SoCal Community Events

Connect with the innovation community in Southern California by checking out these regional events.

Upcoming Community Events

The events listed are not hosted or organized by the Alliance unless specified

February 20
From the Manhattan Project to Autoimmune Therapy: Special Lecture from 2025 Nobel Laureate Fred Ramsdell
Hosted by: UCLA
Location: CNSI UCLA
Fred Ramsdell, UCLA alumnus and 2025 Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine is a scientific advisor with Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, and shared the Nobel prize with Mary Brunkow and Shimon Sakaguchi for their collective research on how immune cells known as regulatory T cells prevent the immune system from harming the body’s own tissues. Ramsdell’s work, including his Nobel-winning research, has led to improved care for people with autoimmune diseases like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and other disorders.

February 21
Applied Machine Learning and AI Advancing Human Health
Hosted by: Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum
Location: Pasadena
Discover how AI is revolutionizing drug discovery, biologics design, and care delivery, with innovation accelerating at unprecedented speed. AI is compressing timelines, reducing costs, improving precision, and personalizing care across the entire life sciences and healthcare value chain, from molecule to patient. For founders, scientists, and industry leaders, the focus is no longer “what’s possible?” but “what’s working in the lab, the clinic, and the market now.” This event unites leading researchers, startup founders, and industry operators advancing innovation at the intersection of computation and biology, from the Southern California ecosystem to the global stage.

February 25
LAEDC Economic Forecast 2026
Hosted by: LAEDC
Location: Glendale
LAEDC’s Annual Economic Forecast event is a highly anticipated and influential public event that draws attendees from across the greater Los Angeles region. The event combines valuable insights on national, state, and local economic trends for the upcoming year with practical discussions on the regional challenges and opportunities that are emerging. It provides attendees with the knowledge that can shape their decision-making with respect to business, policy, and education.

February 25
LAVA Lunar New Year Celebration 2026
Hosted by: LA Venture Association (LAVA)
Location: Santa Monica
Join us to celebrate The Year of the Fire Horse: A night of momentum, upward movement, and meaningful connections for innovators, visionaries, and the fiery trailblazers of our time.

February 26
Burbank Tech Networking Night – Media Industry Edition
Hosted by: Neal Bloom / City of Burbank
Location: Burbank
An evening to connect with Burbank’s creative and tech community — all rooted in media. Whether you’re producing, directing, designing, pitching, writing, editing, or somewhere in between – join us for a night of conversation, community, and creative energy in the heart of Burbank’s Media District. This isn’t a panel or pitch night. It’s a chance to meet fellow professionals, share stories, and explore opportunities in a relaxed setting.

March 3
NachoTuesday: LA SaaS & AI Founder + Investor Happy Hour
Hosted by: NachoNacho
Location: Santa Monica
NachoNacho – The B2B SaaS & AI + Services Marketplace, MoFo, Shopline, and community partners Emerging LA, Nerdstage, and Alliance for SoCal Innovation will host this exclusive LA Founder + Investor happy hour event. This event will include sponsored drinks and appetizers. This networking event will be exclusively for SaaS/AI: Founders (minimum Seed funded and later), C-Suites, Investors/VCs, Tech media.

March 5
LAVA Celebrity: Game Night
Hosted by: LA Venture Association (LAVA)
Location: El Segundo
LAVA Celebrity is excited to host a private kickoff celebration for celebrity investors, founders, and future leaders. We’re taking you to court, the pickleball court!

March 5
Venture Building Program Demo Day
Hosted by: Hero House
Location: Glendale
This event marks the culmination of Cohort 1 of the Hero House Venture Building Program, a 16-week build sprint designed to take teams from problem selection and customer discovery to a validated product, clear go-to-market, and investor-ready pitch. You’ll hear 10 companies built in the program pitch what they’ve shipped and what they’re building next, cross AI, cybersecurity, Physical AI , and Neuro AI.

March 26
Newport Beach Investor Conference
Hosted by: Newport Beach Investor Conference
Location: Newport Beach
Join 500+ investors and industry professionals for an exclusive, one-day gathering showcasing cutting-edge investment opportunities across sectors like AI, Blockchain, Consumer Products, Longevity, Medtech, Real Estate, and Sports Tech. This event is designed to connect accredited investors, venture capitalists, private equity firms, family offices, and other high-net-worth individuals with a curated lineup of presenting companies and entrepreneurs actively raising capital.

March 26
Neuro Tech Forum
Hosted by: Octane
Location: Newport Beach
The Neuro Tech Forum brings together the brightest minds in neurotech to explore the future of innovations. What to Expect: Breakthrough technologies, real-world applications, and industry insights. Why Attend: Discuss trends and advancements with industry leaders, clinicians, investors, and entrepreneurs.

April 20-24
OC Innovation Week 2026
Hosted by: UCI, Octane, Sustain SoCal
Location: Irvine
A week of events and community gathering in OC, covering all things innovation.

SoCal Venture Pipeline Program
Deadline: Ongoing
SoCal Venture Pipeline Program
Startups receive targeted introductions to investors through our unique no-cost program (no fees, no equity, totally free). SoCal entrepreneurs raising institutional funding are carefully selected and directly introduced to capital providers from our deep nationwide relationship network. Accepted startups may also receive funding through our Catalyst Fund.

