San Francisco area Committee
Sky’s Not The Limit - Getting Autonomy Off the Ground
Event ended.
Join our next Mobility Committee Event during a dynamic Evening Series exploring Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & AI in the Aerospace sector
The FACC California Mobility Committee is thrilled to take part in Sky’s Not the Limit – a dynamic Evening Series connecting Entrepreneurship, Innovation & AI in the Aerospace Era, held at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos.
Within this larger program, our committee will host a special talk exploring how AI and innovation are reshaping aviation, mobility & sustainability: Getting Autonomy Off the Ground.
Featuring:
- Maxime Gariel – Autonomy Lead – Joby Aviation
- Jonathan Lovegren – Head of Autonomy & Airspace Integration – Wisk
- Raj Pai– Senior Technologist AI/ML – NASA
- Paul Smith– Director of Flight Test and Operations – Acubed
Moderator: Paige Stanton Wilson – Chief Development Officer – Acubed
What will it take to bring autonomy into the air—safely, at scale, and in the near term? This panel explores the transition from assisted flight to fully autonomous systems across commercial aviation, advanced air mobility, and beyond. We’ll discuss the key enablers, from AI and systems integration to certification pathways and operational readiness, and unpack how momentum is building across the ecosystem.
This unique event featuring bold ideas, visionary conversations, and meaningful connections is proudly co-hosted by theUC Berkeley Hass School of Business through the Berkeley Fisher Center for Business Analytics, the Consulate General of France in San Francisco, Acubed Airbus' Innovation Center in Silicon Valley, and the FACC California SF-LA.
Why Attend?
-Discover how AI is fueling new ventures in aviation, mobility, and sustainability.
-Dream without limits and explore how your idea can take flight in aerospace and beyond.
-Connect with entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors looking to back the next big breakthrough.
Who Should Join?
Founders, investors, engineers, students, executives, and visionaries ready to create and shape the future of flight and space.
Agenda:
4:00 p.m.: Welcome
4:15 p.m.: Opening Session & Keynote — State of the Industry with Zsolt Katona, Professor, Haas School of Business; Faculty Director, Berkeley Fisher Center for Business Analytics.
4:25 p.m.: Keynote — AI and Commercial Aviation: A World of Opportunities with Cedric Cocaud, Project Executive, Connected Airsights.
4:45 p.m.: Keynote — Focus on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Dynamics, Control, Motion Planning & State Estimation with Mark Mueller, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, High Performance Robotics Laboratory, UC Berkeley.
5:05 p.m.: FACC California Panel — Getting Autonomy Off the Ground with Jon Lovegren, Head of Autonomy & Airspace Integration, Wisk; Maxime Gariel, Autonomy Lead, Joby Aviation; Paul Smith, Director of Flight Test and Operations, Acubed; Raj Pai, Senior Technologist, Aviation Systems Division, NASA.
Moderated by: Paige Stanton Wilson (Acubed, FACC California)
5:50 p.m.: Break
6:00 p.m.: Startup Galaxy Tour — Dual-Use Air Taxi Marketplace with Matt Zacharias, CEO, EZ Aerospace.
6:15 p.m.: Startup Galaxy Tour — Autonomous Hydrogen-Powered Airships with Martin Bocken, Co-Founder & CEO, HyLight.
6:30 p.m.: Startup Galaxy Tour — Zero-Carbon Aerial Transport with Konstantin Kisly, Director of Engineering, Armada Aeronautics.
6:45 p.m.: Startup Galaxy Tour — In-Orbit Services for Sustainable Space Operations with Wilfried Jahn, Business & Project Developer, Infinite Orbits.
7:00 p.m.: Keynote — War and Peace in the New Aerospace Era with Leah Walker, Lab Director, Berkeley Risk and Security Lab.
7:15 p.m.: Space Discovery for the People — Show & Tell During Cocktail Reception with Franck Marchis, Senior Planetary Astronomer & Director of Unistellar Citizen Science, SETI Institute; Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder, Unistellar.
7:30 p.m.: Cocktail Reception
This unique event featuring bold ideas, visionary conversations, and meaningful connections is proudly co-hosted by Berkeley Haas, through the Fisher Center for Business Analytics, the Consulate General of France in San Francisco, Acubed Airbus' Innovation Center in Silicon Valley, and FACC California.
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