Lilian Wang

Last night, I participated in a UC San Diego/Harvard University panel on quantum machine learning, mostly attended by undergraduate students curius about the topic. Here are the questions that defined the conversation: 📌 How do I actually get started? Students want to understand the first steps: which skills matter most, how much physics they really need, and how to build a foundation in linear algebra, algorithms, and quantum concepts without getting overwhelmed by the hype. 📌 What skills should undergraduates prioritize? Beyond quantum theory, they’re asking about the practical mix of software engineering, math, and domain expertise. Many want to know whether learning by doing — small projects, cloud access, hands-on exercises — is more valuable than advanced coursework. 📌 Do I need a PhD to work in quantum? This came up repeatedly. The short answer: not necessarily. With the industry growing across hardware, software, applications, and product roles, students are trying to understand which paths benefit most from deep academic specialization versus strong engineering or computational skills. 📌 Where are the real career opportunities? Students are increasingly aware that QML extends beyond academia. They’re asking which industries will see early value — from chemistry and pharma to finance, logistics, and materials — and how companies are building quantum teams today. 📌 What’s overhyped vs. underhyped in quantum computing? A recurring theme: separating excitement from reality. Students asked which technologies are getting too much attention, which ones matter more than people realize, and how to interpret announcements about performance milestones and “quantum advantage.” 📌 How do AI and quantum intersect? There was real curiosity about two directions: using AI to improve quantum systems (decoding, error correction, optimization) using quantum to expand the frontier of AI models. Students wanted to understand where these intersections are mature — and where expectations still need grounding. 📌 Why neutral atoms — and what makes them different? Students were curious about the physics and engineering behind neutral-atom platforms. They asked why companies are investing in neutral atoms, how they compare with trapped ions or superconducting qubits, and what advantages matter most for scaling, error correction, and real-world applications. 📌 What should early-career researchers focus on? Many asked how to gain research experience as undergraduates, where to find meaningful projects, and how to identify groups, labs, and companies that welcome early talent. The questions were thoughtful, forward-looking, and refreshingly pragmatic. If this is any indication, the next generation is committed to understanding the field on its merits and building skills that matter. (image via AI)

32

AI can save marketers hours every week—if you know how to use it. We built a guide with prompts, workflows, and checklists for the work you're already doing: segmentation, onboarding, churn prevention, expansion, and more. Each template shows you exactly what to do, which tools to use, and how to adapt it to your brand. Swipe through for a preview of what's inside, and check out all of the templates here: https://lnkd.in/dD_xHxB9

16

“Transact Insights has been a game changer for us!” — Nirmal Palliyaguru, Santa Clara University In just two minutes, hear how leaders at Santa Clara University and the University of Michigan are: - Gaining real-time visibility into transactions - Reducing waste and inefficiencies - Optimizing staffing and forecasting with centralized commerce data Featuring: Nirmal Palliyaguru, Santa Clara University Melanie Reid, University of Michigan Watch now! #HigherEducation #CampusCommerce #Analytics #OperationalExcellence #TransactInsights #TransactCampus #EdTech

46

🖼️ Art meets AI! 🤖 The UCI Langson IMCA is teaming up with ZotGPT and an UC Irvine Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences student to improve museum collection management. Instead of tedious cataloging and keyword assignments, this exciting collaboration has created an AI-powered system capable of processing thousands of images. 🎨💻 https://bit.ly/3SWvB6x

29

2 Comments

𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Co-Founder - AI 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: San Francisco Bay Area (Remote) 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝘀: Aperture Venture Studio builds and launches startups at the intersection of AI, IoT, and Cloud (AIoT), focused on industries like manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and infrastructure. We are not just supporting startups, we are building companies from the ground up with shared R&D, marketing, and infrastructure support. 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 & 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: • Lead development of AI-driven products and solutions • Define AI strategy, use cases, and product roadmap • Work closely with R&D teams to build scalable models • Drive innovation and real-world application of AI • Contribute to go-to-market and product positioning  𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: • Strong background in AI/ML, data science, or related field • Experience building or deploying AI solutions • Problem-solving mindset with execution focus • Ability to work in fast-paced startup environments 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁: kelvin.a.h@assettrackpro.com

2

Students at the University of Hawaii (UH) will receive personalized career advice connected to regional job opportunities, courtesy of a new collaboration between the university and Google Public Sector. The project will test an AI-driven platform aimed at assisting students in aligning their skills and interests with job opportunities in the islands. Know More: https://lnkd.in/gg54hxsn

