# Startup & founder events in San Diego

Curated by [foundercal.com](https://foundercal.com/). Only events worth a founder's time: conferences, demo days, founder dinners, meetups and workshops. Generic networking filler is filtered out. Updated daily.

- City page (HTML): https://foundercal.com/cities/san-diego
- Calendar feed (ICS): https://foundercal.com/cities/san-diego.ics
- All cities + usage guide for AI agents: https://foundercal.com/llms.txt

21 upcoming events as of 31 August 2026.

## San Diego AI Showcase · North County

- Date: Tuesday 1 September 2026, 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Price: US$0 – US$10
- Venue: LVLUP USA, 1410 Vantage Ct, Vista, CA 92081
- Organizer: [Demian Borba (Pactto)](https://foundercal.com/organizers/demian-borba-pactto)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/san-diego-ai-showcase-north-county-2026-09-01
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8090?p=md

A Homebrew Computer Club for San Diego's AI builders: five to ten founders demo what they are actually running, ten minutes each, three minutes of Q&A, no decks and no sales. Half-working prototypes, agents and workflows are the point, and the post-mortems on what did not work are usually the best…

## 1 Million Cups San Diego

- Date: Wednesday 2 September 2026, 09:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Pitch
- Price: Free
- Venue: Ansir Innovation Center, 7670 Opportunity Rd, San Diego, CA 92111
- Organizer: [1 Million Cups San Diego](https://foundercal.com/organizers/1-million-cups-san-diego)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/1-million-cups-san-diego-2026-09-02
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8089?p=md

Every Wednesday morning two San Diego founders present for six minutes and then take twenty minutes of questions from the room: no judges, no prize, just the community pulling the business apart constructively. The presenter list is real early-stage work rather than idea-stage filler: recent weeks…

## Monthly Meeting

- Date: Thursday 3 September 2026, 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: University of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park San Diego, California 92110, San Diego, CA
- Organizer: [Claude Code Users Group](https://foundercal.com/organizers/claude-code-users-group)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/monthly-meeting-314737827
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9311?p=md

Monthly Claude Code meetup! We are starting off this new group by reviewing the different fundamentals of working with Claude code and will then shift into how to leverage the Claude API and MCP. This event is at the Loma hall, parking at the Mission Parking Structure is recommended. Parking is…

## First Friday Founders Hike

- Date: Friday 4 September 2026, 08:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Price: Free
- Venue: Torrey Pines Gliderport, 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037
- Organizer: [Rising Tide Partners](https://foundercal.com/organizers/rising-tide-partners)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/first-friday-founders-hike-2026-09-04
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8079?p=md

San Diego's founder ritual: first Friday of the month, 8am sharp at the Gliderport, a genuinely strenuous hike down and back up the Torrey Pines cliffs with a beach cleanup on the way. Early-stage founders, funders and community builders, an hour of conversation you cannot have across a table, and…

## 1ST FRIDAYS South Bay San Diego Tech Coffee Meetup

- Date: Friday 4 September 2026, 09:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: Cool Down Coffee, 750 E St, Chula Vista, CA
- Organizer: [San Diego Hardware-Startups Network](https://foundercal.com/organizers/san-diego-hardware-startups-network)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/1st-fridays-south-bay-san-diego-tech-coffee-meetup-316130211
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8336?p=md

This is an informal gathering of entrepreneurs and the like for networking, coworking, sharing, brainstorming, mentoring, etc. There is no charge, just bring your ideas, questions, and enthusiasm. RSVP, or just come by sometime between 9:30 am and noon and introduce yourself. Where: Cool Down…

## Hack and Race-Prep Autonomous Cars

- Date: Saturday 5 September 2026, 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: UCSD, Engineering Building Unit 2, Engineering Building Unit 2, La Jolla, ca
- Organizer: [San Diego Robotics Club](https://foundercal.com/organizers/san-diego-robotics-club)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/hack-and-race-prep-autonomous-cars-316086950
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9312?p=md

San Diego Robotics DIYRobocars Race-Prep Day, Hosted by UCSD. Please keep in mind that at the Saturdays meeting we expect you to have your robocar built and software installed. I hope you will understand that for us time at the track is limited to ever other week for 2 hours. We would like to use…

## Nucleate San Diego Inside Series: State of AI x Biotech (In Partnership with Twist Bioscience)

- Date: Thursday 10 September 2026, 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: Bioterra, 5897 Oberlin Dr, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
- Organizer: [Nucleate Global Events Calendar](https://foundercal.com/organizers/nucleate-global-events-calendar)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/nucleate-san-diego-inside-series-state-of-ai-x-biotech-in-partnership-with-twist-3QNhSHNF8dan9Ab
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/7580?p=md

