The FDE Playbook - How to Build and Grow Your FDE Team
About Event
As AI moves from experimentation to production, Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE) is becoming an important bridge between product, engineering, and the customer.
Join KnackLabs, with Sarvam for an invite-only evening bringing together founders, CTOs, engineering leaders, and AI practitioners to explore how FDE works in practice - from building the function and working alongside customers to deploying and scaling AI in real-world environments.
📅 18th September · 🕕 6:00 PM onwards ·
📍 Bengaluru
What We’ll Explore
Why FDE matters in the AI era
Building and structuring an FDE practice
Product vs. customer-specific engineering
Taking enterprise AI from pilot to production
Lessons from real-world deployments
What to Expect
Practitioner-led conversations
Real-world FDE & AI deployment insights
Closed-door peer discussions
Curated networking with technology leaders
Agenda
6:00 – 6:30 PM | Welcome & Networking
Registrations, refreshments, and conversations with fellow founders and technology leaders.
6:30 – 7:00 PM | Keynote - Kautuk Khare, Forward Deployed Engineer, Palantir Technologies
The FDE Advantage in Enterprise AI - Key lessons from 15 years of being an FDE at Palantir.
7:00 – 7:30 PM | Session - Jayant Tarapure, GTM and Strategy, Sarvam
Playbook to Building FDE Organization in India
7:30 – 8:00 PM | Fireside Chat - Building High-Performing FDE Teams: Hiring, Structure & Scale
Tara Lodh - AI Deployed Engineer, OpenAI
Abhishek Ranjan - CTO, Blue Machines AI
Kartik Bansal - Founder & CEO, KnackLabs
8:00 – 9:00 PM | Dinner & Networking
An open Q&A and exchange of perspectives with the speakers and attendees.
Who Is This For?
Founders · CTOs · Engineering Leaders · AI & Data Leaders · Product Leaders · Enterprise Technology Leaders