Investing Capital in Open Source & Applied AI / SI
Hosted by Applied AI Society + Arjun Rai + Tina Park + Apollo Commons + Mia + Judy Zhou + SoMa ProtoLab
View organizer listing
What to look forward to
Applied AI Society will bring investors, founders, researchers, and technology leaders together to explore funding open-source AI, emerging infrastructure opportunities, and paths from startup to exit. Speakers will include Arjun Rai, an investor and entrepreneur-in-residence, and Joseph Perla, a four-time exited founder with AI research experience.
Inside the event
Where capital meets innovation, and the open source community shapes the future of AI.
Join Applied AI Society for an exclusive gathering of investors, founders, researchers, and technology leaders exploring the next frontier of capital investment in Open Source and Applied Artificial Intelligence.
As part of Open Source Week, celebrated by the PyTorch Foundation, this event brings together some of the brightest minds in Silicon Valley to discuss how capital, community, and open innovation are accelerating the next generation of AI companies.
What to Expect
Food! We will provide light dinner and beverages for our guests. Additionally, hear perspectives from family offices, venture investors, exited founders, and experienced technology operators as we explore:
- Investing in Open Source: How investors evaluate, fund, and generate returns from open source companies.
- Capital Meets Applied AI: Where family offices, VCs, and strategic investors see the greatest opportunities in AI.
- From Open Source to Exit: Lessons from founders who have built, scaled, and successfully exited technology companies.
- The Future of AI Infrastructure: Opportunities across open source models, compute, infrastructure, and enterprise AI.
- Building Community & Ecosystems: Why collaboration between researchers, founders, operators, and capital allocators matters more than ever.
Who Should Attend?
This gathering is designed for family offices, venture capitalists, angel investors, exited founders, startup operators, AI researchers, engineers, and open source contributors who believe in the power of open innovation.
Expect thoughtful conversations, meaningful introductions, and the opportunity to connect with people actively building, funding, and advancing the open source AI ecosystem.
Speakers
- Arjun Rai, Director AppliedAISociety.org and EIR / VC at OTVFund.com https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/arjunrai
- Joseph Perla, 4x Exited Founder, PhD in AI (Dropout). https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephperla/
- Gordon Feller, Strategic Advisory Board Member at Parsons Corporation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/fellergordon/
About the Host
Applied AI Society (AppliedAISociety.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to the knowledge, benefits, and practical applications of open source technologies and artificial intelligence.
Through community gatherings, education, and collaboration, we connect researchers, builders, investors, and industry leaders to help advance an open and accessible AI future.
Part of Open Source Week
This event is organized as part of the broader Open Source Week celebration by the PyTorch Foundation, co-hosted alongside key members and leaders of the open source community.
Come for the conversations. Stay for the connections. Help shape the future of open source AI.
Space is limited. RSVP to join us.
1070 Bryant St
1070 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. Confirm the venue with the organizer before traveling.
Open in Google Maps ↗Discovered through Cerebral Valley. Details come from the event listing and the organizer page; registration is managed by the organizer.
Last checked: Oct 16, 2026. Confirm current availability before making plans.
Organizer page checked: Oct 16, 2026. Check registration for the latest details.