TECH WEEK by a16z’s Post

Last year, I had the incredible opportunity to attend both SF and NY Tech Week. These experiences were invaluable in expanding my network and learning from some of the best minds in the industry. However, this year, I decided to take a different approach and moved to Chicago, choosing to sit out of NY Tech Week. Why the change? 🤔 One major lesson I learned from these events is that follow-ups are crucial. It's not just about attending the events; it's about what happens afterward. Despite the vast number of people and companies at these tech weeks, I found that meaningful, productive connections were often elusive. Here’s what I realized: 1, Quality over Quantity: The sheer scale of these events can make it challenging to have deep, meaningful conversations. It's easy to get lost in the crowd. 2, Relevance: Not every event or conversation aligns with my specific goals and interests. Finding the right people to talk to can be like finding a needle in a haystack. 3, Focus: Too many events and sessions can dilute my focus. I found myself spread too thin, unable to dive deep into the areas that truly mattered to me. This year, I’m focusing on more targeted events and connections, where I can engage more deeply and follow up more effectively. Sometimes, stepping back from the big events can provide clarity and lead to more impactful interactions. I hope people are making the most out of NY Tech week this time, while I will be focusing more on setting goals and curating my existing connections

👋 We need you to help us get the word out! We're in the early stages of planning our second HuddleHive 🐝 London hackathon, an event that will take place in early October. We're on the lookout for an office space or venue that can host between 100 and 150 people over a weekend! 🤔 Why should I trust HuddleHive? Our last event was incredibly successful with overwhelmingly positive feedback (check out the posts with the tag #huddlehivehack24). 98% of attendees said they would attend another hackathon run by us. We beat the industry average dropout rate by 31%. We know what we're doing - we've facilitated plenty of big hacks including the largest WIT hackathon in the UK. 🧐 What do I get? We treat hosts as top tier sponsors and offer all the perks that come with that (happy to take prospects through it all). The event is geared towards students and young professionals, this is a great way to support their career growth, get feedback on your tech, as well as meet some potential hires! 🙏 Please reach out if you can help (or tag/comment/react for reach if you can't). Together we can empower the next generation of tech enthusiasts through hackathons! 🔗 Link to our site in the comments for more event info, testimonials and our background.

seeing a lot of bad takes that founders aren't serious if they attend conferences like Tech Week. yes, aimlessly attending tons of events is stupid and suggests your priorities aren't in the right place. but not taking advantage of thousands of potential investors, hires and customers flooding into a city looking to network is also stupid. I attended 2 events for Tech Week: - 1 where I caught up with my most important investors and founder friends from out of town. - 1 we hosted where we collected 800+ warm leads and demo'd our product to hundreds of people. it was also a very meaningful milestone and bonding moment for my team it was so successful that we're already planning on another event (and perhaps even launching publicly) at the next Tech Week. humans love to reject things that others view as high status as a means of asserting their own status (look up sprezzatura). say you find Balenciaga distasteful and suddenly you're a taste maker. attending exclusive conference events with top investors and founders is high status, so saying it's cringe suggests you're even higher status, even more important. my recommendation is for founders to ignore what people think and focus on doing whatever will make your company successful. sometimes that's slapping a name tag on and showing up at a "cringe" conference event. other times that's declining an invitation so you can get some coding done.

This evening at 5pm, we’re back at Revolución de Cuba for another fantastic social networking event! After the incredible energy at Belfast Tech Week, we’re excited to keep the momentum going. We’ll be up in the Mezzanine Bar, creating the perfect space for conversations, connection, and collaboration. Here’s what sets us apart—growth isn’t just about scaling; it’s about learning, reflecting, and sharing the highs and lows of the journey. At The Growth Network, we embrace collaborative advantage, focusing on progress over perfection. Building a business can be tough, and we’ve had our doubts and challenges along the way. But that’s why this community exists—to support each other and create opportunities together. Our events aren’t about pitching or the hard sell, but rather meaningful conversations that lead to real progress. If you joined us for Tech Week, you know the value of these moments. If you’re new, you’re in for something special—a space where genuine conversations with doers make all the difference. So, if you’re ready to learn, grow, and connect with others on a similar path, we’d love to see you there. Join us tonight at Revolución de Cuba. Grab your FREE ticket here: https://lnkd.in/eMEVJBYA 🚀 Let’s take the next step forward—together! 🤝

