[SF]
[LA]
Neuroscience of Audience Attention, CMOs Breakfast
Join us for an exclusive Tech Week breakfast, for CMOs, CEOs, and Creators. We'll explore the Neuroscience of Audience Attention, how the latest research in AI and eye-tracking reveal what audiences really think. Over coffee and conversation, discover how North AI turns hidden consumer signals into leading brand strategies with a live demo. Limited seats.
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.
New Edge Technology Consultants
[SF]
[LA]
Startup Founders, Investors, & Creatives Mixer
Palo Alto
·
New Edge Technology Consultants
This event is designed for young founders and creatives who are building or growing tech startups—whether you’re just getting started or already have an established venture. It’s a space to connect, share experiences, and socialize with others navigating similar paths. Who knows—you may even meet your next co-founder, collaborator, or partner along the way! While we may have some special guests from the investment community, the focus is on fostering meaningful connections and conversations within the tech ecosystem.
This event is co-hosted with New Edge Technology Consultants. We bridge the gap between technology, business, and leadership.
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]
GFR Fund Office Hour
To apply, submit the application form here:
https://airtable.com/appyXBgB4KdR5gkrf/shr58MHvOxK3Tdw14
* Only those who've completed the application form will be approved. Detailed address will be sent to accepted applicants via email.
We are excited to host our Office Hour in Los Angeles, during LA Tech Week!
This event is open to early-stage startups in entertainment, consumer tech, gaming, generative AI, the creator economy, media & brands, and fintech. We invite founders seeking expert advice, constructive feedback, and support in their development journey to join us.
During the Office Hour, our team members, Brian Takemasa and Val Siau, will hold 20-minute one-on-one sessions. They will offer mentorship, discuss potential fundraising opportunities, and provide personalized insights to help startups refine their strategies and accelerate their growth.
If you are a founder eager to leverage the expertise of industry leaders and gain valuable feedback to propel your venture forward, we encourage you to apply. Don’t miss this chance to connect with GFR Fund and join us in shaping the future of digital innovation.
We look forward to connecting with visionary entrepreneurs who value the power of community and AI-driven innovation!
*We’ll be accepting applications until October 8. Limited spots are available, and our team will carefully select startups based on capacity*
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]
VCs Speak Out: SMB ERP Market Trends
The battle for modern SMB ERPs is heating up, as buyers demand AI platforms with user-friendly experiences; real-time data and open APIs; verticalized solutions; and frictionless, inexpensive deployments.
Join Fortune Term Sheet's Allie Garfinkle, top VCs and founders, and executives from Workday and B Capital to network and learn more about:
• Why the traditional SMB ERP playbook is being disrupted by agentic AI, and how startups are poised to benefit
• Why VCs are leaning into vertical-specific AI agents that solve domain-focused problems
• What horizontal plays are on the rise, especially those integrated with low-code/no-code platforms that allow businesses to deploy AI solutions rapidly without extensive technical expertise.
• How Workday is investing to build out an ecosystem of partner and solutions designed to help early to late-stage portfolio companies scale and grow profitably.
Speakers:
Allie Garfinkle, Fortune Senior Writer and Author, Term Sheet
Karen Page, General Partner & Board Partner, B Capital
Surojit Chatterjee, Founder and CEO, Ema
Barbry McGann, Senior Vice President, Workday Ventures
Max Wessel, SVP, Growth, Workday
Shane Luke, VP, AI and ML, Workday
Justin Joseph, Senior Director, GTM Strategy, Workday
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]
Beta SF Pitch Jam
Unfiltered, unpolished, unstoppable.
An invite-only pitch night where early-stage founders share what they’re building right now— traction or not. Think energy of a YC batch sneak peek meets raw startup magic.
Founders get 3 minutes to pitch, followed by 2 minutes of live feedback from the judges.
Judge Panel:
Salman Munaf, Lead SRE @TikTok
Srik Gorthy, Senior Data Scientist @TikTok
Dhyey D. Mavani, Gen AI @LinkedIn
Vyom Malhotra, Senior Engineer @NIVIDIA
Sarah Romanko, VC @Geek Ventures
📍 Flow
6:00–6:30 PM | Check-in + snacks
6:30–6:40 PM | Kickoff + judge intros
6:40–7:30 PM | 10 founders pitch (3-min pitch + 2-min feedback)
7:30–8:00 PM | Open networking
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.