Join Nucleate San Diego and Twist Bioscience for State of AI × Biotech, a discussion on where AI is already creating tangible value across biotech R&D, where technical and translational barriers remain, and which applications are most likely to shape the field next. AI is moving rapidly from proof…

## SD Defense Tech Meetup

- Date: Friday 11 September 2026, 08:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: Ansir Innovation Center, 7670 Opportunity Rd
- Organizer: [SD Defense Tech](https://foundercal.com/organizers/sd-defense-tech)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/sd-defense-tech-meetup-2026-09-11
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8082?p=md

The monthly morning where San Diego's defence-tech scene actually shows up: aerospace and defence founders, warfighters, government and industry end-users, early-stage investors and technical builders. Coffee at 0830, a full round of introductions at 0900 so everyone knows who is in the room, then…

## Agents, Everywhere: Beyond The Chatbot · Global Hackathon (San Diego)

- Date: Saturday 12 September 2026, 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Hackathon
- Price: Free
- Venue: San Diego (venue shared on acceptance), San Diego, CA
- Organizer: [AI Tinkerers San Diego](https://foundercal.com/organizers/ai-tinkerers-san-diego)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/agents-everywhere-beyond-the-chatbot-global-hackathon-san-diego-2026-09-12
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8078?p=md

A one-day build session where San Diego's chapter joins AI Tinkerers cities worldwide on a single challenge with OpenAI, CopilotKit and OpenRouter: build an agent that lives where people already work, Slack, email, a browser, a phone, a voice interface, rather than in yet another chat window. Doors…

## Autonomous Vehicle (RC) - Beginners and Builders (with Beer)

- Date: Monday 14 September 2026, 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: Coronado Brewing Company San Diego Tasting Room, 1205 Knoxville St, San Diego, CA
- Organizer: [San Diego Robotics Club](https://foundercal.com/organizers/san-diego-robotics-club)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/autonomous-vehicle-rc-beginners-and-builders-with-beer-315445820
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9635?p=md

On the 2nd Monday of the month we have our monthly Autonomous Vehicles Builders and Beginners event at a local brewery. It is presented by members of the San Diego Robotics group. The project is DIY and for open source autonomous cars of any size, from tiny 1:28th scale to full-size. Primarily we…

## San Diego Arduino Enthusiasts

- Date: Wednesday 16 September 2026, 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: Steal and Escape, 2602 Transportation Ave Suite A, National City, ca
- Organizer: [San Diego Hardware-Startups Network](https://foundercal.com/organizers/san-diego-hardware-startups-network)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/san-diego-arduino-enthusiasts-316024696
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9720?p=md

Please join us at our monthly meeting. 7pm on the third Wednesday. The Escape Room Steal & Escape graciously allow us to use their space. Please enter through the door under the "A | ROYALE WEAR" sign. Lat/Lon 32°39'35.6"N 117°06'09.1"W Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zGrMUfKtBgo1rtnc8 Tonight…

## The Pitch Pit · Pitch Practice and Feedback for Founders

- Date: Thursday 17 September 2026, 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Pitch
- Venue: Aquillius, 10918 Technology Pl, San Diego, CA 92127
- Organizer: [Startup Grind San Diego](https://foundercal.com/organizers/startup-grind-san-diego)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/the-pitch-pit-pitch-practice-and-feedback-for-founders-2026-09-17
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8086?p=md

A low-stakes room to get your pitch torn apart before it matters. Founders present in front of peers, mentors and community members and take real-time feedback: no judges, no prize, no investors in the back row deciding your fate. Useful if you are prepping an investor meeting, an accelerator…

## Biocom California Life Science CEO Summit · San Diego

- Date: Thursday 8 October 2026, 08:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Conference
- Price: US$325 – US$750
- Venue: Fairmont Grand Del Mar, 5300 Grand Del Mar Ct, San Diego, CA 92130
- Organizer: [Biocom California](https://foundercal.com/organizers/biocom-california)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/biocom-california-life-science-ceo-summit-san-diego-2026-10-08
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8084?p=md

A one-day, CEOs-only room built by life science CEOs for their peers: biotech, pharma and medtech chief executives from two-person companies through to the majors, at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. The value is the peer set rather than the stage: people running the same board, financing and…

