Ashton Kutcher keynote speaker

Ashton Kutcher is more than a celebrated actor: he’s a visionary entrepreneur, early-stage investor, and dedicated futurist whose passions span entertainment, technology, and social impact. Rising to fame through iconic roles on screen, Ashton subsequently channeled his success into an equally impressive second act — this time as a venture capitalist and tech evangelist.

As a co-founder of VC firms A-Grade Investments (launched 2010) and Sound Ventures (est. 2015), he helped back a string of now-familiar companies — from early names in mobility, travel, media, and consumer tech, to the next generation of artificial intelligence leaders.  Over the years, Sound Ventures has grown to manage over $1 billion in assets and has supported hundreds of companies across diverse sectors.

But it’s AI — and what he calls the “foundation-layer” of technology — that now earns Ashton some of his boldest bets. In 2023, Sound Ventures closed a dedicated AI fund (raising over $240-243 million in just weeks) to back leading generative-AI and foundational-model startups. Their portfolio includes high-impact companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Stability AI and Hugging Face — organizations at the forefront of redefining what’s possible in AI for creativity, work, and everyday life.

Ashton often speaks publicly about AI not just as a disruptive technology — but as a force for inclusion, democratizing access to tools like personalized education, medicine, and legal support. He sees AI as more than “automation”; to him, it’s a pathway to equity and opportunity.

In his work — whether on stage, screen, or behind-the-scenes as an investor — Ashton merges a creative sensibility with a technologist’s curiosity. As a speaker, he offers an uncommon vantage point: a deep understanding of storytelling, human behavior, and the long-term impact of technology on society.