San Francisco's startup calendar is built around AI and enterprise software. The big Moscone conferences (GDC, RSAC, Snowflake, Data + AI Summit, the AI Engineer World's Fair and Dreamforce) bring buyers to the city, while pitch finals, YC Demo Day and founder conferences across the Bay Area put you in front of investors.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in San Francisco and the nearby Bay Area from late October 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website. Where a date isn't published yet, we say so, and we mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only). Events outside the city itself are marked with their town.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
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Must Attend Startup Events in San Francisco 2026–2027: Calendar from October 2026 to October 2027
Autumn 2026: October to December
GitHub Universe: 28–29 October 2026
GitHub's yearly conference on developer tools and AI coding. Worth it if you build or sell developer tools.
Startup World Cup Grand Finale: 4–6 November 2026
Pegasus Tech Ventures' global pitch final, with a $1,000,000 investment prize. Regional winners from around the world pitch on the last day. In the same week, the Plug and Play Silicon Valley Summit (3–5 November in Sunnyvale, dates from a press release) shows 140 startups from its autumn accelerator batches to corporates and investors.
Cerebral Valley AI Summit: 12 November 2026
One day with AI company CEOs and the investors who back them. You have to apply to attend. Global Entrepreneurship Week follows on 16–22 November, with free events run by local hosts.
Y Combinator F26 Demo Day: 2 December 2026
You can't pitch here unless you're in the batch, but if you invest or plan to apply to YC, watching how this batch pitches is a good lesson.
Fortune Brainstorm AI: 7–8 December 2026
A small, expensive conference where big companies talk about how they buy AI. Useful for enterprise sales, if you get an invitation.
Winter and spring 2027: January to May
J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference and Biotech Showcase: 11–14 January 2027
The biggest healthcare dealmaking week of the year. The main conference is invitation only, so most startups come for the meetings and side events. Biotech Showcase (11–13 January, plus online partnering on 19–20 January) is the open way in, with company presentations and partnering.
GDC Festival of Gaming: 1–5 March 2027
The main meeting point for game developers, publishers and games investors. GDC Pitch gives indie studios a stage.
RSA Conference: 5–8 April 2027
Innovation Sandbox is the best-known contest for security startups, and the Early Stage Expo is a cheaper way to exhibit.
SF Climate Week: 17–25 April 2027
The calendar opens in January 2027. You can host your own event, which is a cheap way to meet climate investors.
Startup Grind Conference: 27–28 April 2027 (Redwood City)
The most affordable big founder conference in the Bay Area, with investor office hours you can book.
SaaStr AI Annual: 11–12 May 2027 (San Mateo)
The best event for B2B founders who want short one-to-one meetings with VCs.
Summer and autumn 2027: June to October
Snowflake Summit: 7–10 June 2027
Useful if you sell data or AI products through the Snowflake partner network.
Data + AI Summit: 21–24 June 2027
One of the biggest rooms of data and AI buyers in the year. The 2026 summit included a Women in Data + AI session.
AI Engineer World's Fair: 29 June–1 July 2027
The organisers expect 10,000 AI engineers. The best place to hire and to learn how teams build AI agents.
Dreamforce: 21–23 September 2027
The city fills with side events and parties during Dreamforce week, so B2B founders can network even without a pass.
The AI Conference: 12–14 October 2027
A practical conference for people who build with AI, held each autumn.
Dates not announced yet
- TechCrunch Disrupt 2027: the 2026 edition ran on 13–15 October at Moscone West, with Startup Battlefield; a 2027 waitlist is open. TechCrunch
- SF Tech Week 2027: the 2026 edition ran on 5–11 October with hundreds of community-hosted events; expected again in October.
- Y Combinator 2027 Demo Days: YC published its 2026 dates in December 2025; expect the 2027 dates around the same time.
- TiEcon 2027 (Santa Clara): the 2026 edition was on 29 April–1 May at the Santa Clara Convention Center. tiecon.org
- Figma Config 2027: the 2026 edition was on 23–25 June at Moscone Center. config.figma.com
- GitHub Universe 2027 and Cerebral Valley AI Summit 2027: both are held in San Francisco each autumn.
Recurring meetups and communities
- Startup Grind Silicon Valley / SF Bay Area: one of the largest Startup Grind chapters, with regular talks and the Funded Female Founders series. Startup Grind Bay Area
- Founder Institute San Francisco: free founder events, such as founder and VC breakfasts with Founders Bay. Founder Institute
- Cerebral Valley hackathons: AI hackathons in San Francisco with cash prizes. cerebralvalley.ai
- GDG San Francisco: Google developer meetups; DevFest Bay Area ran on 1 October 2026. GDG San Francisco
Some names have gone quiet or moved: Techstars no longer lists a San Francisco accelerator, the Lean Startup Conference is no longer listed, and HumanX moves from San Francisco to Las Vegas in March 2027.
