Join us at StrictlyVC Los Angeles 2026. It’s an intimate evening that brings together leading investors and entrepreneurs for lively conversations from the front lines of venture capital and frontier technology. Held on Thursday, June 18th at the Aerospace Corporation campus in El Segundo, this edition continues StrictlyVC’s focus on direct access to the ideas and leaders shaping where technology and capital are headed next. Reserve your spot here.
For executives, investors, and founders navigating an increasingly complex market, this is an opportunity to step into conversations that rarely take place in public and hear directly from those driving change across defense, AI, and advanced industries.
who will be on stage
We start tonight with Ethan Thornton, founder of Mach Industries. In a session titled “Building for a New Era of Defense Technology,” Thornton will discuss what it means to build hard technology companies quickly and why defense innovation is undergoing a tectonic shift as autonomy, manufacturing, and national security become increasingly interconnected. His perspective reflects a new generation of founders who are choosing to operate in an industry that was once considered slow-growth, but is now being rapidly reshaped by the acceleration of technology.
The conversation then turns to supporting the next frontier of physical AI, featuring Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund and Saif Khawaja of Shinkei Systems. Together, they explore how advances in AI, robotics, and automation are beginning to reshape not just software systems but the physical world, and what it takes to move breakthrough technologies from concept to real-world, large-scale deployment.
Additional speakers and conversations will be announced in the coming weeks as the StrictlyVC Los Angeles agenda takes shape. Stay up to date on new speaker announcements and event developments.
A night of meaningful connections
As the night progresses, this room really comes into its own for your event. The conversation continues across stages, in an environment defined by access, focus, and proximity to the people who are actively shaping the next generation of companies. This is an environment where introductions often turn into insights and insights into opportunities. Reserve your spot here.
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