Tech Gather NYC is a mixer for anyone and everyone in NYC Tech.

New to Tech? Welcome!
15 years in? Come on down!
Just got to the city? Get to know the techies here!
Been here forever? Grab your "Pizza Rat"
headband and welcome the newbies.

Be you Product, UI, Coder or Solutions or any of the buzz terms our industry throws out there, come unwind at a chill Irish pub on Fulton with cheap drinks and stay for a top-notch (free!) karaoke session next door.

Did I mention the whole thing is free?

techgathernyc.com

Founder

Tech Gather NYC is a mixer for anyone and everyone in NYC Tech. New to Tech? Welcome!15 years in? Come on down!Just got to the city? Get to know the techies here!Been here forever? Grab your "Pizza Rat"headband and welcome the newbies. Be you Product, UI, Coder or Solutions or any of the buzz terms our industry throws out there, come unwind at a chill Irish pub on Fulton with cheap drinks and stay for a top-notch (free!) karaoke session next door. Did I mention the whole thing is free?

General Admission

Tech Gather NYC October Meetup

The Irish American Pub

Cash Bar open from 5:30PM
Comedy Show from 6:30PM

Join us for the return of the JEST ASIANS comedy showcase for a night of laughs at the Asia Society! Featuring comedians from the global Asian Diaspora, the show offers comedic styles ranging from candid deadpan humor to sharp and witty observations.

Performers
Tony Chou (Host & Producer)
 is one of the very few native Chinese comedians touring the world performing stand-up in English. Based in New York, he has performed across the U.S., China, the U.K., Australia, and Southeast Asia. He is the co-founder of The Humor Section, a comedy platform launched in Beijing by Des Bishop in 2013, and previously co-hosted the hit late-night show 
The Vicious Liang Huan Show
. His work has been featured by major media including the BBC, CNN, 
The Atlantic 
and more.

Jocelyn Chia 
is a Georgetown Law graduate and former M&A attorney. She eventually ditched corporate America to tell jokes to strangers. After countless bouts of battling with self–doubt and second-guessing, while putting her time in at open mics in basements, hookah bars and even a laundromat, she is now a regular at the New York City Comedy clubs including the legendary Comedy Cellar and Gotham Comedy Club, and is an international touring headliner. She has been featured in 
Vulture
, 
South China Morning Post
, CNN, BBC, 
New York Times
, and the 
Independent UK
. She grew up in Singapore, and has been named one of Singapore’s top comedians by Buro, is listed as the #1 comedian in Singapore by Best in Singapore as well as Simibest, and was signed by Warner Music Singapore as their first ever non musical artiste. She has been on the Howard Stern Channel of Sirius XM, MTV, AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, Fox News Saturday Night, Gutfeld! on Fox News, ABC, Vice TV, Discovery+ and Comedy Central.

Dr. Di
 is a bilingual stand-up comedian whose credits include the Apollo Theater and Kenan Thompson Presents. She was also the winner of the 2024 Ladies Room Comedy Festival.

Kathleen Kim
 is an NYC based puppeteer, VO artist and producer best known for her work on Sesame Street as Ji-Young, the first Asian American Muppet character in the show's 50+ year history. The 7yr old Korean American rock n' roller was introduced on Sesame Street's AAPI Special, "See Us Coming Together," which Kim received an Emmy nomination for as consulting producer. Some of Kim's other puppetry credits include SNL, Helpsters on Apple TV+ and Awkwafina is Nora From Queens as ToeKnee. You can hear her voice as the protagonist, "Teen" in the Annapurna video game "To a T" as well as several audiobooks. She has also performed stand-up and storytelling at such NYC venues as Joe's Pub, the UCB Theatre, Caveat and Asian Comedy Fest.

Naveed Mahbub
 is a stand-up comedian and late-night TV host from Bangladesh. He is credited with pioneering stand-up comedy in Bangladesh by not only introducing the art form to the country but also founding and owning Naveed’s Comedy Club, Bangladesh’s first and only dedicated stand-up comedy venue. He is the first Bangladeshi comedian to be featured on Comedy Central.

Jenny Tian
 is an Australian comedian whose sharp wit has seen her sell out shows internationally. Off the back of her stand up success, Jenny secured a spot on the lineup for the televised 2024 and 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala and as a cast member in season 2 of 
Taskmaster AU
.

Victor Tran 
is a Vietnamese and Filipino American stand-up comedian who abandoned his loved ones in Houston to chase a pipe dream in New York. He's performed in prestigious venues across the country, such as Asian Comedy Fest, the Beacon Theater in New York and Hans Bierhaus in Texas. He's opened for many top comedians whose names Victor uses for clout.

Jamie Wang 
is a Shanghai-born, Taiwan-bred comedian, who has quickly ascended as a rising star in the Asian comedy circuit. Jamie performed on the JFL Singapore 2026 gala, and has opened for industry heavyweights including Atsuko and Sheng Wang. Her refreshing comedic voice has garnered widespread international attention, featuring on 
NPR
, 
Al Jazeera
, and more. At the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Jamie was awarded “Best New International Act” by the Comic’s Lounge, Australia’s most prestigious comedy club. She is also a finalist for the 2025 BBC Funny Women “Content Creator Award.” Jamie's perspective as a Chinese citizen who lives in Taiwan as an outsider, combined with her cutting wit and hard-hitting punchlines gives her a unique angle proving very popular with western and eastern audiences alike.

The program is co-presented with The Humor Section, a comedy platform founded in Beijing in 2013 and now based in New York, dedicated to advancing Asian comedians on the global stage.

