10/23 | Hosted at Nokia Bell Labs | Murray Hill, NJ
October 23, 2025 @ Nokia Bell Labs HQ – The Birthplace of Innovation
New Providence, NJ
1947: Transistor invented
1948: Info theory by Shannon
1958: Laser developed at Bell
1969: CCD sensor for imaging
1970s: Cellular networks born
1990s: Broadband breakthroughs
2000: 100 Gbps optical launch
2011: MIMO fuels 5G speeds
2024: 5G built for the Moon
2025: AI powers smart network
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Arrive early for Happy Coffee hour. Connect with fellow attendees and enjoy light snacks before the program begins at 1:00 PM.
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Opening Remarks
Powered by TechUnited and Quay Acceleration.
Speaker: Aaron Price, CEO, TechUnited:NJ
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Keynote session exploring how humans and intelligent tools are working together to redefine storytelling and creative production in a machine-assisted world.
Speaker: PJ Periera, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Silverside AI
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A fireside chat on how advanced AI models are transforming networks, infrastructure, and the systems that power the physical world.
Speakers:
Thierry Klein, President, Bell Labs Solutions Research
Aaron Price, CEO, TechUnited:NJ
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Keynote session looking at how AI is transforming the way large enterprises work with insights from Verizon’s evolving AI journey.
Speaker: Mano Mannoochahr, Chief Data, Analytics and AI Officer
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GTM + AI
A fireside chat exploring how AI products move from idea to market and what it takes to build, position, and scale in today’s landscape.
Speakers:
Mike Wilner, GTM Startups, OpenAI
Mark Yackanich, Partner, BetterFutureLabs
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AI + Systems
A breakdown of how AI systems actually work, from workflows to agents, and what benchmarks like GAIA reveal about our progress toward general intelligence.
Speakers:
Justin Trugman, Co-Founder of BetterFutureLabs, Head of Technology
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powered by mTap
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Keynote session inside Collectors’ AI transformation.
Speaker: Dan Van Tran, CTO, Collectors
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Panel discussion on how New Jersey’s leaders are shaping a statewide AI strategy, focused on workforce development, infrastructure, and the practical implementation needed to build an entirely new industry.
Speakers:
Corey Sanders, SVP, CoreWeave
Tim Sullivan, CEO, NJEDA
Liat Krawczyk, Executive Director, AI Hub
Frances Simowitz, CEO, Quay Aceeleration (moderator)
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Panel discussion exploring how automation is reshaping value creation, redefining expertise, and forcing every organization and worker to rethink what it means to stay relevant.
Speakers:
Barclay Blair, Sr. Managing Director AI, DLA Piper
Ismael Faro, VP of Quantum + AI, IBM
Tracy Quitasol, AI-LLM, Consultant at Perplexity
John Lynn, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Quay Acceleration (moderator)
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A closing reflection on today’s biggest ideas and how they’ll shape what we build next.
Industry leaders and innovators shaping the future of AI
Brought to you by the team behind:
• Recognizing innovation excellence
• Celebrating breakthrough technologies
• Connecting visionary leaders
• Accelerating startup growth
• Building innovation ecosystems
• Fostering tech entrepreneurship
• Uniting 5000+ innovators
• “The SxSW of the Northeast” – Forbes
• Previewing what’s next
• Showcasing AI breakthroughs
• Live technology demonstrations
• Building AI community networks
• Championing Angel & QSBS Tax Credits
• Supporters of responsible AI policy
• Advocates for innovation across NJ
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Beth Comstock
Tim Draper
Marc Lore
Join the innovators building what’s next.
