Next Wave of Innovation with Next-Gen Indian Founders- Shaping the Future
You’re invited to an intimate San Francisco gathering of Funda.Club — a celebration of the next generation of Indian founders.
This isn’t just any room. It’s:
A brain trust of YC alumni, AI pioneers, and ambitious builders shaping the future.
A shared story- children of Indian immigrants rewriting the playbook of global entrepreneurship.
A feast for the mind and the palate- the IQ will be off the charts, and so will the desi food.
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm — Registration & Networking
Guests arrive, check in, and connect over light refreshments before the formal program begins.
5:00 pm – 5:05 pm — Welcome & Opening Remarks
Mahesh Ram set the stage for the evening, share the inspiration behind the event, and introduce the overarching theme of innovation and scaling in the AI era.
5:05 pm – 5:15 pm — AI Trends in Investing: From Hype to Real Alpha
A rapid-fire conversation between Nupur Mehta (Co-Founder, OTAinfo | ex-YC) and Krishna Mehra (AI Partner, Elevation Capital | ex-Meta) on where investors are finding true value in the AI wave and what’s next beyond the hype.
5:15 pm – 5:50 pm — Panel I: “Architecting Scale: Building Startups That Last”
Moderated by Rishi Raman, Co-Founder of Quill (YC S20), this discussion explores what it takes to design companies that scale gracefully—across technology, organization, and culture.
Panelists Soham Mazumdar, Co-Founder of WisdomAI and formerly of Rubrik, and Kashish Gupta, Co-Founder of HighTouch, will share real-world lessons on balancing speed with technical depth, knowing when to rebuild versus evolve, and scaling both infrastructure and teams for longevity.
5:50 pm – 6:00 pm — Audience Q&A
An open conversation with the panel, giving attendees a chance to dive deeper into scaling strategies and engineering decisions.
6:00 pm – 6:05 pm — Transition Break
A short pause to refresh and prepare for the next discussion.
6:05 pm – 6:55 pm — Panel II: “Reimagining Legacy Systems with AI”
Moderated by Sai Arora, Co-Founder of Mercoa (YC W23), this panel focuses on how AI is transforming the way we think about legacy systems and industry incumbents.
Panelists Arnav Mishra, Co-Founder of Doss, Devaki Raj, Chief Digital and AI Officer at Saab, and Rishabh Bhargava, Founder of Refuel AI (Together AI), will discuss modernizing vs. leapfrogging legacy architectures, integrating AI into traditional pipelines, and the organizational shifts needed to unlock real transformation.
6:55 pm – 7:05 pm — Audience Q&A
Attendees engage directly with panelists to explore challenges and opportunities in rethinking legacy with AI.
7:05 pm – 7:15 pm — Closing Remarks
Rishi & Sai share key insights from both sessions, thank speakers and attendees, and wrap up the formal portion of the evening.
7:15 pm onwards — Networking & Social
Open networking and informal conversations over drinks and appetizers to close out the night.
This is invite-only and space is limited. RSVP early, we’d love for you to be part of the circle.
Sponsored By: NEWMARK (nmrk.com), Elevation Capital (elevationcapital.com)