Build from Dock: The Impact of Physical AI on Workforce Transformation
Venture Dock — Palo Alto
Wednesday, July 8
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
About the Event
Join us for this week's Build From The Dock, Venture Dock's weekly founder gathering bringing together entrepreneurs, operators, investors, and builders for high-signal conversations and real connections.
This session features a fireside chat with Kent Kaufman, moderated by Manoj Fernando, on a question that's moving from theoretical to urgent:
"What happens to the workforce when AI moves off the screen and into the physical world?"
Robotics, autonomous systems, and physical AI are starting to reshape how work actually gets done — not just knowledge work, but manufacturing, logistics, field operations, and beyond. This conversation digs into what that shift means for leaders, teams, and the companies being built to ride it.
This isn't 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– 11:00 AM Coffee, Networking & Build From The Dock
11:00– 12:00 PM Fireside Chat
12:00 – 12:30 PM Open Q&A
12:30 – 1:00 PM Founder Discussion & Open Networking
About Build From The Dock
Build 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, BFTD 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.
What Venture Dock Offers Founders
Beyond weekly sessions like this one, Venture Dock is built to be a real part of how founders operate day to day:
Investor introductions
Curated programming — roundtables, fireside chats, and working sessions with operators who've built and scaled before
Peer network — direct access to other founders building alongside you, for the honest conversations you can't have with investors
Visibility with visiting delegations — opportunities to meet founders and ecosystem leaders coming through Silicon Valley from other markets
Ecosystem support — hiring, fundraising, and go-to-market help pulled from the community itself, not a generic playbook
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.
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