Powering Intelligence: Insights from the Front Lines of AI and Power – VistaShares – 10.26.26

Summary:

Join Jon McNeill, Co-Founder of VistaShares and former President of Tesla, and David Fetherstonhaugh, EVP and Investment Strategist at VistaShares, for an inside look at the AI and Electrification Supercycles, with firsthand perspectives on the future of the U.S. grid and the semiconductor technologies powering AI.

In the first half, Jon and David will be joined by Justin Lopas, Co-Founder and COO of Base Power and Advisor to the VistaShares Investment Committee, for a conversation about the future of the U.S. grid. The discussion will explore growing electricity demand, the role of battery storage in improving grid reliability, and the investment needed to expand and modernize power infrastructure, themes central to the VistaShares Electrification Supercycle ETF (NYSE: POW).

In the second half, Vikram Sekar, Ph.D., Founder of SemiExponent and Co-Host of the Semi Doped podcast, will join the conversation to examine the semiconductor supply chains behind AI. A former Qualcomm engineer with doctoral training in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University, Vikram brings over 15 years of semiconductor industry experience spanning startups, mid-sized companies, and large technology firms. Topics will include evolving computing architectures, the growing importance of connectivity, and the bottlenecks shaping the next phase of infrastructure investment, themes central to the VistaShares Artificial Intelligence Supercycle ETF (NYSE: AIS).

Accepted for 1 CFP / IWI / CFA CE Credit

Speakers:

Jon currently serves as the CEO and Co-Founder of the venture studio, DVx Ventures. With a track record of founding and scaling six companies, Jon has led teams that generated tens of thousands of jobs and delivered multi-billion dollar returns for investors. At DVx, Jon and his team have launched 13 companies that are attacking broad opportunities in large markets.

Previously, Jon served as President at Tesla, where revenue grew from $2B to $20B in just 30 months. Subsequently, Jon joined Lyft as COO, where he played a pivotal role in doubling revenues and helping to take the company public. With a history as a six-time serial entrepreneur creating unicorns, Jon has a wealth of experience in operating and scaling companies during periods of hyper-growth in revenue and operations and has delivered returns of 9x to investors.

Jon currently holds advisory partner positions at Advent International and Goodwater Capital, serves as Vice Chair of the board of directors of Cruise, and is a board member for General Motors, Asurion, CrossFit, Stash, and Lululemon. During his tenure on the board of Lululemon, the company underwent a turnaround, resulting in a quintupling of its stock value.

Jon is a sought-after speaker, and frequently lectures at Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management. He graduated from Northwestern University before beginning his career at Bain & Company.

Justin Lopas is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Base Power, an energy technology company based in Austin, Texas, focused on modernizing and decentralizing the electrical grid through home battery systems. Before founding Base Power in 2023, he led manufacturing at Anduril Industries and worked at SpaceX, where he played a key role in building the Starship program and establishing the Starbase site in Texas.

At Anduril, he managed a team of over 150 people overseeing manufacturing, operations, and supply chain for advanced defense systems. Known for his precision-building mindset learned at SpaceX, Lopas now applies those principles to scalable energy infrastructure, helping transform battery storage into intelligent grid technology.

A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in mechanical engineering, Lopas has also held positions at Apple and Baker Hughes.

Vik is the founder of SemiExponent, an independent semiconductor research platform focused on the technologies, companies, and markets shaping the next generation of computing infrastructure. He brings nearly two decades of semiconductor industry experience spanning RF, device engineering, technology development, and productization. His research covers AI compute, memory, networking, power, advanced packaging, and the broader semiconductor ecosystem, connecting technical developments with their business and market implications.

Vik also writes Vik’s Newsletter, a technology publication on Substack with more than 20,000 subscribers, and co-hosts the semiconductor podcast Semi Doped with Austin Lyons. His work translates complex semiconductor technologies into clear, actionable insights for engineers, executives, and investors.

David is a Principal at DVx, overseeing diligence on new ventures and external investments. Before joining DVx, David was at Mithril Capital Management, a global technology investment fund. At Mithril, David worked on the investment team, evaluating esoteric investment opportunities and supporting portfolio companies. David is a graduate at McGill University.