Venture Week Afterparty - Finding next Moat
Venture Week Afterparty - Finding next Moat
Curated AI Demos · Founder & VC Panel · Drinks · Qixi Special 🌹
This exclusive afterparty runs parallel to Venture Week in San Francisco, purpose-built for global AI founders, researchers and ecosystem builders. Step beyond the main conference hall to unpack what creates lasting competitive moats in the AI era, and build high-value, meaningful connections in an intimate, relaxed setting.
🚀 Building Something Defensible?
5–6 Founder Demo Spots — Limited registration Open
We're selecting 5–6 AI startups to demo live.
Each selected founder gets 7–10 minutes on stage:
What did you build?
Why now?
What's your moat?
We're especially interested in:
Agents · Enterprise AI · Voice / Multimodal · Consumer AI · Vertical AI · Developer Tools · New AI Applications
This is not a traditional pitch competition.
No long fundraising deck. Show us the product.
Selected founders will demo in front of AI founders, investors, product leaders and builders, with plenty of time afterward for direct conversations and introductions.
👉 Apply through the Demo Founder ticket. Only 5–6 teams will be selected.
✨ What to Expect
🚀 Moat in Action: Finding Next Moat
Building on the conversations of Venture Week, we host focused, candid discussions around defensible advantages in AI infrastructure, agent technology, vertical applications and global expansion, with frontline insights from practitioners building today.
🎙 Finding the Next AI Moat — Founder & VC Panel
As models become cheaper and easier to access, where will durable AI value actually accrue?
Data or Workflow?
Distribution or Technology?
Model or Application?
Feature or Company?
And ultimately: What would you actually fund today?
🌹 Find Your Match
During networking, attendees can choose the type of connection they are looking for:
Founder × Investor
Startup × Customer / GTM
Builder × Platform
EPIC hosts will also help make warm introductions throughout the evening.
🥂 Premium Afterparty Experience
Unwind with crafted refreshments and drinks in a laid-back atmosphere, the perfect way to cap off a full day at Venture Week while keeping the most valuable conversations going.
🧑🤝🧑 Curated High-Quality Networking
All attendees are vetted to keep the room relevant. Mingle with AI founders, top investors, technical researchers and industry operators in a crowd curated for depth, not scale.
🔵 Founder Peer Circles
Join intimate, closed-door roundtables with fellow founders navigating growth, compliance and localization in global markets. Swap real-world lessons and actionable takeaways away from the main stage.
👥 Who Should Attend
Founders & Co-Founders: AI-native builders refining product strategy, defining competitive edges, or breaking into the North American market.
Investors & Institutional Partners: VCs, angels and ecosystem partners seeking high-potential AI startups and direct access to outstanding founding teams.
Innovation Leaders & Developers: Corporate executives and engineers exploring cross-border technical collaboration and real-world AI use cases.
Ecosystem Builders & Researchers: Community operators, researchers and industry enablers focused on growing the global AI ecosystem.
All registrations are subject to manual review to ensure a high-quality, aligned attendee community.
🎫 Standard Pass General admission to the full event — watch live pitches, attend the networking reception, and connect with the community in person.
🎤 Demo Pitch Pass Take the stage. Get a 7-minute pitch slot in front of top-tier investors, media, and industry leaders. Includes all Standard Pass access plus dedicated pitch prep support and post-event investor introductions.
💼 VC Investor Pass Fast-track for investors. Get early access to project portfolios and founder profiles before the event, plus priority seating and a dedicated matchmaking session.
Join us in San Francisco this August — extend your Venture Week experience, and find your next moat with the best of the AI ecosystem.
ABOUT US
EPIC Connector is a leading global AI-native innovation community and ecosystem platform focused on technology commercialization and global growth. We are committed to accelerating the development of innovative projects from product building to global market expansion through venture incubation, brand events, growth services and global industrial ecosystem connectivity, and building a value network that links Builders, Founders and the global innovation ecosystem.
Connects 80,000+ global Founders and Builders
Global community spanning 9 countries and regions: the United States, Singapore, Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Switzerland and more
Incubated 10+ products with ARR exceeding $1 million
Supported 200+ products in successfully launching on Product Hunt
Cumulatively hosted 2,000+ global tech innovation events
Built a network of 200+ global strategic partners