Tech Talk Series: Beyond the AI Hype Cycle

The AI landscape is moving from experimentation to enterprise-wide implementation. As budgets shift from pilots to production systems, the real question is no longer what is technically possible, but what is commercially durable.

This quarter’s Tech Talk series cuts through the noise to examine what survives beyond the hype. We are bringing together builders, investors, and platform leaders who are shaping the next chapter of enterprise AI in real time.

Featured Event: Investing at the Center of the Enterprise AI Platform Shift

Microsoft sits at the intersection of cloud infrastructure, productivity software, and frontier AI deployment. Join us for an intimate fireside chat with Alan Du, Partner at M12, Microsoft's Venture Capital Fund, on how strategic venture capital operates inside a hyperscale platform and what that means for founders building today.

We will explore:

How M12 evaluates enterprise AI opportunities across infrastructure, security, and application layers
What it actually takes for startups to succeed within the Microsoft ecosystem
Where enterprise AI adoption is accelerating and where it remains constrained
How Microsoft positions itself amid competitive pressure from other frontier ecosystems
What durable advantage looks like as AI moves deeper into enterprise workflows

Expect a candid discussion on investment discipline, ecosystem leverage, and where long-term value will accrue in the enterprise AI stack.

Location: P107, GSB
Time: Feb 20, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Speaker: Alan Du
Moderator: Catherine Li

Stanford Tech Club Fireside Chat with Alan Du, Partner at M12, Microsoft's Venture Capital Fund