Asia Society

Assistant Director

Cash Bar open from 5:30PMComedy Show from 6:30PM Join us for the return of the JEST ASIANS comedy showcase for a night of laughs at the Asia Society! Featuring comedians from the global Asian Diaspora, the show offers comedic styles ranging from candid deadpan humor to sharp and witty observations. Performers<img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-08/Speaker%20Photo%20-%20Tony%20Chou.jpg" alt="Tony Chou" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Tony Chou (Host &amp; Producer) is one of the very few native Chinese comedians touring the world performing stand-up in English. Based in New York, he has performed across the U.S., China, the U.K., Australia, and Southeast Asia. He is the co-founder of The Humor Section, a comedy platform launched in Beijing by Des Bishop in 2013, and previously co-hosted the hit late-night show The Vicious Liang Huan Show. His work has been featured by major media including the BBC, CNN, The Atlantic and more. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-10/Jocelyn%20Chia.jpg" alt="Jocelyn Chia" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Jocelyn Chia is a Georgetown Law graduate and former M&amp;A attorney.&nbsp;She eventually ditched corporate America to tell jokes to strangers. After countless bouts of battling with self–doubt and second-guessing, while putting her time in at open mics in basements, hookah bars and even a laundromat, she is now a regular at the New York City Comedy clubs including the legendary Comedy Cellar and Gotham Comedy Club, and is an international touring headliner. She has been featured in Vulture, South China Morning Post, CNN, BBC, New York Times, and the Independent UK.&nbsp;She grew up in Singapore, and has been named one of Singapore’s top comedians by Buro, is listed as the #1 comedian in Singapore by Best in Singapore as well as Simibest, and was signed by Warner Music Singapore as their first ever non musical artiste. She has been on the Howard Stern Channel of Sirius XM, MTV, AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, Fox News Saturday Night, Gutfeld! on Fox News, ABC, Vice TV, Discovery+&nbsp;and Comedy Central. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-10/Dr%20Dee.jpg" alt="Dr. Di" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Dr. Di is a bilingual stand-up comedian whose credits include the Apollo Theater and Kenan Thompson Presents. She was also the winner of the 2024 Ladies Room Comedy Festival. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-10/KATHY%20KIM.png" alt="Kathleen Kim" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Kathleen Kim is an NYC based puppeteer, VO artist and producer best known for her work on Sesame Street as Ji-Young, the first Asian American Muppet character in the show's 50+ year history.&nbsp;The 7yr old Korean American rock n' roller was introduced on Sesame Street's AAPI Special, "See Us Coming Together," which Kim received an Emmy nomination for as consulting producer.&nbsp;Some of Kim's other puppetry credits include SNL, Helpsters on Apple TV+ and Awkwafina is Nora From Queens as ToeKnee.&nbsp;You can hear her voice as the protagonist, "Teen" in the Annapurna video game "To a T" as well as several audiobooks.&nbsp;She has also performed stand-up and storytelling at such NYC venues as Joe's Pub, the UCB Theatre, Caveat and Asian Comedy Fest. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-10/Naveed%20Mahbub%201.jpg" alt="Naveed Mahbub" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Naveed Mahbub is a stand-up comedian and late-night TV host from Bangladesh. He is credited with pioneering stand-up comedy in Bangladesh by not only introducing the art form to the country but also founding and owning Naveed’s Comedy Club, Bangladesh’s first and only dedicated stand-up comedy venue. He is the first Bangladeshi comedian to be featured on Comedy Central. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-08/Speaker%20Photo%20-%20Jenny%20Tian.jpg" alt="Jenny Tian" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Jenny Tian is an Australian comedian whose sharp wit has seen her sell out shows internationally. Off the back of her stand up success, Jenny secured a spot on the lineup for the televised 2024 and 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala and as a cast member in season 2 of Taskmaster AU. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-10/Vic%20Tran.jpg" alt="Victor Tran" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Victor Tran is a Vietnamese and Filipino American stand-up comedian who abandoned his loved ones in Houston to chase a pipe dream in New York. He's performed in prestigious venues across the country, such as Asian Comedy Fest, the Beacon Theater in New York and Hans Bierhaus in Texas. He's opened for many top comedians whose names Victor uses for clout. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-08/Speaker%20Photo%20-%20Jamie%20Wang.JPG" alt="Jamie Wang" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Jamie Wang is a Shanghai-born, Taiwan-bred comedian, who has quickly ascended as a rising star in the Asian comedy circuit. Jamie performed on the JFL Singapore 2026 gala, and has opened for industry heavyweights including Atsuko and Sheng Wang. Her refreshing comedic voice has garnered widespread international attention, featuring on NPR, Al Jazeera, and more. At the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Jamie was awarded “Best New International Act” by the Comic’s Lounge, Australia’s most prestigious comedy club. She is also a finalist for the 2025 BBC Funny Women “Content Creator Award.” Jamie's perspective as a Chinese citizen who lives in Taiwan as an outsider, combined with her cutting wit and hard-hitting punchlines gives her a unique angle proving very popular with western and eastern audiences alike. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-03/Humor%20Section%20US-logo-final-%20transparent%20%28%E5%9C%86%EF%BC%89.png" alt="Humor Section Logo" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">The program is co-presented with The Humor Section, a comedy platform founded in Beijing in 2013 and now based in New York, dedicated to advancing Asian comedians on the global stage.

Comedy Night with JEST ASIANS: Asia Unfiltered

Asia Society and Museum

​Building between Latin America and the U.S. gets ugly fast.
​Markets move differently. Customers expect different things. Teams cross borders and cultures. The pitch deck leaves that part out.
​This Ugly Talk puts it back in. 3 different seats at the same problem will share the false starts, hard calls, and mistakes behind the growth.
​🎯 Why you should be in this room.
​Hear what building across Latin America and the U.S. actually takes.
​Learn from failed ideas, wrong turns, and hard calls.
​Get specific lessons from founders still in the thick of it.
​See how other builders handle different markets, customers, teams, and cultures.
​Meet founders who understand the friction because they live it too.
​💬 What's on the table.
​What it looks like from the other side of the table — why an investor passes, and what the founder never gets to see.
​The version that missed the pitch deck. The false starts, setbacks, and calls they wish they could take back.
​Decisions made without a clean answer. The bets they placed before the outcome was clear.
​Building across borders. The real friction behind different markets, teams, customers, and cultures.
​Lessons earned the hard way. What helped after the original plan stopped working.
​The next hard call. What they would do differently if they started again.
​🎤 Featured speakers.
​
Christopher Saravia
 - Founder & CEO, Carebox
​HealthTech entrepreneur with 20+ years building, scaling, buying & selling companies.
​
Laura Daniela Muñoz
 - COO, HipoCredit, LQN
​We are a Latin American fintech that makes access to mortgage and home-equity credit simpler, faster and more transparent. I lead the company's operations, building the processes, teams and technology that take a credit application from first contact to disbursement. Laura is passionate about scaling operations in regulated industries, turning complexity into great customer experiences, and helping more families and entrepreneurs unlock the value of their homes.
​🤝 Who's hosting it.
​
Christopher Martinez
 - Founder & CEO, Ziora Copilot
​Christopher Martinez is the Founder & CEO of Ziora Copilot and Chapter Leader for AI Tinkerers, Health2Tech and Ugly Talk in Mexico City. He splits his time between Mexico City and New York and has produced founder and healthtech events at Google, One World Trade Center, BBVA and Tecnológico de Monterrey, IBERO, each bringing together 50-150 founders, operators and investors from across the local ecosystem.
​🙋 Who's getting in.
​Latino founders building between Latin America and the U.S.
​Latino builders managing cross-border customers, markets, and teams.
​Latino founders at different stages who are still doing the work.
​⭐ About Ugly Talk
​Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough "aha!" moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
​With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we've built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
​Official Website: 
UglyTalk.com

