Different voices. Different perspectives.
One conversation about what comes next.
Architects of the Future — Powering the Next Era of Intelligence
Meet the minds shaping what comes next. Human intelligence. AI and robotics. New markets. Capital. Leadership. New geographies.
In Shanghai, we bring together perspectives from Stanford, China and our own SEP community to explore the forces reshaping how we think, build, lead and live.
FROM STANFORD
Back to the Classroom
Two professors. Two fundamental perspectives on the next era.
Kang Shen
What neuroscience can teach us about learning, adaptation and being human in an age of increasingly intelligent machines.
Thomas Lee
AI, energy, silicon and the physical breakthroughs and limits that may define what comes next.
CHINA FROM WHITHIN
Local keynotes
Perspectives from the people building transformation at extraordinary scale.
China’s AI development is often seen as a top-down, state-led strategy. Drawing on his experience shaping national AI policies, Liu Dian explores China’s development-first approach, where government cultivates an innovation ecosystem driven by local authorities and private enterprises. He examines how this model differs from the US and EU, and what it means for international collaboration with China’s AI industry.
An inside view of the technology, manufacturing and industrial ecosystems powering the next generation of global innovation.
THE PATH OF BUILDING A CENTURY-OLD ENTERPRISE AND GOING GLOBAL
What does it take to build a global enterprise when industries are converging tech is accelerating and markets are becoming increasingly unpredictable
DISCUSSION PANEL
Two Leaders. One Conversation.
Perspectives from two leaders at the intersection of technology, business and a rapidly changing global landscape.
Chips On The Table
Xiaoning Qi
A semiconductor and technology leader with experience at Alibaba, C-SKY and Intel. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford and is an IEEE Fellow.
Di Yao
A legal and business leader with experience across Google, GoPro and King & Wood Mallesons. A Stanford Law alumnus, he also chairs its China Alumni Association.
Panel Moderator
Katrien Verlinden · SEP 18
Originally from Belgium, Katrien Verlinden is a global leader with 28 years of experience delivering major engineering and construction projects across the energy and advanced technology industries. She previously led Exyte’s Advanced Technology Facilities business and held executive leadership roles at Saipem across the Americas and Algeria. She now serves as Strategic Advisor to Marengo, a startup transforming capital project engineering.
Autonomous transportation
Yu Enyuan
A serial entrepreneur focused on transforming logistics through autonomous technology, from smart delivery systems to large-scale L4 autonomous vehicle deployment.
Yu Tian
An aviation entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience developing electric aircraft and advanced air mobility technologies, with hundreds of aviation-related patents.
Nils Höhne
Nils leads global autonomous driving software strategy and production solutions for automotive OEMs at Bosch. With experience in strategy, portfolio management and software-defined vehicles, he advances scalable AD technologies through collaboration across China, Japan, India, Europe and the U.S.
Panel Moderator
David Anckaert · SEP 21/22
Chief of Global Product Strategy and Planning at The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
David Anckaert is an international automotive industry leader with extensive experience in global product strategy, business development and innovation. As Chief of Global Product Strategy and Planning at Goodyear, he brings expertise across R&D, sales, marketing and quality management, offering a strategic perspective on the future of mobility and transportation.
FROM OUR COMMUNITY
The People Shaping What Comes Next.
Ideas, ventures and experiences from SEPeers around the world.
SEP Talks
Short Talks. Big Ideas.
Firsthand perspectives from SEPeers sharing the experiences, lessons and insights shaping the future of business, technology and leadership.
Their perspectives offer something different: not simply predictions about what might happen next, but insights from people actively shaping what comes next.
Human × Machine
What happens when intelligence is no longer exclusively human?
Where AI Meets the Physical World: Responsible AI in Travel
ABOUT THE TALK
Travel may be AI’s largest experiment in the physical world. Liz explores what happens when AI moves beyond software to guide travelers, deploy service robots, shape crisis response and influence destinations—and what other industries can learn from travel about deploying AI responsibly when technology begins to affect real people in real places.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Coming soon.
