Emergent is a student-run collective at Brown University that empowers the next generation of tech entrepreneurs by connecting them with the people building today’s most innovative technologies.

We host events such as the annual Emergent Conference, which brings together industry leaders and entrepreneurs to speak to our community about new developments in AI, technology, and startups.

Why Emergent?

300+Attendees from Brown and beyond

25+Industry speakers & Startups

$10,000Awarded in Disrupt Challenge prizes

We believe that the best way to shape the future of technology is to empower students today—not just with knowledge, but with direct access to the innovators, resources, and community they need to build it themselves.

That’s why, in just three months from January–April 2025, our eight-member team organized a brand-new 300-person AI startup conference: the first of its kind at Brown. The conference connected students across the Northeast with startup founders, venture capitalists, and AI research innovators.

The conference was a massive success: one panelist hired several attendees to join her startup, two of whom dropped out of Yale to work there full-time.

Since the conference, Emergent’s impact has only grown as we’ve hosted three more eventson startups and venture capital, which were attended by over 200 students. Now, we’re gearing up for our biggest event yet: Emergent Conference 2026, which will take place on Brown’s campus in April.

Want to get involved?

Speaking at or sponsoring Emergent events can help you reach a community of hundreds of students at Brown and across the Northeast who are excited about creating the future of technology.

Founders have hired attendees at Emergent events to join their startups
VCshave collaborated with us to host office hours, making connections within Brown’s startup ecosystem before founders need to raise their first round
Brand sponsors have promoted their products and recruited students at Emergent events

We’d love to collaborate. Drop us a line at info@emergentaiconference.com.

Past Events

Featured event

Emergent Conference 2025

April 19, 2025

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The inaugural Emergent Conference brought together 300 attendees from Brown and other universities across the Northeast. We hosted speakers from OpenAI, Nvidia, Anthropic, Google, AWS, and 10 startups from the Brown ecosystem and beyond. The day also featured Emergent’s Disrupt Challenge, where attendees competed for $10,000 in prizes by developing and pitching AI-enabled startup ideas.

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AI & Law Panel

February 4, 2026

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Emergent hosted a panel around the intersection of AI and law. The panel discussed the current state of AI in the legal industry, and the roles humanities and law students can play in the AI space.

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AI & Art Panel

February 2, 2026

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Emergent hosted a panel around the intersection of AI and art. The panel showcase a variety of perspectives that illustrate the industry's current thoughts on creativity in the age of AI, and introduced humanities and non-technical students to the roles they can play in startups.

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Venture Capital Panel & Office Hours

November 13, 2025

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Emergent hosted a VC panel around careers and the current state of venture capital, in collaboration with Brown’s Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. The panel also discussed various approaches to leveraging AI in the venture industry, as well as how individual VCs make investments and differentiate themselves.

After the panel, Emergent teamed up with Adam Fikry, partner at Genesis Fund, to host office hours for 10 student-run startups at Brown.

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After the panel, Emergent teamed up with Adam Fikry, partner at Genesis Fund, to host office hours for 10 student-run startups at Brown.

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Emergent x PearVC Info Session

September 15, 2025

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Emergent hosted PearVC partner Harris Stolzenberg for a talk, networking session, and 1:1 office hours on the inner workings of venture capitaland the current state of AI startups. Harris also gave insights into Pear’s startup accelerator program PearX, which provides funding, mentorship, and resources to early-stage startups.

Hosted as a collaboration between Emergent and Pear venture fellow Everest Yang, this event drew over 80 attendees: the largest group that PearVC addressed during its East Coast campus visits in 2025.

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Emergent x Etched Startup Talk

May 5, 2025

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Emergent hosted Carter Wilcox and Quinn McIntyre of Series A hardware startup Etched for an off-the-record talk on the future of AI, the next order-of-magnitude improvement in chip performance, and how students can become involved with the startup world.

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