discover GREY

Business

Director

​Building between Latin America and the U.S. gets ugly fast.​Markets move differently. Customers expect different things. Teams cross borders and cultures. The pitch deck leaves that part out.​This Ugly Talk puts it back in. 3 different seats at the same problem will share the false starts, hard calls, and mistakes behind the growth.<h4>​🎯 Why you should be in this room.</h4><ul style="margin: 0px;"><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Hear what building across Latin America and the U.S. actually takes.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Learn from failed ideas, wrong turns, and hard calls.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Get specific lessons from founders still in the thick of it.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​See how other builders handle different markets, customers, teams, and cultures.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Meet founders who understand the friction because they live it too.</li></ul><h4>​💬 What's on the table.</h4><ul style="margin: 0px;"><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​What it looks like from the other side of the table — why an investor passes, and what the founder never gets to see.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​The version that missed the pitch deck. The false starts, setbacks, and calls they wish they could take back.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Decisions made without a clean answer. The bets they placed before the outcome was clear.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Building across borders. The real friction behind different markets, teams, customers, and cultures.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Lessons earned the hard way. What helped after the original plan stopped working.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​The next hard call. What they would do differently if they started again.</li></ul><h4>​🎤 Featured speakers.</h4><img src="https://images.lumacdn.com/api-uploads/og/117aee2b-7a8a-4e13-96c3-68bfde884396.jpg" alt="Christopher Saravia" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">​<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-saravia-23720a32/?utm_source=luma" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(89, 148, 202);">Christopher Saravia</a> - Founder &amp; CEO, Carebox​HealthTech entrepreneur with 20+ years building, scaling, buying &amp; selling companies.<img src="https://images.lumacdn.com/api-uploads/1z/2fab961b-1700-4686-b5b6-f94ae557407c.jpg" alt="Laura Daniela Muñoz" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">​<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradanielamunozpalacios/?utm_source=luma" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(89, 148, 202);">Laura Daniela Muñoz</a> - COO, HipoCredit, LQN​We are a Latin American fintech that makes access to mortgage and home-equity credit simpler, faster and more transparent. I lead the company's operations, building the processes, teams and technology that take a credit application from first contact to disbursement. Laura is passionate about scaling operations in regulated industries, turning complexity into great customer experiences, and helping more families and entrepreneurs unlock the value of their homes.<h4>​🤝 Who's hosting it.</h4><img src="https://images.lumacdn.com/api-uploads/px/447b0cdf-0b2f-4f9d-a5c5-0a9c7cd9f341.jpg" alt="Christopher Martinez" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">​<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lfmd/?utm_source=luma" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(89, 148, 202);">Christopher Martinez</a> - Founder &amp; CEO, Ziora Copilot​Christopher Martinez is the Founder &amp; CEO of Ziora Copilot and Chapter Leader for AI Tinkerers, Health2Tech and Ugly Talk in Mexico City. He splits his time between Mexico City and New York and has produced founder and healthtech events at Google, One World Trade Center, BBVA and Tecnológico de Monterrey, IBERO, each bringing together 50-150 founders, operators and investors from across the local ecosystem.<h4>​🙋 Who's getting in.</h4><ul style="margin: 0px;"><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Latino founders building between Latin America and the U.S.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Latino builders managing cross-border customers, markets, and teams.</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">​Latino founders at different stages who are still doing the work.</li></ul><h4>​⭐ About Ugly Talk</h4>​Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough "aha!" moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.​With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we've built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.​Official Website: <a href="https://uglytalk.com/?utm_source=luma" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(89, 148, 202);">UglyTalk.com</a>

Ugly Talk: Latino Founders Building Between Latin America And The U.S.

BELONG NYC: Space for You & Your Belongings

Did you know ChatGPT accepts medical records and Apple Health data? 
What could possibly go wrong?

Collecting biometric data is easy now, and so is handing it to an AI. (
We know you've done it; don't pretend you haven't.
)

The hard part is knowing if the answer it returns is correct, 
especially when it changes what you eat or the meds you take.

This 
Thursday, Oct 15
, 
Gary Wolf
 (
editor at WIRED Magazine
) will work through that question live and in-person. Gary started the 
Quantified Self movement
, and 
his TED talk
 on it has been watched more than a million times. 

He's spent 20 years watching people try to make sense of their own numbers, and 
his new book
 came out last week.

If you're building in health, wearables, or AI
, stay after the chat and ask him about your own product. If you track your own sleep or blood sugar, you'll leave with a method for testing what your numbers actually say.

Get the book at the event, and Gary will sign it.

Getting a ticket guarantees admission and includes food and drinks.

University of North Texas

IEEE

Senior AI Strategy Advisor

Did you know ChatGPT accepts medical records and Apple Health data? What could possibly go wrong? Collecting biometric data is easy now, and so is handing it to an AI. (We know you've done it; don't pretend you haven't.) The hard part is knowing if the answer it returns is correct, especially when it changes what you eat or the meds you take. This Thursday, Oct 15, <a href="https://luma.link/aNFYVQSssZ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(200, 66, 70);">Gary Wolf</a> (editor at WIRED Magazine) will work through that question live and in-person. Gary started the <a href="https://luma.link/0POITeISiN" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(200, 66, 70);">Quantified Self movement</a>, and <a href="https://luma.link/4flEiaBVn3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(200, 66, 70);">his TED talk</a> on it has been watched more than a million times.&nbsp; He's spent 20 years watching people try to make sense of their own numbers, and <a href="https://luma.link/I8jcdJOri2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(200, 66, 70);">his new book</a> came out last week. If you're building in health, wearables, or AI, stay after the chat and ask him about your own product. If you track your own sleep or blood sugar, you'll leave with a method for testing what your numbers actually say. Get the book at the event, and Gary will sign it. Getting a ticket guarantees admission and includes food and drinks.

