Forward Deployed AI Forum
Shilpi Nayak welcomed 400+ founders, investors, and operators for an evening on enterprise AI adoption, featuring a talk from Ravin Thambapillai (ex-Palantir, CEO, Credal.ai).
Who is behind the room
Hosts and co-hosts building the highest-signal room in NYC.
Host
Moshe Neuman
Investor, Advisor, Super Connector
Founder of Valued Ventures. Twenty years in tech, 13+ years investing, an early investor and advisor to a decacorn, investing in roughly one startup a month, and one of the most connected people across the NYC, SF, and Israel ecosystems.
- 20+
- Years in tech
- 25+
- Investments
- $5B+
- Portfolio value
- 100+
- Founders backed
- 29,000+
- Tech network
Plus 33,000+ LinkedIn followers, a 1,200+ private founder community, and active tech communities across three continents.
Host
Shilpi Nayak
Founder, House of 434 · GP, 434 VC
20+ years in tech, 10+ years investing. Previously co-founded Goodfin (YC), helping facilitate hundreds of millions in late-stage transactions. A technical AI builder earlier at Google, Intel, and Akamai, she now convenes House of 434, where founders, investors, and operators meet.
- 50+
- Global events hosted
- 5,000+
- House of 434 community
- 500+
- In the room recently
- 1,000+
- Recent RSVPs
- 9,000+
- High signal LinkedIn followers
- FT & CNBC
- AI research coverage
Featured and recognized for pioneering contributions to AI ecosystem development.
Co-hosts
The community builders helping shape the room.
Co-host
Somya Gupta
Full Stack Engineer, Wand AI · Venture Scout
Engineer, venture scout, and community builder making NYC the biggest startup ecosystem in the world. Previously founder & CTO of Context, and has thrown 75+ founder events across NYC since January 2025. A strategic advisor at Tavern and venture scout at EWOR, focused on finding outlier founders and connecting them to capital.
- 75+
- NYC founder events
- 10,000+
- LinkedIn followers
- 4
- Ecosystem roles
- 75+
- Founder events since Jan 2025
Co-host
Dylan Oriundo
Founder, The Builder Series
Founder and community builder behind The Builder Series, where ambitious founders, operators, and investors meet in curated, community-driven rooms. Previously Director of Marketing & Operations at Clockout, helping grow it from pre-seed and 65,000 downloads to $1M ARR, 500,000+ downloads, and a top-20 App Store ranking. In a few months, The Builder Series has grown to 42,000+ members across 15 events, with collaborations including Tavern, FounderSquare, and a $1.5M pitch competition with Las Olas Venture Capital.
- 42,000+
- Builder Series members
- 15
- Events hosted
- 18.5%
- Return rate
- $1.5M
- Pitch competition
Co-host
Eric Spivak
Founder, New Friendship Tech · Urconduit
Top 100 Voice, KOL, and trusted advisor across crypto, AI, blockchain, and emerging technology, with 15 years of events, marketing, and partnerships spanning music, art, fashion, tech, and culture. In 2020 he built a 70,000-member education community in six months, then scaled it offline through globally produced events. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, GQ, Billboard, Complex, Vice, Decrypt, and the LA Times. A dot connector who builds expansive networks and go-to-market programs, he specializes in executive production, brand and strategic partnerships, business development, and experiential growth.
- Top 100
- Voice & KOL
- 15 yrs
- Events & partnerships
- 70,000+
- Community built
- Global
- Produced events
Co-host
Leigha
Ecosystem Manager (US), XDC Tech
Ecosystem Manager (US) at XDC Tech, building the founder, developer, and investor community around the XDC ecosystem. XDC Tech co-hosts Founder × Funder and opens its New York office at 545 W 25th St as the venue for the evening.
- US
- Ecosystem Manager, XDC Tech
- 545 W 25th St
- Founder × Funder venue
Rooms House of 434 has hosted
5,000+ members, 1,000+ RSVPs across four recent gatherings.
Founder and Funder Brunch
Shilpi Nayak, Founder at House of 434 and 434 VC, at an intimate brunch pairing founders with funders.
The Gathering at Fraunces Tavern
An intimate dinner for founders, investors, operators, and creative leaders, in the historic George Washington Room.
AI Beyond the Screen
Shilpi Nayak and XDC Network founder Atul Khekade opened a curated evening on AI devices and edge computing, featuring Nikhil Tyagi (Apple, Tesla, Meta) and NYU's Professor Siddharth Garg.
Rooms Moshe has hosted
Thousands of founders, investors, and operators across NYC's tech community.
Uniting the tech community
A VIP evening bringing hundreds of NYC founders, investors, and operators into one room.
A fireside conversation
A fireside conversation with a founder, in front of a curated room of investors and operators.
A curated founder dinner
A curated dinner pairing founders directly with the investors backing them.
An invite-only Manhattan dinner
An exclusive, invite-only tech dinner in Manhattan, uniting founders, investors, and operators for high-signal conversations.