Keynote Panel Discussion: Signal vs. Noise: Betting on AI’s Next Wave - Sarah Catanzaro, Amplify Partners; Sarah Guo, Conviction; Brian Zhan, Striker Venture Partners; Peter Deng, Felicis; Moderated by Joe Spisak, Meta The AI startup landscape is evolving at breakneck speed—from open-weight fine-tuning to agentic production stacks, from observability to safety to entirely new environments. Alongside this, the role of venture capital is shifting: VCs are no longer just check-writers but 24/7 operators, connectors, and sometimes product thinkers themselves. In this panel, we’ll dig into what really separates signal from noise in AI pitches, when (if ever) pretraining is worth the bet, and whether startups are chasing the zeitgeist or building enduring value. We’ll explore how investors’ product backgrounds shape their decision-making, the intensity of the modern VC hustle, and where they see underfunded white space versus overhyped noise. Expect sharp takes, candid reflections, and a lightning round that surfaces where the next wave of opportunities—and risks—lie.