Startup Universe: AI for Good Summit, San Francisco
🚀 Startup Universe AI for Good Summit · San Francisco
The Grand Finale of 2025 — Where Innovation Meets Impact
📍 San Francisco, CA | 🗓 Friday, December 12, 2025 | ⏰ 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
👥 1,000+ attendees · 300+ investors · 300+ founders
🌍 The Premier Gathering for AI Founders and Investors
The Startup Universe | AI for Good Summit brings together the world’s most ambitious AI founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders to define the next decade of AI, venture, and startup innovation.
Following a sold-out Stanford summit with 750+ attendees and 300+ investors, the movement continues in San Francisco — the global hub of AI, venture capital, and frontier technology.
Join 1,000+ innovators for a full day of keynotes, panels, startup showcases, and deal flow — featuring top investors, unicorn founders, and AI builders shaping the future.
This isn’t just another conference — it’s your front-row seat to the future, where innovation meets impact and tomorrow’s billion-dollar startups are born.
💬 Why Attend
Network with 300+ top-tier investors actively scouting new AI deals
Learn from world-class founders & AI thought leaders
Discover cutting-edge startups redefining how technology drives progress
Be part of Silicon Valley’s most meaningful AI movement
Stats:
100+ AI startups tackling billion-dollar problems
300+ VC firms from top-tier and emerging funds
70+ mainstage speakers delivering keynotes, pitches, and panels
1 full day of curated networking, deep learning, insights, and valuable deal-flow
One day. One room. Infinite opportunity.
☀️ Morning Block (10:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
The AI Frontier — Innovation, Investment & Growth
Keynote
🟣 AI at the Crossroads — Innovation, Investment & Impact
Kicking off the AI decade: why the next generation of AI companies must balance vision, velocity, and values.
Keynote
💼 The Venture Reboot — The Future of Funding in the AI Era
Top investor insights on how venture is evolving: AI-native funds, corporate capital, sovereign innovation, and founder-led investment ecosystems reshaping early-stage financing.
Keynote
💥 The 2025–2030 Map of AI & Frontier Tech
AGI, multimodal systems, edge AI, robotics, and synthetic data — where the smartest researchers and founders are placing their next five years.
Keynote
🚀 Target Locked — Achieving Product-Market Fit in AI
A high-growth AI founder shares hard-won lessons on validation, iteration, customer psychology, and building real product momentum.
Panel
💬 The Secrets No One Told You About Startup Fundraising
A brutally honest founder conversation on raising capital in 2025–26 — crafting your story, vetting investors, avoiding cap-table mistakes, and building relationships that scale with your company.
Panel
💬 The Hard Truth: What Makes an AI Startup Worth Funding in 2025–26
VCs break down what they no longer fund, what signals matter most, the traction patterns they look for, and how founders can position themselves to earn real investor conviction.
Panel
🤖 Physical AI to AGI — The Future of Robotics & Real-World Intelligence
From embodied intelligence to autonomous systems — the next wave of AI innovation beyond software and how physical AI will shape real-world AGI.
Panel
🏛 AI Policy, Governance & Global Trust
Navigating global regulation, governance, and AI safety as a strategic advantage — and why trust, alignment, and transparency differentiate tomorrow’s market leaders.
🥂 Networking + Exhibition (12:30 PM – 2:00 PM)
Startup Scale-Up Exhibition & Lunch
Curated networking + startup booths with a dedicated founder–investor connect zone and media corner. Meet the startups building the future of AI and frontier technology.
🔮 Afternoon Block (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
The Future of AI Venture & Startup Innovation
Keynote
📊 The Impact of Impact Investing
A data-driven exploration of investment returns, global trends, and the future of AI for Good as both an engine of impact and a source of alpha.
Keynote
🦾 Research Advancements in Physical AI & AGI — The Race Toward Real-World Intelligence
A research-heavy walkthrough of the latest breakthroughs in embodied AI, agentic systems, real-world safety, and human–robot collaboration — and what scientists expect in 2026.
Panel
🧬 The Future of the AI Founder — What Skills Will Matter by 2027?
A forward-looking exploration of emerging founder skill sets: agent orchestration, AI-native operations, human–AI interface design, and what defines the “Level 5 AI Founder.”
Deep-Dive Panels
Panel
🚨 Surviving the 2026 AI Shakeout — Who Wins, Who Loses & How to Stay Alive
An unfiltered discussion on the AI consolidation ahead — collapsing sectors, fragile business models, valuation shifts, and the strategies founders need to survive and win the long game.
Panel
⚡ The AI Operating System of the Future — How High-Performance Teams Scale, Execute & Innovate
How leading AI-native teams redesign workflows, decision-making, org structure, and experimentation — and how AI becomes the operating system powering modern companies.
Panel
💰 Investing in the AI Gold Rush
Top VCs on valuation resets, the evolution of deal flow, AI-driven diligence, and the qualities that make AI startups truly fundable in 2025–26.
Panel
🌐 Building AI/Tech Ecosystems — Exporting the Silicon Valley Playbook Worldwide
How the strongest global AI ecosystems are built and scaled, and how they thrive. Lessons from Silicon Valley on talent density, capital flow, university R&D engines, and how cross-border collaboration accelerates innovation and impact.