How Long Can Your AI Work Without You?
ABOUT THE TALK
Most of us use AI as an advisor—but the bigger opportunity may be turning it into an operator. Felix explores what needs to change before AI agents can safely work independently for hours or even days, and how their autonomy horizon can expand from minutes to 24 hours and beyond.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Coming soon.
Migration of consciousness to digital substrate
ABOUT THE TALK
What if AI is the next step in life’s evolution? Ama explores how the instinct of self-preservation has driven life from single cells to human consciousness—and may now be pushing intelligence toward digital substrates. Challenging the idea that AI is simply a human invention, this talk examines consciousness, evolution and the possibility of life extending beyond biology.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
A serial entrepreneur, technology investor and lifelong explorer, Ama Abdulkerimov has spent over 20 years building technology while studying philosophy and the deeper questions of human existence. His perspective bridges technological innovation and philosophical inquiry, exploring the relationship between artificial intelligence, consciousness and the evolution of life.
The Missing Foundation for Physical AI: Building the Social Brain for Robots
ABOUT THE TALK
As AI moves beyond screens and into the physical world, intelligence alone may no longer be enough. Sharon explores the rise of socially autonomous robots and why the ability to understand, interact and respond to people could become a defining layer of the next generation of Physical AI.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Sharon Yang is the co-founder and CTO of IntBot, a Silicon Valley robotics startup developing a Social Intelligence Platform for robots. Previously a Senior Principal Engineer at Intel, she led global engineering teams and technology initiatives deployed across Intel platforms and partner ecosystems. She holds 161 patents worldwide, has published 37 peer-reviewed papers, earned her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program.
Capital × Opportunity
Are we still building for the customer we used to know?
Building an AI Factory is an strategic path to accelerate AI Adoption within Large Corporations
ABOUT THE TALK
How do you turn AI from isolated experiments into a true corporate capability? Aitor shares the experience of building an AI Factory inside a large global technology company—from identifying opportunities and deploying AI agents to creating the governance, teams and skills needed to scale. More than a collection of use cases, the model shows how AI can become an engine for broader business transformation.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Coming soon.
Implementing large scale technologies to improve human's lives
ABOUT THE TALK
Coming soon.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kairat Akhmetov is CEO of Freedom Telecom, where he leads the expansion of wireless broadband across Kazakhstan. He also co-founded Sergek, an AI and computer-vision company developing technology for road safety, and runs the Akhmetov Family Office with his wife Aliya, investing across AI, energy, transport and real estate. He is a Stanford SEP 2024 alumnus and YPO member.
The new geography of innovation
Are we still looking for the future in yesterday’s places?
Two SEPers in the Family - Building in China for 20+ Years
ABOUT THE TALK
What does it take to build across borders for more than two decades? Rachel shares how a Chinese–South African partnership built five businesses in China, using trust, complementary strengths, local knowledge and global networks to identify opportunities and adapt as China and the world around it changed. It is a story of entrepreneurship, timing, resilience and long-term value creation.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rachel Wu is Co-Founder and Managing Director of ANDAMAN PARTNERS, with more than 20 years of experience building and leading businesses across China, Asia, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East. Her expertise spans international strategy, procurement, supply chain and business operations, including previous global and regional leadership roles at Axis Group International, a DP World company.
Chinese Investment and Equities Major Market Cycles
ABOUT THE TALK
Drawing on more than 35 years investing in China, Andy looks back at the major cycles that have shaped the country’s investment and equities markets since the early 1990s. He explores what those periods can teach today’s investors—and why understanding China’s past investment environment is essential to thinking about its future.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Andy Mantel is a longtime China investor who spent more than 35 years living and investing across Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei, managing China-focused assets for global and government-linked investors. After selling his China investment business in 2024, he returned to the San Francisco Bay Area and founded Ten Events Ventures, a multi-family office focused on early- to mid-stage sports, lifestyle, and health & wellness ventures globally.
leadership × life
As everything around us changes, what shouldn’t?
