The Pava Center and the Computer Science Department invite you to an evening at the forefront of AI, software, and entrepreneurship. Whether you're actively building, looking for your next big idea, or hoping to meet future collaborators, this is where founders and builders connect. Come curious. Leave with connections, insights, and momentum.

Fireside chat with three AI/software founders and an AI-focused VC, with Q&A.
Hear the real stories behind building and scaling from:

David Thomas, Software Engineer, Remark
Tom Jaklitsch, Co-founder & CTO, Order.co
Tito Porras, CEO, Semaphor Surgical
Andrew Peng, Principal, Collide Capital

Network with peers and current AI & software student teams
Meet the people who are coding, launching, and growing startups right now.

Free buffet dinner from Maiwand Grill!

Founder guests:

David is a Software Engineer at Remark in Boston, where he builds and scales modern software solutions. Previously, he co-founded and served as CEO of Tunnel and completed the Neo Accelerator for that business with other JHU students where they raised nearly $1M. Beyond being a team led by JHU students, they also received investment from A-Level Capital and HopStone Capital. While at JHU, David also completed the Fuel accelerator, and he is passionate about supporting fellow founders.

Tom is the Co-founder and CTO of Order.co, a platform that leverages automation and AI to keep purchasing and payments fast, compliant, and scalable. Since co-founding the company in 2016, he has helped grow it to a team of 150+ employees, processing nearly $1B in transaction volume annually and scaling to over $40M in revenue. Order.co has raised over $80M in funding and completed multiple acquisitions as part of its growth. Based in NYC, Tom frequently returns to Baltimore to support JHU founders—serving as a pitch competition judge, mentor, and active member of the entrepreneurial community.

Tito serves as the Founder and CEO of Semaphor Surgical, which develops AI infrastructure for surgical systems in Baltimore. Tito earned his M.D. from Dartmouth and was a Neurosurgery Resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his residency, Tito also completed his MBA at the Carey Business School. Tito is an alum of the Fuel accelerator, where Semaphor got its start before growing into what it is today. The company now includes several other JHU leaders, including professors and PhD students. They've raised over $11.5M in an oversubscribed seed round from firms including General Catalyst, Bison Ventures, J2VP, Flare Capital, and PTX Capital, among others.

Andrew Peng is a Principal at Collide Capital, where he invests in early-stage companies across fintech, applied AI, and supply chain infrastructure. He is passionate about working with founders to revolutionize outdated industries. Andrew brings over a decade of experience across strategy and investing. Prior to Collide, he served as Principal and Head of Research at Alpaca VC, where he led investments across early- and growth-stage companies and built the firm’s public research platform. Earlier in his career, Andrew worked in urban innovation and real estate private equity, closing over $1B in housing and infrastructure transactions. He holds an MBA from Wharton and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.

Contact the host of AI & Software: Fourth Annual CS + Entrepreneurship Networking Night

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