Wanna be involved in Tech Fest ? Please make an expression of interest to speak or run a session see all the details below

🔥 Hot take: Small, intimate events are the hidden gems of Tech Week. Fresh off SF & LA, and the stories keep rolling in: ⚡️ Casual rooftop chats turning into signed contracts ⚡️ International founders meeting their first U.S. investors ⚡️ Old friends reconnecting after years apart ⚡️ Unexpected cross-selling opportunities with existing customers ⚡️ Demo sessions sparking immediate investor interest The beauty of Tech Week lies in these "you had to be there" moments where real relationships form, deals close, and serendipity happens. These weeks reminded us why we build in SF & LA: the right room can change everything. What unexpected connections did you make? 👇

My experience at Tech Fest 2.0 "Fill your life with experiences. Not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show." I recently attended Tech Fest 2.0, and it was an exhilarating experience that exceeded my expectations! Driven by curiosity and a desire to connect with fellow tech enthusiasts, I registered for this event back in October. The stimulating sessions on data security and its growing significance in today's digital landscape, especially its legal connection, had me engrossed throughout. Stimulating sessions and ideas on data security and its heightened importance in this time and age kept me at the edge of my seat throughout. And what's a good outing without a little interaction and networking? Networking was a key highlight for me, and I'm thrilled to have achieved my goal of connecting with 5 influential professionals in tech-related fields. PS:I wish I had more pictures to share, but I don't. I've taken a mental note to take more pictures in my next event. *#TechFest2 #DataSecurity #Networking #Innovation #CommunityBuilding*

Techweek is fast approaching and we at Canterbury Tech are seeking out speakers with a message for our local community. Have you been thinking about a topic you feel others would also be interested in hearing about? Or do you want to run an interactive session that will help your audience with a common problem? This could be the ideal place to do that! Check out the links in the post below and sing out if you have any questions

Are you ready to make the most out of TECH WEEK by a16z? 👀 Whether you're building connections, discovering the latest innovations, or just exploring the scene, it's important to stay organized and on top of things. I've put together a detailed blog post analyzing all the must-attend events happening during Tech Week in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In addition to the blog post, I’ve made a Google sheet with a comprehensive list of events and a built-in tracker (complete with checkboxes to easily manage your registrations). Want to maximize your networking and learning opportunities? Check out this 2-minute video, where I walk you through how to use this tool to stay ahead of the game. Read the blog post and get access to the event list and tracker by clicking the link below! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d48HEhBX Have any thoughts about the blog, the video, or the Tech Weeks? Just let me know in the comments so we can discuss them together! 🙌

🌇 💡NY Tech Week Musings: 3 Days, 3 Thoughts:🗽🚀 Hey everyone, we're halfway through the adrenaline-fueled ride that is New York Tech Week, and boy, do I have 3 thoughts to share! 1) 🌍🤝 Connection Cravings Are Off the Charts With over 200 official events today alone (June 5, 2024), it's clear that people are hungry for networking. I mean, most events are so packed, you can barely squeeze in! It's amazing to see founders and investors from all over the world coming together. The global tech community is truly something special. 2) 🎉🗣️ The Great Networking Paradox Is it just me, or do some of these "networking" events make it nearly impossible to actually network? I feel like I'm shouting over the music half the time! 🎧😅 I love a good party, but maybe we could tone it down a notch and actually hear each other speak? 😆 3) 🌇🔍 NYC Tech Scene: Untapped Potential Alert Chatting with NYC folks, I keep hearing the same thing: we need a better way to stay connected beyond Tech Week.💡 There's so much potential here, and it's up to us to build the community we want to see. 🛠️🌍 So, fellow tech enthusiasts, let's not just network – let's build something awesome together! 🚀 If you're down to create a community that goes beyond a single week, hit me up. I'm all ears (and excited to see what we can create)! 😄✨ #NYTechWeek #newyork #techweek #networking #community I think the video here from one of the events yesterday is a great illustration of the overall spirit of the NYC Tech Week 👇