About this Event
You built it with AI. Now let humans sharpen it.
Your chatbot agrees with everyone. On Wednesday, bring the idea to a room in New York: one table, one topic, one hour, then founders pitch live. The room brings what a model can't: experience and an outside view.
“I'm an engineer, not a founder.” Perfect. Tables run on what you know, and nobody needs a deck to sit down.
Who it's for
Engineers and researchers who build with AI, founders shipping AI products, operators — and typically a few local angels and scouts. We don't promise an investor count. Our last New York evening, on September 16, had about 40 people in the room. The room is small. The network behind it is not: 370+ investors, mostly angels and scouts, with 12 funds and 7 syndicates (Sept 2026).
How the evening runs
- 6 PM — Doors. Everyone is checked in at the door; name tag and a drink.
- One themed table for one hour. Topics are voted by guests at registration: fundraising, go-to-market, product, hiring, pricing.
- Up to five founders pitch for 5 minutes each and take the room's questions.
- Open floor until about 9 PM. After: a group chat for the evening and a New York city space in the Ascent Valley Mini App (in beta).
Pitching?
Apply for free at ascentvalley.com/pitch. If you’re selected, your spot is reserved. Two spots per event are free; the rest require a ticket at $42.
Founders who pitch get a place in our public directory and, when there’s a fit, warm intros arranged by our team.
This is your chance to get your first visibility, meet the first people interested in your project, and find partners.
Ascent Valley is a founders & investors network built on one idea: the most useful feedback happens face to face, at a table, not in a DM.
Every evening follows the same rhythm, in every city. You’re checked in at the door, you sit down at a themed table with people who build, fund and operate, and you dig into one topic for an hour. Then founders take the stage for five minutes each, and the room asks the questions.
We host these evenings in cities across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.
In New York, that’s twelve evenings so far, from Continental Sports Lounge to A to Z Rooftop on Fifth. See what happened
Event venue & nearby stays
The Lobby Bar & Garden, 518 West 27th Street, New York, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.