Polsinelli LLP, The LA Grind
[SF]
[LA]
The LA Grind and Polsinelli's Curated Coffee & Tech Mixer
Santa Monica
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Polsinelli LLP, The LA Grind
Kick off your morning with The LA Grind and Polsinelli’s curated coffee and tech mixer on the beautiful patio at Tiato Kitchen & Garden. This event will bring together founders, investors, entrepreneurs, and tech-industry leaders for valuable conversations and connections over free coffee and pastries....i.e., you will not want to miss this!
Feel free to bring a friend. We look forward to connecting with you!
The LA Grind is the definitive newsletter for the Los Angeles’ tech and startup ecosystem . Founded and curated by Justin Gordon, it delivers the pulse of the city’s innovation community each week — from must-attend events and founder spotlights to venture deals and insider opportunities. With thousands of engaged readers and a fast-growing community, The LA Grind has quickly become the trusted source for founders, investors, and operators who want to stay connected and ahead in LA’s dynamic tech landscape.
Polsinelli is a full-service AmLaw 100 law firm that specializes in technology, startups/emerging growth companies, and healthcare. Ephraim Hintz, a LA-based attorney at Polsinelli, is an experienced technology transactions/venture capital attorney with clients ranging from pre-seed startups to Fortune 500 companies.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com
[SF]
[LA]
women in STEM: a comedy show
***Grab your tickets at the link above!***
women👏 in👏 STEM👏 is a stand up comedy show featuring a line up of all women who work in tech.
Not only do these comedians regularly perform at comedy clubs across the country, but they also have backgrounds in the likes of AI safety, Conversational AI, digital marketing, and more.
Come laugh along with some of LA's funniest and smartest comedians as they question the value of their PhD, wax poetic about social media algorithms, and roast their cringiest LinkedIn connections.
***This show always sells out so make sure to get your tickets early!***
Line Up:
Subhah Agarwal
Julia Li
Dewey Lovett
Ilana Arbisser
Produced and Hosted by: Cassidy McDonnell
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com
LAVA - LA's Venture Association
[SF]
[LA]
Sports Entertainment LAVA Dutch Dating
El Segundo
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LAVA - LA's Venture Association
Round Robin for sports entertainment professionals of all types to mingle together in a series of one-on-one matchups mixed with a visiting delegation of Dutch sports entertainment startups and pros.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
[SF]
[LA]
COFFEE ON SLAUSON
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
Start your morning with great food, music, and conversation at Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen on Slauson and get a glimpse of what South LA has to offer.
Hilltop will be open exclusively for registered guests. Space is limited, so RSVP early to secure your spot. Free parking available in the back.
Thank you to our friends at Orrick, SVB, Pilot, and Google for their partnership.
Slauson & Co. and our sponsors take great pride in our community and events. By attending this event, you are agreeing that your image may be captured in photo or video and used for future marketing campaigns, and that your contact information will be confidentially shared with our event sponsors. Slauson & Co. does not share your information with other parties
About Slauson & Co.
Slauson & Co. is a Los Angeles based early stage venture capital firm rooted in economic inclusion. The firm leads pre seed and seed stage deals and leverages its network of corporations, foundations, investors, executives, and successful founders to provide resources and guidance for accelerating the growth of the founders they back. In addition, the firm runs Friends & Family, a 12-week accelerator that provides non-dilutive capital to emerging founders.
About Orrick
Orrick is a tech-focused law firm passionate about helping entrepreneurs, innovators and investors push boundaries. Through our extensive client portfolio, deal volume, and relationships in the ecosystem, we provide commercial insight to each client’s strategy. From financing to protecting IP to retaining talent to advocating for innovation-friendly public policy, we offer a holistic solution across the tech & venture lifecycle.About SVBSilicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, is the bank of innovative companies and investors. With 40+ years of dedication to this sector, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has deep experience banking investors and innovation clients.
About Pilot
Pilot powers the financial back office for startups and small businesses. They specialize in bookkeeping, tax preparation, and CFO services and are focused on delivering a customer experience of unparalleled quality. When you work with Pilot, you get a team of finance experts who take the work off your plate–so you can focus on your business.
