Physical AI - From Models to Machines

Zacua Ventures x Western Alliance Bank × Pilot | Deep Tech Week

AI is moving from software into the physical world.

Across robotics, autonomy, construction, manufacturing, logistics, and industrial systems, a new generation of companies is building systems that can perceive, reason, act, and adapt in real-world environments.

This evening brings together investors, founders, and technical operators working on the frontier of Physical AI: where models meet machines, and where demos have to become reliable deployed systems.

We’ll explore two sides of the category:

First, how investors are thinking about Physical AI as a venture-scale opportunity.

Second, what it actually takes to build and deploy robotic systems in complex physical environments.

Expect a technical, founder-heavy, operator-led conversation on what is real, what remains brittle, and where the next generation of Physical AI companies will be built.

Agenda

6:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Arrival, drinks, and networking

6:30 PM – 6:35 PM

Welcome Remarks

6:35 PM – 7:05 PM

Investor Panel — Funding the Physical AI Stack

Chacha Chachchaval

Inception Partner Manager, NVIDIA (Moderator)

Chacha Chachchaval works with early-stage AI and deep technology startups at NVIDIA, helping founders leverage accelerated computing, simulation, and AI infrastructure to build and scale next-generation intelligent systems. She works closely with startups across robotics, autonomy, and Physical AI through NVIDIA's startup ecosystem.

Simon Wu

Partner, Cathay Innovation

Simon Wu invests in frontier technology companies across AI, robotics, enterprise software, and industrial transformation. At Cathay Innovation, he works with founders building category-defining companies that bridge technological breakthroughs with large-scale enterprise adoption.

Vignesh Ravikumar

Partner, Sierra Ventures

Vignesh Ravikumar focuses on early-stage investments across AI, infrastructure, enterprise systems, and emerging technologies. He partners with founders building technical platforms and next-generation computing systems shaping the future of industry.

Vivin Hegde

Founding Partner, Zacua Ventures

Vivin Hegde is the Founding Partner of Zacua Ventures, investing in robotics, construction technology, industrial systems, manufacturing, infrastructure, and Physical AI. Zacua backs founders building technologies that modernize and automate the world's largest physical industries.

Bogdan Cristei
Co-founder & Venture Partner, SHACK15 Ventures

Bogdan Cristei is Co-founder and Venture Partner at SHACK15 Ventures, where he invests in early-stage DeepTech and AI startups with a focus on automation, robotics, and AI infrastructure.

A discussion with investors backing robotics, autonomy, industrial AI, and intelligent systems.

Topics include:

• Where investors see the largest opportunities in Physical AI

• Why robotics and autonomy are becoming more fundable now

• Which markets are ready for adoption today

• What separates venture-scale robotics companies from narrow automation businesses

• Lessons from past waves of robotics, autonomy, and industrial AI investing

7:10 PM – 7:45 PM

Builder & Operator Panel — Building Physical AI in the Real World

A discussion with founders and technical leaders building robotic systems for real-world deployment.

Speakers include:

Nikhil Ramaswamy

Co-founder, CynLr

Nikhil Ramaswamy is building Object Intelligence for general-purpose manipulation robots, using neuromorphic vision and force-based action primitives to help robots adapt to and manipulate unfamiliar objects in real time.

Holly Peck

Founder, Stealth Physical AI

Holly Peck is a robotics entrepreneur and AI engineer with experience across humanoid robotics, embodied AI, AI infrastructure, and research tooling. Her experience spans Sanctuary AI, where she worked on cognitive systems for humanoid robots, Bytez, an AI infrastructure platform supporting machine learning research communities, and is now building a stealth company focused on robotics infrastructure and Physical AI.

Rishabh Aggarwal

CTO, Raise Robotics

Rishabh Aggarwal is building application-agnostic autonomous robots for heavy industries, spanning tasks such as drilling, layout, installation, and painting across construction, manufacturing, and shipbuilding.

Moderated by:

Varad Mohod

Investor, Zacua Ventures

Topics include:

• What makes real-world robotic deployment difficult

• The gap between model intelligence and physical action

• Perception, manipulation, control, and reliability in production environments

• Why most pilots fail to scale

• What customers need before trusting autonomous systems

• Where founders still underestimate complexity

7:45 PM – 9:00 PM

Curated networking

Who Should Attend

• Founders building robotics, autonomy, industrial AI, and intelligent systems

• Engineers and researchers working on Physical AI

• Operators responsible for automation and industrial technology deployment

• Investors focused on deep technology and applied AI

This is a curated room for people building, backing, and deploying AI in the physical world.