The Quantified Self: What AI Can Actually Tell You About Your Data

Civic Hall

As China and the United States compete for influence across Southeast Asia, governments across the region are seeking to deepen economic ties while preserving strategic autonomy. China’s expanding economic presence brings investment and industrial opportunities, alongside concerns about domestic capacity surplus, while US trade policy is creating new uncertainty and constraints for regional economies. At the same time, Southeast Asia faces growing pressures to sustain growth, expand energy access, and manage environmental challenges. How much room does the region have to pursue its own interests? Can ASEAN and individual governments turn their economic weight into greater leverage? And what should Southeast Asia prioritize in the years ahead?

Join 
Gita Wirjawan
, former Indonesian Minister of Trade and Honorary Senior Fellow at the Center for China Analysis, and Amb. 
Craig Allen
, former U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CCA, for a conversation moderated by 
Kevin Zongzhe Li
, Fellow at CCA.

Speakers
Gita Wirjawan 
is a Non-Resident Honorary Senior Fellow on China-Southeast Asia Relations at the Center for China Analysis. He is the founder and chairman of Ancora Group, an Indonesian business group with interests in real estate, natural resources, arts, and technology. He is also the founding partner of Ikhlas Capital, a Southeast Asia private equity fund. Previously, he served as Indonesia’s Minister of Trade (2011–2014) and Chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board (2009–2011), and held senior roles at Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan.

A strong believer in soft power, Gita expresses his passion through music and film as storytelling mediums. As chairman of Visinema Group, he helped bring Jumbo—the highest-grossing animated film in Southeast Asia with over 10 million views—to the big screen.

He currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at the Precourt Institute for Energy, the Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, focusing on Southeast Asia’s nation-building directionality. Believing in the region’s underlying power, Gita hosts Endgame, an educational podcast featuring notable thinkers, leaders, and changemakers. He is also the author of What It Takes: Southeast Asia, a pursuit to bring Southeast Asia to the forefront of global consciousness.

His degrees are from the Harvard Kennedy School (MPA), Baylor University (MBA), and the University of Texas at Austin (BSc).

Ambassador 
Craig Allen
 is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. He concurrently serves as a Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group in Washington, D.C.

Previously, Ambassador Craig Allen was president of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) from 2018 to 2024, a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business in China. Prior to his leadership at USCBC, Ambassador Allen was the U.S. ambassador to Brunei Darussalam from December 2014 to July 2018.
 
Before his ambassadorial role, he had a long and distinguished career in U.S. public service, primarily within the Department of Commerce. He served as deputy assistant secretary for Asia at the International Trade Administration and later as deputy assistant secretary for China. His prior overseas assignments include serving as the senior commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he held the minister counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service. He also served as senior commercial officer in South Africa and as deputy senior commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
 
Earlier in his career, Ambassador Allen worked at the National Center for APEC in Seattle, contributing to APEC summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. He held commercial attaché positions at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and the American Institute in Taiwan, where he was director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He began his government career in 1985 as a Presidential Management Intern at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, later serving as an international economist in its China office.
 
Ambassador Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Asian studies from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University.

Kevin Zongzhe Li 
(moderator) is a Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, where he leads the Center’s work on China–Southeast Asia relations. His research also examines the geopolitics of the energy transition, the role of middle powers amid great-power competition, and clean energy, critical mineral supply chains, and industrial policy. He holds a BS in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences from Cornell University and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Kevin contributes regularly to outlets including The Diplomat, Fulcrum, The Jakarta Post, East Asia Forum, China-U.S. Focus, the South China Morning Post, and the Asian Peace Programme. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English and conversant in Bahasa Indonesia.

As China and the United States compete for influence across Southeast Asia, governments across the region are seeking to deepen economic ties while preserving strategic autonomy. China’s expanding economic presence brings investment and industrial opportunities, alongside concerns about domestic capacity surplus, while US trade policy is creating new uncertainty and constraints for regional economies. At the same time, Southeast Asia faces growing pressures to sustain growth, expand energy access, and manage environmental challenges. How much room does the region have to pursue its own interests? Can ASEAN and individual governments turn their economic weight into greater leverage? And what should Southeast Asia prioritize in the years ahead? Join Gita Wirjawan, former Indonesian Minister of Trade and Honorary Senior Fellow at the Center for China Analysis, and Amb. Craig Allen, former U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CCA, for a conversation moderated by Kevin Zongzhe Li, Fellow at CCA. Speakers<img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-07/rsd22_054_0178a.jpg" alt="Gita headshot" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Gita Wirjawan is a Non-Resident Honorary Senior Fellow on China-Southeast Asia Relations at the Center for China Analysis. He is the founder and chairman of Ancora Group, an Indonesian business group with interests in real estate, natural resources, arts, and technology. He is also the founding partner of Ikhlas Capital, a Southeast Asia private equity fund. Previously, he served as Indonesia’s Minister of Trade (2011–2014) and Chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board (2009–2011), and held senior roles at Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan. A strong believer in soft power, Gita expresses his passion through music and film as storytelling mediums. As chairman of Visinema Group, he helped bring Jumbo—the highest-grossing animated film in Southeast Asia with over 10 million views—to the big screen. He currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at the Precourt Institute for Energy, the Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, focusing on Southeast Asia’s nation-building directionality. Believing in the region’s underlying power, Gita hosts Endgame, an educational podcast featuring notable thinkers, leaders, and changemakers. He is also the author of What It Takes: Southeast Asia, a pursuit to bring Southeast Asia to the forefront of global consciousness. His degrees are from the Harvard Kennedy School (MPA), Baylor University (MBA), and the University of Texas at Austin (BSc). <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-09/craig%20photo%20%281%29.png" alt="Craig Allen" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Ambassador Craig Allen is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. He concurrently serves as a Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group in Washington, D.C. Previously, Ambassador Craig Allen was president of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) from 2018 to 2024, a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business in China. Prior to his leadership at USCBC, Ambassador Allen was the U.S. ambassador to Brunei Darussalam from December 2014 to July 2018.&nbsp;Before his ambassadorial role, he had a long and distinguished career in U.S. public service, primarily within the Department of Commerce. He served as deputy assistant secretary for Asia at the International Trade Administration and later as deputy assistant secretary for China. His prior overseas assignments include serving as the senior commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he held the minister counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service. He also served as senior commercial officer in South Africa and as deputy senior commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.&nbsp;Earlier in his career, Ambassador Allen worked at the National Center for APEC in Seattle, contributing to APEC summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. He held commercial attaché positions at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and the American Institute in Taiwan, where he was director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He began his government career in 1985 as a Presidential Management Intern at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, later serving as an international economist in its China office.&nbsp;Ambassador Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Asian studies from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-06/Kevin%20Zongzhe%20Li_2026.png?h=7f94ea0c" alt="Kevin Zongzhe Li - headshot 2026" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Kevin Zongzhe Li (moderator) is a Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, where he leads the Center’s work on China–Southeast Asia relations. His research also examines the geopolitics of the energy transition, the role of middle powers amid great-power competition, and clean energy, critical mineral supply chains, and industrial policy. He holds a BS in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences from Cornell University and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Kevin contributes regularly to outlets including The Diplomat, Fulcrum, The Jakarta Post, East Asia Forum, China-U.S. Focus, the South China Morning Post, and the Asian Peace Programme. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English and conversant in Bahasa Indonesia.