USC Information Sciences Institute
[SF]
[LA]
USC ISI Lab Tours
Marina del Rey
·
USC Information Sciences Institute
“Step Into the Future: Explore the Quantum Computer That Demonstrated Quantum Effects and Operates at Temperatures Colder Than Space!”
Join us for an exclusive tour of the world’s most advanced quantum computer. This is your chance to see the machine that has demonstrated quantum effects, a feat that’s revolutionizing everything from cryptography to artificial intelligence. Operating at temperatures colder than the vacuum of space, this quantum computer is a true marvel of modern engineering.
See the lab that is building small satellites that are getting launched into space. This group just had some of their recent technology for docking with space objects tested on the International Space Station.
Hear about the work being done to address the cyber security threats that we are facing today. Learn about the Deter and Sphere cyber security testbeds that are transforming the way that cyber security research is being done.
This tour is more than just a peek at cutting-edge hardware—it’s a journey into the unknown, a glimpse at the next frontier of human innovation. What you see here today will shape the technology of tomorrow.
Tours will be provided from 10:30am - 12pm
Space Engineering Research Center, SERC
https://www.isi.edu/centers-serc/
Quantum
https://sites.usc.edu/qis/
Sphere
https://sphere-project.net
Thank you to our event sponsor:
D-Wave Quantum Inc.
https://www.dwavequantum.com/
See all USC ISI Tech Week events: https://linktr.ee/usc_isi
Location: USC, Information Sciences Institute
Address: 4676 Admiralty Way Marina Del Rey Ca 90292
Check in at Reception: 10th Floor
PARKING:
Recommended Marina Del Rey Lots, $6 per day/vehicle:
Lot 4 : 13500 Mindanao Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
https://maps.app.goo.gl/LPdBxT6rZvJxvjpf7
Visitor parking at USC, ISI, $25 per day/vehicle
Address: 4676 Admiralty Way Marina del Rey Ca 90292
Questions? Email us at events@isi.edu
#LATechWeek
This event is a part of #LATechWeek - a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem
https://www.tech-week.com
GenAI Assembling, AGI Builders Meetup, Alibaba Cloud
[SF]
[LA]
Why Everyone Gets “Open‑Source AI” Wrong
SOMA
·
GenAI Assembling, AGI Builders Meetup, Alibaba Cloud
“Everyone talks about open-source AI. Few get it right. Let’s set the record straight.”
What you’ll hear:
• Qwen team’s first deep-dive talk in Silicon Valley
• Open-source models vs. closed-source: why both are powerful, and what it means for startups
• Open source is more than just models — it’s about building whole new systems
• The next big thing for open-source models and ecosystems
• How top Silicon Valley investors see the new opportunities in open source
Join top voices from Qwen/Alibaba Cloud, Qualcomm Ventures, Novita AI and more firms to discuss the shift from open weights to fully open systems.
Expect sharp insights, audience Q&A, and networking with 100+ builders and decision-makers shaping the future of open-source AI.
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.
Brief intro of co-hosts:
GenAI Assmebling: A global community connecting builders, investors, and leaders to shape the future of AI.
Alibaba Cloud: The largest public cloud provider in China and Asia Pacific, offering IaaS, PaaS, MaaS, and its open-sourced Qwen LLMs to power enterprise AI innovation.
Entrepreneurs First: Entrepreneurs First (EF) turns exceptional individuals into funded founders. Some might have an early idea, others may need a cofounder. What matters is their potential. We back these founders first, then give them a bridge to Silicon Valley. To date, their companies are worth > $11B.
AGI Builders Meetup: Open stage for AI builders, researchers and enthusiasts to share, inspire and transform.
[SF]
[LA]
APIGTM - the API Growth Conference
Convert your API GTM into a Winning Growth Engine
Streaming live from Postman HQ in San Francisco with a post-event #SFTechWeek Happy Hour in Hayes Valley.