Events for women founders in San Francisco
We found no large conference for women founders in San Francisco with confirmed dates in this period. Several well-known names have gone or moved: Women Who Code closed in April 2024, the Lesbians Who Tech summit moves to New York (7–9 June 2027), and the Grace Hopper Celebration 2026 is in Anaheim (27–30 October). What's left are smaller, regular events:
- Funded Female Founders (Startup Grind Bay Area): a series of events and a Women's Summit for women founders and investors; the 2026 editions were in March and July. Startup Grind Bay Area
- Founders Bay: AI and founder events, including Women Founders & Funders breakfasts in San Francisco.
- Women's Startup Lab: an accelerator for women founders; it has no upcoming events listed right now. womenstartuplab.com
- Side events: SF Climate Week, Dreamforce and the Data + AI Summit usually include sessions for women in tech, run by hosts on the week's calendar.
If you organise an event for women founders in San Francisco, send it to us and we'll add it.
Funding and support to know before you go
- California minimum tax: every LLC and corporation doing business or organised in California pays at least $800 a year to the Franchise Tax Board. FTB
- San Francisco business registration: register within 15 days of starting business and renew every year; from April 2026 to March 2027 the fee starts at $55 plus a $4 state fee. SF Treasurer
- First Year Free: San Francisco waives the first registration, licence and permit fees for qualifying new businesses. SF Treasurer
- Delaware C-corp: most venture-backed startups incorporate in Delaware; the yearly report costs $50, plus a minimum franchise tax of $175 or $400 depending on the method, due on 1 March. Delaware Division of Corporations
- International Entrepreneur Rule: foreign founders backed by qualified US investors (at least $311,071 for applications from October 2024) can get parole of up to 2.5 years. Rules change often; check the page before you apply. USCIS
How to get the most out of San Francisco startup events
- Go for the side events. Dreamforce, JPM week, SF Climate Week and Tech Week fill the city with free events; many founders never buy a main pass.
- Pick your sector event. Security: RSAC. Games: GDC. Health and biotech: JPM week and Biotech Showcase. Data and AI: Snowflake, Data + AI Summit and the AI Engineer World's Fair. B2B SaaS: SaaStr.
- Book investor time early. Startup Grind's office hours and SaaStr's Meet a VC fill up; register as soon as booking opens.
- Enter a competition. Startup World Cup, RSAC Innovation Sandbox and GDC Pitch put you on stage. See more startup competitions.
- Check the town. "Silicon Valley" events are often in Redwood City, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Sunnyvale; plan your travel time.
List your event in this guide
Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in San Francisco? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Startup events in other places
- Must Attend Startup Events in Singapore
- Must Attend Startup Events in London, UK
- Must Attend Startup Events in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Must Attend Startup Events in New York, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Berlin, Germany
- Must Attend Startup Events in Paris, France
- Must Attend Startup Events in Stockholm, Sweden
- Must Attend Startup Events in Dubai, UAE
- Must Attend Startup Events in Lisbon, Portugal
- Must Attend Startup Events in Barcelona, Spain
- Must Attend Startup Events in Munich, Germany
- Must Attend Startup Events in Toronto, Canada
- Must Attend Startup Events in Tokyo, Japan
- Must Attend Startup Events in Las Vegas, USA
- Best startup events in Europe (with country guides)
FAQ
What are the biggest startup events in San Francisco?
For founders: the Startup World Cup Grand Finale (4–6 November 2026), the Startup Grind Conference (27–28 April 2027, Redwood City) and SaaStr AI Annual (11–12 May 2027, San Mateo). The biggest tech conferences are Dreamforce, RSAC, GDC and the Data + AI Summit.
When is TechCrunch Disrupt 2027?
The dates are not published yet. The 2026 edition ran on 13–15 October 2026 at Moscone West.
Are there free startup events in San Francisco?
Yes. Most SF Climate Week events are free, many Tech Week and Dreamforce side events are free, and Founder Institute and Startup Grind run free or cheap meetups.
Are there events for women founders in San Francisco?
There is no big women-founder conference with confirmed dates, but Startup Grind's Funded Female Founders series and Founders Bay's women founders breakfasts run regularly.
Where can AI founders meet investors in San Francisco?
At the Cerebral Valley AI Summit (12 November 2026, by application), the AI Engineer World's Fair (29 June–1 July 2027) and The AI Conference (12–14 October 2027).
How much does it cost to run a company in San Francisco?
California charges a minimum tax of $800 a year, and San Francisco business registration starts at $55 plus a $4 state fee, waived in the first year for qualifying new businesses.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
