Startup Grind Silicon Valley is continuing our a new monthly AI Demo Series—a high-energy showcase for the next generation of AI founders.

Strictly not a pitch event. Demo only.

This is scrappy. Things break. The energy is electric.

But you get to show what you're actually building.

Judges:

Bryan Liu & Glenn Borok - Alumni Ventures Ashish Kakran - Seligman Ventures Vikram Venkat - Cota Capital

And others: CoreNest Capital Mangusta Capital Leon Precision Capital SV Venture Group Alliance Ventures LY Corporation Valued Ventures Plus Ultra Capital Partners Entelechy Ventures Hike Ventures

Want to demo?

Apply for October and beyond.

https://airtable.com/appQk3fM8t3nTh3WW/pag9qNb4n3LITIFn0/form

Future months are set as:

  • October 7

  • November 18

  • December 3 - Grand Final

Each month we rotate across leading SF tech HQs, bringing together the community where it’s strongest: in person.

⭐ What to Expect

  • x15 live founder demos in a 2-minute presentation

  • VC panel feedback from top AI investors

  • The best in AI: founders, VCs, angels, and ecosystem partners

  • Networking mixer with the Bay’s most active builders

Apply to demo at the Oct event:

https://airtable.com/appQk3fM8t3nTh3WW/pag9qNb4n3LITIFn0/form

⭐ How to Apply

  • Want a chance to present - complete this form and we'll be in touch

https://airtable.com/appQk3fM8t3nTh3WW/pag9qNb4n3LITIFn0/form

  • Can't make this month or want to be considered for a future month - just let us know in the form

  • Here is your chance to stand out as not just "another AI Startup in Silicon Valley"

⭐ Format

  • Each startup gets 2 minutes to present:

  • A product demo or live walkthrough, and a microphone.

  • The problem, solution, market insight, and traction

  • The “AI edge” behind the product

  • VCs provide feedback after each demo.

⭐ Who Should Attend

  • AI startups (Pre-Seed → Seed+) looking for exposure, feedback, or fundraising momentum

  • Investors scouting early technical talent

  • Corporate partners exploring pilots or AI innovation

  • Ecosystem builders supporting the founder community

⭐ Oct Edition — Oct 7

  • Join us at the Pilot offices in SF as we open the series with a curated selection of early-stage AI companies, live insight from investors, and a community that’s actively building the future.

  • We will be in touch in the coming weeks with the chosen presenters

⭐ Prize

  • Featured Startup of the Month

  • Dedicated LinkedIn spotlight

  • Featured in Startup Grind SV newsletter

  • Priority slot for future events / SGC fast-track consideration

  • Optional sponsor perk

⭐ Bonus Prizes

  • One startup to be featured in Silicon Valley newsletter for Startup Grind

If you’d like to pitch, host a future month, or explore sponsorship, reach out — this series was designed to be built with friends.

⭐ SG Partners

This event is supported by Plain, Carta, BrainTrust and Pilot

Plain is the AI support stack built for B2B teams: composable, API-first infrastructure that lets companies build a support motion their way, whether no-code or all-code. At its center is Sidekick, an AI assistant that knows every customer's context, product knowledge, and history, so teams can draft replies, find answers, and resolve issues without ever leaving Plain. Fast-growing companies like Cursor, Vercel, and n8n trust Plain to keep them organized while they scale.

Carta helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Carta Launch is the only free cap table product, helping new founders get started. The company is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 funds and SPVs, and over two million equity holders to manage cap tables, compensation, valuations, liquidity, and more.

Braintrust is the agent observability platform. By actively applying intelligence to agent traces and automatically surfacing the most critical patterns, Braintrust gives teams the visibility to understand how agents behave in production and the tools to improve them.

Pilot provides the most reliable accounting, CFO, and tax services for startups and small businesses. We partner with thousands of companies to help them grow sustainably and operate more effectively.