## San Diego Startup Masterclass: Know Your Phase and What to Do Next

- Date: Friday 16 October 2026, 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Workshop
- Venue: Farmer & The Seahorse, 10996 Torreyana Rd, Suite 240, 92121, San Diego, CA
- Organizer: [San Diego Startup Founders & Operators | Startup Architect](https://foundercal.com/organizers/san-diego-startup-founders-and-operators-startup-architect)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/san-diego-startup-masterclass-know-your-phase-and-what-to-do-next-315794114
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8338?p=md

Which Phase Is Your Startup Really In, and What Should You Do Next? Most founders do not need more advice. They need to know which advice matters now. Join Gregory Shepard for a two-hour, in-person masterclass built around The Startup Lifecycle, his seven-phase framework for moving from vision to…

## IDEA Week San Diego 2026

- Date: 19 October 2026 – 23 October 2026
- Type: Conference
- Venue: Venues across San Diego, San Diego, CA
- Organizer: [Connect](https://foundercal.com/organizers/connect)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/idea-week-san-diego-2026-2026-10-19
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8087?p=md

Connect's first city-wide innovation week: five days of showcases, demos and conversations that pull San Diego's founders, investors, researchers and creators into one shared calendar. The Innovation pillar is the founder track: Founders Forum on the Wednesday, the 23rd Venture Summit, and…

## Founders Forum 2026

- Date: Wednesday 21 October 2026, 08:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
- Type: Conference
- Venue: Pacific Center, San Diego, CA
- Organizer: [Connect](https://foundercal.com/organizers/connect)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/founders-forum-2026-2026-10-21
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8085?p=md

A full day built around one question: how do investors actually decide? Connect puts VCs, corporate venture arms and funded emerging managers on stage to decode term sheets and the language of a deal, then flips it: reverse pitch sessions where investors pitch back to founders, in parallel tech and…

## San Diego Startup Week 2026

- Date: 2 November 2026 – 6 November 2026
- Type: Conference
- Price: US$99 – US$449
- Organizer: [Startup San Diego](https://foundercal.com/organizers/startup-san-diego)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/san-diego-startup-week-2026-2026-11-02
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/2935?p=md

Five days that pull the whole regional ecosystem, founders, operators, angels, accelerators and university programs, into one curated run of programming across five San Diego venues. The 2026 spine: a Founders Showcase backed by J.P. Morgan, a keynote from Drata co-founder and CTO Daniel…

## Women's Venture Summit 2026

- Date: 2 November 2026 – 5 November 2026
- Type: Conference
- Venue: Cooley LLP, 10265 Science Center Dr, San Diego, CA 92121
- Organizer: [Women's Venture Summit](https://foundercal.com/organizers/womens-venture-summit)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/womens-venture-summit-2026-2026-11-02
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8081?p=md

Thirteen years in and roughly $200M of raises facilitated, WVS is a fundraising summit rather than a networking event: founder-investor speed meetings, a live pitch competition, a walk-through of what real due diligence looks like, and 40+ working sessions on financial strategy and capital access.…

## TMA BlueTech Week 2026

- Date: 16 November 2026 – 19 November 2026
- Type: Conference
- Venue: San Diego (venue announced closer to the event), San Diego, CA
- Organizer: [TMA BlueTech](https://foundercal.com/organizers/tma-bluetech)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/tma-bluetech-week-2026-2026-11-16
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8088?p=md

San Diego's ocean-innovation week, and the reason blue-economy founders fly here. The format is deliberately not a panel marathon: end-users and agencies define the problems worth solving, innovators present solutions against those priorities, selected technologies move into live demonstration, and…

## Fintech NerdCon 2026

- Date: 19 November 2026 – 20 November 2026
- Type: Conference
- Venue: San Diego Convention Center, 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
- Organizer: [Fintech Brainfood (Simon Taylor)](https://foundercal.com/organizers/fintech-brainfood-simon-taylor)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/fintech-nerdcon-2026-2026-11-19
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8083?p=md

Simon Taylor's (Fintech Brainfood) answer to the fintech trade-show problem: no sales booths, no forced partner meetings, roughly 1,500 people who actually build and run fintech products. The attendee list skews operator: Coinbase, PayPal, Cross River and the long tail of banking-as-a-service,…

## Biocom California Global Partnering & Investor Conference 2027

- Date: 23 February 2027 – 25 February 2027
- Type: Conference
- Venue: The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037
- Organizer: [Biocom California](https://foundercal.com/organizers/biocom-california)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/biocom-california-global-partnering-and-investor-conference-2027-2027-02-23
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8080?p=md

Three days at the Lodge at Torrey Pines where 600+ investors and senior pharma, biotech and research executives run one-on-one partnering meetings through partneringONE. Small companies and research institutions present alongside the majors, and the speaker bench is the actual cheque-writing side…