​About This Event

​On May 27th, we’re pulling into Dallas as part of #Road2Summit—a 9,000-mile, 35-day drive from Manhattan to the Data + AI Summit in San Francisco. By the time we hit Texas, we’ll have been on the road for 18 days, meeting with teams across the country to see how the industry is actually shifting in the field.

​This session is about merging the engineering side of data with the reality of building a career. Vishal, our VP of Tech, will walk through the implementation of Genie Code (a Databricks data intelligence AI agent), and Vijay, our Founder, will share what he’s learned from helping build $500M in portfolio value and his take on where the Databricks ecosystem is heading.

​Why join 

​If you work in the data space, you’ve likely seen enough hype about new tools to last a lifetime. This is a chance to see how the tech actually works in a production setting from the person managing the engineering at V4C.

​You will also hear the truth about what it takes to transition from a technical role into leadership and entrepreneurship from a founder who has lived through the growth cycles of a half-billion-dollar portfolio.

​What to expect

• ​Technical Deep Dive: Vishal will walk through the engineering reality of Genie Code and how it functions in production.

• ​The $500M Blueprint: Vijay will share the lessons learned from scaling multiple ventures and building $500M in portfolio value.

• ​Field Insights: A recap of what we’ve learned from the first 18 days of the #Road2Summit trip—what’s actually happening in the field vs. what you read online.

• ​Career Pathing: A discussion on how to navigate the Databricks ecosystem and move from STEM roles into leadership without losing your technical edge.

• ​Interactive Q&A: A relaxed space to ask questions about the industry, the job market, and building a business.

​​Note: Seats are limited to keep the room small and the discussions real.

​[ Food & beverages provided — RSVP now! ]

​About the Featured Speakers

​Vishal Poddar, VP of Engineering at V4C

​​Twenty-plus years of hands-on experience in integration, data engineering, and AI. He’s delivered large-scale solutions for enterprises you know by name and he’s bringing those lessons to Dallas.

​Vijay Rao, CEO & Founder at V4C

​He’s a serial entrepreneur who doesn’t care for the noise or the AI hype. He focuses on scaling ventures and making technical innovation work for the bottom line. He’ll be taking on 130+ hours behind the wheel for this 35-day journey because he believes that even in a world of automation, the best connections still happen face-to-face.

​Check out his live Road2Summit updates here!

​What is #Road2Summit?

​Starting May 9th, we’re driving 9,000 miles across 25 cities. It’s a 35-day mission to support the Databricks field and meet the talent that’s actually building the future of data. We’re stopping in Dallas on May 27th because you can’t hear the heartbeat of this industry from behind a desk, you have to get out on the road.

​About Lakehouse, Lagers & Legends

​​What started as a few meetups for data engineers has turned into a worldwide community of people who live and breathe data. Each event blends two things our crowd cares about most: sharp, practical sessions on the latest in data engineering and a relaxed setting to trade ideas over a cold drink.

​​Every stop is a little different- new city, new voices, fresh conversations but the core stays the same: bring smart people together, share real-world lessons, and spark collaborations that carry on long after the night ends.