One of the biggest benefits for aspiring entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley is the vast number of startup and tech events in the area. At these many events, experienced CEOs, founders, and investors in Silicon Valley share their experiences and knowledge with the next generation of startups.
In the blog post below, we’ve listed plenty of startup events and groups in the Silicon Valley area for every stage of your startup, whether you’re testing your idea, looking to learn new skills, meet potential co-founders, find investors, or just meet new and interesting people.
Inspirational Startup Events
The are many inspirational startup events and Meetups in Silicon Valley, where you hear interesting stories from experienced entrepreneurs and begin to meet others in the Silicon Valley startup community. The great thing about these events is that they are open to the public and very welcoming to newcomers.
- 106 Miles
- Creative Coffee San Francisco
- Got Startup?
- Latino Startup Alliance
- Silicon House
- Silicon Valley Chinese Entrepreneurs
- Silicon Vikings
- Startup Focus Thought Leadership
- Startup Socials Silicon Valley
- Startup Weekend Silicon Valley
- Tech 'N The City
- Women 2.0 Silicon Valley
- Women Who Code Silicon Valley
Best Practices Startup Events
Silicon Valley is home to a plethora of beginner knowledge-sharing events. These events are each focused on specific topics related to building a business, and feature expert speakers that share their best practices, tips for success, and pitfalls to avoid. Most of these events are free, but some may charge a small ticket fee that is definitely worth the investment.
- Lean Startup Circle Silicon Valley
- Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Toastmasters Club
- Silicon Valley Startup Idea to IPO
- Startup Founder 101 Silicon Valley
- Startup Grind Silicon Valley
- Startup Leadership
- Startup School
- Startup Speakers Toastmasters
- TDWI Silicon Valley Chapter
- Tech in Motion Silicon Valley
- YouNoodle
Events to Network and Form a Team in Silicon Valley
When you're ready to start building a team, it's time to attend events, talk about your startup project, and meet people that share your interests in Silicon Valley. While attending any of the events listed in this post can help you meet potential team members, the events below are especially useful
- Bootstrappers Breakfast
- Cofounder Club
- CoFoundersLab
- Founder2be
- Founder Dating
- Igniters: Stanford Entrepreneurs & Silicon Valley Founders
- New Co. Silicon Valley
- SF New Tech
- Silicon Valley Startup Founders
- Silicon Valley Startup Incubation and Acceleration Network
- Startup Cofounders
Builder-Focused Events and Hackathons in Silicon Valley
If you have a technical skillset, or are looking to network and learn from people that have a technical skillset, then it is worth looking into the maker-focused events in Silicon Valley. These include hackathons, technical Meetups, and other communities that foster people building products.
- AngelHack Silicon Valley
- ChimeHack
- CodeDay Silicon Valley
- CODEX Hackathon
- FLIR's "Bring the Heat" Hacker & Maker Challenge: San Francisco
- Greylock Hackfest
- Hack My Ride 2.0
- Hack The People
- Hacker Dojo
- Hacking 4 Health
- Hacking EDU
- Hacking Generation Y
- iOS Dev Camp 2015: Wearables, Security, CONNECTEDCAR and Civic Engagement
- Integrate 2015 Hackathon
- Lincoln Labs Reboot 2015 Hackathon
- Outside Hacks
- RandTech Hackathon
- Silicon Valley Hackathons
- Sunnyvale Hacker Home - Mobile App Hackathon
- WWCode Silicon Valley Hackathon
- Women in STEM Hackathon Apps for Social Impact
- Yeti
Investor Networking Events in Silicon Valley
If you already have a team and/or product, then you might be ready to start networking with investors in Silicon Valley. There are many events in Silicon Valley that gather angel investors (affluent people that invest their personal capital in early-stage startups or entrepreneurs, and generally provide only a small one-time investment to help the business grow), angel investor groups (networks, or syndicates, of angel investors who pool their resources together to invest more money than would typically be issued with a private angel investment), and venture capital firms (large institutional funds that provide large amounts of funding for later stage companies with impressive and proven growth), like the ones listed below.
- Angel's Forum
- Astia Angels
- Band of Angels
- F50
- Golden Seeds Angel Investor Network
- Joint Venture Silicon Valley
- Keiretsu Forum
- Life Science Angels
- Open Silicon Valley Forum
- SF Angels Group
- Sand Hill Angels
- Seed Forum
- Silicon Valley Forum
- Silicon Valley Investment Forum
- Silicon Valley Open Doors
- Silicon Valley Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum
- Startup Teahouse Investor Forum
- TiE Angels Silicon Valley
- US Angel Investors
Are you looking for expert guidance and feedback to build a startup in Silicon Valley?
The Founder Institute is an idea-stage accelerator that works with solo-entrepreneurs, and teams, during the earliest stages of building a business. Through an intensive 3.5 month program, FI participants build their business through a proven structured process, and receive feedback and assistance from over 30+ successful entrepreneurs and investors in Silicon Valley. Upon completing the program, Graduates join a global network of entrepreneurs and receive ongoing help to get funding and build their business. FI Graduates have raised over $1.85BN in funding, and are building some of the world's fastest growing companies.
Learn more about the Founder Institute at FI.co, join a free startup event in Silicon Valley, or apply to build a startup today.