3

From the classroom at Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business to the evolving front lines of venture capital, conversations around AI and emerging technologies are accelerating across industries. At the Leavey Executive Center at Santa Clara University, we see this firsthand—leaders are not just asking what to invest in, but how to do so responsibly in an environment shaped by rapid innovation, regulatory complexity, and capital discipline. We’re excited to have Prof. Sriram Sundararajan represent the Leavey ecosystem at TiEcon 2026 on May 1st 2026 10:30 AM, where he will be speaking in the Finance & Compliance Lounge on a critical theme: 👉 Where does innovation meet compliance and fiscal responsibility—for both VCs and founders? This conversation will explore: 1. How venture capital is evolving beyond valuation-driven decisions 2. The growing importance of governance, compliance, and capital efficiency 3. What founders must understand as they build in AI and frontier technology spaces We are grateful to The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India San Francisco Chapter and CAstartups.org for convening this important dialogue, alongside leaders including Akhilesh K. and CA Nilesh Shah. If you are attending TiEcon, we encourage you to join the session and engage with the broader community of investors, founders, and operators shaping the future. #TiEcon #AIandYOU #ExecutiveEducation #VentureCapital #Compliance #SiliconValley #LeaveyExecutiveCenter

9

New White Paper Release: Building Tomorrow’s AI Workforce How do we prepare our region’s workforce for the rise of AI? SVLG’s Institute for California AI Policy (I-CAP) has partnered with Foothill-De Anza Community College District to develop a groundbreaking AI curriculum for community colleges, paving the way for students to enter Silicon Valley’s rapidly growing AI job market successfully. The curriculum – written by I-CAP fellows Hamed Honari and Akshay Mendon — focuses on hands-on learning, workforce readiness, responsible AI integration, and addressing the growing demand for AI talent while promoting diversity in the career field. Additionally, the curriculum is designed to equip students with in-demand AI skills through "Principles of AI and ML" certificates, an Associate of Science (AS) degree in AI, and a forthcoming Bachelor’s degree in AI for Business. We are grateful to our partners at Foothill-DeAnza Community College and our membership who supported this first-of-its-kind initiative from I-CAP. SVLG is committed to continuing this critical work and ensuring our region’s workforce is prepared for the technology of the future. Read the full white paper here: https://lnkd.in/g8AKQgdH

17

Your site might be invisible to AI. 🚫 Learn how a simple LLMs.txt file can tell ChatGPT and other LLMs how to access your content (and help you get discovered in the AI web).

3

3 Comments

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐝𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐓 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝟗𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬. In January 2024, UC Irvine's OIT team got a directive - deploy AI across campus. Three months later, ZotGPT was live. By 2025 - 15,000 unique users, multi-LLM access, plus an API for researchers EdTech Magazine, ZotGPT Creator for custom chatbots, and ZotGPT ClassChat for course-integrated AI. They didn't buy a packaged product. They assembled one on Azure AI, AWS, and open web tech. This is now the pattern, not the exception. Michigan did it. UC San Diego built TritonGPT. Arizona State built theirs. Public universities have equity of access mandates they cannot endorse a $20/month tool half their students can't afford. They have engineering talent. Cloud credits. FERPA obligations no consumer SaaS can fully satisfy. Their multi-LLM strategy mirrors University of Michigan's deliberately avoiding single-vendor lock-in EdTech Magazine. If your GTM playbook is "sell a packaged AI app to the CIO," you're walking into a room where the CIO has already shipped your product for free to 37,000 students. The winning move isn't outbuilding the university. It's becoming indispensable to how they build. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬: Multi-cloud AI architecture - Azure + AWS + GCP, not vendor lock-in LLM orchestration & prompt ops - Managing GPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek under one governance layer FERPA + SOC 2 + data sovereignty baked in from day one AI agents that orchestrate SIS, LMS, advising, and research data - Not standalone chatbots Managed ops so the OIT team isn't on-call at 2 AM when the API breaks Are you building the app, or the infrastructure your customers will assemble themselves? Curious how others are reading this shift. #edtech #aiautomation #zotgpt #openai #chatbots #enterpriseai #connexr #RSATech #aiarchitecture

