Unblocking AGI

14 Oct 2026New York City

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Unblocking AGI Unblocking AGI: The Physical World and What Comes Next

The Physical Worldand What Comes Next

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An invite-only afternoon hosted by Alpaca VC at HSBC’s New York headquarters.

The argument

The bottleneck to AGI is
beyond just the models.
It’s in the concrete, copper,
permits, and power behind them.

The event

Where are we on the path to AGI? What is blocking its arrival? And what could its far-reaching second-order effects mean for our world?

Through fireside conversations, a founder panel, experiential demos and activations, Alpaca VC will examine the opportunities within one of the most consequential inventions of our lifetimes.

See our speakers
and special guests.

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Dana Suskind

Fireside

Dana Suskind

Pediatric surgeon and Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Chicago

Dana Suskind, MD, founded the University of Chicago’s Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program and is founder and co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health.

humanraised.org
Dennis Crowley

Founder panel

Dennis Crowley

Co-founder, Foursquare. CEO, Hopscotch Labs

Dennis Crowley is co-founder and CEO of Hopscotch Labs and co-founder and co-chair of Foursquare. He previously founded Dodgeball, acquired by Google in 2005.

denniscrowley.com
Nadya Okamoto

Founder panel

Nadya Okamoto

Co-founder, August. Founder, PERIOD. Author of “Period Power”

Nadya Okamoto is an entrepreneur, author and advocate for menstrual equity. She founded the nonprofit PERIOD at 16 and later co-founded the period-care brand August.

itsaugust.co
Joseph Reth

Founder panel

Joseph Reth

Co-founder and CEO, Autopoiesis Sciences

Joseph Reth is co-founder and CEO of Autopoiesis Sciences, a San Francisco company building AI systems for autonomous scientific discovery.

autopoiesis.science
Charlie Andersen

Founder panel

Charlie Andersen

Co-founder and CEO, Burro

Charlie Andersen is co-founder and CEO of Burro, which builds autonomous robots for agriculture and other labor-intensive outdoor industries.

burro.ai
Ben Kellie

Founder panel

Ben Kellie

Co-founder and CEO, Applied Atomics

Ben Kellie is co-founder and CEO of Applied Atomics. He previously founded The Launch Company, an aerospace engineering company acquired by Voyager Space.

benkellie.com
Joe Zhou

Founder panel

Joe Zhou

CEO, Tapstitch

Joe Zhou is CEO of Tapstitch, a fashion-on-demand platform that provides apparel production and fulfillment tools for creators and brands.

tapstitch.com
Robert Buhler

Activation

Robert Buhler

CEO, Crane Stationery

Robert Buhler is CEO of Crane Stationery, the American stationery company known for personalized cards, invitations and traditional engraving.

crane.com
Michelle Parsons

Activation

Michelle Parsons

Co-founder, Lora. Former Chief Product Officer, Hinge

Michelle Parsons is a product leader whose work has included personalization and consumer products at Spotify, Netflix and Hinge. She is now co-founder of Lora.

getlora.com

Join us on October 14.

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Agenda

  1. 2:40 to 3:20 PMFireside: the blockers to AGI.
  2. 3:20 to 3:40 PMFounder panel: robotics, nuclear and mining.
  3. 4:00 to 4:30 PMFireside: superintelligence and human agency.
  4. 4:30 to 5:00 PMExperiential demos and activations.
  5. 5:00 PM onwardsCocktail reception.

Location

Sponsors

Cooley Carta HSBC

Unblocking AGI:
The Physical World and What Comes Next.

October 14

Request an invitation