About the Conference

This one-day conference, scheduled for April 29, 2026 from 8:45 AM to 6:30 PM, brings together leaders from academia, industry, startups, venture capital and policymakers—alongside top students from Berkeley—to explore the current state of robotics, what's next, and how the field can drive real-world impact.

NOVA is a robotics and AI community designed to facilitate discussion and collaboration across academia, industry, and policymakers. It serves as a platform for sharing knowledge, perspectives, and experiences related to the present and future of robotics and AI. By emphasizing real-world impact and responsible decision-making, NOVA aims to support thoughtful engagement across technical and non-technical communities.

Our Sponsor

Conference Pass


What is included?

  • All Keynotes & Panels
  • Breakfast, Lunch, & Networking Dinner
  • Grand Breakout Participation
  • Startup Pitch Competition Access
  • Exhibitions & Partner Booths
Register Now

Tickets are non-refundable.

Featured Speakers


Speaker Name

Boris Ivanovic

Manager
Autonomous Vehicle Research

NVIDIA

Speaker Name

Terry Fong

Chief Roboticist

NASA Ames Research Center

Speaker Name

Matthias Loipersberger

Product Manager
AI Research

Fujitsu

Speaker Name

Gokul Narayanan

Senior Research Scientist

Siemens

Speaker Name

Thomas Molleker

Principal

BMW iVentures

Speaker Name

Lauren Lacey

Head of Manufacturing and
Integration Engineering

Zipline

Speaker Name

Hannah Stuart

Associate Professor,
Mechanical Engineering

UC Berkeley

Speaker Name

David W. Tollen

Founder
(Lecturer, UC Berkeley School of Law)

Sycamore Legal & Tech Contracts Academy

Speaker Name

Jared Sorin

Partner

Brown Rudnick LLP

Speaker Name

Michael DeGrace

Key Account Manager -
Robotics

Teradyne

Speaker Name

Andrew Gass

Partner
(Lecturer, UC Berkeley School of Law)

Latham & Watkins LLP

Speaker Name

Tom Yeshurun

CEO

Civ Robotics

Speaker Name

Jeff Mahler

Co-Founder,
CTO

Ambi Robotics

Speaker Name

Juan Higueros

Co-Founder and COO

Bear Robotics

Conference Schedule

A full day of inspiring talks, panels, and networking opportunities.

Schedule subject to change

Breakfast & Registration

8:45 AM – 9:15 AM

30 mins

Opening & Welcome

9:20 AM – 9:30 AM

10 mins

Keynote #1: The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER)

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Q&A Link 30 mins
Speaker Name

Terry Fong

Chief Roboticist

NASA Ames Research Center

Panel #1: Legacy Systems & New Steel: The Hard Truths of Integrating Autonomy

10:05 AM – 10:45 AM

Q&A Link 40 mins
Speaker Name

Matt Rappaport

Co-Founder, Director

UC Berkeley Deep Tech Innovation Lab

Moderator

Speaker Name

Matthias Loipersberger

Product Manager
AI Research

Fujitsu

Speaker Name

Gokul Narayanan

Senior Research Scientist

Siemens

Speaker Name

Jeff Mahler

Co-Founder,
CTO

Ambi Robotics

Speaker Name

Andrew Gass

Partner
(Lecturer, UC Berkeley School of Law)

Latham & Watkins LLP

Break

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM

15 mins

Keynote #2: Reasoning Models for Autonomous Robotic Systems

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Q&A Link 30 mins
Speaker Name

Boris Ivanovic

Manager
Autonomous Vehicle Research

NVIDIA

Panel #2: Coexistence by Design: The Social Impact of Ubiquitous Robotics

11:35 AM – 12:15 PM

Q&A Link 40 mins
Speaker Name

Lleyton Elliott

Associate
(MEng Student)

NOVA

Moderator

Speaker Name

Michael DeGrace

Key Account Manager -
Robotics

Teradyne

Speaker Name

Lauren Lacey

Head of Manufacturing and
Integration Engineering

Zipline

Speaker Name

Hannah Stuart

Associate Professor,
Mechanical Engineering

UC Berkeley

Speaker Name

David W. Tollen

Founder
(Lecturer, UC Berkeley School of Law)

Sycamore Legal & Tech Contracts Academy

Lunch Break

12:35 PM – 1:35 PM

1 hour

Word from the Hosts and Sponsor

1:40 PM – 2:00 PM

20 mins

Grand Breakout: Team Ideation & Solutions

2:05 PM – 3:05 PM

1 hour

Panel #3: Surviving the Valley of Death: Funding Hardware in a Software World

3:10 PM – 3:50 PM

Q&A Link 40 mins
Speaker Name

Rasheed Auguste

Venture Investor

Playground Global

Moderator

Speaker Name

Thomas Molleker

Senior Associate

BMW iVentures

Speaker Name

Juan Higueros

Co-Founder and COO

Bear Robotics

Speaker Name

Tom Yeshurun

CEO

Civ Robotics

Speaker Name

Jared Sorin

Partner

Brown Rudnick LLP

Break

3:55 PM - 4:25 PM

30 mins

Pitch Competition

4:25 PM - 5:25 PM

1 hour

Networking Dinner

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

1 hour

Our Partners

Startup Pitch Competition

Interested in pitching?: Sign-Up Here!


Judges


Speaker Name

Chjango

General Partner

Aexodus Capital

Speaker Name

Thomas Molleker

Principal

BMW iVentures

Speaker Name

Rasheed Auguste

Venture Investor

Playground Global

Speaker Name

Matt Berggren

CEO

Neurocad Inc.


Session Sponsors






Prizes


Participants in the Pitch Competition will have the opportunity to win exclusive legal services from Perkins Coie LLP, a leading law firm with deep expertise in corporate and intellectual property law for startups. These services are designed to support and accelerate their startup journeys.

🥇 First Place


15 Hours of Corporate and/or Intellectual Property Legal Services

🥈 Second & 🥉 Third Places


One-Hour Legal Consultation

🎁 Consolation Prize


Exclusive Legal Packages for All Pitching Startups

Fujitsu Award


Attending Organizations


Location