Southeast Asia Between China, the United States, and a Changing Global Order

Join Tech Gather NYC for our Women in Tech mixer!

This is an awesome opportunity to connect and vibe with women from all corners of the tech universe, whether you’re a developer, founder, product or anything in between, you belong in our [she, her, they] array.

Sign up now to meet like-minded women, share stories, and spark new collaborations.

Join Tech Gather NYC for our Women in Tech mixer! This is an awesome opportunity to connect and vibe with women from all corners of the tech universe, whether you’re a developer, founder, product or anything in between, you belong in our [she, her, they] array. Sign up now to meet like-minded women, share stories, and spark new collaborations.

Women In Tech Gather Mixer

The Dynamo Room

Visit our official Summit page 
here.

Invite & Approval Only: 
Senior innovation, transformation, and corporate development executives and leaders at big tech/Fortune 500, policymakers and diplomats, and senior corporate investors. 

The 
Super Innovation & Strategic Growth Summit
, presented in partnership with the 
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), P101
, 
Amaro Capital
, and 
London & Partners
, will convene 50+ of the most innovative minds for a supercharged afternoon centered on one question: 
How should large companies build, partner, invest, and acquire their way into the next wave of AI-driven growth?

Designed for candid discussion under the Chatham House Rule, the Summit pairs executive 
keynote panels 
with
 private industry roundtables and curated 1:1 meetings
. Global leaders will compare what's working, what isn't, and where capital and executive attention are moving next. Conversations will tackle the decisions shaping mandates today: where to build versus partner, how to structure pilots that survive procurement, and where the strongest emerging opportunities for investment and acquisition are.

Spend the afternoon exchanging ideas with senior innovation peers across 
Fortune 500
, 
global government
, and 
leading AI disruptors
 - alongside leaders from global powerhouses like 
Campari Group, Amex Ventures, Sanofi, and Unilever.

Come prepared to pressure-test your strategy alongside the leaders shaping the market - and walk away with real-world insights and relevant, meaningful connections across key industries.

Supermomos

Head of Startup and VC Partnerships

Baruch College

Strategic Programs Lead

You are the social spark who knows everyone, everywhere, and loves connecting people like pieces of a puzzle

The Connector/Social Butterfly

The Wharton School

Co-Founder & CEO

New York University

NYC Market Lead

Visit our official Summit page <a href="https://www.supermomos.com/summit/nyc-super-summit-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: inherit;">here.</a> Invite &amp; Approval Only: Senior innovation, transformation, and corporate development executives and leaders at big tech/Fortune 500, policymakers and diplomats, and senior corporate investors.&nbsp; The Super Innovation &amp; Strategic Growth Summit, presented in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), P101, Amaro Capital, and London &amp; Partners, will convene 50+ of the most innovative minds for a supercharged afternoon centered on one question: How should large companies build, partner, invest, and acquire their way into the next wave of AI-driven growth? Designed for candid discussion under the Chatham House Rule, the Summit pairs executive keynote panels with private industry roundtables and curated 1:1 meetings. Global leaders will compare what's working, what isn't, and where capital and executive attention are moving next. Conversations will tackle the decisions shaping mandates today: where to build versus partner, how to structure pilots that survive procurement, and where the strongest emerging opportunities for investment and acquisition are. Spend the afternoon exchanging ideas with senior innovation peers across Fortune 500, global government, and leading AI disruptors - alongside leaders from global powerhouses like Campari Group, Amex Ventures, Sanofi, and Unilever. Come prepared to pressure-test your strategy alongside the leaders shaping the market - and walk away with real-world insights and relevant, meaningful connections across key industries.

Super Innovation and Strategic Growth Summit

To be shared on approval

Invite & approval only

As billions of advertising dollars shift to Connected TV, the industry is entering a new era. The challenge is no longer simply reaching the right audience - it's ensuring every advertising dollar reaches viewers at exactly the right moment. New advances in AI - 
including unprecedented technology that can understand the context of video, scene by scene
 - are transforming how brands reach consumers + how premium media is valued, bought, and sold.

Join an invitation-only gathering of the voices defining the future of brands and media. 
The evening will feature an intimate fireside conversation, curated intros, facilitated networking, and open mingling among the industry's top decision-makers, all against a stunning backdrop of floor-to-ceiling views of the NYC skyline. 

﻿
Who will be in the room:
Marketing, agency, and Fortune 1000 brand leaders
 overseeing some of the world's largest advertising investments.
CTV and media leaders
 from top broadcasters, streamers, and publishers shaping how media is bought, sold, and monetized.
AI and AdTech founders and executives
 building the next generation of advertising and video technology.

pyler.tech

Invite &amp; approval only As billions of advertising dollars shift to Connected TV, the industry is entering a new era. The challenge is no longer simply reaching the right audience - it's ensuring every advertising dollar reaches viewers at exactly the right moment. New advances in AI - including unprecedented technology that can understand the context of video, scene by scene - are transforming how brands reach consumers + how premium media is valued, bought, and sold. Join an invitation-only gathering of the voices defining the future of brands and media. The evening will feature an intimate fireside conversation, curated intros, facilitated networking, and open mingling among the industry's top decision-makers, all against a stunning backdrop of floor-to-ceiling views of the NYC skyline.&nbsp; ﻿Who will be in the room:Marketing, agency, and Fortune 1000 brand leaders overseeing some of the world's largest advertising investments.CTV and media leaders from top broadcasters, streamers, and publishers shaping how media is bought, sold, and monetized.AI and AdTech founders and executives building the next generation of advertising and video technology.

Since its founding in 1993, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company's invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics, ignited the era of modern AI and is fueling the creation of the metaverse. NVIDIA is now a full-stack computing company with data-center-scale offerings that are reshaping industry.

