The voice of AI, Data and Innovation
About the Guest
Saeed Amidi
Founder and CEO, Plug and Play
Saeed Amidi is the Founder and CEO of Plug and Play Tech Center, a global innovation platform, venture fund, startup accelerator, and corporate innovation ecosystem based in Silicon Valley. A longtime entrepreneur and investor, Saeed has helped connect startups with leading corporations, investors, universities, and governments to accelerate commercialization and scale innovation across industries. He has also been closely involved with major growth companies including PayPal, LendingClub, and Dropbox.
Brief About the Episode
In this TeqTalk episode, Jas Kaur sits down with Saeed Amidi, Founder & CEO of Plug and Play Tech Center during the Silicon Valley May Summit 2026 to explore what makes this moment so important for founders, investors, and enterprise leaders. The conversation goes beyond Saeed’s personal journey. From his immigrant founder story to his views on AI Centers of Excellence, public-private-academic partnerships, and the future of entrepreneurship, Saeed shares why he believes this is the most exciting and energetic time he has seen in nearly five decades in Silicon Valley.
Key Learnings for Leaders
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Innovation moves through relationships, not technology alone.
Saeed’s journey shows that long-term trust, global partnerships, and proximity to entrepreneurs can create opportunities that capital alone cannot.
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This may be Silicon Valley’s most energetic era yet.
After 47 years in Silicon Valley, Saeed believes the current moment is one of the best times for entrepreneurs and investors to act, build, and participate in the next wave of innovation.
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AI innovation will be built through ecosystems.
Saeed highlights the importance of AI Centers of Excellence that bring together corporations, governments, universities, infrastructure partners, and startup talent around focused industry opportunities.
Tune in to hear Saeed Amidi’s perspective on Silicon Valley’s next chapter, the power of startup-enterprise collaboration, and why AI, partnerships, and ecosystem-driven innovation may define the future of business growth.
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