Unlocking Central Asia venture capital. Why is it time to invest in the region: talent, growth, strategic positions
ABOUT THE TALK
High performance and wellbeing don’t have to compete. Merja explores how brain fitness—through recovery, attention, agency and the way we respond to stress—can create better conditions for thinking and performing. For leaders, the question becomes not simply how much people can handle, but what conditions we build for them to do their best work sustainably.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Merja Ranta-aho is an organisational psychologist, executive advisor and Head of Organisational Performance at Mental Race Oy. With more than two decades of experience in people, culture and organisational development, she previously served as Executive Vice President of HR at Elisa. A Stanford Executive Program 2019 alumna and doctoral researcher at Aalto University, her work connects organisational psychology, leadership and human performance.
How to successfully transition from C-Level into a Board Role
ABOUT THE TALK
Moving from leading an organization to serving on a board requires a different kind of preparation. Markus explores how executives can strategically structure that transition, position their experience and prepare themselves to be selected for attractive board opportunities.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Markus Sieger is a Swiss executive and entrepreneur with extensive leadership experience across pharmaceuticals, technology, media and consumer goods. As CEO of Polpharma Group since 2016, he has led the company’s strategic transformation, digital innovation and international growth. Throughout his career, he has served as CEO, board member and founder of multiple public and private companies, bringing a global perspective on leadership, business transformation and corporate governance.
Fondazione Telethon and its model: How to nurture the dream of a society where no one is left behind.
ABOUT THE TALK
What happens when a charity takes on a role traditionally reserved for pharmaceutical companies? Ilaria shares the Fondazione Telethon model and its work bringing therapies for ultra-rare conditions toward regulatory approval, exploring how a nonprofit approach can help address diseases that might otherwise be left behind—and advance the vision of a society where no one is forgotten.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Coming soon.
Be part of the room where the future is being discussed, challenged, and created.
Pitch Ventures
Meet the SEPeers building what comes next.
From AI and infrastructure to mobility and new consumer experiences, SEP founders take the stage to present the startups they are building, the problems they are solving and the opportunities ahead.
LIME
LIME helps game studios give AI persistent memory of characters and assets within their existing production pipelines—laying the foundation for AI that can understand entire game worlds.
Flametree.ai
Flametree.ai enables businesses to build and operate production-ready conversational AI agents for customer operations using natural-language instructions instead of traditional programming.
All G
All G is using biotechnology to recreate human breast milk proteins, developing a new approach to infant nutrition designed to bring formula closer to the nutritional profile of human breast milk.
Water Roads
Water Roads operates zero-emission electric hydrofoil ferries, transforming urban waterways into fast, energy-efficient transit corridors at a fraction of the cost of traditional road or rail infrastructure.
Party Station
PartyStation brings interactive party games to streaming platforms, turning entertainment into a shared social experience. Since its first presentation at SEP Reunion 2022, the platform has reached five million players and powered gaming sections for four of Russia’s largest streaming services.
Reinforce
Reinforce is building an AI-native wealth platform for people and businesses that hold digital dollars. Its first product, USDRL (in early access), turns idle USDT into a yield-bearing onchain position through transparent, market-neutral strategies optimized with reinforcement learning. Its next layer, Your Wealth Copilot, will let users design, test, and manage personalized portfolios with configurable AI agents.
Superangels
Superangels is rethinking venture capital by bringing together experienced business angels with proven investment track records.
Morning routines
Lead from within
Cora blends the ancient wisdom of yoga with modern science to help leaders build resilience, focus and clarity under pressure. Through movement, breath, functional anatomy, neuroscience and philosophy, her Yoga for Leaders approach offers practical tools to support wellbeing and lead with greater purpose.
Daoist Qigong for health preservation
Cecilia combines ancient Chinese breathing, gentle movement, and mental focus to balance energy (Qi) and support organ function.
Take a look to the Speakers Lineup for
SEP Alumni Global Reunion 2025
STANFORD FACULTY PROFESSORS
LOCAL LUMINARIES
