LA Founders & Investors is back! Join AI LA and Emerging LA at Techstars Culver City for a fireside chat with Val Yap (Founder of PolicyPal) and Ben Parr (Co-Founder of Theory Forge Ventures & Octane AI).

​Agenda

• ​6:00pm-7:00pm: Doors open & networking
• ​7:00pm-7:45pm: Fireside chat with Val Yap and Ben Parr
• ​7:45pm-9:00pm: Networking and drinks

​About the Speakers

​Val Yap

​Val Yap is a serial entrepreneur, author, and community builder with a keen focus on harnessing technology to drive impactful change. She founded PolicyPal, a fintech startup that served over 100,000 consumers in Asia and was acquired by a NYSE-listed firm in 2020. In 2021, she led PolicyPal's acquisition of ValueChampion, Asia's leading financial products comparison platform, which serves over 200,000 consumers across Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and India.

​Over the years, she has received notable accolades including Forbes 30 Under 30, Fortune's 40 Under 40, and recognition from Imperial College London, OneWorld, Visa, and LinkedIn. Her entrepreneurial journey is chronicled in her book, "BALLS Inc," which aims to inspire young women to pursue ambitious careers.

​Beyond her ventures, she actively engages in mentoring and community work, contributing to the growth and development of the tech and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her vision and leadership continue to shape the future of innovation, with a strong commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders.

​Ben Parr

​Ben Parr is an award-winning entrepreneur, investor, journalist, author, and AI expert with a career dedicated to exploring the impact of technology on our futures.

​Ben is President and Co-Founder of Octane AI, a profitable AI platform for ecommerce brands that powers AI-enabled insights and quizzes. Octane AI, founded in 2016, is backed by General Catalyst, Bullpen, and other top Silicon Valley investors and was named the Best Storefront App award by Shopify.

​Ben is an influential voice in the AI community, serving as an AI columnist for The Information and authoring his popular newsletter, The AI Analyst. Ben started his career as Co-Editor and Editor-at-Large of Mashable, where he wrote over 2,400 articles and interviewed the world’s top technology and media leaders. Ben was also a technology columnist and commentator for CNET. He is the author of the award-winning book, "Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention", named the top marketing book of 2015 by Strategy+Business Magazine. Parr currently sits on the board of directors of the Leila Janah Foundation and previously sat on the board of its sister company Sama, a leader in AI data training.

​​⚠️ Please pre-register as space is limited. Tickets are required for entry and will not be sold at the door. One guest per ticket– please have QR code open upon arrival.