(London) Can AI Agent Startups Survive Corporate Capture: Prof Ramesh Raskar, MIT

Join us for an insightful session with Prof. Ramesh Raskar, founder of Project NANDA at MIT, as we explore the future of the AI-agent ecosystem. 🌐

Event Overview

The AI-agent ecosystem is at a critical juncture. The foundational layers of the Agentic Web—including discovery, identity, trust, payments, memory, coordination, and interoperability—are still open for innovation, but this may not last long.

In the coming 18 months, major tech companies are likely to attempt to create closed ecosystems around their platforms. Startups that build on these platforms may gain initial traction but could risk becoming mere features or acquisition targets as the market consolidates.

Key Discussion Points

• The significance of the next 18 months in determining control over the Agentic Web
• The unfolding of corporate capture and ecosystem lock-in
• The potential distraction of the protocol war from the infrastructure war
• Vulnerable startup categories at risk of commoditization
• The risks of becoming a thin wrapper around existing models or frameworks
• When partnerships with hyperscalers are beneficial and when they become traps
• The necessity for agents to operate across various companies and networks
• Opportunities for startups in open infrastructure
• Strategies for owning trust, coordination, discovery, governance, and transaction layers
• The value of specialized agents compared to universal assistants
• How NANDA serves as a solution to walled gardens (Learn more about NANDA)

Who Should Attend

This gathering is ideal for:

• Founders/Developers of AI-agent companies
• Investors assessing the emerging agent stack
• Researchers focused on multi-agent systems and the Agentic Web
• Product and engineering leaders in agent infrastructure
• Entrepreneurs identifying durable opportunities
• Builders wary of platform dependency and corporate lock-in

Schedule

• 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM — Arrival and Networking
• 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM — The 18-Month Window: Talk by Prof. Ramesh Raskar
• 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM — Discussion and Q&A
• 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM — Networking

The future of the Agentic Web can either resemble the open ecosystem of the early internet or devolve into corporate-controlled intranets. The architecture is being shaped now. Join us in London to discuss what startups should prioritize before this window closes. 🌍