There’s a lot happening this week for entrepreneurs and startup founders. We’ve curated a short list below focused on startup-relevant events. For the full rundown, check out this week’s Startup Digest and consider subscribing to get it every Monday morning.

Sac Tech Week 2026: Six Days of Tech, Startups and Innovation
Oct 19 – 24 | Events throughout the Sacramento region

Sac Tech Week is coming in October with more than 30 events bringing together founders, technologists, investors, makers, students and others from across the region. The week includes workshops, panels, startup showcases, pitch competitions, AI programs, networking events and more at venues throughout Greater Sacramento. Explore the schedule now and start planning which events you want to attend. We’ve prefaced official Sac Tech Week events with “STW.” Read more.

Featured

Startup Challenge – Early Bird Pricing Ends Oct 19!
Fri–Sun, Nov 13–15, Carlsen Center at Sacramento State
Turn an idea into a business in one action-packed weekend of learning by doing. Work with a team to develop, test and pitch a new business idea with guidance and support from Sacramento’s startup community. No idea or prior business experience required. Register by Oct 19 for early bird pricing: $75 general admission or $25 for students, before prices increase to $99 and $35. Read more.

STW: Startup World Cup Sacramento Regional
Tue, Oct 20, 5:30 – 8 PM, Carlsen Center at Sacramento State
Watch ten Greater Sacramento startups pitch live for $20,000 in local prizes and the chance to advance to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco, where they’ll compete for a $1 million investment prize. The Sacramento competition is free to attend and part of Sac Tech Week. Read more.

STW: Tandem: A Human-First Tech Summit
Sat, Oct 24, 9 AM – 5 PM, The Guild Theater in Sacramento
Explore how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping work, creativity, society and the physical world—and what should remain distinctly human. This one-day Sac Tech Week summit brings together founders, engineers, creators and other perspectives for discussions, demonstrations and interactive experiences focused on the future of technology and its impact. Read more.

Applications Open: Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy 2027
Aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage founders can gain hands-on business education, mentorship and connections to Sacramento’s entrepreneurial community through the Academy’s 2027 cohort. The program runs January–May, with Saturday morning sessions covering customer research, marketing, finance, business planning and pitching. Learn more

This Week

1 Million Cups Sacramento with FISE Technologies and Sunny Air Systems
Wed, Oct 14, 9 – 10 AM, Online
Hear from two early-stage startups: FISE Technologies, which is developing a platform to manage consent and control over sensitive neural data, and Sunny Air Systems, which is building voice-control technology for drone swarms. Each will give a six-minute presentation followed by questions, feedback and advice from the community. Read more.

The Academy Mastermind: AI to Grow Your Business
Wed, Oct 14, 5:30 – 7:30 PM, Aggie Square in Sacramento
Explore practical ways AI can help grow your business while connecting with founders, mentors and potential partners. This interactive Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy gathering combines an AI experience with candid lessons from experienced entrepreneurs and opportunities for small-group conversation and connection. Read more.

AI for Marketing Workshop
Wed, Oct 14, 6 – 8 PM, Frequency Coworking in Rancho Cordova
Learn practical ways to use AI to improve your marketing. Storyline Media CEO Jesse Delgado will share best practices, real-world strategies and AI tools and workflows you can put to work in your business right away. Read more.

AI Startup Office Hours
Thu, Oct 15, 11 AM – 1 PM, HCMI in Rancho Cordova
AI and technology founders, professionals, students, and researchers can receive practical feedback on an idea or venture. No pitch required. Drop in to discuss validating demand, finding initial customers, turning a side project into a business, preparing for investor conversations, or connecting with regional startup resources. Read more.

Harnesses: How an AI-Native Company Actually Runs
Thu, Oct 15, 5:30 – 8 PM, HUMANBULB Innovation Center in Sacramento
See how one founder and a team of AI agents take products from idea to production. Sanvio Labs founder Pat Santora builds a “harness”—the rules, procedures and checks that keep agents on track—live from an empty repo, showing where agents belong, where they don’t, and what broke along the way. Read more.

Founder AMA with Cam and JDM
Fri, Oct 16, 12 – 1 PM, Online
Founders can bring their toughest startup questions and receive candid, experience-based feedback on what to prioritize and what may be wasting time. The open discussion is especially useful for those seeking their first customers, testing their value proposition, building meaningful traction, or preparing to raise capital with credible metrics. Read more.

Plan Ahead

STW: State of Innovation: Sacramento – Sac Tech Week Kickoff
Mon, Oct 19, 9 AM – 12 PM, 1442 on the Blvd in Sacramento
Explore Sacramento’s future as a technology and innovation hub and connect with founders, investors, business leaders and regional decision makers. This Sac Tech Week kickoff event examines AI, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, workforce development and opportunities to strengthen the region’s innovation economy. Read more.

