Future Forward: ACV champions generative AI in startups

Published on July 25, 2023

Indonesia’s leading early-stage venture capital firm AC Ventures (ACV) is proud to announce its exclusive, founder-centric community event series titled “Future Forward” focused on implementing generative AI in startups. 

The series is a three-installment online and offline sequence that includes gatherings, panels, and learning sessions during the months of July and August 2023. 

Future Forward is an embodiment of ACV’s commitment to fostering innovation and championing generative AI capabilities within its portfolio companies and for startups in the wider tech ecosystem in ASEAN.

The three dynamic events are designed to share applicable insights about the evolving landscape of large language models (LLMs) and how they can be harnessed as a superpower by startups. Implementation discussions within the series dive deep into recent industry advancements, investment trends, and hidden value waiting to be unlocked by agile-thinking founders.

“We see an immense opportunity for startups in this region to leverage AI as a way to compete more formidably with incumbents and accelerate scale,” explained Helen Wong, Managing Partner of ACV. “Given the limited availability of LLM talent in this region, this series helps startups build a competitive advantage, understand the ethics surrounding AI, and get prepared for AI regulation in the future.”

One compelling session will feature a presentation by high-profile portfolio company Kata.ai. ACV backed the Indonesia-based natural language processing company from its early days, underscoring the firm’s long-standing belief and leadership in generative AI.

The Future Forward series on generative AI aligns with ACV’s ethos of hands-on value creation for startups. By equipping founders with the latest knowledge and practical insights related to generative AI and LLMs, ACV is doubling down on its commitment to growth assistance for its portfolio companies.

Joining forces with industry magnates such as Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the series assures top-tier, forward-thinking discourse from some of the industry’s most respected leaders.

Session #1: Beyond Algorithms

The inaugural event was held on 05 July 2023 at ACV HQ and offered expert insights from Andrew Wangsanata, Indonesia’s Head of Startup BD at Microsoft, and Melina Anlin, VP of Investment at ACV. The gathering also marked the launch of ACV’s marquee playbook for founders titled, “Beyond Algorithms: A Primer on Generative AI for Startups.” 

The playbook shares specific generative AI tools for various key functions across early-stage operations and provides practical steps for AI integration, emphasizing the importance of an AI-centric culture and continual learning.

Session #2: Decoding Generative AI

The subsequent online event on 18 July 2023 featured Dr. Ettikan Karuppiah, Director at NVIDIA, Deeps De Silva, Founder of Samadhi Ventures and a member of the ACV Advisors Community, and ACV’s Managing Partner Helen Wong. 

The group explored critical insights and investment trends in the LLM arena, advising startups on strategic positioning and innovation, especially in regions with limited machine-learning talent. They also spotlighted intriguing aspects of generative AI, sharing their criteria for evaluating startups in the fast-developing sector.

Session #3: Unlocking a Trillion-Dollar Frontier

The grand finale titled “Startups & Generative AI: Unlocking a Trillion-Dollar Frontier,”  is set to take place on 03 August 2023 and will feature multiple tech leaders including Google’s Partner Solution Consultant Doddi Priyambodo; BCG Principal Michelle Gunawan; Google’s Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy Brigitta Ratih Aryanti; Kata.ai’s Co-founder and CEO Irzan Raditya; and ACV’s Melina Anlin as a returning speaker. 

The final session will take place in Jakarta’s downtown SCBD area. As spaces are limited, ecosystem stakeholders are invited to submit their interest in attending here. Those who receive registration confirmation will be granted exclusive access to the event.   

“We are truly excited about the Future Forward Series on generative AI and the release of our AI playbook,” added Helen. “Our goal is to demystify LLMs and pave the way for more innovation and successful AI implementation in early-stage businesses. ACV’s Future Forward series is our first step in the journey toward realizing this goal.”

Interested in joining the third session in this series? Spaces are limited so please submit your interest here for a chance to attend. Upon confirmation, you will receive further information and exclusive access.