Business Development Director, AdTech & MarTech

PYLER builds multimodal video understanding AI for scene-level video indexing and search at scale. Its Yaho models read what happens inside every scene, from objects and actions to context and meaning, and turn it into searchable signals that let publishers price and monetize video scene by scene, and let advertisers reach the moments that matter. Running on NVIDIA DGX Blackwell, PYLER analyzes two million videos a day for brands including Samsung, LG, Kenvue, and BVLGARI, serves 10+ Fortune 500 firms. Founded in 2021, it has raised $56.2M.

Co-Founder and CEO

Fireside Chat with NVIDIA & PYLER - Scene by Scene: Brand Relevance, Video AI, and the Next Era of CTV

An Eye for an Eye
Tanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari, 2025, 84 minutes.
In Persian with English subtitles

An Eye for an Eye
 is a documentary that unfolds like a real-life courtroom thriller that pulls you inside a justice system unlike any other -- one where the fate of a life doesn't rest with a judge, but in the hands of a grieving family who can choose retribution or forgiveness.

Years after killing her abusive husband in an act of self-defense, Tahereh now faces execution unless she can pay the 
Diya 
— blood money demanded by her abuser’s family. With the clock ticking and public sympathy running low, her son Mohsen is thrust into a desperate race against time to save his mother’s life, turning to outside donors in a society where victims of domestic abuse are often met with silence — or scorn. 

Directed by Iranian-American filmmaker 
Tanaz Eshaghian
, the film unfolds with the intimacy of a family drama and the tension of a thriller, asking a question that stays with you long after the credits: when forgiveness has a price, what is a life worth?

A discussion and Q&A with Director Tanaz Eshaghian will follow the screening.

An Eye for an Eye 
Trailer (2 minutes 10 seconds).
  
Speaker
Tanaz Eshaghian 
is an Emmy-nominated Iranian-American director (
Be Like Others
, 
Love Crimes of Kabul
). Her film 
As Far As They Can Run 
was shortlisted for an Oscar. For more than two decades, she has built a remarkable body of documentary work focused on people living on the fringes of society — telling deeply personal stories that force us all to think about the much larger questions of culture, justice, identity, and human rights.

An Eye for an EyeTanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari, 2025, 84 minutes.In Persian with English subtitles An Eye for an Eye is a documentary that unfolds like a real-life courtroom thriller that pulls you inside a justice system unlike any other -- one where the fate of a life doesn't rest with a judge, but in the hands of a grieving family who can choose retribution or forgiveness. Years after killing her abusive husband in an act of self-defense, Tahereh now faces execution unless she can pay the Diya — blood money demanded by her abuser’s family. With the clock ticking and public sympathy running low, her son Mohsen is thrust into a desperate race against time to save his mother’s life, turning to outside donors in a society where victims of domestic abuse are often met with silence — or scorn.&nbsp; Directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Tanaz Eshaghian, the film unfolds with the intimacy of a family drama and the tension of a thriller, asking a question that stays with you long after the credits: when forgiveness has a price, what is a life worth? A discussion and Q&amp;A with Director Tanaz Eshaghian will follow the screening. An Eye for an Eye Trailer (2 minutes 10 seconds).<iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HKAAi0vFvoE?si=_l8qvGPW-PfCr1ay&amp;enablejsapi=1" height="315" width="560"></iframe>&nbsp;&nbsp;SpeakerTanaz Eshaghian is an Emmy-nominated Iranian-American director (Be Like Others, Love Crimes of Kabul). Her film As Far As They Can Run was shortlisted for an Oscar. For more than two decades, she has built a remarkable body of documentary work focused on people living on the fringes of society — telling deeply personal stories that force us all to think about the much larger questions of culture, justice, identity, and human rights.

"An Eye for an Eye"
Film Screening and Discussion

The Quad enters its next phase at a consequential moment. While leaders have yet to convene, two foreign ministers’ meetings this year demonstrate measured commitment to the grouping. At the same time, the Quad is becoming more operational, translating its strategic agenda into practical cooperation on maritime and energy security, critical minerals, and other areas of shared interest. How far this momentum can be sustained, however, will depend on the evolving dynamics among its four members and the trajectory of U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific and, particularly, U.S.-China relations.

Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for a panel discussion examining the Quad’s evolution under the second Trump administration and what comes next. The conversation will assess how regional actors are engaging with the Quad and where they are seeking alternatives through other mini-lateral groupings. It will explore where Quad cooperation is delivering, and whether the grouping can drive more meaningful engagement with Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, or are other mechanisms more fit for purpose?

The discussion will feature 
Dr. Ken Jimbo
, Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), 
Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak
, Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, 
Farwa Aamer
, Director of South Asia Initiatives at ASPI, and 
Zack Cooper
, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. 
Emma Chanlett-Avery
, Director for Political-Security Affairs at ASPI, will moderate the discussion.

This event is a part of phase II of ASPI's project on "Cementing the Quad in the Indo-Pacific," made possible through the generous support of the Japan Foundation.

Speakers
Dr. Ken Jimbo
 is Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), Managing Director of Programs at the International House of Japan (IHJ/I-House), and Professor of International Relations at Keio University. He is concurrently an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS) and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He served as Special Advisor to the Japan Ministry of Defense in 2020 and Senior Advisor to the National Security Secretariat from 2018 to 2020. 
His main research interests lie in international security, Japan-U.S. security relations, emerging technologies and national security, and Japan’s foreign and defense policy. He has served as a policy advisor for various Japanese governmental commissions and research groups, including those organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. His policy writings have been published by the RAND Corporation, NBR, the Stimson Center, Pacific Forum, The Japan Times, Nikkei, Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Sankei Shimbun. 

Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak
 is Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science and Senior Fellow and former Director (2006–2022) of its Institute of Security and International Studies. In June 2026, he was appointed to the Advisory Council of Thailand’s National Security Council. With more than three decades of experience spanning journalism, academia, think-tank research, and policy engagement, his work focuses on ASEAN and Southeast Asia, Indo-Pacific geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the implications of US–China strategic competition for regional order and middle powers. He regularly briefs governments, diplomatic missions, international organizations, financial institutions and multinational corporations, and lectures at universities and military colleges across the region and beyond. 

Thitinan has held visiting positions at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the London School of Economics, the University of Victoria, and Yangon University. He is an independent expert with the ADMM-Plus Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence (ACICE), a Strategic Foresight Expert with the European Space Agency, and an International Advisory Board member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. He has also served as an Australia-ASEAN Fellow at the Lowy Institute and ASEAN@50 Fellow for New Zealand. A long-time Bangkok Post columnist, he has published more than 1,200 opinion articles and written for Project Syndicate, the Financial Times, Nikkei Asia and other international outlets. He serves on the editorial board of Journal of Democracy and received a Japanese government commendation in 2024 for contributions to Japan–Thailand and Japan–ASEAN relations. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics where he is currently a non-resident fellow. 