12

Based on the provided articles, here are 3 promising AI startups with recent funding news: 1. Flint - Raised $5 million in seed funding (October 14, 2025) - Led by Accel with participation from Sheryl Sandberg's fund and Neo - Building an AI platform that autonomously builds and updates websites - Source: https://lnkd.in/dYMYVyWu 2. Leonardo.ai - Acquired by Canva (announced July 29, 2024) - Had previously raised over $38.8 million from investors including Smash Capital, Blackbird, Side Stage Ventures and others - Specializes in generative AI content creation with over 19 million registered users - Source: https://lnkd.in/d3J5DAMA 3. Coco Robotics - While specific funding isn't mentioned, the company announced launching a new physical AI research lab (October 14, 2025) - Partnering with OpenAI and led by UCLA professor Bolei Zhou - Focuses on autonomous last-mile delivery robots - Source: https://lnkd.in/dUbYZDCf

3

"AI and Love Together: Greater Bay Area Primary and Secondary School Mental and Physical Health Education Forum" Grandly Held on Father's Day ------ Focusing on AI Empowers and Home-School Collaboration to Build a Healthy Growth Ecosystem for Youth On the Father's Day, the "AI & Love: Building a New Ecosystem for Mental and Physical Health Education for Primary and Secondary Students in the Greater Bay Area" forum was successfully held in Shenzhen. Hosted by Times Lighthouse International Education Group, co-organized by Hong Kong Mirror Media Foundation and Hong Kong Greater Bay Area International Education Research Institute, and undertaken by Merchiston Castle School Shenzhen, the forum brought together education experts, scholars, school representatives, and technology industry leaders to explore how to build a more scientific and inclusive mental and physical health support system for youth through home-school-community collaboration in the era of artificial intelligence.

7

MOVING CALIFORNIA FROM "AI CURIOSITY" TO "AI GOVERNANCE" IN 2026 The first business day of the year usually brings a flurry of new resolutions. For California’s public sector, the most critical resolution for 2026 must be the transition from AI pilots to enterprise-grade AI Governance. Having served as both the Operations Chief (managing a $250M state budget) and VP of Sales (orchestrating a $20M revenue quota), I have observed a consistent pattern: The tech is rarely the blocker. The blocker is usually the framework. As California moves to operationalize Executive Order N-12-23 (which establishes the state's roadmap for Ethical and Responsible AI), the priority shifts from "can we do it" to "can we secure it at scale." To move the needle for nearly 40 million Californians, we must focus on three Sovereign Account priorities: Responsible Scale: It is one thing to deploy an AI-enabled chatbot; the real challenge is scaling AI to handle high-stakes work. For the State, this means moving AI into a secure environment where it can safely analyze multi-billion-dollar budgets and help leaders decide which projects to prioritize first. Security-First Architecture: With the recent push toward cybersecurity modernization, AI adoption cannot outpace our risk mitigation strategies. In the public sector, trust is the primary currency. Outcome-Based Stewardship: In the CA government space, AI should not just be about efficiency; it must be about "Service Capacity." If we can handle 100,000 inquiries through intelligent automation, we are not just saving money; we are returning time to the people while enabling staff to perform more value-added work. Whether it is modernizing Health and Human Services, streamlining the digital experience at the DMV, or optimizing infrastructure data for Caltrans, the goal is the same: Leveraging innovation to solve our most complex social challenges. What is your agency’s or organization’s #1 AI priority as we kick off the new year? Let us discuss in the comments. Link to the full Executive Order in the first comment below. 👇 #SLED #DigitalTransformation #AIGovernance #SacramentoTech #PublicSector #Microsoft #Cisco #UCDavis #GovTech #StateOfCalifornia

2

1 Comment

SFBN Feed: Startups from UC Berkeley incubator cross $1 billion funding mark https://lnkd.in/gbfzvRS8 Just two decades ago, critics said business ties hurt academic freedom. Now, UC Berkeley incubators are helping faculty and students start companies. Click here to view original post Click Here to Publish/Feature Your Company or Product News with Biotech Networks #BayArea #SanFrancisco #Biotech #Lifescience #News

4

📣 Big news for the future of education in California! #GoogleEdu is partnering with all 116 California Community Colleges to provide free access to our suite of #AI tools, including Gemini and NotebookLM. This collaborative effort will support 2.1 million students and faculty, fostering a new wave of innovation in teaching, learning, and research across the state. Learn more at the link in our comments.

125

1 Comment

CoMotion Labs at the University of Washington nominates the first six regional startups for its new green technology incubator

14