Meetup In 11 days
November
Tuesday
18:00–20:00 2026 · San Francisco time
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Find your next thing to build
"The way to get startup ideas is not to try to think of startup ideas. It's to look for problems, preferably problems you have yourself." Paul Graham
Most people who want to build something sit in a room and brainstorm ideas. That is the wrong starting point. The right starting point is a real problem. That is the ITCH worth scratching.
If you don't have that problem yourself, come find it here. ITCH is a fireside chat with business owners and industry experts from the SF community. We dig into what is actually hard in their business right now. Together, we find the ITCH.
This time: Waste Management
Every office, restaurant and building in SF produces waste, and most of it still ends up in the wrong bin. Sorting is manual, hauling bills go unchecked, and zero waste goals live on paper. Plenty to build.
Guest: Sara Eve Fuentes
Founder of SmartWaste Inc and Chairwoman of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
15 years in waste. Runs zero waste programs for companies: staff training, sorting, e-waste, vendor management.
Real results. Took one client from a 60% to an 87% diversion rate in a year.
Knows the money side. 9 years auditing waste bills and bidding hauling contracts at CIWA.
Speaker and podcaster. WasteExpo, Cleantech Forum Europe, and 5 years co-hosting the Trash Magic podcast.
Agenda
6:00 PM Doors open
6:30 to 7:15 PM Fireside chat
After that Free conversation and networking
What you leave with
A list of real problems you can actually work on
A direct line to the person who has the problem. Some guests might let you pilot your solution with them.
ITCHATHON
On Saturday, December 5 we run the ITCHATHON, a hackathon where we solve the waste problems we found here. Sign up for that too →
Who it's for
Anyone who wants to build something. A startup, a side project, or just something for your CV. Up to you.
Come and leave with an ITCH. November 24th, 6 PM.
Partners
Apify: The largest marketplace of trusted tools for AI. Get real-time web data, track competitors, generate leads, monitor social media, and integrate your apps.
Full text on Luma .
Founders pitch