Zack Cooper
 is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US strategy in Asia. He also teaches at Princeton University and serves as chairman of the board of the Open Technology Fund. He previously served on staff at the White House and Pentagon. Dr. Cooper holds a BA from Stanford University and an MPA and PhD from Princeton University. He is the author of Tides of Fortune: The Rise and Decline of Great Militaries (Yale University Press, 2025).

Farwa Aamer
 is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York and Editor of ASPI’s monthly South Asia Snapshot. In this role, she leads ASPI’s policy work, strategic engagement, and programming across South Asia.

Farwa brings extensive experience in regional diplomacy, U.S.–South Asia relations, and emerging policy challenges in the region. Prior to joining ASPI, she led research at the Stimson Center on the political, security, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Her work has supported high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter-and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, and climate security and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia.

From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) in New York where she also served as the Director of South Asia Program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms to advance regional cooperation on shared geopolitical, economic, and resilience priorities. In this role, she convened policy shapers, media leaders, academics, and private-sector experts from across South Asia, the United States, and the wider international community to drive dialogue and collaborative action.

Farwa received her Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and has a Masters in Management with Finance from BPP Business School, London.

Emma Chanlett-Avery 
(Moderator)
 
is Deputy Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington, D.C. office and the Director for Political-Security Affairs. Emma leads Congressional outreach efforts and directs ASPI’s policy engagement on Indo-Pacific alliances. Previous to this post, she served for 20 years as a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, where she focused on United States relations with Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Thailand, and Singapore, with an emphasis on security issues. In 2023, she served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assisting the Chairman with drafting Asia policy legislation and preparing for hearings. Ms. Chanlett-Avery was a Presidential Management Fellow, with rotations in the State Department on the Korea Desk and at the Joint United States Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, Thailand. She also worked in the Office of Policy Planning as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow. She is a member of the Mansfield Foundation United States–Japan Network for the Future and a Mansfield-Luce Asia Network Scholar. She is a recipient of the Kato Prize, awarded by Washington think tanks for strengthening the United States-Japan alliance. She serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, Counselor of the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., and a Trustee of International Student Conferences, Inc. Ms. Chanlett-Avery received an MA in international security policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and her B.A. in Russian studies from Amherst College.

The Quad enters its next phase at a consequential moment. While leaders have yet to convene, two foreign ministers’ meetings this year demonstrate measured commitment to the grouping. At the same time, the Quad is becoming more operational, translating its strategic agenda into practical cooperation on maritime and energy security, critical minerals, and other areas of shared interest. How far this momentum can be sustained, however, will depend on the evolving dynamics among its four members and the trajectory of U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific and, particularly, U.S.-China relations. Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for a panel discussion examining the Quad’s evolution under the second Trump administration and what comes next. The conversation will assess how regional actors are engaging with the Quad and where they are seeking alternatives through other mini-lateral groupings. It will explore where Quad cooperation is delivering, and whether the grouping can drive more meaningful engagement with Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, or are other mechanisms more fit for purpose? The discussion will feature Dr. Ken Jimbo, Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at ASPI, and Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Emma Chanlett-Avery, Director for Political-Security Affairs at ASPI, will moderate the discussion. This event is a part of phase II of ASPI's project on "Cementing the Quad in the Indo-Pacific," made possible through the generous support of the Japan Foundation. Speakers<img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-09/Photo%20IHJ%20%28Ken%20Jimbo%29.jpg?h=80f876cf" alt="Ken Jimbo" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Dr. Ken Jimbo is Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), Managing Director of Programs at the International House of Japan (IHJ/I-House), and Professor of International Relations at Keio University. He is concurrently an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS) and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He served as Special Advisor to the Japan Ministry of Defense in 2020 and Senior Advisor to the National Security Secretariat from 2018 to 2020.&nbsp;His main research interests lie in international security, Japan-U.S. security relations, emerging technologies and national security, and Japan’s foreign and defense policy. He has served as a policy advisor for various Japanese governmental commissions and research groups, including those organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. His policy writings have been published by the RAND Corporation, NBR, the Stimson Center, Pacific Forum, The Japan Times, Nikkei, Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Sankei Shimbun.&nbsp; <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-09/S__2859026.jpg" alt="Dr Thitinan" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science and Senior Fellow and former Director (2006–2022) of its Institute of Security and International Studies. In June 2026, he was appointed to the Advisory Council of Thailand’s National Security Council. With more than three decades of experience spanning journalism, academia, think-tank research, and policy engagement, his work focuses on ASEAN and Southeast Asia, Indo-Pacific geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the implications of US–China strategic competition for regional order and middle powers. He regularly briefs governments, diplomatic missions, international organizations, financial institutions and multinational corporations, and lectures at universities and military colleges across the region and beyond.&nbsp; Thitinan has held visiting positions at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the London School of Economics, the University of Victoria, and Yangon University. He is an independent expert with the ADMM-Plus Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence (ACICE), a Strategic Foresight Expert with the European Space Agency, and an International Advisory Board member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. He has also served as an Australia-ASEAN Fellow at the Lowy Institute and ASEAN@50 Fellow for New Zealand. A long-time Bangkok Post columnist, he has published more than 1,200 opinion articles and written for Project Syndicate, the Financial Times, Nikkei Asia and other international outlets. He serves on the editorial board of Journal of Democracy and received a Japanese government commendation in 2024 for contributions to Japan–Thailand and Japan–ASEAN relations. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics where he is currently a non-resident fellow.&nbsp; <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-09/Cooper_Zack_4874-vb.jpeg" alt="Zack Cooper" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Zack Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US strategy in Asia. He also teaches at Princeton University and serves as chairman of the board of the Open Technology Fund. He previously served on staff at the White House and Pentagon. Dr. Cooper holds a BA from Stanford University and an MPA and PhD from Princeton University. He is the author of Tides of Fortune: The Rise and Decline of Great Militaries (Yale University Press, 2025). <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2025-12/Farwa%20Aamer_2_0.jpg?h=6e3ee359" alt="Farwa Aamer_2025" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Farwa Aamer is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York and Editor of ASPI’s monthly South Asia Snapshot. In this role, she leads ASPI’s policy work, strategic engagement, and programming across South Asia. Farwa brings extensive experience in regional diplomacy, U.S.–South Asia relations, and emerging policy challenges in the region. Prior to joining ASPI, she led research at the Stimson Center on the political, security, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Her work has supported high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter-and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, and climate security and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia. From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) in New York where she also served as the Director of South Asia Program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms to advance regional cooperation on shared geopolitical, economic, and resilience priorities. In this role, she convened policy shapers, media leaders, academics, and private-sector experts from across South Asia, the United States, and the wider international community to drive dialogue and collaborative action. Farwa received her Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and has a Masters in Management with Finance from BPP Business School, London. <img src="https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/styles/120x120/public/2026-03/Emma%20Chanlett-Avery%20Headshot.jpg" alt="Emma Chanlett-Avery" height="120" width="120" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;">Emma Chanlett-Avery (Moderator) is Deputy Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington, D.C. office and the Director for Political-Security Affairs. Emma leads Congressional outreach efforts and directs ASPI’s policy engagement on Indo-Pacific alliances. Previous to this post, she served for 20 years as a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, where she focused on United States relations with Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Thailand, and Singapore, with an emphasis on security issues. In 2023, she served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assisting the Chairman with drafting Asia policy legislation and preparing for hearings. Ms. Chanlett-Avery was a Presidential Management Fellow, with rotations in the State Department on the Korea Desk and at the Joint United States Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, Thailand. She also worked in the Office of Policy Planning as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow. She is a member of the Mansfield Foundation United States–Japan Network for the Future and a Mansfield-Luce Asia Network Scholar.&nbsp;She is a recipient of the Kato Prize, awarded by Washington think tanks for strengthening the United States-Japan alliance. She serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, Counselor of the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., and a Trustee of International Student Conferences, Inc. Ms. Chanlett-Avery received an MA in international security policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and her B.A. in Russian studies from Amherst College.

