Startup events in San Francisco, New York, and Austin in Q3 and Q4 2026

If you are building a startup, launching a fundraising round, or looking to scale your network in the US startup ecosystem, the second half of 2026 offers an unmatched calendar of high-impact events across the three most active startup hubs: San Francisco, New York, and Austin.

These are not just networking happy hours. The events on this calendar are where deals get made, where $32 billion in capital has been invested into Startup Battlefield alumni alone, and where founders meet the people who will shape the trajectory of their companies for the next five years.

San Francisco events 

1. Tech Week San Francisco

Dates: October 5-11, 2026 

Location: Decentralized across San Francisco (hundreds of individual events) 

What it is: Tech Week is a decentralized conference presented by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) where hundreds of individual companies, VCs, and startups host their own events across a single week. 

Why attend: This is the broadest networking opportunity of 2026. Unlike traditional conferences, Tech Week lets you choose which specific events match your interests and stage. You might attend a morning workshop on AI-powered bookkeeping, a lunch roundtable on cross-border startups, and an evening pitch competition, all without registering for one overarching conference. 

Who it's for: Founders at any stage, investors, and professionals interested in specific industry verticals. 

Cost: Individual events vary. 

Register: Visit tech-week.com to browse the full event calendar once the official SF lineup launches in late summer 2026.

2. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Dates: October 13-15, 2026 

Location: Moscone West, San Francisco

What it is: TechCrunch Disrupt is the most iconic startup pitch competition in the world. The Startup Battlefield competition brings together 200 pre-selected startups to pitch in front of a panel of industry experts, investors, and TechCrunch journalists. Winners receive $100,000 in equity-free funding plus global press coverage. 

Why attend: TechCrunch Disrupt attracts 10,000+ founders, VCs, and media in a concentrated three-day window. The Startup Battlefield is where companies like Dropbox, Cloudflare, and Trello launched their early visibility. Beyond the competition, Disrupt includes 500+ sessions across AI, SaaS, fintech, biotech, and climate tech, plus the CrunchMatch networking tool that facilitates curated one-on-one meetings between founders and investors. 

Who it's for: Founders actively fundraising or preparing to launch, investors conducting deal sourcing, and companies seeking press coverage. 

Cost: Early-bird pricing typically starts around $1,295; full passes $2,495+. Startup Alley exhibition space available separately. 

Apply to pitch: Applications for Startup Battlefield are competitive. Thousands apply, fewer than 200 are selected. Visit techcrunch.com/events/techcrunch-disrupt to apply. 

Register as attendee: techcrunch.com/events/techcrunch-disrupt 

3. Startup World Cup Grand Finale

Dates: November 6, 2026 

Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco 

What it is: The Startup World Cup is a global competition where the top startups from regional qualifying competitions around the world pitch live for a $1 million cap-free investment prize. 

Why attend: This event brings together winners from qualifier competitions across 100+ cities worldwide, creating a genuinely global stage. Unlike Disrupt which is US-centric, Startup World Cup represents the best startups from every continent. 

Who it's for: Founders who want to compete globally, founders interested in international expansion, and investors conducting global deal sourcing. 

Cost: Attendance is typically free for observers; participating startups must qualify through regional competitions. 

Register: startupworldcup.co 

San Francisco Bay Area events 

4. SaaStr AI Annual 2026

Dates: May 12-14, 2026 (NOTE: This is Q2, not Q3/Q4, but listed here because it is one of the largest ongoing SaaS events for founders to be aware of) Location: San Mateo County Event Center, San Francisco Bay Area

 What it is: SaaStr Annual is the largest B2B SaaS conference in the world, bringing together 10,000+ SaaS founders, operators, and VCs for three days of content, networking, and AI-focused programming. 

Why attend: SaaStr Annual attracts hundreds of active venture capitalists and provides direct access to founders and operators running companies at every scale from $1M ARR to $100M+. The 2026 edition is entirely rebuilt around AI, with tracks on AI-native go-to-market, deployment strategies, and business model impacts. 

Who it's for: B2B SaaS founders, product leaders, and VCs focused on SaaS and AI. 

Cost: Community passes from $500-$1,000; full-access passes $1,000+. Early-bird pricing available 4-6 months in advance. 

Register: saastrannual2026.com 

India-US founder note: SaaStr has dedicated sessions on cross-border SaaS models and India-US team structures. Many Indian founders building SaaS for US markets attend.

