We're bringing together early-stage AI founders, investors, & builders for an evening of high-energy pitches, sharp Q&A, & genuine connection, hosted at the AWS GenAI Builder Loft in San Francisco.

This is an event happening at AWS Builder Loft, so please make sure that you are not only approved on Luma, but also sign up for the event here at AWS: http://events.builder.aws.com/d/ydzypf

About This Event

8 pre-seed startups selected from applications, taking the stage to pitch live & get feedbacks from top investors:

5 min pitch

3-5 min live Q&A from our judge panel, per startup

So you could

Watch 8 live pitches & the Q&A that follows, & see how founders think on their feet & how investors probe a pitch

Network with founders, operators, & investors in the room before & after the pitches

Get a founder's-eye view of what makes a pitch land, useful whether you're building something yourself or just curious how funding decisions get made

Apply to Pitch

If you want to pitch your startup or project at this event, please fill in this application form

Submission Deadline: Aug. 2, 2026

Finalist Announce: Aug. 3, 2026

Awards

Top performing teams walk away with credit prizes, plus the top 1 winner receives an interview opportunity for Antler's next residency batch.

Judges

Ryan Green: Principal at Antler. He concentrates on pre-seed investments & bringing exceptional founders to Antler SF. Previously, he was involved in deep-tech & AI investing at AIC. Prior to venture, he led deployment & product development at an IoT startup. He started his career in cybersecurity at Deloitte.

Gavin Zhu: Investor at Llama Ventures. He focused on early-stage companies. He works with founders across AI agents, developer tools, & infrastructure.

More judges to announce...

Agenda

5:00-6:00 PM - Networking

6:00-8:00 PM - Pitches + results

8:00-8:30 PM - Closing networking

Who should come

Founders building in AI

Investors

Growth & startup leaders

Anyone building in the space who wants to meet the next wave of AI companies.

Smarter Networking with Walnut AI

The goals & offers you share during registration will be used to create your Digital Twin, an AI agent that represents you & works behind the scenes to match you with the right fellow attendees. So instead of cold-scanning name tags, you'll walk in already knowing who's worth meeting.(No app to download currently, everything happens through email.)

About Walnut AI

Walnut AI is a human-centered AI infrastructure company dedicated to shaping the future of professional growth in the AI era. It tackles information asymmetry & transforms how individuals manage their professional digital assets, build meaningful relationships, & amplify human capability in professional intelligence & productivity.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iwalnut-ai/

X: https://x.com/walnutai_

Official Website: https://walnut.ai

About Antler

Antler is a pre-seed fund, the first believer at the inception stage, investing $500K+ as your first institutional check. You can apply for their NYC, ATX, or SF residency here: https://www.antler.co/apply

About Llama Ventures

Llama Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture capital firm partnering with ambitious founders building enduring AI-native companies. We invest across the full intelligence stack-from deep-tech hardware & AI infrastructure to enterprise software, healthcare, fintech, robotics, & consumer applications.

Guest Instructions

By registering for this event, you acknowledge that you are 18 years or older & agree to follow the AWS Code of Conduct & the AWS Event Terms & Conditions

It is mandatory to bring valid physical government ID to enter the AWS Builder loft (No Digital IDs will be accepted).

There is no scooter/bike parking available in the building. If you plan to bring one, you will need to find parking options nearby.