San Diego AI Showcase #4 (North County) May 2026
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 6:00 PM PDT – 8:30 PM PDT
LVLUP USA · 1410 Vantage Ct, Vista, CA 92081, USA
Hosted by Pactto
Note: we are charging $10 just to help with food and drinks, we already have an awesome space. If you don't feel like paying, please choose the INVITEE ticket (free). Thanks! San Diego AI Showcase (North County) A Homebrew-style night for AI experiments and demos. Safe space. No recordings! Just sharing and learning. This is a monthly, in-person gathering for San Diego founders who are actively building with AI, and who are willing to show their work before it’s perfect. Inspired by the original Homebrew Computer Club, where builders like Steve Wozniak casually shared what they were experimenting with, this is a space for real demos, early prototypes, bold ideas, and honest lessons. No polished pitch decks. No sales. No pressure. This is about learning in public, helping each other think sharper, and accelerating progress through thoughtful feedback. The San Diego AI Showcase is designed to grow a tight, curious, builder-driven founder community in the region. What you’ll see • Early AI products, tools, agents, workflows, and experiments • Things that are half-working, just launched, or still a little rough • Lessons from what didn’t work (often the most valuable part) • Live demos, screen shares, short walkthroughs Format • 5–10 founders present for 10 minutes each • 3-minute Q&A and group discussion after every presentation • Hang out, meet other builders, and keep the conversation going Who this is for • Founders actively building with AI (pre-seed to growth) • Engineers, designers, and product leaders experimenting hands-on • People who value curiosity, humility, and substance over hype What this is not • Not a pitch night • Not an investor demo day • Not a sales event Just builders helping builders. 📍 Event Details When: May 5, 2026, from 6 pm to 9 pm Where: LVLUP USA (North County San Diego. Vista, California) Organizer: Demian Borba, Founder and CEO of Pactto (Stanford StartX S25, ex-Adobe, Intuit, PayPal, BlackBerry) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/demianborba/ If you’re interested in presenting, attending, or shaping the future of this meetup, please email Demian at demian@pactto.com. The goal is to create something long-lasting for San Diego — a place where meaningful work gets shared early, and momentum compounds over time. Presenters: 6:15 pm Demian Borba, Founder and CEO of Pactto (Stanford StartX S25, ex-Adobe, Intuit, PayPal, BlackBerry) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/demianborba/ Title: Pactto AI Assistant Details: Meet Pactto's new AI assistant, focused on helping creatives go from draft to approved asset faster than ever. Zero-latency video playback, crystal-clear audio, high-quality assets, real-time annotations. All fueled by your company’s knowledge in a powerful intelligent canvas. ----------------------------- 6:30 pm Otzar Jaffe, Founder of Shwaz, Data Scientist LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/otzar-jaffe/ Title: Shwaz: AI Introductions for Better Conversations at Events Details: Shwaz helps people at events start real conversations faster. Each attendee completes a short voice onboarding with an AI agent. When two people meet, Shwaz generates a quick introduction based on shared interests and interesting differences, giving them an immediate icebreaker and an easy way to continue the conversation. ----------------------------- 6:45 pm Cammie Clay and Sonia Sarao, Co-founders of faybuddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cammieclay https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-sarao/ Title: faibuddy, AI Business Advisor Details: faibuddy helps you turn your product into a real business. While it's easier than ever to build, most founders still struggle to achieve product-market fit, craft compelling pitches, or create fundable plans. Through ongoing conversations, faibuddy acts as your seasoned advisor, offering sharp guidance while building and refining your unique workspace: Blueprint, deep Market Research, Go-to-Market Playbook, Pitch Kit, Funding Matches, and full Business Plan. ----------------------------- 7 pm Ana Paula Borba, founder of Eleve, AI Engineer (ex-ServiceNow, and 2nd-time Founder) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anapaulakedouk/ Title: Eleve, the performance operating system for action sports. Details: No AI platform was built for action sports, so we made one. One. that tracks kickflips, measures 540s, and celebrates first drop-ins the way they deserve. Let's see how AI is fueling the development and implementation of Eleve in California and other parts of the world. ----------------------------- 7:15 pm Chad Q. Martin, founder of Wildcard, 0-1 Innovation, Principal Product Designer, AI Strategy & Vibe Coding (ex-Principal Designer, HP Design Strategy & Incubation) LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chadqmartin Title: Wildcard: personalized, visualized productivity for creatives and nonlinear thinkers Details: Most organizational tools are made by and for linear thinkers. Non-linear minds (creatives, neurodivergent,…