In this half day program, we'll cover:
Battle-tested API playbooks from leaders at Salesforce, Amazon, Canva, Block, WorkOS, Merge, Continue, Google DeepMind, Google Firebase, Google Maps, Twilio, APILayer, Hubspot, Zoom and more.
😀 APIGTM Speakers 😀
🎤 Keynote: Ankit Sobti, Co-founder and CTO, Postman
🤝 Live interview: learn about Zoom’s success as a Verified Publisher on the Postman API Network — Ojus Save, Sr. Developer Advocate, Zoom and Sterling Chin, Postman
🔥 Beyond the Prompt: Building Your GTM with Firebase, MCPs, and Postman — Ernan Anguiano, Google Product Manager, Firebase
💪 Resilient Vibe Coding: Empower Your Apps with the Latest APIs & SDKs — Paige Bailey, Developer Relations Engineering Lead, Google DeepMind
🗺️ The M.A.P. Strategy: Making APIs Personable and Unleashing Their Value for Everyone — Brian Davidson, Sr Customer Eng, Google Maps
🔄 Continuous AI Best Practice — Brian Douglas, Head of Developer Experience, Continue
🔌 How Merge leverages AI to scale integrations — Nour Eldifrawy, Product Manager, Merge
💼 AI, APIs, and Elusive Enterprise Engagements — Stephen Gheysens, Principal Solutions Engineer, Twilio
💻 Beyond the Endpoint: Connecting Postman to Salesforce over MCP — Kris Harrison, Senior Director of PM, Integration Services, Salesforce
🎨 Building Developer Voice in a Consumer Brand — Meredith Hassett, Sr. Developer Advocate, Canva
🧡 Building API Experiences Your Developers Love — Pratham Kumar, Dev Rel Manager, APILayer
🤑 The Agent Economy: Rethinking API GTM for LLMs — Richard Moot, Tech Lead, Developer Relations at Block
📈 From Relationship Building to Product Adoption: How Postman Connected the Dots for HubSpot — Chris Riley, Sr. Manager, Developer Relations, Hubspot
🚀 AWS Marketplace: The API-First Journey — Paulomi Shroff, Head of Engineering, AWS Marketplace International Expansion, Amazon
✨ Let’s Dream Big for MCP Auth — Tobin South, Secure AI Agents & MCP, WorkOS
Here's why to join:
- Learn proven techniques on positioning, pricing, and onboarding.
- Making your endpoints irresistible to developers and AI Agents today, and into the future.
- Proven tactics for converting word-of-mouth into revenue, and turning casual users into evangelists.
Skip the theoretical maybes. Come for the surefire lessons that move metrics and drive growth.
Then, join the speakers at the AI + APIs Happy Hour: https://partiful.com/e/vAZiyXO07T4wM9Meo1Fj
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 email communications from Postman with important event updates.
Clementine Games, Jam & Tea Studios
[SF]
[LA]
AIxGames: Playing with Inference Mixer
SOMA
·
Clementine Games, Jam & Tea Studios
The **AIxGames Playing with Inference Mixer** brings together developers, founders, and innovators who are actively building and shipping AI-native games and tools. This curated networking mixer features 8-12 hands-on demo stations showcasing breakthrough AI games, from shipped products to cutting-edge prototypes, where attendees can actually gets hands on with latest in this cutting edge field.
Organized by the hosts of *Playing with Inference* podcast, we're bringing together teams building at the frontier of AI gaming and hand-select demos that showcase real technical innovations: cost breakthroughs, novel gameplay mechanics, and production solutions. Whether you're solving ML inference challenges, pioneering new game mechanics, or exploring the business side of AI gaming, you'll connect with the builders who are defining this emerging category. Come for the games, stay for the conversations with the people actually shipping the future of interactive entertainment.
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]
Winning Attention: Scaling B2B SaaS with Creators
A tactical invite-only workshop for GTM teams looking to drive real results with creator-led growth - co-hosted by Passionfroot and Tasker AI.
Creator marketing isn’t just for DTC brands anymore - it’s becoming one of the most efficient and scalable ways for B2B and SaaS startups to drive awareness, trust, and demand.
