Every year at the Upfront Summit, we gather LPs, GPs, founders, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and cultural thought leaders over two days to discuss today’s most pressing issues and topics. This year, we were proud to host over 1,200 guests from all over the world at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, right in the heart of Los Angeles.
It was clear that AI was on everyone's mind this year, as so many operators discussed how it was changing business, technology, and creativity. From leaders at Cohere, Jasper, and Runway to Scott Belsky from Adobe to director Darren Aronofsky, AI was a recurring theme throughout many of our discussions.
VCs were also excited about AI and we heard from some of the top firms including Benchmark, Kleiner Perkins, Mantis VC, Seven Seven Six, USV, and more. VCs also touched on the importance of backing diverse founders (Kapor Capital), fundraising in today's market (Cleo Capital, FPV Ventures, Greycroft, Maverix Private Equity), the concept behind a venture assistance business (Vinod Khosla), and working closely with CEOs with data (01 Advisors).
Another popular topic was institutional LPs sharing their thoughts on the state of venture - LPs on stage provided valuable insights into building long-lasting relationships and what they think when evaluating managers.
Among the other topics addressed at the event was the urgent issue of climate change, where former Vice President Al Gore spoke with Rose Marcario and urged listeners to take action now.
On the topic of business and media, Kara Swisher conducted a rare 1:1 interview with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff while in a separate session, Donna Langley and Jamie Lee Curtis shared their insights on the future of entertainment. Additionally, David Marcus of Lightspark discussed the antiquated nature of how money moves today.
Another prevalent theme revolved around entrepreneurship and culture, where we welcomed ALOK and Jamie Lee Curtis on stage to discuss the themes of gender, race, trauma, and the human condition. Jennifer Garner and John Foraker took the time to share how they’re reinventing the baby food business while NBA Champion and entrepreneur Dwyane Wade gave us a look into his entrepreneurial journey following his basketball career. Other notable entrepreneurs with various backgrounds included Kenya Barris, who discussed his rise to success in entertainment, and Hailey Bieber who shared insights on the intersection of content and commerce.
In addition to these outstanding onstage speakers, we were grateful to every attendee for being present even in the unseasonably cold Los Angeles weather. Every year we enjoy bringing together and supporting the entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders such as the group below who are leading the charge in building a more equitable future and transforming the venture ecosystem. This event is always a great chance to make new connections and strengthen old ones.
If you missed any of our sessions, you can now see all of our recorded sessions on our YouTube page here.
We look forward to hosting you again next year!
