Caltech Together: Silicon Valley
“AI in the Loop: From Startup Vibe Coding to AI Memory”. Join Us for an In-Person Event.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Box HQ
900 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA 94063
To attend, please click this link to purchase tickets through Eventbrite.
Attendance is limited to 80 people.
Price: $32 per ticket
See dinner menu below.
Ticket sales will end on January 20 at 4:00 p.m. (PT), or when sold out.
*Don’t click any checkboxes. They are Eventbrite’s marketing campaigns.
We look forward to seeing you!
Peter Tong
“AI in the Loop: From Startup Vibe Coding to AI Memory” by Ajay Natarajan, Eugene Shao, and Charles Fan
AI is transforming how we build software and how software operates in the world.
On the engineering side, vibe coding (where developers guide models with high-level intent rather than line-by-line implementation) lets startups ship production-grade systems at unprecedented speed. Ajay and Eugene, who have built two startups together, will share with us what vibe coding looks like in practice and the challenges they introduce.
On the business side, AI agents are automating numerous mundane business tasks. In addition, agentic AI will redefine how enterprises operate, particularly when enabled by a new AI Memory layer. Charles, who co-founded MemVerge (a leading AI Memory company) will cover how AI Memory is the next frontier of agentic AI.
About the Speakers
In late 2025, Ajay Natarajan and Eugene Shao co-founded Roadrunner, Kleiner Perkins’ fourth incubation ever ($5M raised and currently a team of 9). At Roadrunner, they are rebuilding a Quote-to-Cash platform, starting with an AI-native CPQ, to help every Account Executive structure deals instantly.
Ajay began his undergrad at Caltech at age 16 and concurrently served as a software engineer for NASA, where he built software that is now used to help guide the Mars Rover. He graduated #2 in his class and was the first to do a double major in CS and Economics with a minor in Data Science. After graduation, he served as tech lead at Robinhood, where he built their only blockchain smart contract.
Then in 2024, Ajay and Eugene co-founded their first startup, Athena, where they created an AI platform to help over 2% of all U.S. college-bound students optimize their college applications.
At Athena, Eugene was responsible for scaling the architecture of the platform to serve tens of thousands of concurrent users. Before that, he developed high-throughput systems at Citadel and Meta and built software that is currently on the International Space Station. Eugene received his BS in CS and Data Science from Caltech.
Prior to MemVerge, Charles was the CTO of Cheetah Mobile (NYSE: CMCM), a leader in developing utility, gaming and content mobile apps, with over 600 million monthly active users worldwide. Prior to joining Cheetah Mobile, Charles was a SVP and the GM at VMware. During his tenure at VMware, he was responsible for VMware’s storage and availability business unit.
Before VMware, Charles worked at EMC, and was the founder and head of EMC’s China R&D Center. He joined EMC via the acquisition of Rainfinity, which is a Caltech spin-out where he was a co-founder and CTO. At Rainfinity, Charles led the creation of its file virtualization and high availability products.
Charles received his PhD in EE from Caltech in 2001, and his BSEE from the Cooper Union in 1995.
Dinner Menu
• Turkey Havarti Sandwich
• Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwich
• Tunacado Sandwich
• Roasted Portobello Sandwich
• House Made Potato Chips
• Mixed Green Salad
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Ranch Dressing
• Chef’s Assortment of Desserts
To attend, please click this link to purchase tickets through Eventbrite.
Our Alumni Volunteers
The following Alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi, Dave Adler, Jane Frommer, Susan Huynh, and Peter Tong.