But most early-stage teams don’t know where to start:
→ Which creators actually move the needle?
→ How much should we pay?
→ What’s the right brief, CTA, or platform?
→ How do we track ROI?
This tactical workshop breaks it down - from campaign planning to platform mix to real-world startup examples.
Who’s this for?
- Founders at early-stage startups
- Heads of Growth or CMOs
- Marketing and Demand Generation Leaders
Space is limited - we’re keeping this one intentional and highly curated. Please RSVP to guarantee your spot.
This event is hosted by Passionfroot. Passionfroot is the leading B2B Creator Platform helping global companies such as Replit, Rippling and Hubspot scale their GTM with creators. Learn more at www.passionfroot.me
Tasker is your own personal AI assistant for everyday
to-dos between your work and personal life. Let Tasker handle your routine tasks and watch your productivity soar.
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.
Can't make it to SF? Join us in NY for our September 18th breakfast on Growing your B2B Brand on Linkedin: https://luma.com/hk0b3mb3
[SF]
[LA]
Startup Grind LA Launch & Happy Hour
The launch of the Startup Grind LA Chapter, supported by TriNet, AWS & Vanta.
Come join us for a drink and connect with founders, investors and operators as we re-launch the LA chapter in style!
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.
[SF]
[LA]
AI and Advertising: Don't get in trouble
Tickets must be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ai-and-advertising-dont-get-in-trouble-with-robert-freund-latechweek-tickets-1670515810759?aff=oddtdtcreator
Join Social Media Club LA for a tactical session with advertising & e-commerce attorney Rob Freund on how to move fast without getting in trouble. We’ll translate the latest expectations regarding AI in marketing, including how using AI impacts UGC, customer reviews, claims substantiation, and IP concerns.
Who it’s for
Founders, product/legal ops, creators, or growth marketers, who need to know the latest on AI and advertising.
What you'll get
Practical checklists, discussion around contract/brief clauses for creator work, and a rapid-fire Q&A to pressure-test real scenarios you bring from your work.
Light breakfast items will be provided.
Format
45-minute talk + audience Q&A + networking.
About Robert Freund
Rob Freund is an advertising and e-commerce attorney who helps companies that make money online keep it. He focuses his practice on marketing and e-commerce compliance and related litigation, advising brands, agencies, and influencers on the risks of advertising online and on strategies for compliant campaigns that still convert. Rob has lectured about advertising law at the University of Southern California, the University of San Diego, and the University of Tennessee, and his commentary has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Location
City Club LA 555 Flower St, 51st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Parking is $8 on-site with validation. See image below for directions.
RSVP
In addition to your ticket on Eventbrite, Tech Week requires that all attendees also request access via Partiful here —capacity is limited and RSVPs are screened to keep the room focused.
Dress code
From our venue: "Dress code at City Club LA is business casual. Attire can certainly elevate or diminish the experience of others. We consider hats, tank tops, flip flops, shorts and team athletic attire too casual for City Club LA. Our staff takes pride in their appearance, so we ask our members and their guests to respect our dress code at all times."
Note: This session is for general education only and does not constitute legal advice.
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
This event is designed as a curated networking happy hour on a stunning rooftop with a 360° view of San Francisco, located in the heart of the Historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood 🏳️🌈
No panel, no slides, no structured program - just connections with early-stage founders, seasoned operators, and investors.
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.
What makes it special is the atmosphere?
A live DJ set on one side of the roof, panoramic city views all around, and a high-energy crowd that’s ready to spark collaborations. Expect authentic conversations, spontaneous introductions, and an unforgettable Tech Week night above the skyline.
[SF]
[LA]
The Federal GTM Playbook
Selling to the federal government isn’t just another form of B2B – it’s its own battlefield. Bureaucracy, inefficiencies, and legacy players block the way, but for those who can crack the market, the prize is huge: billions in contracts and missions that matter.
Across four tightly focused panels, seasoned founders, investors, and operators reveal the unclassified playbook for winning in the federal market. Whether you’re a startup looking to land your first contract, an investor betting on American dynamism, or an executive scaling a federal practice, you’ll walk away with what you need to succeed.
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.