Silicon Oasis Board Member Andy Lombard to Speak at Global Startup EXPO 2026 in Osaka

By Kyle Macdonald, COO of Silicon Oasis

Arizona’s technology ecosystem will have representation on an international deep-tech stage next week as Silicon Oasis Board Member Andy Lombard heads to Osaka, Japan, for Global Startup EXPO 2026.

Lombard, Founder and Managing Partner of Tesoro Venture Capital, will join Caroline Winnett, Executive Director of Berkeley SkyDeck, and Rob Knoth, Senior Group Director in Strategy & New Ventures at Cadence Design Systems, for a session titled “Building the Foundation for AI: Semiconductor Innovation in the Age of Frontier AI.”

The panel is scheduled for October 6 from 2:10–2:55 p.m. Japan time at Congrès Square Grand Green Osaka.

The discussion will focus on how startups, investors, universities and industry can work together to build the next generation of semiconductor companies powering artificial intelligence. Global Startup EXPO describes the session as examining opportunities created by AI workloads, edge computing, custom silicon and open architectures such as RISC-V, along with the role of design automation and hardware-software integration.

That conversation is particularly relevant to Arizona.

The state has become one of the most important semiconductor markets in the United States, while Silicon Oasis is working to connect the founders, investors, universities, industry leaders and policymakers needed to turn that infrastructure into a deeper innovation ecosystem.

Having a Silicon Oasis board member participating in that conversation internationally helps connect Arizona’s semiconductor ambitions with founders, investors and technology leaders beyond the state.

Global Startup EXPO 2026 runs October 5–7 in Osaka and brings together global participants across semiconductors and communications, AI and advanced robotics, quantum, space, fusion energy, and bio-healthcare.

Articles of Reference:

Global Startup EXPO 2026 official session page: https://global-startup-expo.com/en/session/session047/
Global Startup EXPO 2026 official event page: https://global-startup-expo.com/en/