New York events 

5. TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026

Dates: November 4, 2026 

Location: Boston, Massachusetts 

What it is: A one-day summit focused on founder execution, growth, and scaling rather than pitching. Brings together 1,100+ founders for a day of talks from successful operators and investors who have scaled companies. 

Why attend: If Disrupt is about pitching and visibility, Founder Summit is about execution and real-world scaling tactics. The agenda covers growth strategies, team building, and product-market fit expansion. 

Who it's for: Founders past the seed stage who are focused on scaling operations and revenue growth. 

Cost: Passes typically $500-$1,200; group discounts available for teams of 4+. 

Register: techcrunch.com/events/techcrunch-founder-summit-2026

6. LeadDev New York 

Dates: September 15 & 16, 2026

Location: New York City 

What it is: An engineering leadership conference for founders and engineering leads transitioning from individual contributors to team leaders. 

Why attend: If you are scaling your engineering team, this conference offers practical frameworks for building effective development processes, managing technical debt, and creating cultures that attract top talent. 

Who it's for: Technical founders, VP Engineering, and engineering directors at early-stage startups. 

Register: leaddev.com 

India-US founder note: Many Indian founders bring their Indian engineering teams to this event to get exposure to engineering best practices used by US startups.

Austin events 

7. Austin Startup Meetup Events 

Dates: Monthly, ongoing throughout Q3 and Q4 2026 

Location: Various venues across Austin 

What it is: The Austin Startup Meetup is the central hub for Austin's founder community. It hosts monthly events featuring successful founders, investor panels, and networking sessions. 

Why attend: If you are relocating to Austin or expanding there, this is your entry point to the local startup community. Events are typically free or low-cost and are highly founder-friendly. 

Who it's for: Founders based in Austin, founders considering relocation to Austin, and investors interested in Austin's startup scene. 

Register: austinstartupmeetup.com 

Austin-specific note: Austin's startup scene is known for hardware, energy tech, and physical AI. If your company touches these areas, Austin events are especially relevant.

8. Venture Atlanta 

Dates: October or November 2026 (exact dates TBD) 

Location: Atlanta, Georgia (but covers Southeast and Texas startups) 

What it is: Venture Atlanta is one of the largest venture capital conferences in the Southeast, bringing together startups, VCs, and corporate investors. 

Why attend: Unlike Disrupt or SaaStr which are national events, Venture Atlanta focuses specifically on Southeast and Texas startups. If your company is based in Austin or building for the Southeast market, investor density and relevance is higher here than at coast-focused conferences. 

Who it's for: Founders based in the Southeast or Texas raising Series A or seed rounds. 

Register: ventureatlanta.com 

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I apply to pitch at TechCrunch Disrupt or just attend as an audience member?

If your company is between pre-seed and Series A stage with a working product and some customer traction (even one paying customer), apply to pitch. The application is competitive but the upside of winning or even making it to the final rounds is enormous. Disrupt alumni companies have collectively raised $32 billion. If you are pre-MVP or very early idea stage, attend as an audience member first, then apply the following year once you have traction. The pitch competition is not a substitute for having product-market fit; it is a megaphone for companies that already have it.

If I am based in India and cannot relocate to the US during Q3 or Q4, which events can I attend virtually?

Tech Week and most of the decentralized events are hybrid-friendly. Many have virtual attendance options. Disrupt is primarily in-person and does not offer live streaming. SaaStr Annual has historically offered limited virtual passes but attendance quality is significantly higher for in-person attendees. Austin meetups are typically in-person only. If you are constrained to virtual attendance, focus on Tech Week, SaaStr, and Founder Summit, and prioritize networking through the matchmaking apps these events provide.

Do I need a perfect pitch deck or a fully formed business model to apply to these events?

Most pitch events want to see a working product and customer evidence, not a polished 12-slide deck. Disrupt explicitly says the best pitches are 60 seconds and answer three questions: What do you build? Who buys it? How much are they paying? Have those answers clear and compelling. Business model can evolve. Customer evidence cannot be faked. Get that first.

I am planning to incorporate my US entity before Q3. Should I attend an event before or after incorporation?

Attend after incorporation. Incorporating takes 2-4 weeks once you engage a service like Inkle. Once incorporated, you have an EIN (which takes a few days to receive), and you can open a US business bank account (Mercury, Brex, or Relay take 1-5 business days for approval). Pitch events ask for your EIN and bank account details as part of due diligence if you are a Disrupt Battlefield finalist. It shows you are serious and that you have actually started building a business, not just planning one.