Every founder, CTO, and builder right now has AI questions they can't shake, roadblocks they keep hitting, and use cases they're still trying to figure out. The gap between knowing AI matters and knowing what to do with it is real. Whether it's strategy, engineering, go-to-market, hiring, or how to integrate and orchestrate AI, the answers aren't always obvious. Ask the Misfits: AI Open Floor is a live, open Q&A format that hands the floor directly to you, the audience. Bring an idea you're working on, a problem you're stuck on, a workplace challenge, or a specific AI question, and get real answers from a team that builds with AI every day across the full stack. Topics will be open and can cover anything from business strategy, product thinking, and go-to-market, to design, frontend, backend, architecture, project management, and AI implementation and workflow automation. If you've been looking for a room where you can ask deeper, substantive questions, this is it. Who should come: Founders, CTOs, engineers, operators, and anyone actively trying to figure out how to build, integrate, or scale with AI.

Inspired by Bessemer’s iconic “ Anti-Portfolio ,” this evening reframes the traditional success narrative. Instead of celebrating wins, the conversation centers on misinvestments and missed investments, i.e. the decisions that are less flashy, less positive, but deeply instructive. This is an off-the-record, live event for founders, operators, and investors who value candid discussion about judgment, risk, and pattern recognition under uncertainty. Run of Show 7:15 PM — Moderated discussion begins 8:15 PM — Networking & mingling Speakers Javier Villamizar - Javier is currently an Operating Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, providing operational support and helping SoftBank Vision Fund’s portfolio companies scale up and expand globally. Javier started his career as an entrepreneur, developing software platforms for telecom companies in his native Colombia. After a successful exit, he was retained by Motorola, Inc. To lead multiple business development activities in Latin America. Later on, he became a managing director for Motorola Ventures, working on identifying and investing in tech start-ups that were synergistic with Motorola’s product lines. In 2004, Javier joined Brightstar, a global player in the telecom supply chain and logistics sector as Chief Growth Officer, helping expand the company’s presence into 30+ new markets in Asia, Australia and MEA. Prior to joining SoftBank, he also helped Greensill grow its technology and telecom practice globally and co-developed the data-driven handset receivable financing product offering. Moderator Natalia Martinez-Kalinina is a venture-backed founder and organizational psychologist specializing in leadership, human capital strategy, and ecosystem design.