Panel
📣 The New Rulebook for GTM Strategy — New Media, New Virality & New Rules for Growth
The GTM playbook most founders haven't caught up to yet: new media dynamics, PLG, community-led growth, trust loops, and the social triggers behind exponential virality.
Panel
🌱 The Capital Stack for AI for Good — How Profit Meets Purpose
Founders tackling global challenges in health, climate, and education demonstrate how impact and returns scale together. How grants, venture capital, catalytic capital, corporate innovation budgets, philanthropy, and sovereign wealth combine to fund AI for Good — and how founders navigate each layer strategically.
Panel
👩💼 The Future Is Female in AI — What It Will Take to Balance the Stakes
Women founders and funders redefining global AI leadership — and the structural changes required to accelerate women-led innovation.
💡 Closing Keynote
The Future of AI — What’s Next for Builders, Investors & Humanity
A visionary synthesis of the opportunities, responsibilities, and societal transformations that will define the next decade of AI.
☕️ Break (5:00 PM – 5:30 PM)
Startup Scale-Up Exhibition & Networking
Continue networking + visit startup booths ($1,500 VIP package) with a dedicated founder–investor connect zone and media corner.
🏆 Startup Pitch Competition & Awards (5:30 PM – 7:00 PM)
15 finalist startups pitch live to investors and media.
🏅 Awards: Best AI Startups (Verticals). Impact Award. Audience Choice Award.
🍷 VIP Dinner (7:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
An invite-only gathering of speakers, investors, and founders for an evening of connection and celebration.
💼 Who’s Coming
👥 300+ Investors from top-tier VC firms and angel networks
💡 300+ Founders building across climate, health, education, finance, and the future of work
🚀 15+ Startups selected to pitch live — the next generation of AI unicorns driving positive impact
⭐ Previous Speakers Include
A world-class roster of leaders from Stanford, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, StartX, Plug and Play, Visa, Accel, BlackRock, and more:
Peter Norvig (Google; Stanford HAI; ex-NASA)
Mehran Sahami (Stanford CS; ex-Google)
Victor Lee (Stanford Accelerator for Learning)
Shannon McClenaghan (CEO, StartX)
Sibyl Chen (UC Berkeley SkyDeck)
Sam Hamilton (SVP, Data & AI, Visa)
Jennifer Hoskins (Global Lead, NVIDIA Startups)
Ali Arsanjani, PhD (Director, Google AI)
Hamza Farooq (Founder, Traversaal.ai; Stanford SCPD Instructor)
Clayton Bryan (Head of Accelerator Fund, 500 Global)
Laura Montoya (Accel Impact Ventures)
David Hefter (AI Principal, BlackRock)
…and many more.
💼 Investors & Partners
Over 350+ investors have participated in previous Startup Universe events.
Past and confirmed attending firms include:
Plug and Play • BlackRock • SignalRank • Ulu Ventures • Pachamama Ventures • TPG • Accel Impact Ventures • Nivesha Ventures • VXP Fund • Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs • Han River Partners • Sand Hill Angels • Impact Experience • GigaScale Climate • CarbonN Venture Partners • Daana Capital • SJF Ventures • Visa • UpHonest Capital • TAU Ventures • Conscendo Ventures • Brave Capital • Overlook Ventures • Alpha Square Group • GSV Ventures • Rebellion Ventures • Octant Ventures • Octahedron Capital • Ubiquity Ventures • Legendary Ventures • The Venture Reality Fund • Tencent Venture • iSeed VC • Future Capital • Beta Fund • ComCap • Team Builder Ventures • First Spark Ventures • 500 Global • Pear VC • BGV Ventures • Swisscom Ventures • Honeystone Ventures • Susa Ventures • SignalFire • Bay Angels • Thrive Ventures • Haas Impact Fund • PXG Capital • 65 Equity Partners, and more.
🧑💻 Showcase Your Startup
Apply to pitch your AI startup tackling billion-dollar problems with measurable global impact.
VIP Startup Scale-Up Exhibition ($1,500):
Guaranteed on-stage pitch to an audience of 1000+ investors and tech leaders
Demo table during networking lunch
Three VIP summit passes (≈ $600 value)
Featured on Startup Universe social pages and newsletter (80K+ subscribers)
Bring up to two banners
Featured in the Startup Universe Directory
Premium investor access
VIP Dinner invitation
🎯 Deadline to apply: TBD (Apply via registration form)
🎟️ Tickets & Passes
🎫 General Admission: $99 — all-day access to conference panels, pitches, and networking lunch
🎫 VIP Ticket: $199 — includes all-day conference + lunch + exclusive VIP Dinner
🎫 Startup Scale-Up Exhibition: $1,500 — booth + 3 passes + investor visibility + VIP Dinner + guaranteed pitch
🎫 Investor Pass: Complimentary (approval required)
🍷 Exclusive VIP Dinner Reception (7:00 – 9:00 PM)
Private venue for investors, speakers, and partners.
Curated by Startup Universe — the networking highlight of the year for AI founders and funders.
💫 Presented by Startup Universe
About Startup Universe
Startup Universe is a global founder–investor ecosystem connecting 80,000+ innovators shaping the future of AI and frontier technology.
The global founder–investor ecosystem behind the AI for Good Summit @ Stanford.
This flagship San Francisco summit continues that mission — uniting global innovators to advance AI innovation, investment, billion-dollar startups, and impact at scale.
📩 Questions or sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]
🌐 Visit: www.startupuniverse.ai