Work From the Dock: AI Workforce Transformation-Humans, Agents, Automation & Execution
📍 Venture Dock — Palo Alto
🗓 Wednesday, May 13
⏰ 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
About Event
Join us for this week’s Work From The Dock (WFTD), Venture Dock’s weekly founder gathering designed to bring together entrepreneurs, operators, investors, and builders for high-signal conversations and meaningful connections.
This session features a special fireside chat with Kent Kaufman, moderated by Manoj Fernando, focused on one of the biggest questions founders and leaders are facing today:
“How do we keep up — and stay ahead — in the age of AI agents, automation, and workforce transformation?”
As AI rapidly reshapes industries, organizations, and workflows, founders and executives are navigating a new era of execution, leadership, and human collaboration. This conversation will explore how leaders can adapt, build resilient teams, and leverage AI-driven transformation without losing the human element that drives innovation.
This is not a panel full of theory — it’s a practical conversation for founders, executives, and operators building in real time.
Featured Speaker
Kent Kaufman is the author of AI L4IR: Leadership and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and brings more than 30 years of experience across executive leadership, management consulting, and executive coaching.
He has coached and mentored Silicon Valley CEOs and executive teams ranging from Fortune 500 companies to high-growth startups across multiple industries. Kent is the CEO of the Growth and Leadership Center, a leadership consultant with Korn Ferry International, Managing Partner at BEEC Capital, and CEO & Chairman of Blackhawk Acquisition Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed SPAC.
He also serves on the San Jose State University Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Center for Operations and Technology Management.
Kent holds both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Materials Science from the University of Washington and Stanford University respectively.
Moderated by Manoj Fernando
Manoj Fernando is a senior executive and operator with over 27 years of experience across software, hardware, telecommunications, SaaS, enterprise systems, education, and global business operations.
Throughout his career, Manoj has founded, incubated, and scaled venture-backed companies while leading global revenue growth, strategic partnerships, and operational execution across EMEA and Asia Pacific markets.
His expertise spans enterprise software, AI-driven systems, telecommunications, workflow optimization, go-to-market strategy, product management, and corporate growth.
Agenda
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
☕ Coffee, Networking & Work From The Dock
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
🎤 Fireside Chat: AI Workforce Transformation — Humans, Agents, Automation & Execution
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
🤝 Founder Discussion, Open Networking & Community Conversations
About Work From The Dock
Work From The Dock is Venture Dock’s weekly founder experience designed to create real connections between ambitious builders, investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders.
Unlike traditional networking events, WFTD focuses on curated, high-value conversations in a smaller-room environment where founders can engage directly with speakers and each other.
Whether you’re building an AI startup, scaling a company, raising capital, or exploring what’s next in technology, this is a space designed for meaningful relationships and actionable insights.
Become Part of the Venture Dock Community
Venture Dock is a founder-first community and innovation hub connecting startups with investors, operators, mentors, and strategic partners.
Members get access to:
Curated founder programming & investor sessions
Weekly community events and roundtables
Workspace access across our locations
Strategic introductions and ecosystem support
A community of builders shaping the future
If you’ve been looking for a high-signal founder community in Silicon Valley, we’d love to meet you.
👉 If you’ve been coming to events and want deeper access,
you can apply to join the community here:
https://venturedock.fillout.com/t/gHcUcf7Tz8us