STW: AI Startup Showcase – HUMANBULB
Mon, Oct 19, 6 – 8 PM, Roseville Venture Lab in Roseville
Discover emerging AI startups and connect with founders building new AI-powered products. This Sac Tech Week showcase features pitches and live demos from companies that participated in HUMANBULB’s eight-week AI-Native Accelerator, highlighting new solutions being developed in Greater Sacramento. Read more.

Owning The Block: Women Build the Block
Tue, Oct 20, 5 – 7 PM, Aggie Square in Sacramento, CA
A practical session for women entrepreneurs focused on identifying growth barriers, finding the right capital and resources, and learning from a live case study of a woman-led business scaling into larger markets. Founders can use it to clarify next steps, understand what growth-ready businesses need, and connect with California Capital Women’s Business Center support. Read more.

STW: 1 Million Cups Sacramento with Liz Awesome and FlowersPop
Wed, Oct 21, 8:30 – 10 AM, HUMANBULB Innovation Center in Sacramento or Online
Hear from two early-stage startups: Liz Awesome, which is exploring ways to bring art into business and professional environments, and FlowersPop, which is developing a personalized flower-shopping experience where customers create their own bouquets. Each will give a six-minute presentation followed by questions, feedback and advice from the community. This month’s in-person gathering is part of Sac Tech Week, with a Zoom option available. Read more.

STW: Prototype: Building Your New Coworker
Wed, Oct 21, 11 AM – 3 PM, Frequency Coworking in Rancho Cordova
Learn how to build AI-powered tools and automate everyday business tasks at this hands-on Sac Tech Week mini summit. Workshops cover creating a business copilot with Claude, automating workflows, and using Replit to build simple websites, dashboards and applications you can put to work in your business. Read more.

STW: Growth Factory Ventures Open House & Yard Party
Fri, Oct 23, 4 – 7 PM, Rocklin
Connect with founders, investors and regional startup ecosystem leaders at Growth Factory Ventures’ casual Sac Tech Week closing gathering. Enjoy yard games, networking and opportunities to meet others building and supporting startups in Greater Sacramento. Read more.

Applications

NSF I-Corps Customer Discovery Program – Fall 2026 AgTech
Apply by Thu, Oct 15 | Online program
Early-stage teams developing STEM-based technologies can participate in this free UC Davis Venture Catalyst customer discovery program, with a fall theme of AgTech. Teams of 2–4 will conduct customer interviews, identify target customers, refine their value proposition, and evaluate product-market fit. University affiliation is not required. Orientation is Nov 3, with workshops Nov 10, 17 and 24. Read more.

Build Up Sacramento 2027 Applications Open
Rolling Admission Open Now through Nov 30
Established Sacramento businesses with at least one year of operating history are invited to apply for this no-cost accelerator designed to help companies scale sustainably. Over four months, participants receive expert advising, peer learning, office hours, and practical strategies for strengthening operations, expanding customers, and preparing for long-term growth. Only 20 businesses will be selected, with qualified applicants accepted on a rolling basis. Want to learn more before applying? Attend an online  Info Session on Oct 22. Read more.

Traction Lab: Investment Readiness Engine
Applications Open
Apply for this 9-month go-to-market acceleration program supporting Sacramento-area founders with B2B sales development, enterprise pilot strategy, investor readiness, and traction-building support. Led by Traction Lab in partnership with Right Box and the Carlsen Center, the program includes a $20K non-dilutive experimentation pool shared across the cohort, and culminates in a $100K SPV Investment Showcase. Read more.

GFN Office Hours – Apply for 1:1 Mentorship
Applications Open | Roseville
Apply for a free one-on-one session with a GFN Entrepreneur-in-Residence and get personalized feedback on your startup idea or business challenges. Sessions are held at the Roseville Venture Lab. Read more

Sacramento Startup Events App 

Startup Digest volunteer curator Manoj Keechilot of Gilentic Technologies has created a free Android app to help entrepreneurs discover Sacramento startup events, accelerator opportunities, and application deadlines. Browse upcoming events, filter by date, add events to your calendar, and access registration links—all in one place. Download Sacramento Startup Events free on Google Play.

Connect

Looking to connect with others? Join the StartupSac Community Facebook Group! Startup founders and those who support the growth of our startup community connect and exchange ideas in this private moderated group.

Resources

Check out the StartupSac Website for information on resources available to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Also check out the NorCal Entrepreneur Hub. From capital to connections and training to talent, find the resources you need to build your business in NorCal.