Webinar
Building the Future: How Our Startups Are Leading the AI-First Revolution
Join Alumni Ventures for a dynamic webinar exploring how some of our most innovative founders are building AI-first companies that are redefining entire industries.
Hosted by AV’s Jack Statza, Sophia Zhao, and Ray Wu, this session will feature exclusive conversations with the visionary CEOs behind startups such as Haven, Toma, Patlytics, and Corgi Insurance. You’ll hear how these companies are using AI to disrupt legacy systems in fields like tax automation, legal workflows, IP management, and insurance.
Each founder will share their journey, challenges, and bold visions for the future, offering a rare look into what it takes to lead in the AI revolution. This is an ideal opportunity to learn how AV identifies and supports next-gen AI leaders. Reserve your spot now for a behind-the-scenes view of what it means to invest in the AI-first future.
Why Attend?
- HomeLearn how AV-backed startups are using AI to transform real-world industries
- HomeHear directly from the founders about their companies' growth, strategy, and vision
- HomeGain insights into Alumni Ventures’ AI-first investment thesis and sourcing process
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
Ray is a seasoned venture capitalist with over 20 years of investing experience across a wide range of industries and geographies. Before joining Alumni Ventures, Ray was a partner and adviser at several global venture funds focusing on AI, Web3, FinTech and SaaS investment opportunities across the U.S. and Asia Pacific. Earlier, he spent more than 10 years in the corporate venture space: He was the managing director of HP’s new business ventures, responsible for startup technology evaluation, new business incubation, VC relationships, and minority investments, and earlier at Cisco Systems, holding several senior positions leading investment, M&A, internal incubation, and global consulting. Previously, Ray was a managing partner of a leading Internet consulting firm working with Fortune 1000 companies across North America. He earned a dual MBA degree from the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University.
Sophia brings a wealth of experience in capital advisory, corporate development, and operational optimization, establishing impactful collaborations with CXOs and Founders. With a diverse industry exposure encompassing cloud computing, mining and minerals, consumer goods, and Web3, Sophia has been at the forefront of transformative technologies. Since 2018, she has been immersed in the crypto universe, working at Galaxy Digital, Huobi US, and Crypto.com. In these roles, Sophia engaged with startups and institutional clients on capital raising and trading across the Americas, EU, and Asia regions.
Actively fostering innovation and mentorship, Sophia serves as a mentor and judge at prestigious institutions such as Yale’s Tsai City for Innovation, Berkeley’s Blockchain Xcelerator, Techstars, and Layer 1 protocols, including Ethereum, Algorand, and Solana. She maintains close ties with the blockchain communities at Stanford and Yale.
Driven by a passion for shaping the future through frontier technologies, Sophia is currently supporting AI data and applications deals within her team. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and an MAM from the Yale School of Management.
Jack Statza is an multi‑stage deep‑tech investor who has backed more than 80 startups, nine of which have already exited, across AI, blockchain, fintech, and other frontier technologies. At Alumni Ventures, he writes first checks as early as Seed and supports teams through IPO, accelerating their path from prototype to scale.
Prior to Alumni Ventures, Jack led AI, blockchain, and fintech investments at Allstate Strategic Ventures. Earlier, he advised clients on M&A transactions at Lazard and Livingstone, and began his career at Northern Trust, valuing illiquid VC/PE portfolios.
Jack holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a BBA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and is a CFA charterholder.