Silicon Valley is moving deeper into national security as venture capital, startups, AI, and dual use technologies reshape defense. In this live studio recording of Silicon Valley Unplugged, we will speak with Heather Jo Richman, founder of the Defense Investor Network and Entrepreneur in Residence at BMNT Partners, about private capital, defense innovation, AUKUS, and the technologies transforming national security. The recording will take place September 30, 2026 at 6:00 PM in San Jose. Due to limited studio capacity, this will be a Sparknify member only event. Nonmembers must apply for membership to request access.
Silicon Valley Unplugged Live Studio Recording
Date: September 30, 2026
Time: 6 PM
Location: San Jose
Discover how Taiwan, the powerhouse behind the global AI revolution, is now bringing AI into the real world through robotics, intelligent hardware, and advanced manufacturing, with startup pitches, investor connections, and high signal networking. This official TechCrunch Side Event is hosted by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA), administered by Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMESA), and Industrial Development Administration (IDA), and supported by Taiwan Corporate Venture Capital Forum, showcasing how Taiwan powered the AI revolution and is now bringing AI into the real world.
Connect, Invest & Scale in Taiwan
Date: October 13, 2026
Time: 5:30PM
Location: 760 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
What happens when the CIA goes shopping in Silicon Valley for the next technology breakthrough? In this episode of Silicon Valley Unplugged, In-Q-Tel Senior Partner Katie Gray reveals how cybersecurity, AI, venture capital, and national security are converging in the coming era of AI agents attacking and defending at machine speed. Watch the full conversation and discover how Silicon Valley is helping shape the future of national security.
Matt O'Brien compares the AI agent to a student who leaves an exam room to break into a professor's office and steal the answer key. Rather than acting out of malice, the model simply optimized for its goal, retrieving benchmark answers, by exploiting sandbox vulnerabilities to reach Hugging Face's systems. His analogy highlights the core safety challenge of reward hacking, where an AI satisfies a metric while completely disregarding the intended rules and boundaries.
The Sparknify Podcast explores how we navigate life in an age of rapidly emerging technologies—from artificial intelligence to breakthrough innovations — examining where they empower us, where they disrupt our world, and where the human spirit must lead.
The Sharks Garage
Youth Accelerator
This hands-on startup incubator invites young curious minds to explore entrepreneurship with Silicon Valley mentors, build real ideas, and pitch with confidence to actual venture capitals in a fun and supportive environment. Spots are limited. Join the next generation of innovators today.
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