Join us for an evening of live pitches and demos from founders working at the frontier of AI for the physical world.

Apply to pitch!

We'll be showcasing 4 breakthrough startups pitching to a live panel of leading VCs giving on the spot feedback. Real pitches, real feedback, and the kind of in-person networking that only happens when people who love hardware, build hardware, and invest in hardware are in the room. Hosted by our friends at Beckhoff Automation.

​​​Agenda

  • 5:30-6:15p: Arrival & Networking

  • 6:15-7:15p: Pitches & Feedback

  • 7:15-8:30p: Networking, Food, and Wrap up

Judges:​

  • Katie Vasquez, Investor at Calibrate Ventures

  • Nima Ashraf, Founder / Managing Director at Physical Fund and former robot builder.

  • Akshay Bhushan, Partner at Tola Capital

The startup line up:

TBD

This event is part of SoCal Deep Tech Week 2026, a week of events hosted by VCs, startups, corporates, universities, and labs to build community in the deep tech and dual-use ecosystem in Southern California.

​​​Thank you to our community partners!

  • informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in hardware. Whether you're looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals to work on everything from product development to go-to-market, the informal collective has the perfect collection of people for the job. Learn more.

Hardware Meetup is a volunteer organization and relies on sponsorships to cover the costs of putting on these events.

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