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AI Lectures: Explore the Future of AI on July 16

Explore how AI is transforming business, higher education and the future of work.

Join SFSU in welcoming visiting scholars from National Taipei University of Business (NTUSB) for two free public lectures on artificial intelligence on Thursday, July 16. Community members, students, faculty and staff are also invited to attend.

Learn how artificial intelligence is changing business, higher education and the future of work through presentations from two AI leaders with experience in industry and research.

Navigating the AI Revolution: Skills, Strategy and Opportunities for the Future of Work

Thursday, July 16
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. PT

Join Anna Zakowska, Ph.D., for a discussion on how AI is reshaping the job market, business strategy and the skills needed for future success. You'll also learn how AI is being applied across industries including Fintech, LegalTech, PropTech, real estate and private equity.

Zakowska is an AI/ML leader, fund manager, founder and investor. She is the managing partner of Dragons & Angels Fund and previously spent five years working on training Google's Gemini model. Her work focuses on AI, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and the future of work.

AI in the Business Environment and Crafting Functional Policy

Thursday, July 16
3 to 4 p.m. PT

Hear from SFSU alumnus Elliot Verduzco about how AI is changing higher education and the workplace. He'll share what he has learned leading AI innovation at AlfaTech, discuss the evolving AI landscape and explain how he envisions the future of work for today's undergraduates. He'll also demonstrate software projects he has been developing.

Verduzco leads AI innovation at AlfaTech, where he helped establish the firm's enterprise AI infrastructure. His work includes AI governance, policy development and cross-functional collaboration. He holds a B.S. in computer science from San Francisco State University.

Attend

Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Location: CCSF Chinatown/North Beach Center, 808 Kearny St., Room 605
Cost: Free

RSVP

Lecture: AI in the Business Environment and Crafting Functional Policy

From SFSU computer science undergraduate to AI innovation lead at AlfaTech, Elliot Verduzco has experienced firsthand how AI is changing higher education and the future of work.

In this lecture, he'll share what he has learned since beginning his role at AlfaTech, his observations about the evolving AI landscape and how he envisions the future of work for himself and for today's undergraduates entering an uncertain job market. He'll also demonstrate software projects he has been developing.

Lecture with Elliot Verduzco

Elliot Verduzco leads AI innovation at AlfaTech, an engineering and design firm that designs data center facilities for hyperscaler clients.

As the firm's first full-time software developer, he helped establish its enterprise AI infrastructure. His work includes running data-driven pilot programs, technical AI governance and policy authorship and collaborating across executive leadership, IT and project management.

He holds a B.S. in computer science from San Francisco State University and consults independently on AI tooling for nonprofits and skilled trades businesses.

Lecture: Navigating the AI Revolution

Navigating the AI Revolution: Skills, Strategy and Opportunities for the Future of Work

AI is changing how people work, learn and build careers. In this lecture, you'll explore how AI is reshaping the job market, business strategy and the skills needed for future success. You'll also learn how AI is being applied across industries including Fintech, LegalTech, PropTech, real estate and private equity.

Lecture by Anna Zakowska, Ph.D.

Anna Zakowska, Ph.D., is an AI/ML leader, fund manager, founder and investor with experience building and scaling companies across frontier AI models, Fintech, LegalTech, PropTech, real estate and private equity.

She is the managing partner of Dragons & Angels Fund, a $100 million investment fund focused on high-growth companies, real estate and private credit. Anna became a founder in 2013 and grew her first startup to more than $1 billion in assets under management.

She holds a Ph.D. in data science from Claremont Graduate University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She spent five years working on training Google's Gemini model.

Her research focuses on creating systems that help young people access credit, grow their businesses and build the financial foundation needed to purchase personal assets such as homes. This work led her to create Darts Credit, a company dedicated to expanding credit access through alternative credit-building tools for people left behind by legacy scoring models.

Anna is also advancing research and investment in neuro-symbolic approaches to improve LLMs and agentic feedback loops. She is the co-founder of Eqwiti, a global platform focused on expanding access to private market investment opportunities for a network of more than 60,000 investors.

Her work sits at the intersection of AI, capital formation, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and the future of work.

The International Student Journey – IEM 2025

As part of International Education Month (IEM), the Center for Global Engagement will host a panel discussion called “The International Student Journey,” with international alumni from SFSU's English for Academic Preparation program, academic certificate programs and University Pathway Program.

You will hear unique student stories and valuable advice on reaching academic and professional goals. Center for Global Engagement program alumni will share insights from their academic and professional journeys focusing on navigating transitions from English language study to university certificate and degree programs to career. The session will be interactive with ample opportunity for Q&A.

International Business Certificate Graduate Honored in Newsweek Japan

After earning his certificate from the College of Professional & Global Education, entrepreneur Sota Watanabe went on to found two successful tech companies

Sota Watanabe, a former College of Professional & Global Education (CPaGE) International Business student, has been selected one of “100 Japanese people the world respects” by Newsweek Japan for his impressive record as a young entrepreneur. Prior to this, he was selected for the Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia” list in 2022. 

Watanabe was an Economics major at Keio University in Japan and wanted to expand his global business experience. He applied to the International Business Professions program run by ICC Japan. As part of this program he enrolled in CPaGE’s American Language Institute to improve his English. Following completion of the English for Academic Preparation program, Watanabe earned a certificate in the SF State International Business program. This program helped Watanabe develop the knowledge and skills to become a global leader.

“The groundwork for working globally, including English and business skills, was developed while I was in San Francisco. Without these experiences at SF State, I can’t imagine where I would be today. It was an experience that allowed me to experience and interact with cutting-edge technology and broaden my horizons,” said Watanabe.

During his program, he spent time in the San Francisco Bay Area attending IT, art and language exchange Meetups and visiting technology headquarters in Silicon Valley. Watanabe was able to visit Google, Facebook and Apple. He also completed an internship for Silicon Valley startup Chronicled. When he left SF State, Watanabe returned to Japan and founded Stake Technologies, the first company in Japan to adopt blockchain acceleration sponsored by UC Berkeley. Watanabe received an unprecedented four rounds of funding from Web3 Foundation, which he is using to further innovation at his company. He also founded another tech company, Astar Network. He later participated in the 2021 International Student Journey event hosted by CPaGE’s Center for Global Engagementas an alumni panelist.

International Business Professor and Department Chair Bruce Heiman taught Watanabe in “Research in International Business and the Global Market.” From his interactions with Watanabe in and outside the classroom he shared that he  sees him as an example for past, current and future students. In addition to being a high academic performer while a student at SF State, Watanabe was well respected by his peers and became good friends with many other students as well as professors. The International Business courses he followed while at SF State helped him achieve a solid comfort level working in groups comprised of members from diverse cultures. His outgoing nature and ability to span cultural boundaries has served him well in his career.

“We are proud to have Sota as an example of a graduate of our certificate program,” Heiman said.

“From the first day Sota arrived at SF State, it was clear he was going places,” added CPaGE Assistant Dean Saroj Quinn. “Sota is one of the most inquisitive, passionate and charismatic students I have met. Every time I spoke with Sota during his program, I learned something new about the innovation and entrepreneurship landscape of San Francisco. Sota truly made the city of San Francisco his classroom, using his free time to build a global network.”

Newsweek Japan magazine cover
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