The Global AI Pitch Summit: Silicon Valley 2025

By SVYEP

Cohosted alongside the Bay Area Founders Club and Stanford Entrepreneurs, The Global AI Pitch Summit Silicon Valley 2025, Silicon Valley’s largest pitch event, was held on January 13, 2025. Participating in the pitch summit were over 300 AI startups and over 100 VCs and investors. With a total of 54 speakers across multiple panels between the two days, over 1,000 attendees learned from some of the industry’s best. Notable speakers included:

• Ronald Ratcliffe, Managing Director at BlackRock
• David Hefter, AI Champion for Investments at BlackRock
• Steve Adler, former mayor of Austin, Texas
• Ilya Strebulaev, Stanford GSB professor, bestselling author, major voice in VC research
• James da Costa, Partner at a16z
• Sheng Fu, CEO of Cheetah Mobile

With AI currently dominating a majority of industries, speakers had the chance to share their perspectives on what the future holds. Many, including Sheng Fu, described witnessing firsthand how AI is reshaping the operational and strategic landscape of companies. As CEO, he emphasized how rapidly evolving models are forcing leaders like himself to pivot and find new solutions. Others such as Ronald Ratcliffe explained how AI was transforming the world’s largest asset manager. More precise projections and data driven investment decisions could now be made utilizing emerging AI platforms.

While SVYEP managed the operations and logistics, planning tirelessly to ensure the event was a success, we wanted to go even further. SVYEP hosted our own section within the summit, the Innovations Pitch Event.

SVYEP selected 15 student-run businesses and offered them the chance to pitch in front of a panel of investors and judges. To kick off the morning, an informative workshop, “Mastering Your VC Pitch: From Vision to Value,” led by professors from Stanford University, shared insights into crafting a winning venture capital pitch based on personal experiences.

In the afternoon, the pitch event provided a platform for the young entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations and ideas. Each participant was given the opportunity to present their business and highlight their impact. The judges evaluated the pitches, offering valuable feedback to the contestants to refine their ventures and what to do looking forward.

The afternoon pitch event provided a platform for young entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations and ideas in front of a panel of investors, startup mentors, and industry leaders. Each participant had a set time limit to present their concept, outline their strategy, and highlight their impact. The judges evaluated the pitches based on not only the product but also the pitch, offering valuable feedback to the contestants to refine their ventures.

SVYEP’s breakout room within the Global AI Pitch Summit served as a stepping stone for gaining mentorship and funding. Combining creativity, innovation, and ambition to highlight the next generation of entrepreneurs, this event reinforced SVYEP’s mission to empower students through business and leadership.

Once finishing up the competition, students and SVYEP leaders returned back to the summit’s main area where they were able to continue networking and learning from the business leaders around them.