StrictlyVC Los Angeles to examine defence tech, physical AI and capital durability
Venture capital, artificial intelligence and advanced industry will be the focus of a curated evening in El Segundo, with sessions on hard tech, robotics and long-term investment strategies.
StrictlyVC Los Angeles is scheduled for Thursday, 18 June 2026, at The Aerospace Corporation Campus in El Segundo. The event will convene investors, founders and technology leaders for discussions centred on venture capital, defence technology, artificial intelligence and advanced industry.
The agenda opens with Ethan Thornton, founder of Mach Industries, who will present a session titled “Built for a New Era of Defense Technology.” Thornton will address the acceleration of hard tech development and examine how autonomy, manufacturing capabilities and national security imperatives are reshaping the defence sector.
Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund and Saif Khawaja of Shinkei Systems will jointly discuss the emergence of physical AI. Their session will focus on the role of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence in transforming the physical world, offering insight into the challenges of building and scaling technologies that extend beyond software.
Carter Reum, co-founder and partner at M13, will lead a session titled “Finding the Next Big Thing.” Reum will explore how artificial intelligence is restructuring industries and how investors are looking past short-term hype to identify companies with long-term durability. He will outline where innovation is creating substantive opportunities and how venture investing is evolving as new market categories emerge.
StrictlyVC describes its audience as highly curated, aiming to facilitate candid conversations and meaningful networking that extend beyond typical media channels such as headlines, podcasts or social media. Additional speakers and conversations are yet to be announced as the event agenda continues to develop.
