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Applied AI Live #1: Austin

Date: January 29, 2026 Venue: Antler VC, Austin, TX Attendance: ~100 checked in (40% show rate) Format: Guest speaker + live architecture session + audience Q&A

Applied AI Live #1: Full crowd at Antler VC, Austin

What Happened​

Applied AI Live #1 was the inaugural event for the Applied AI Society. Hosted at Antler VC in downtown Austin in partnership with AITX, it brought together applied AI practitioners, business owners, and tool builders for an evening of practitioner knowledge sharing.

The Format​

  1. Networking + Food. Doors opened at 5:30 PM with Firehouse Subs and open conversation. Having food ready for early arrivals set the social tone before content started. Firehouse Subs platters for early arrivals
  2. Guest Speaker. Travis Oliphant (creator of NumPy/SciPy, founder of OpenTeams) shared practitioner insights on applying AI for businesses.
  3. Live Architecture Session. A real business owner presented a real problem, and an engineer architected a solution on the spot. The audience watched real problem-solving happen in real time. Live architecture diagram presented on screen at Antler
  4. Audience Q&A. Powered by a custom platform with QR codes on every slide. Over a dozen questions submitted. AI moderation filtered submissions in real time.
  5. Open Networking. The event closed with unstructured time for attendees to connect and exchange notes.

What We Learned​

Things That Worked​

  • Name tags made the event legible. Color-coded by role (engineer, business owner, tool builder), they helped people find each other. Multiple attendees called them out as a highlight. Printed by Minuteman Press. Custom printed name tags for Applied AI Practitioner role, branded with Applied AI Live
  • Branded staff shirts elevated the feel. Ten shirts at ~$100. Staff wearing them at registration made the event feel immediately official. Rostam holding the Applied AI Society branded shirt
  • Food for early arrivals set the tone. Firehouse Subs (~$250, including veggie options) gave people something to do while waiting. The 25-minute window before the opening address became a natural networking period.
  • The live architecture session held the room. Real problem-solving in front of an audience. The format works. The concept proposed during the session resonated with multiple attendees in post-event conversations.
  • QR codes on every slide drove Q&A engagement. The custom platform worked on its first live outing. AI moderation kept submissions on-topic.
  • Auto-rotating animated slides during transitions kept the energy up between segments.
  • Day-of reminder blast boosted turnout. A written message went out to RSVPs at 11:29 AM: a future-looking note asking people to imagine where tonight could lead them a year from now. This likely contributed to the 40% show rate.

Things to Improve​

  • AV connectivity. The venue TV required on/off cycling to connect. Set the computer to never sleep or hibernate during the event.
  • Microphone redundancy. Only one mic was available. Workaround: the host spoke loudly so the guest could use the single mic. Bring backup equipment.
  • Brief the architect more thoroughly. The session worked well, but more advance prep would make it even tighter.

By the Numbers​

MetricResult
Checked in~100
Show rate~40% (above the typical ~35% for similar meetups)
Q&A questions submitted12+
Food (Firehouse Subs)~$250
Videography + photography~$300
Branded shirts (10)~$100–150
Printed flyers~$70
Name tags~$50
Total event cost~$770–820
FormatGuest speaker + live architecture + Q&A

Founding Sponsors​

Applied AI Live #1 was made possible with the support of the Applied AI Society's founding sponsors: OpenTeams and OT Incubator. Learn more about our founding sponsors.

What's Next​

  • Applied AI Live #2 at Capital Factory in Austin
  • Continued outbound outreach and community building
  • Expansion planning for other Texas cities and beyond

See Also​