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Best Websites to Find Startup Events in San Francisco

  • Writer: Team Ellenox
    Team Ellenox
  • Aug 27
  • 4 min read

San Francisco has one of the busiest startup calendars in the world. From investor conferences to grassroots founder meetups, the city hosts events almost every night of the week.

For entrepreneurs, these gatherings are where you meet co-founders, find early customers, and learn from others building in the same space. For investors, they are a way to see new ideas before they hit the headlines.

The problem is not the lack of events, but the sheer volume. With so many overlapping calendars, it can be difficult to know which ones are worth paying attention to.

To make things easier, here is a list of reliable websites and platforms that consistently surface startup events in San Francisco. These are the places founders and investors check first when planning their schedules.


Eventbrite

When it comes to discovering events in San Francisco, Eventbrite remains the default marketplace. From small founder mixers to large-scale startup conferences, nearly every organizer relies on it to reach an audience.

For founders, Eventbrite serves two purposes. It is the easiest way to see a broad sweep of what is happening across the ecosystem, and it is also the first place other entrepreneurs list their launches and showcases. If you want to ensure nothing slips past your radar, this is the starting point.

Luma

Luma has built its reputation as the curated alternative to mass event listings. With a focus on design, community, and creativity, it has become a favorite among early-stage founders and product thinkers in San Francisco.

For attendees, the benefit is clarity. You are not scrolling through dozens of generic networking nights. Instead, you find carefully chosen events that emphasize quality over quantity. If you value smaller, creative gatherings, Luma is where you will want to look.

Website: https://lu.ma/sf 

Gary’s Guide

Inside startup circles, Gary’s Guide is known as the insider’s calendar. Its San Francisco listings are updated daily and are often the first place founders hear about the city’s most relevant meetups and tech gatherings.

For founders, Gary’s Guide is about access. It is not the big conferences that define its appeal but the consistent stream of pitch nights, demo days, and networking events where the startup community actually connects.

Startup Grind

Startup Grind is not just an events platform, it is a global movement. The San Francisco and Silicon Valley chapter is one of its most active, bringing founders, investors, and operators together in a community-driven format.

For early-stage entrepreneurs, this is one of the best ways to meet mentors, pitch to an audience, and build meaningful connections. Its combination of monthly gatherings and large-scale conferences ensures that founders at every stage find value.

Meetup (Startups and Tech Events)

Meetup has always been the grassroots layer of the startup ecosystem. In San Francisco, it powers countless groups across industries like AI, fintech, Web3, and healthtech.

For founders, Meetup is where relationships begin. It is less polished than conferences, but that is also its strength. Many co-founders, early hires, and first customers meet through these smaller, community-led groups.

Vestbee

Vestbee is known primarily as a platform for startups and VCs, but its events section has grown into a must-read for founders preparing to fundraise. With listings focused on summits and investor-heavy gatherings, it goes beyond general networking.

For founders, the appeal is direct access to decision-makers. If your goal is to meet VCs or learn from other startups that have scaled successfully, Vestbee’s calendar is an essential tool.

STEP San Francisco

STEP San Francisco adds a global dimension to the Bay Area ecosystem. By connecting MENA and emerging market startups with Silicon Valley, it creates a bridge between regions that are shaping the future of innovation.

For founders, this is an opportunity to step outside the local bubble and gain exposure to new markets, talent, and capital flows. The mix of panels, pitches, and exhibitions makes it a unique festival.

dev.events is a simple but powerful resource for the technical side of the startup world. Its listings include conferences, workshops, and masterclasses that appeal to developers and builders.

For founders, it is especially useful when you want to sharpen your technical knowledge while meeting others who are creating products at the same pace. It blends learning with networking in a way few calendars do.

AngelHack

AngelHack is one of the most recognized names in the hackathon world. Its San Francisco presence brings together developers, designers, and entrepreneurs to rapidly prototype new ideas.

For startups, this is where you can stress-test an idea, meet technical talent, or even recruit your next co-founder. Many products that start at AngelHack go on to become venture-backed startups.


Open Sauce


Open Sauce is part showcase, part celebration of creative technology. With roots in engineering and STEM, it brings together makers, innovators, and creators in a festival format.


For founders, it offers exposure to a different side of the tech world such as hardware, robotics, and experimental projects that often spark entirely new categories. It is a reminder that San Francisco is as much about invention as it is about investment.



You can check out our previous article: 13 Best Startup News Websites to Follow in 2025 for curated insights on industry coverage and startup storytelling.


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