Llama Lounge 12: hosted at CANOPY

Since I started hosting Llama Lounge 1, I’ve seen first-hand the growing maturity of the AI startups over last 18 months at the event series I host. They are able to launch more mature products, tapping into existing data sets, APIs and a network of pre-build AI products.

The Llama Lounge 12, the AI Startup Event Series hosted at CANOPY, has officially wrapped up. At this event, we saw participation from 200 AI founders and 53 registered investors, a testament to the thriving AI ecosystem that is developing here in the Bay Area. Out of the 600 applications, only 10 AI founders were selected to demo, highlighting the competitive nature of this event and the high caliber of startups that we attract.

Kicking Off with Tradition and Innovation
As always, each event kicked off with the ceremonial conch shell, a tradition that has come to symbolize the spirit of innovation and community at Llama Lounge. This was followed by organizer and host remarks, setting the stage for the 30-second pitches from each founder. These pitches are not just a formality; they are a vital part of the event, providing founders with the opportunity to succinctly convey their vision and value proposition to potential investors and partners.

After the pitches, partners and investors had the chance to visit the demo stations of each of the ten companies. This format allows for deeper engagement and a more personalized experience, where investors can ask questions and interact with the technology firsthand.

The 10 AI Startups on the Demo Floor

The demo floor featured a diverse range of AI startups, each pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI technology. Here’s a quick look at the companies that were showcased:

– Astral: Analyze, personalize, & productize brand content libraries
– Beluga: Coding tool for non-coders
– BookWatch: Animated book summaries for visual learners
– BRX: The first secure and universal prompt language
– Katalist: AI video pre-production platform
– Lucid AI: Dreaming with AI video generation
– Prem AI: Build, finetune, deploy custom private SLMs
– RobinHealth: Robin is your AI-powered hype village
– SpaceVibes: AI-infused 3D streaming & shared experiences
– Vimmerse: Image to video with an AI powered editor

A big thank you to CANOPY’s Suzanne Zadeh and Steve Mohebi for being such amazing hosts for the AI community. Your support has been invaluable, and I look forward to meeting more AI leaders at your four locations across the Bay Area. It’s always a pleasure to see our portfolio companies thriving in environments like these.

Select Social Media Event Reviews

The demand for Llama Lounge events continues to grow. We received over 600 applications to attend this event for just 200 tickets, and the interest in demoing is even higher, with a running total of 600 AI startups that have applied and counting. This overwhelming response not only reflects the vibrancy of the AI sector but also the unique value that Llama Lounge brings to the table.

The next Llama Lounge 13 event is set for September 26th in San Francisco. If you are an AI founder, an AI leader at a big company, or an AI investor, I encourage you to apply. Our events are more than just networking opportunities—they are platforms for learning, sharing, and driving forward the innovation that will define the future of AI.

Supporting Inclusion in AI
A final note on inclusivity: We are committed to fostering diversity in AI, which is why a minimum of three slots are always reserved for female founders. If we don’t close the gap on including women in AI, we’ll have further industry-level issues to content with in future years.

Thank you again to everyone who made Llama Lounge 12 a success. A special thanks to Joshua Alphonse for capturing the spirit of the event in the group photo. See you at the next Llama Lounge!