can help you book more meetings, attract beta customers, and close more deals.
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Ian Isom, Director, Editor, AI Creator, Runway Creative Partner, Post-Production Expert
6:30 pm
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianisom/
Title: From Prompt to Production: Making a Full AI Anime and What It Means for the Future of Film
Details: Most AI video demos are 10-second clips. Ian built an entire 7-minute anime using a stack of AI tools including Runway, Kling, Higgsfield, and Stable Audio. He'll screen the full short, break down how each tool fit into the production pipeline, then open a conversation about where AI film and entertainment is actually heading over the next few years, both for independent creators making original work and for agencies integrating AI into client pre-visualization. Less hype, more real creative process.
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Alex Battikha, Bioengineering at UCSD, Jacobs Scholar ’29
6:45 pm
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-battikha/
Title: Neuron: the AI co-pilot for modern tutors
Details:
Neuron is a smart tutoring platform that pairs AI-driven study tools with seamless scheduling, earnings tracking, and student management, giving tutors full control of their business in one place. Students get round-the-clock access to AI-powered help alongside their tutor's personalized support, so learning never has to stop between sessions.
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Nicolas Dos Santos, Student Software Engineer @ UC San Diego, Building and Scaling dressr, 3x Hackathon Winner, Air Force National Guard Cyber Defense Operations
7:00 pm
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas2007/
Title: Dressr, virtual try-on that actually converts
Details:
Dressr is an AI-powered virtual try-on Shopify app that lets your customers see exactly how any garment looks on them before they buy. Simply install Dressr from the Shopify App Store, connect your product catalog, and give your shoppers a personalized, confidence-driving try-on experience, all without leaving your store. The result is fewer returns, higher conversions, and a shopping experience your customers will keep coming back to.
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Peter O'Sullivan, CEO at HighBeam Analytics (ex- AT&T, General Electric, and multiple CEO roles)
7:15 pm
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterosullivan/
Title: Bringing AI to Industries That Still Run on Forklifts and Bar Codes
Details: AI is everywhere in tech, but most of the economy still runs on forklifts, bar code scanners, and ERP systems from another era. Peter works at the intersection of advanced AI and industries that aren't ready for it. He'll share what it actually looks like to bring data-driven AI solutions to distributors and manufacturers who often struggle to see the value, lack the technical knowledge, and resist change. Expect real case studies of AI dashboard and predictive forecasting deployments, including what failed and why, how his team enables companies to go from zero to data-driven in 30 days, and hard-won lessons on navigating organizational resistance, keeping solutions simple, and meeting non-technical clients where they are. If you're building AI for anyone outside the tech bubble, this talk is for you.
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Bob Dalton, Founder at LOCL
7:30 pm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobxdalton/
Title: Human Connection in a World of AI
Details: We are entering the most advanced technological era in human history. Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work, create, and communicate. As our tools become more powerful, a deeper question emerges: What happens to human connection? In this talk, Bob Dalton explores the evolution of community from life a few hundred years ago to early social networking to global social media. He unpacks how technology reshaped the way we gather, belong, and build trust, and why we are now at a crossroads that will lead either to deeper isolation or a renewed commitment to localism. Bob makes the case that AI should enhance humanity, not replace it.
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Cameron Yeche, AI Researcher
7:45 pm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronyenche/
Title: Complex Motion Tracking in Skateboarding
Details: Cameron will show how Eleve is building a robust 7-camera NDI data pipeline combined with a BlazePose computer vision framework to detect skateboard tricks. He will break down the biggest technical challenges they faced, what did not work at first, and the solutions that helped make the system reliable in real-world conditions.