Building the Physical World in the Age of AI

October 27 | 5:30–7:30 PM CT | University of Texas at Austin

How do you turn advances in AI into products that move people, power homes, and strengthen national defense?

Join Texas Venture Group and the A16Z College Talent Program for a fireside panel with technical leaders from Waymo, Saronic, Base Power, Chariot Defense, and Landfall, moderated by Christian Keil, Investing Partner on A16Z’s American Dynamism team.

Hear how these teams are tackling engineering challenges across autonomous vehicles, energy, aerospace, and defense. They’ll share the breakthroughs behind their work, their paths into startups, and what they’ve learned about building hardware and software for the physical world.

Whether you’re exploring your first internship, considering a startup career, or thinking about what to build next, bring your questions. You’ll have the chance to meet company representatives and the A16Z team, learn about emerging products, and explore future career opportunities.

Featured Speakers

  • Satyan Chandra, VP of Engineering, Chariot Defense: Builds hardware and software for battery power systems. Previously Chief Engineer and Systems Architect for the Tesla Semi platform.

  • Ray Mallick, Senior Software Engineering Manager, Saronic: Builds software that enables uncrewed vessels to operate at sea. A UT Austin graduate, Ray began in mechanical engineering research focused on superconductors before moving into software roles at Google’s YouTube TV, Crunchyroll, and Capital One, then into defense technology.

  • Chen Song, Software Engineer, Waymo: Works on 3D perception foundation models in autonomous vehicles. Previously, he was a Senior Applied Research Scientist at Cruise. In 2024, Chen received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin, advised by Prof. Qixing Huang.

  • Michael Scaria, Software Lead, Base Power: Base Power’s first software hire, with experience building across the company. Previously a Senior Software Engineer at Apple and a UT Austin computer science graduate.

  • John Aguillard, CEO and Co-Founder, Landfall: Builds infrastructure for autonomous maritime systems. Previously Product Manager for Saronic’s Corsair autonomous vessel, following several years at SpaceX where he led engineering for Starshield.

Stick around afterward for Terry Black’s BBQ, drinks, and conversation with the speakers, fellow students, and the A16Z team.

About the A16Z College Talent Program

We help undergraduate and graduate technical students explore startup careers through mentorship, career guidance, and connections to founders and portfolio companies. Our College Talent Network supports students as they build their careers, with access to the broader A16Z Talent Network from internship to executive leadership.