AI Insiders x Swissnex: Robotics & Automation

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An exclusive evening connecting Swiss and American innovators and turning ideas into live demos, dialogues, and partnerships.

Industrial arms now learn in simulation before lifting a part, humanoids walk factory floors, and autonomous fleets map the globe in real time. This is Embodied Intelligence: AI in physical form, adapting and collaborating in real time.

This shift is as much societal as it is technological: How we invest, design, regulate, and integrate these systems will shape the future of work, logistics, manufacturing, creativity, and daily life.

AI Insiders and Swissnex in San Francisco are bringing together leading voices in robotics for an invite-only gathering of experts. This exclusive event connects Swiss and American innovators, from Swiss labs to Silicon Valley startups, for an evening where ideas turn into live demos, dialogues, and partnerships.

The event is part of Embodied Intelligence, Swissnex in San Francisco’ one-week program that welcomes Swiss-based startups, researchers and thinkers, to explore and shape the future of Robotics and physical AI.

AI Insiders is not a traditional conference; it’s a vertical intelligence network for vertical experts. Each salon zooms in on a single sector so the conversation goes deep, fast.

Program

5:30pm – Doors open
6:00pm – Welcome Word by Merve Isler, Founder & CEO at Marvelous, Creator at AI Insiders and Maulde Cuérel, AI Program Manager, Swissnex in San Francisco
6:10pm – Keynote 1: Franziska Bossart, Head of Amazon $1B Industrial Innovation Fund and Director Corporate Development
6:25pm – Keynote 2
6:40pm – Panel: Investing in the Future
7:10pm – Startup Pitches (Roman Dautzenberg, Co-Founder, AITHON Robotics / Nikhil Ramaswamy, Co-Founder, CynLr / Mattis Koh, COO/Co-Founder, MESH Robotic Construction)
8:00pm – Networking
9:00pm – Event ends

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Event start time

San Francisco
5:30PM

Speakers

Bio

Antonio Paolillo
Senior Researcher
Antonio Paolillo is a Senior Researcher at IDSIA, USI-SUPSI, leading social human-robot interaction research. With a Ph.D. from Sapienza, he hold roles at EPFL, Idiap (Switzerland) and CNRS (France and Japan). He focuses on intuitive, adaptive robotics using AI, machine learning and control, contributing to research projects and serving as editor and workshop chair.
Bio

John Robins
Head of Physical AI
With over 18 years of experience in product management and growth strategy, John bridges the physical and digital worlds to help clients create impactful deep-tech products. At Synapse, he focuses on IoT, edge AI, robotics, and geospatial solutions delivering value across every stage of innovation in industries spanning high tech, manufacturing and consumer & retail. Previously, John led product management at a large consumer electronics company and ran an industrial IoT startup. He’s also a Gartner Product Management Ambassador.
Bio

Lu Zhang
Founder & Managing Partner
Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner of Fusion Fund, is a renowned Silicon Valley-based investor, a serial entrepreneur, and a Stanford Engineering alumna. With a strong technical background, Lu has extensive experience bringing a broad range of technologies to commercialization, and deep domain expertise in AI in healthcare, Enterprise AI/Networks, Edge Computing and Data Privacy. Founded by Lu in 2015, Fusion Fund is dedicated to supporting early-stage entrepreneurs working on innovation in healthcare, enterprise AI and industrial automation. With investments in over 90 companies across the U.S. and Canada, Fusion Fund has generated substantial exits over the years.

Prior to starting Fusion Fund, Lu was a serial entrepreneur and materials science researcher. Following the exit of her startup, Lu began investing in and supporting early-stage entrepreneurs. This eventually led her to create Fusion Fund in 2015. Since then, Lu has built a distinguished ecosystem and established her reputation in the VC industry. She was honored as Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum (Davos), Silicon Valley Women of Influence, Top 25 Female early-stage investor by Business Insider, Featured Honoree of VC of Forbes 30 under 30 and Town & Country 50 Modern Swans – Entrepreneurship Influencer.

Lu frequently speaks at high profile tech conferences such as World Economic Forum(Davos), Future Investment Initiative (FII), Web Summit, SuperReturn, etc. and she is a guest lecturer at Stanford University and Wharton. Lu serves as a board member of many portfolio companies, the Board Director of CommonSpirit Health Foundation, the Board and Chairwoman of the Youth Council of Future Science Award, and Jury Board of the Cartier Women Initiative and Young Leader Award. She holds an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.