Community Deadlines

Submission Deadline: February 13 (flexible)
Larta Institute’s Venture Fellows Program
Do you have an innovative solution to enhance community resilience and adaptability to weather challenges in Los Angeles County? Applications are NOW OPEN for Larta Institute’s 2026 Venture Fellows Program, our flagship Community Labs accelerator supporting founders building high-impact environmental solutions.
Venture Fellows receive hands-on commercialization support, expert mentorship, and deep ecosystem connections at no cost to help scale innovations that communities urgently need.

Submission Deadline: February 13 (flexible)
Heal.LA Fellows Program
Are you building an innovation to improve the health & wellness of communities in Los Angeles County? Applications are for Larta Institute’s 2026 HealLA Bioscience & Healthcare Accelerator Program, our award-winning accelerator program designed to support healthcare and bioscience innovators advancing more equitable, effective, and accessible care. Selected Fellows will receive hands-on commercialization support, tailored mentorship, and connections to funders, providers, and ecosystem partners at no cost to help bring impactful health solutions to scale.

Submission Deadline: Feb 18
S26 Cohort of XLR8 PBC
XLR8 PBC is Arizona’s premier program for scale-ready health tech companies, hosted at the Phoenix Bioscience Core. As a founder/CEO, you will get out of working IN your business and start working ON your business, backed by Arizona’s scale-up hub—a uniquely neutral platform that assembles the state’s diverse clinical assets and investor networks into a single, unified engine for your growth. Our goals are simple: help founder/CEOs tell an investment story, find experienced executives, and sign partner deals that matter most to investors. This highly competitive program is open to startups from anywhere in the world (we can help with ‘soft landing’), takes no equity, and charges no fees.

Submission Deadline: Feb 24
Catalyst 2026 by CTIA Wireless Foundation
CTIA Wireless Foundation just launched Catalyst 2026, our signature grants program for social entrepreneurs using wireless technology to address pressing challenges in American communities. This year, we’re awarding over $200K in unrestricted grants to six or more winners, with a first-place award of $100,000. The top winners also receive professionally produced videos and speaking opportunities with wireless industry leaders, elected officials, and policymakers.

Submission Deadline: February 29
Daiichi Sankyo’s Golden Ticket Program
As part of Daiichi Sankyo’s Platinum Sponsorship of BioLabs San Diego, two Golden Tickets will be awarded to startups developing novel technology platforms and/or modalities capable of generating multiple drug candidates, regardless of disease area. Winners will receive: One year of BioLabs San Diego membership; Dedicated laboratory bench and desk space; Access to Daiichi Sankyo’s scientific leaders and network.

Submission Deadline: March 6
Alpha by a16z Speedrun
The Alpha Fellowship places top early-career engineers into full-time roles at fast-growing a16z speedrun and Andreessen Horowitz portfolio companies. We’re looking for highly technical students and recent graduates who want to learn how startups are built from the inside. Fellows take full-time roles at fast-growing portfolio companies, kicking off with a two-month fellowship alongside the a16z speedrun community in San Francisco. Run in partnership with a16z speedrun and EO Ventures.

Submission Deadline: March 13
Summer Internship at Terasaki Institute
The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) offers a highly interdisciplinary Summer Internship Program designed to immerse students in cutting-edge biomedical research, innovation, and translation. Our unique approach brings together researchers with expertise in biomedical imaging, biosensing, biomechanics, engineered and synthetic biology, nano- and biomaterials, artificial intelligence, and informatics, creating an environment where students engage with real-world challenges at the intersection of engineering, biology, and impact.

Submission Deadline: March 13
Braid Theory is now accepting applications for two accelerator programs (linked below) designed to support startups driving innovation in the blue economy. If you’re developing innovative solutions, this is your opportunity to gain commercialization support, mentorship, and industry connections. Both programs offer: Weekly virtual workshops, 1:1 mentoring, Peer-to-peer learning, Access to a global network of industry experts, Virtual + in-person events.

The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Accelerator
This NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration funded, 90-day program focuses on supporting the development of new ocean data technologies and services. This program aligns with NOAA’s Ocean Enterprise initiative, fostering solutions that drive economic and societal benefits across the U.S. and the growing blue economy.

LA BLUE Accelerator
A 90-day program designed for engineering and science-led startups working on solutions (TRL 4-7) across all areas of the blue economy—including ocean, freshwater, and coastal regions. This program is dedicated to companies looking to grow their business in SoCal.

Startups Apply to the SoCal Venture Pipeline Program

Get matched with the right Seed and Series A investors. These are warm introductions that could change your life.

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Investors: Join our relationship network

The Alliance has established a nationwide network of over 200 institutional investors who receive curated personal introductions to high quality startups ready for Seed and Series A funding who match their investment thesis and previous investments. Join our relationship network to get connected to high potential startup founders.

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Upcoming Alliance Events

Check out our events calendar to see upcoming opportunities to connect with the innovation community in Southern California.

Alliance Events