About Google
Google Cloud is the new way to cloud, infusing industry-leading AI across five key product lines that our customers love and rely on today: modern infrastructure, powerful developers tools, intelligent data analytics and databases, trusted security, and the world’s most popular productivity suite with more than 3 billion users. Apply for the Google Cloud Credits program.
Innovate Pasadena, Art Center College of Design, City of Pasadena
[SF]
[LA]
Hacking Human Happiness
Pasadena
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Innovate Pasadena, Art Center College of Design, City of Pasadena
Designing Tech & Norms That Make Good Contagious
Sometimes it's hard to believe, but people are far more good to each other than not. We even have the research to prove it. Yet, we're in an era where technology and social media often amplify negativity, reward sharing outrage, and monetize division.
Can we reclaim social sharing norms and tweak them to support human well-being? Can we develop new social tools that harness human psychology to foster prosocial behavior?
Those are two of the questions our expert panel will address in this thought-provoking discussion.
Join us on October 15 in Pasadena as we bring together storytellers, behavioral scientists, and technologists to explore how we can reimagine technology for happiness, connection, and human flourishing. We'll discuss why so much of our digital environment feels wired for stress, what science tells us about joy and resilience, and how we can shift the narrative and norms toward prosocial choices and positive impact.
Whether you're a designer, product developer, educator, content creator, or simply someone who wants to understand how technology shapes our collective well-being, you'll walk away with:
- An understanding of the psychological principles tech components leverage to trigger different responses and behaviors.
- Ideas on designing tools and services that move beyond reliance on negativity and increase positive human engagement.
- Real-world connections with others who want to spread stories of human goodness and leverage technology to encourage positive human outcomes.
And the ideas won't stop when the panel discussion ends. Every attendee receives a complimentary, one-year Next Big Idea Club subscription (valued at $99) to continue exploring ideas and concepts from the world's preeminent thinkers. Our panelists include featured NBIC authors.
Our Panelists
Gabriel Reilich is Head of Content & Innovation at GOOD & Upworthy. He is devoted to his mission of spreading optimism; he believes the internet can be a force for good and is dedicated to leveraging it to amplify the best of humanity. He has created content and crafted impactful campaigns for numerous respected brands, nonprofits, and non-governmental organizations, including Google, GoFundMe, and the World Food Programme. He is the co-author of "Upworthy: Good People, a Next Big Idea Club featured book.
Gloria Mark, PhD, is Chancellor's Professor Emerita at UC Irvine, where she has spent more than two decades studying how people interact with technology. A psychologist specializing in human-computer interaction, her research examines how digital media affects our attention, multitasking, mood, and behavior in real-world environments. She is the author of "Attention Span," a Next Big Idea Club featured book, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, The Atlantic, and numerous other outlets.
This event is hosted by Innovate Pasadena and the City of Pasadena.
For accessibility information and requests, contact (626) 744-7311 or CSC@cityofpasadena.net.
Providing at least 72 hours advance notice will help ensure availability.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
San Francisco Bay University, Santa Clara University, San Jose State University, UC Berkeley
[SF]
[LA]
The Bay Bridge: University Incubator Social
East Bay
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San Francisco Bay University, Santa Clara University, San Jose State University, UC Berkeley
Join us for an evening that brings together the innovation engines of Bay Area universities. The Bay Area University Incubator Mixer will unite founders, program directors, and ecosystem partners from San Francisco Bay University, San Jose State, Santa Clara University, and UC Berkeley. This social gathering is designed to spark collaboration, share insights, and strengthen the bonds between the region’s top entrepreneurial programs. Attendees can expect casual networking, conversations about the future of innovation, and opportunities to build cross-campus partnerships. Whether you’re a student founder, mentor, or community partner, this is your chance to connect with the people shaping the next wave of startups in the Bay.
This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
By registering for this event, you agree to receive communications from San Francisco Bay University (SFBU) and San José State University (SJSU) about this program and future entrepreneurship-related opportunities. You may unsubscribe at any time.
