Inside AI-First Startups: Turning Models into Products
About the Event
In this session, we’ll go behind the scenes with three founders building AI-first startups. We’ll discuss infrastructure to applications, unpack how to create moats in a rapidly developing market, and how to scale intelligent systems in production.
The event will bring the most value to founders, operators, and engineers who are building (with) AI products.
💬 The Panel
Ali el Hassouni — Founder, MarvelX
Former Head of Data & AI at bunq, PhD in AI (VU Amsterdam).
Backed by EQT | Plug & Play
Niek Hogenboom — Co-Founder, Minimal AI (YC S25)
YC-backed founder building AI agents for e-commerce customer support.
Robert Hommes — Founder, Moyai
Former Lead Staff AI Engineer at Proofpoint (via Tessian acquisition) and Data Scientist at Adyen.
Backed by SpeedInvest | Galion.exe | NVIDIA
🧩 What We’ll Cover
From model to market: How to go from a technical breakthrough to a product customers actually use
Moats & defensibility: How AI-first startups protect themselves in a world of open models
Product trade-offs: What to build in-house vs. what to leverage from the ecosystem
Keeping up with the frontier: How teams stay ahead with the latest infra, models and frameworks
⚙️ Format
Panel Discussion (45 min): Inside stories from founders building AI-native startups
Audience Q&A (15 min): Open discussion
Drinks & Networking (1 hrs): Connect with others
🐳 About Whale
We help the next generation of operators and founders accelerate their growth through top-tier learning and a high-impact, peer-to-peer network.
Through expert-led sessions, hands-on training, and curated connections, we create a space where leaders learn from each other, share what works (and what doesn’t), and build together.
🔒 Spots are limited — apply below to request an invite.