San Francisco Side Events Expand as TechCrunch Disrupt Week Nears
TechCrunch Disrupt Week will extend well past the doors of Moscone West, with a packed schedule of side events bringing founders, investors, operators and technology leaders together at venues across San Francisco. The programme ranges from small roundtables and founder dinners to happy hours, workshops and community gatherings, according to the organisers.
Participants can use the events to make new contacts, find collaborators, explore a specific industry in depth or simply take a break from the main conference floor. A full list of the 2026 side events is available for those planning their calendars.
Among the featured gatherings is a Korea–US Startup and Investor Networking Night on October 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT. Organised by KOTRA as part of the Korea Pavilion programme, the evening is designed to connect Korean startups entering the U.S. market with investors, founders, corporate partners and members of the Bay Area startup ecosystem. KOTRA is also offering complimentary Expo+ passes to qualified applicants who do not hold a ticket to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
On October 13, WayFounder will host a Born2Global Founder Networking Night from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PT. Eighteen emerging startups from the Republic of Korea will take part, with each founder giving a brief introduction before the evening opens up for conversations and connections across the U.S. and global startup ecosystem.
Enterprise Ireland will bring The Irish Shark Tank to Ireland House on October 13 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., offering a happy-hour setting to meet Irish startups. The organiser said availability is limited.
SafetyWing will hold a happy hour at Harrington's Irish Pub on October 13 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PT, bringing together founders, HR leaders and startup community members over drinks and conversation. The event is also a chance to meet the team behind the company's health coverage approach for remote and global teams.
Skyflow and Descope will co-host Vault & Verify: An Evening of Ping Pong, Cocktails & Conversation on October 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PT. The gathering is aimed at San Francisco's security, privacy and identity community, with discussion of the challenges of keeping sensitive data and identity secure as AI systems become more autonomous.
Other side events include a live demonstration of voice-restoration technology on October 7 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. PT, where Uhura Bionics co-founder Konrad Zieliński will showcase the Whitney Electrolarynx for a U.S. audience, exploring how technology can help people reclaim their voices and agency after cancer treatment.
On October 10, PrincipiumX will run a session from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PT on using first-principles thinking to uncover overlooked customer needs, strengthen product-market fit and identify growth opportunities, drawing on a real-world case study.
Syntro will host Long Lead Time: A Hardware Happy Hour on October 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PT for founders, engineers and operators working on robotics, chips, rockets and other frontier hardware. The informal gathering has no presentations.
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs will present Real World AI: Connect, Invest & Scale in Taiwan on October 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT, featuring startup pitches and conversations on robotics, intelligent hardware and advanced manufacturing.
Omelo will host Pets of Disrupt: Founders, Investors & Their Pets on October 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT, an informal evening for founders, investors, operators, builders, creators and their pets. EdgeM8 will run a B2B Partnership Mixer the same day from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PT for founders, revenue leaders and executives in go-to-market, partnerships, distribution and technology.
Fynex will hold a curated rooftop party with Orion VC on October 14 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT for founders, operators and AI-focused investors, with food, drinks and discussion of AI and infrastructure. Also on October 14, Improbable will host Watch It Run: Live Automation Dinner with Bolter from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT, where attendees can describe a weekly process in plain language and watch it become a working automation without code.
INNOVA and BeGlobe PR Agency will present The Rooftop Pilaf, a limited-seat dinner for founders, investors and growth leaders, on October 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. PT, focused on deep tech conversations. CedarDB will host SQLDoom Deathmatch Night at Disrupt on October 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. PT, combining an SQL skills contest with arcade games, food, drinks and networking.
Brinc will host a Korea Emerging Tech Showcase on October 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT, featuring rapid-fire pitches from Korean startups in AI, software, medtech, clean tech, digital platforms and advanced industry. 500 Global will present the J-StarX Silicon Valley Extended Program Startup Showcase on October 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT, where 12 Japanese startups building for global markets will give live demos.
On October 16, Handler will host The Runway, a morning founder run from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PT along the Embarcadero with startup-themed markers, followed by coffee and networking at the Ferry Building. Founders @ Alchemy Springs will run from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT the same day, combining sauna and cold-plunge experiences.
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