Scaling ambition at startup speed.

Y Combinator, the startup accelerator behind companies like Airbnb and Dropbox, set out to scale its AI Startup School - an invite-only, two-day event for rising talent in startups and AI. The goal: inspire a new generation of founders by bringing together 2,500 handpicked builders and 500 VIPs, including alumni, investors, and tech leaders, for a large-scale in-person experience. Over two days, attendees heard from leading voices in AI and entrepreneurship while gaining the mindset, tools, and connections needed to build what’s next.

Five weeks before the event, their ideal venue fell through. With limited time and a complex scope, Y Combinator partnered with Invision who took the lead and made it happen, fast.

Services

Solution

Invision was engaged to provide full-service technical and logistical support for the event, ensuring the ambitious program could be brought to life seamlessly. From the outset, InVision focused on the complex operational requirements of the event, ensuring the execution would exceed expectations of an audience fluent in technology and innovation.

We brought together the right cross-disciplinary team to align on vision, solve for venue logistics, and build a solid foundation under a tight timeline. With San Francisco’s Pier 48 as the decided location, we developed a full spatial and creative strategy for the 245,000 square foot space, transforming it from a raw warehouse into a fully activated environment. This covered everything from stage design - ultra-wide screen, walk-in loops, speaker backgrounds, and keynote graphics - to the overall attendee experience and flow.

In addition to following standard event protocols and design processes, we mobilized teams of structural and electrical engineers, architects, and contractors to develop a custom-built infrastructure aligned with the program’s vision. This included navigating a compressed permitting process and securing approvals from multiple city and state agencies on an expedited timeline.

Solution

The scope of the event was ambitious and complex, requiring coordination across multiple fronts. Invision managed San Francisco’s permitting process, the registration agency, security, traffic, staffing, and wayfinding, overseeing the crowd flow and movement of attendees and VIPs across three spaces. We sourced, installed, and styled more than 7,000 pieces of furniture, and coordinated meals and hospitality for all attendees.

In just four weeks, we built Interspace, a digitally focused activation zone designed to show how AI can spark both creativity and connection. A 30-foot-wide AI graffiti wall, powered by proprietary software created by Invision, invited students to doodle, remix, and erase on an ever-evolving canvas. Over 10+ hours, it became both a conversation starter and a collaborative mural that captured the collective energy of the group. An

AI-powered music installation brought code to life, with a live DJ coding music in real time as attendees voted to shape generative visuals — a fusion of tech, art, and rhythm that turned the space into a digital performance. 

Alongside three other interactive installations, Interspace became a playground for curiosity, collaboration, and experimentation — a rare intersection of creativity and computation that echoed Y Combinator’s ethos.

Six keynotes (featuring Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, and more), five fireside chats, and 12 breakout sessions, gathered the who’s who of AI and digital innovation, adding credibility and serious momentum to the event.

Throughout the process, the partnership with the Y Combinator team was key. With their trust, we were able to move quickly and make strategic decisions with confidence.