[SF]
[LA]
Digital Civics @ USC & Beyond: Positive AI
Join CloudKitchens co-founder Diego Berdakin (who built a $15B company and now chairs USC's Ethics in Media & Technology), Karl Jacob, entrepreneur and strategic advisor to USC Viterbi Information Sciences Institute, gaming industry legend Gordon Bellamy (Director of Cinematic Ethics and former EA designer behind Madden NFL), USC Marshall's John Shehan, and ARTIFICTIONAL (powered by Lovable) founder & Peabody Award Winning Fillm maker and composer, Amman Abbasi as they decode the AI literacy secrets that make founders irresistible to employers and investors alike.
It's your blueprint for positioning yourself at the intersection of positive AI entrepreneurship and Digital Civics, where the highest-paying jobs and most fundable startups are emerging. Discover how Berdakin's expertise in combating fake news algorithms and Bellamy's groundbreaking work in ethical gaming translate into the employability superpowers that top tech companies are desperately seeking in 2025. Learn the specific AI literacy frameworks that they use to train the next generation of tech leaders who command premium salaries and secure venture funding.
Walk away with actionable strategies to leverage Digital Civics as your competitive advantage, whether you're launching the next unicorn or pivoting your career into the most in-demand roles where AI meets social impact.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
[SF]
[LA]
Engineering Leaders × LLMs | Dinner by Optimal AI
You’re invited to an intimate, three-course dinner on Tuesday, October 14 at 6:00 PM, hosted near Santa Monica.
Optimal AI is bringing together a small group of engineering leaders across Los Angeles to explore how LLMs are changing the way teams build, secure, and scale software. From AI-powered code reviews to security automation, this will be an off-the-record conversation around what’s working, what’s hype, and what’s next.
Expect perspectives from leaders at fast growing startups and Fortune 500 co's, as we trade notes on:
- Where LLMs are truly saving time (and where they aren't)
- Security risks that are often overlooked
- What internal tools and processes teams are building around AI
- What PR review and debugging might look like in 6 months
Optimal AI is the team behind Optibot, a multi-agent system designed to act as your engineering team's fastest, most consistent code reviewer automating reviews with deep context and surfacing security issues early across repos. Customers include MongoDB, Prometric and Mpulse.
📍 Location to be shared with approved guests
🍽️ Three-course dinner included
Please let us know if you have any dietary preferences or restrictions by emailing Myra@getoptimal.ai.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
Villa Kitchen, Airble, We Speak Dance, Techstars San Fransisco
[SF]
[LA]
The Future of Hospitality: Poetry, Provenance & Passports
Santa Monica
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Villa Kitchen, Airble, We Speak Dance, Techstars San Fransisco
Villa Kitchen Collective +, in partnership with Airble, presents a one-of-a-kind cultural supper club during LA Tech Week. Guests will experience small bites by a selected BIPOC-sourced farm recommended by Supply Change Co., cuisine prepared by a local LA chef, paired with provenance storytelling and immersive performances by acclaimed poets Stratus The Fire, Eon Grey, and Hussllu from The CryPoetry. This intimate gathering will also debut the Villa Kitchen Passport, our 2026 membership program granting access to exclusive dinners across multiple cities. Designed for founders, investors, and cultural innovators, the event reimagines how technology, equity, and hospitality intersect to shape the future of travel dining.
Supporting in spirit are Wafâa Maadnous and Vandana Hart, who will also help guide our 2026 Supper Club calendar—a series of intentionally themed dinners in chosen cities and sourced by BIPOC farms.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
[SF]
[LA]
Pouring Growth: A Tea Ceremony for Founders & Investors
Join an exclusive tea ceremony experience in the middle of noisy SF Tech Week.
Guided by a tea master, this gathering slows the pace and creates space for conversations that are thoughtful, present, and lasting.
With only 20 seats for seed and Series A founders alongside partner-level VCs, this is networking designed for depth, trust, and lasting relationships.
Brought to you by A-Players, One Way Ventures, Escalon, and Rho.
