Most AI startups won't survive 2026.

Not because the technology isn't ready. Because founders are building the wrong layer of the stack, burning runway on pilots that never ship, and getting crushed between hyperscaler pricing and investor skepticism.

Chris Brown has seen this pattern play out across three continents. As NVIDIA's Inception Program Partner Manager, he's the first call for thousands of AI founders trying to figure out how to get compute, ship product, and raise capital in a market that's gone from "AI everything" to "show me revenue" in six months.

Before NVIDIA, Chris ran accelerators at 500 Startups (SF and Moscow), built Traction Tribe to connect Eastern European founders to US capital, and launched NYU's Data Future Lab when "AI startup" still meant research project with a landing page.

👉 This is the tactical download you need to keep your AI startup alive.

WHO SHOULD ATTTEND

• AI founders raising in the next 6 months: Your deck says "infrastructure." Your revenue says "consulting." Learn the difference investors actually care about.
• Technical founders burning runway on compute costs: If GPU bills are eating your runway or you're rationing cloud hours—this is the playbook you need.
• Builders stuck between demo and production: Most AI startups die in this gap. Learn the specific shifts that get you to production-ready systems.
• International founders scaling into or out of US markets: Chris ran accelerators in SF, Moscow, and Tallinn. He knows what breaks when you cross borders.
• Investors who need to separate signal from noise: Pattern recognition from evaluating thousands of AI companies—what predicts success vs. what sounds good in decks.

🚨 Why this matters now: The AI market is bifurcating. A handful of startups will become infrastructure. Most will become features inside someone else's product. This session is about making sure you're in the first category.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• The real NVIDIA Inception criteria — what gets you in, what gets you ghosted, and how to position your company for platform partnerships that don't dilute you
• Why most AI startups are building features, not companies — and the specific business model shifts that separate fundable infrastructure plays from consultingware
• How to navigate GPU access in 2026 — including strategies Chris has seen work across hundreds of portfolio companies when credits run out and AWS bills spike
• The global playbook for AI startups — tactical lessons from running programs in markets where "AI" was a joke two years ago and is now driving half the VC deals

Tickets include food and drinks, alongside direct access to the person who decides which AI startups get NVIDIA's attention. If you're building in AI and fundraising in the next 6 months, this is not optional.

You'll also meet dozens of other high-performing entrepreneurs who are creating their next big thing. Seriously, it's some of the best founder networking in the city.

Getting a ticket guarantees admission. No waitlisting.

AGENDA

• 6:00 PM: Networking, Food & Drinks
• 7:00 PM: Fireside Chat with Chris Brown
• 8:00 PM: Meet the Speaker

And don't miss our other monthly tech events. They are great opportunities for builders, founders, and operators to network with each other to share best practices and find new resources to grow your startup the right way. See our full event lineup here.