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AI Salon Singapore [15 May 2026]
AI is everywhere right now.
But beneath the noise, a more important question is emerging:
What does it actually take to build, deploy, and operate real AI-first companies today?
This May, AI Salon Singapore is hosted in partnership with Carta — bringing together founders, operators, and ecosystem leaders at the frontlines of this shift.
Real perspectives from people building and scaling AI in production. We are all about bringing the best folks working on the coolest stuff to the stage for our community to learn from.
Across different angles — from infrastructure to applications, from startups to enterprise — one thing is becoming clear:
👉 We are moving from experimenting with AI… to rebuilding companies around it.
Expect live thinking, honest insights, and practical lessons from those navigating this transition in real time.
What You’ll Get
A grounded view of what’s actually happening in AI today
How companies are moving from prototypes → production
Where real ROI is being generated (and where it’s not)
How corporates and governments are deploying AI at scale
The gaps between ambition and execution most people underestimate
Agenda
6:00 PM — Registration & Networking
Arrivals, drinks, and early connections with founders, operators, and builders.
6:30 PM — Opening Remarks
Welcome by StartupX & AI Salon Singapore
6:45 PM — Keynote
Sharing by Charlie Pennington, Head of Sales - VC/PE Companies,
Asia Pacific, Middle East, & Africa, Carta
7:00 PM — Michael Blakey, Managing Partner, Cocoon Capital
7:15 PM — Raphael Yee, Co-founder & CEO, Griffin Labs
7:25 PM — Fireside Chat — Jeffrey Paine (Founding Partner, Golden Gate Ventures), Michael Blakey (Managing Partner, Cocoon Capital) & Raphael Yee (Co-founder & CEO, Griffin Labs)
7:50 PM — Open Floor / Hot Mic
Questions, discussions, and perspectives from the room
8:00 PM onwards — Networking
Deeper conversations with a curated audience of builders and decision-makers
Who Should Attend
AI founders and builders
Engineers and technical operators
Corporate innovation and digital leaders
Investors and ecosystem players
Meet the Speakers
Durwin Ho, Managing Partner, StartupX
Charlie Pennington, Head of Sales - VC/PE Companies, Asia Pacific, Middle East, & Africa, Carta
Raphael Yee, Co-founder & CEO, Griffin Labs
Michael Blakey, Managing Partner, Cocoon Capital
Jeffrey Paine, Founding Partner, Golden Gate Ventures
Community Participation
The Hot Mic is your 60 seconds to share something with the room — a project you're working on, a question you're sitting with, or an ask for the community. No slides, no hard selling, just you and your ideas. If you've got something worth saying, indicate that you would like to share in the registration form.
We’re always looking for founders and builders who want to share what they’re working on.
If you’re building something interesting in AI, indicate your interest when registering and the team will reach out.
We’re also growing the AI Salon Singapore chapter and welcome volunteers who want to contribute to events, programs, and ecosystem building.
Reach out to us and connect:
Durwin Durwin Ho | LinkedIn
Raymond Raymond Doraisamy | LinkedIn
Joyce Joyce Tay | LinkedIn
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Meet the Partners
AI Salon is the global community bringing together AI founders and builders, investors, and partners to connect and collaborate. We are starting new chapters in every city so join us to build the largest Global AI community.
It’s decentralized and chapter-driven, with 60+ chapters across 40+ countries and growing rapidly across every major tech ecosystem.
Since launching, the community has hosted hundreds of events worldwide, bringing together tens of thousands of participants and showcasing real startups and emerging technologies shaping the AI landscape. More than 40,000 attendees at over 400 live events since 2024. Over 1,000 guest speakers and 1,000 startup presentations at those events.
AI Salon Singapore brings that global energy into the local ecosystem — with a strong focus on applied AI, frontier technologies, and companies scaling from Singapore to the world.
StartupX is a global innovation partner for those building what’s next. We collaborate with corporates, governments, and startups to launch ventures, scale businesses, and drive bold transformation. Founded by entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders, we built StartupX to challenge the status quo of how innovation gets done in Asia.
Carta is the platform powering ownership for many of the world’s fastest-growing startups and venture funds. From cap table management and valuations to equity for employees and investor reporting, Carta helps founders manage the complexities of company ownership as they scale. Today, thousands of startups and investors globally rely on Carta’s infrastructure to build, fund, and grow the next generation of technology companies.
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As seats are limited and there are F&B catered, if you cannot make it, do update your attendance or let the organizers know earlier. Do take note that no-shows may be blacklisted from future events.