This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
Headstream, iOpening Enterprises, Innovation Hub at the Thrive Center for Children, Families & Communities at Georgetown University, SidePorch
[SF]
[LA]
Youth Mental Well-Being and AI Panel/Mixer
Santa Monica
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Headstream, iOpening Enterprises, Innovation Hub at the Thrive Center for Children, Families & Communities at Georgetown University, SidePorch
Join us for an evening of panel discussion with founders, funders, researchers, community partners, and youth focused on the impact of AI and youth mental well-being. The panel will be followed by a mixer to connect members of the community.
Expect good food, meaningful dialogue, and a community full of people reimagining the systems that shape young lives.
Brought to you by your friends at Headstream powered by SecondMuse, Free Minds/iOpening Enterprises, Ai 4 Abolition, Innovation Hub at Georgetown's Thrive Center, and SidePorch.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
[SF]
[LA]
End-to-end Voice AI: Technical Panel + HappyHour
An intimate gathering for in-depth technical discussion on end-to-end voice AI.
Luis Paarup, HappyRobot’s CTO, will lead a panel of top industry experts in a forward-looking conversation on the future of voice AI.
Joining him on stage:
∙ Scott Stephenson, Co-founder & CEO, Deepgram
∙ Amir Haghighat, Co-founder, Baseten
∙ Brandon Yang, Co-founder, Cartesia
∙ David Zhao, Co-founder & CTO, Livekit
The discussion will open with the panelists sharing their perspectives, and then flow into an exchange with the audience, all over good food and drinks in a relaxed setting.
This session is designed for engineers, researchers, and builders ready to go beyond surface-level talk. Join to dive into the challenges and opportunities of end-to-end voice AI, exchange ideas, and walk away with fresh insights from peers pushing the boundaries of the field.
Space is limited, so RSVP early to secure your spot!
This event is a part of #SFTechWeek, a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at tech-week.com.
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By joining us, you agree that photos and videos may be taken at the event and used for event-related purposes.
[SF]
[LA]
LiveAvatar for Modern Businesses
A introduction for a new modality - interactive avatar by Head of Business at Heygen Labs, Sunny Liao. See how see how photoreal, conversational avatars bring human connection to digital workflows at scale and how can it change your business. We’ll show the live demo, highlight executive-ready use cases across training, hiring, sales, and support, and outline how teams get started fast.
Register to explore the strategy, not the plumbing.
See you there!
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
[SF]
[LA]
Buyer Psychology: AI Persona Building
How well do you really know your customer? In this hands-on workshop, market research firm KNow Research and buyer psychology strategist Katie Read reveal how AI can bring customer data to life in daily decisions. You'll leave with a fresh look at your buyers and a smarter way to apply insights across teams. Join us for this high-impact, women-led workshop where buyer psychology and AI create living, breathing personas your whole team can use.
What is buyer psychology? It's the science of understanding the unconscious drivers behind purchase decisions — the emotions, biases, and mental shortcuts that actually influence buying behavior. Unlike traditional demographics, buyer psychology reveals the "why" behind customer actions, giving you insight into over future behavior. Learn more about buyer psychology fundamentals:
https://15.buyerpsych.com/optin
You'll learn:
⭐ How consumer insights is evolving beyond static deliverables
⭐ How to turn customer psychology into usable intelligence
⭐ How AI can help brand, insight, and creative teams stay aligned
⭐ Real-world applications of psychological triggers in marketing strategy
We're also thrilled to feature a special guest from local brand Every Man Jack - a wellness-focused men's personal care brand - to provide a firsthand testimonial about how interacting with key buyer personas sharpens their messaging and strengthens the connection with their core audience.
This event is ideal for marketing leaders, brand strategists, insight professionals, and founders who want to work smarter with the data they already have.
https://partnerships.indikater.com/knowresearch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubOT40iegPc&t=141s
🎟️ Space is limited. Whether you're ready to implement AI-powered personas or want to stay ahead of industry trends, this is your chance to engage with brand strategists, marketing innovators, and a community that's redefining customer understanding.
This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem.
Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
[SF]
[LA]
Founders & Creatives Happy Hour
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