​Ascend GenAI Talks & Demos

​Join Southern California’s builders, PMs, researchers, and founders for an evening of GenAI talks, live demos, and networking in the outdoor garden at the Merage JCC in Irvine. Meet peers, discover new projects, and vote for your favorite demo.

​When and where

• ​Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025

• ​Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM PDT

• ​Location: Merage Jewish Community Center, Outdoor Garden, 1 Federation Way, Irvine, CA 92603

• ​Parking: Free on site

​Headliner

​Keynote, Gemini and Efficient AI Systems
Sagi Perel, Director of Research, Google DeepMind
Sagi has spent the past decade leading work in black box optimization, AutoML, system optimization, and LLM efficiency.

​What to expect

• ​Curated lightning demos from local builders

• ​Audience voting and live winner announcement

• ​Open networking with founders, engineers, product leaders, and investors

• ​Light dinner snacks provided

​Prize

• ​Demo winner: Trophy, chosen by audience vote

​Agenda

• ​6:00 to 6:30 Networking

• ​6:30 to 7:00 Keynote, Sagi Perel

• ​7:00 to 7:30 Demo presentations

• ​7:40 to 8:00 Networking and closing

​Tickets

• ​Early Bird: $15 until Tuesday, September 23

• ​General Admission: $25 after early bird

​Who should attend

​Builders shipping AI products, product managers, data and research leaders, engineers, designers, founders, students, and investors who want to see real work and meet collaborators in Orange County.

​Past attendee quotes

​“Great event. Left with new ideas for a product, always a good sign.”
“So much energy in the room. Inspiring to connect with other builders and investors.”
“I was surprised to find such an insightful GenAI event in SoCal organized by Itay Sharfi.”

​Notes

• ​Photos may be taken for promotional use. By attending, you consent to being photographed.

​Reserve your seat now.