The Quad Reassessed: Regional Dynamics in a Changing Indo-Pacific

​AI is opening up a new era of solo-led companies, making it possible for one person to build, operate, and scale in entirely new ways.

​Join us for dinner with a small group of solopreneurs and builders creating solo-founded and one-person businesses in New York.

​We’ll bring together founders, creators, and operators for a guided conversation about common opportunities and challenges, key learnings, and exploring what it means to build independently in the age of AI.

​Meet the hosts:

​Pommon is a venture lab building ideas that help people work and thrive alongside AI. We've launched a community called Human Team to support solopreneurs and people navigating the future of work. Visit humanteam.me for more and to sign up.

​Rho is the all-in-one banking platform for startups and the accountants supporting them. With banking setup in minutes, cashback cards, and tools for managing spend, paying bills, and closing the books, Rho helps high-growth startups move fast and stay focused, backed by support that goes to the end of the earth to help you win.

​Rho is a fintech company, not a bank. Checking and card services are provided by Webster Bank, N.A., member FDIC; savings account services are provided by American Deposit Management Co. and its partner banks.

​#nyc

Pommon

​AI is opening up a new era of solo-led companies, making it possible for one person to build, operate, and scale in entirely new ways. ​Join us for dinner with a small group of solopreneurs and builders creating solo-founded and one-person businesses in New York. ​We’ll bring together founders, creators, and operators for a guided conversation about common opportunities and challenges, key learnings, and exploring what it means to build independently in the age of AI. ​Meet the hosts: ​Pommon is a venture lab building ideas that help people work and thrive alongside AI. We've launched a community called Human Team to support solopreneurs and people navigating the future of work. Visit humanteam.me for more and to sign up. ​Rho is the all-in-one banking platform for startups and the accountants supporting them. With banking setup in minutes, cashback cards, and tools for managing spend, paying bills, and closing the books, Rho helps high-growth startups move fast and stay focused, backed by support that goes to the end of the earth to help you win. ​Rho is a fintech company, not a bank. Checking and card services are provided by Webster Bank, N.A., member FDIC; savings account services are provided by American Deposit Management Co. and its partner banks. ​#nyc

Solopreneur Dinner [Rho x Pommon]

Invite & approval only:

Senior technical executives (CTOs, CDAOs, Heads and VPs of Engineering, AI, Data, and Technology)
 at large enterprises 
(1,000+ employees or $200M+ in ARR/funding)
 operating in highly regulated industries.

The technical leaders building enterprise AI at scale are comparing notes. This is the dinner where it's happening.

Every technical executive has evaluated the latest AI tools. Pilots have been launched. Expectations are rising. But the honest conversations - what's actually deployed in production, what quietly failed, how governance is evolving, and what teams are prioritizing next - aren't happening in the rooms you're typically invited to.

This private, off-the-record dinner brings together 
10–12 senior technical executives
 leading AI and technology transformation across highly regulated enterprises to hear directly from one another and discuss topics such as:
Deploying enterprise AI in production - not just pilots
Balancing innovation with security, governance, and compliance
Scaling AI across engineering, data, and business teams
Making build vs. buy vs. partner decisions in today's rapidly evolving landscape

This dinner is designed for leaders operating at enterprise scale. There are 
no panels, no pitches, and no sales presentations, 
just high-trust conversation over dinner in a private dining room in Manhattan. Seating is intentionally assigned to encourage meaningful discussion, with ample time to connect before and after dinner.

Invite &amp; approval only: Senior technical executives (CTOs, CDAOs, Heads and VPs of Engineering, AI, Data, and Technology) at large enterprises (1,000+ employees or $200M+ in ARR/funding) operating in highly regulated industries. The technical leaders building enterprise AI at scale are comparing notes. This is the dinner where it's happening. Every technical executive has evaluated the latest AI tools. Pilots have been launched. Expectations are rising. But the honest conversations - what's actually deployed in production, what quietly failed, how governance is evolving, and what teams are prioritizing next - aren't happening in the rooms you're typically invited to. This private, off-the-record dinner brings together 10–12 senior technical executives leading AI and technology transformation across highly regulated enterprises to hear directly from one another and discuss topics such as:<ul style="margin: 0px;"><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">Deploying enterprise AI in production - not just pilots</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">Balancing innovation with security, governance, and compliance</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">Scaling AI across engineering, data, and business teams</li><li style="padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px;">Making build vs. buy vs. partner decisions in today's rapidly evolving landscape</li></ul> This dinner is designed for leaders operating at enterprise scale. There are no panels, no pitches, and no sales presentations,&nbsp;just high-trust conversation over dinner in a private dining room in Manhattan. Seating is intentionally assigned to encourage meaningful discussion, with ample time to connect before and after dinner.

Events

Past Events