A place to live
Ten days of housing in San Francisco with the full cohort.
TAVUS RESIDENCY · SAN FRANCISCO
JULY 27—AUGUST 5, 2026
10 days in San Francisco to build the next interface.
Live with nine other builders. Work alongside Tavus. Create something that could only exist when AI can see, hear, remember, and respond face-to-face.
Five-minute AI video interview
Housing and meals covered · Tavus platform access · Direct support · Public Demo Day
LIVE RESIDENCY SIGNAL SF / 2026
10RESIDENTS10DAYS1HOUSE
BUILD SOMETHING
FACE-TO-FACE
THE NEXT INTERFACE
Every era of computing changed where intelligence lived.
First, it filled rooms.Then it moved onto desks.Then into every pocket.Then it learned to answer.
Now, for the first time, intelligence can look back.
It can see us. Hear us. Remember us. Respond in real time.
The next era will not be defined by a faster chat box.
It will enter the room.
IMAGE TBD · COMPUTING ERA
A room learns to calculate.
IMAGE TBD · COMPUTING ERA
A desk learns to think.
IMAGE TBD · COMPUTING ERA
A pocket learns to answer.
IMAGE TBD · AI HUMAN
INTELLIGENCE HAS PRESENCE.
THE BUILDER CHALLENGE
What will people build when intelligence has presence?
The next teacher?The next teammate?The next character?The next company?
Nobody knows yet.
That is the point.
The next category will not be announced during another panel about AI.
It will be built by people who make something strange, put it in front of real humans, and ship before there is a playbook.
You have 10 days.
INTRODUCING TAVUS RESIDENCY
Ten builders.
One house.
Ten days.
We are bringing together engineers, designers, and storytellers to explore what becomes possible when software can see, hear, remember, and respond face-to-face.
Live and build alongside Tavus’s product, engineering, research, and growth teams. Housing, meals, workspace, Tavus credits, and the full residency experience are covered.
Bring a problem, a strange belief, or an unfinished idea. Leave with a working product, real user feedback, and a story worth launching.
Late-night prototypes.Whiteboard arguments.Shared dinners.Daily user tests.One public Demo Day.
SAN FRANCISCOJULY 27—AUGUST 510 RESIDENTS MAX
WHAT THE 10 DAYS LOOK LIKE
Find the human moment
Identify a conversation, relationship, or experience that text and voice cannot fully serve.
Make it real
Build the smallest version with Tavus. Test identity, behavior, perception, memory, turn-taking, and visual presence.
Put it in front of people
Find real users. Watch where they lean in, pull away, trust it, misunderstand it, or return.
Turn it into a launch
Refine the product, tell the story, and introduce it publicly at Tavus Demo Day.
QUESTIONS WORTH BUILDING INTO
What products only become possible when software can see and be seen?
What does good UX mean when the interface can interrupt, remember, and react?
Where should an AI human live—in a meeting, a classroom, a game, a clinic, a home, or somewhere nobody has tried?
How can an AI human earn trust without pretending to be human?
Can an agent become a character people return to rather than another tool they open?
What changes when software joins the conversations people already have?
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Ten people who do not want to wait for the category to have a name.
7
Agent Builders
Engineers and technical founders who can turn an unfinished idea into a working product.
Full-stack, agents, multimodal AI, product engineering, real-time systems, infrastructure, or applied AI.
You do not need a company. You need evidence that you finish things.2
New Media Storytellers
People who understand culture and can turn a technical possibility into a story someone wants to share.
CREATIVE STORYTELLER
Concept, writing, direction, narrative, interviewing, and launch strategy.
TECHNICAL STORYTELLERCinematography, editing, motion, design, and making complex products easy to understand.
1
Human Interface Designer
Someone obsessed with the space between a person and an agent.
Behavior, trust, turn-taking, visual presence, social expectations, and what talking to software should actually feel like.
Do not fit neatly into one of these roles? Apply anyway. The tenth person could be a researcher, filmmaker, game designer, artist, psychologist, educator, or someone with a category we have not named yet.
WHAT YOU GET
Everything you need to build. Nothing you need to pitch around.
Meals and shared dinners
Daily meals and dinners with builders, Tavus employees, founders, and guests.
Tavus platform access
Platform credits and the tools needed to build a face-to-face AI product.
Direct technical support
Build alongside people who understand the Tavus product and conversational medium.
Real users
Test throughout the residency instead of waiting until Demo Day.
Launch support
Turn the project into a launch people understand.
Demo Day
Present to founders, developers, creators, customers, and investors in San Francisco.
TRAVEL TO SAN FRANCISCO IS NOT COVERED FOR THIS PILOT.
HOW TO APPLY
Talk to Garry
Skip the long application form. Tell Garry what you have built, what you want to create, and why it needs a face-to-face AI interface.
Approximately five minutesMeet Tavus
Shortlisted applicants join a brief human conversation with the Tavus team.
Rolling conversations through July 26Move in and build
The final cohort begins building in San Francisco on July 27.
Demo Day · August 5Most people will wait to see what AI humans become.
Ten people will decide.
IMAGE TBD · GARRY · TAVUS REPLICA
GAR RY IS READY
Five minutes · No pitch deck · No conventional application form
FAQ
Not another accelerator.
Who is this for?
Builders, designers, storytellers, researchers, and unusually curious people who can make things. You do not need an existing company or Tavus integration.
Do I need to be technical?
No. Seven places are intended for technical builders. Three places are intended for storytelling and human-interface talent.
Do I need an idea already?
No. You may arrive with an idea, join another resident’s project, or form a team during the opening sessions.
What should I build?
Anything that could not exist—or would be substantially worse—without a face-to-face AI interface.
Do I have to use Tavus?
Yes. Every residency project must use Tavus as a core part of the experience rather than an optional visual addition.
What is covered?
Housing, meals, workspace, Tavus platform access, direct support, launch assistance, and participation in Demo Day. Travel to San Francisco is not covered for this pilot.
Is there a fee? Does Tavus take equity?
No fee and no equity. These terms require internal confirmation before any public launch.
Who owns what I build?
You own what you build. Tavus may ask for permission to feature the project and residency process. This requires legal confirmation before public launch.
Am I really speaking with Garry Tan?
You will speak with an AI replica of Garry Tan, created with his permission. A human Tavus team would make all residency decisions.
Is the conversation recorded?
This is a prototype application experience. The demo website does not save your name, email, or conversation.