Upcoming NEX-T Summit: Where Tomorrow's Tech Industry is Shaped Today

AsianFin -- The NEX-T Summit 2025, under the theme “New Era of X-Tech,” will kick off in Silicon Valley on September 27. The two-day conference will feature a galaxy of luminaries, including John Hennessy, Chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet; Gary Gensler, former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and Michael Snyder, a pioneer in genomics.

The buzz surrounding the highly-anticipated inaugural summit, convening business leaders, scientists, investors and media veterans, has quickly spread across the tech sector and venture capital circles. Tickets to the event have been sold out! It is expected to be one of the most talked-about and dynamic AI events this fall in Silicon Valley.

At the event, over 400 entrepreneurs, founders, investors, scientists, and policymakers, along with outstanding students from Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, will share their views and spark ideas on AI’s applications and ecosystem. Through meaningful networking and connections, they will drive innovation in the future.

The event will unfold in forms of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and project showcases. It will also offer unmatched networking opportunities at lunches and dinners, facilitating cross-sector collaboration and exchanges. Special sessions have also been curated under two themed boards: the Asian Women Impact Board and the Youth Impact Board. These aim to support the global growth and influence of Asian women and young Asian talents.

The second day of the summit will offer exclusive, closed-door discussions and private networking opportunities, including the Asian Leadership Roundtable in the afternoon, and the GALA Private Reception on the evening. These sessions are designed to fueling creativity and driving global cross-border cooperation to new heights.

The summit is jointly hosted by TMTPost Group, NextFin.AI, GALA (Global Asian Leadership Alliance), Shanda Group, and Barron’s China.

As a key global event at the intersection of technology and capital, the summit not only serves as a world-class dialogue platform but also highlights its core value in the innovation and industry ecosystem, drawing significant attention from both the media and the investment community.

The following is the speaker lineup and the agenda of the NEX-T Summit 2025 released on Wednesday:

poster

Sept. 27, 8:00 a.m. (PST) – Conference Check-in

9:00 a.m. (PST) – Opening Remarks

Opening Ceremony & Welcome

Robin Lewis Master of Ceremonies | Summit Chair, NEX-T 2025; Chair of Worldview Global Impact (WGI); Senior Advisor, NextFin.AI；Former Associate Dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)

Fiona Ma 34th Treasurer of California

Chiling Tong President & CEO, National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship

Jany H.J. Zhao Founder, NextFin.AI; Chairperson, TMTPOST Group; Publisher of Barron’s China

Keynote/ Dialogue : Silicon Valley & AI Trends

John L. Hennessy 10th President of Stanford University; Chairman of Alphabet; Turing Award Laureate

Lu Zhang Guest Host Founding Partner, Fusion Fund

Panel: AI and the Future of Human Health

Prof. Michael Snyder Professor and Chair, Stanford Genome Center; internationally recognized pioneer in precision health, genomics, and wearable technologies

Dr. Emmett Cunningham Former Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Life Sciences; over 20 years of venture investment and drug development leadership experience; currently Senior Advisor, HealthQuest Capital; Adjunct Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine

Sanjeev Kumar Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute Fellow, Venture Partner at Fusion Fund

Dr. Michelle Chen President & CEO Form Bio Inc.; Former Chief Business Officer of Insilico Medicine; Senior VP of WuXi Biologics; senior leadership roles at Roche and Merck

Prof. Huijun Ring Guest Host Adjunct Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine; Serial Entrepreneur; Global Leader in AI Longevity Medicine and East–West Integrative Health

Panel: Entrepreneurship in AI Era

Eric S. Swider Board Member，Trump Media & Technology Group; CEO, Renatus Tactical Acquisition Corp; Strategic Development Advisor, High-Trend International Group

Guangyu Robert Yang Co-founder & CEO of Fundamental Research Labs; Former Professor, MIT (Brain & Cognitive Sciences; Electrical Engineering & Computer Science); Head of the MetaConscious Research Group

Alice Ahmed AdTech, Creative, & Growth Leader | Ex-VP Product at AppLovin | Investor & Board Member

Wen Sang Co-funder & COO, Genspark.ai

Babar Ahmed CEO, Mindstorm studios

Theresa Yu Guest Host Managing Director, Global Bridge Capital; StartX, Board of Advisors

Panel: VC Trends in AI and Silicon Valley

Wei Zhou Founding Partner, CCV Capital; Managing Partner, KPCB

Dr. Jay Huang Founding Partner, Jadestone Capital; Former Managing Director, Intel China

Echo Cheng Founding Partner, BrightWay Future Capital

Lewis Hong Co-Founder and General Partner, FP Solutions VC;Former SpaceX executive

Cynthia Zhang Founder, FutureX Capital

Dr. Paul Fang Guest Host Founder /President, Bay Area Founders Club

Noon, September 27 (PST)

Networking lunch

Afternoon, September 27(PST)

Main Forum

Keynote/ Dialogue : Investing in the AI Era & U.S. Market Trends

Gary Scott Gensler Former Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan

Dr. Ken Lin Guest Host SVP, CP Group (Thailand)

Panel: Women Shaping Global Innovation: From Science to Capital and Global Business

Chrissy Luo Co-founder, Shanda Group and Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Brain Science institute (TCCI)

Prof. Bao Zhenan Professor, Stanford University; Founder&Directior,the Stanford Wearable Electronics initiative; The winner of the UNESCO Women in Science Award; Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering(NAE)

Holly Zheng Founding & Managing Partner, EnvisionX Capital; Chairwoman, BlueFocus International; Adjunct Professor, USC

Lu Zhang Founding Partner, Fusion Fund

Jany H.J. Zhao Guest Host Founder, NextFin.AI; Chairperson, TMTPOST Group; Publisher of Barron’s China

Panel: AI, Media, and Public Trust

Adi Ignatius Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Business Review

Dexter (Tiff) Roberts Fellow, Atlantic Council

Henny Sender Senior Advisor & Consultant to BlackRock CEO; Former Chief Correspondent, Financial Times

Jany H.J. Zhao Founder, NextFin.AI; Chairperson, TMTPOST Group; Publisher of Barron’s China

Jasmine Wang Guest Host Co- Chair, Worldview Global Impact；Board member, United Nations Unitlife

Panel: Next-Gen Perspectives: Youth Voices in the AI Era

Outstanding young students representing the next generation will share their perspectives on the AI era

Elaine Du Director, Producer, Actor, Photographer, Athlete and Founder

Tom Yuan Stanford CS Junior, RL Researcher, Builder of the World's First RL Agent Ensemble for Roblox Playtesting, Passionate about philosophy Piano and boxing

Cindy Ren Junior, Tabor Academy; USA Biolympiad Global Gold Medalist; Alzheimer’s Research Assistant (Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women’s); Wovenly (Dementia Support) Intern; Kindness Matters Inc. Leader

Catherine Chen Student at the Nueva School especially passionate about combining neuroscience, psychology, and music to explore human behavior in the digital age; Part of the iSing Silicon Valley Choir since second grade and advanced to the highest HD level

Frances Sun Guest Host Director for Asia, Harvard HAA, founder& President of EduTank

Panel : The U.S.-China Entrepreneurial Landscape: Bridge or Barrier?

Hang Zhou Angel Investor; Partner, Shunwei Capital; Founder, YidaoYongchew

Dr. Hongbin Li James Liang Endowed Chair, Stanford University; Faculty Co-Director, Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions (SCCEI); Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) & Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)