The backbone of Venture Café – come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. How will you make your serendipitous moment come true?  

Creating something new is hard. Anyone who’s done it can tell you. So, of course, once you have it, you want to show it to the people who can use it. And that’s why most startups fail. The crazy-making problem is that the people who can use your creation are too busy to notice it. How do you solve that? Let’s talk about the reframe that gets you into the mindset to make your creation too compelling to ignore. There’s a system for putting your idea into the heads of the people you want as customers. We’ll look at some examples of founders who solved this, and talk about how it can work for you. Because too many good ideas fail. Let’s fix that.   

You've heard the stories, you've met the teams.... Curious what Techstars Startup Weekend Boston actually feels like? Join us for a high-energy evening designed to give you a real taste of the experience. Shweta Agrawal, Lead Organizer of Techstars Startup Weekend Boston, will share what Startup Weekend means to her, why it matters, and what makes it such a powerful space for builders, collaborators, and first-time founders alike. Then, we put the room into motion. You will take part in a live Startup Weekend mini-experience: meeting other participants, forming teams, testing ideas, and building fast under pressure. Along the way, you will hear directly from community members, ask questions, and get a clearer sense of what it means to step into one of the world's foremost hackathons. Whether you are startup-curious, innovation-minded, or already building something of your own, this is your chance to experience the energy of Startup Weekend before the main event begins. Sign up for Startup Weekend here: https://luma.com/0pckwwi8.

Turning breakthrough science into a viable therapy takes more than strong data—it requires a clear, integrated strategy across clinical development and commercialization. In this interactive session, Tunnell Consulting brings a practical lens to one of biotech’s biggest challenges: aligning early-stage decisions with long-term success. From designing clinical pathways and navigating regulatory complexity to planning for market access and scale, they’ll explore how to de-risk development and make smarter strategic choices earlier. Whether you’re advancing a novel therapeutic, preparing for your next milestone, or rethinking your go-to-market approach, this conversation offers a grounded look at what it really takes to move from discovery to impact—and how to avoid costly missteps along the way.

Building genuine empathy for your product, organization, and the people you’re trying to reach starts with how you see it. This session is part of an ongoing exploration of creativity in practice, but is designed to meet you wherever you are in your process. Together, we’ll move beyond defining creativity and into actively working with it—using a hands-on, object-based approach to deepen your relationship with your ideas. Through guided dialogue and reflection, you’ll shift your point of view toward close observation: What is this idea, really? What are its properties? Where did it come from, and how has it evolved? From there, you’ll translate insight into form. Drawing on architectural metaphors, you’ll map your project using its real characteristics—its structure, tensions, and connections—using language that feels natural to you. The goal is not perfection, but clarity. You’ll leave with a visual and written rendering of your idea, along with a more grounded, actionable understanding of your creative process. Bring an open mind and a way to capture your thinking.

In the startup world, reaching $1M in revenue is a milestone, but getting to $5M is a transformation. It requires new systems, sharper focus and tough choices. As part of the “Architecting What’s Next” series, this interactive roundtable will bring together founders and experts to share candid stories about what worked, where they stumbled and what they would do differently. You’ll walk away with practical frameworks for breaking through the $1M barrier, pitfalls to avoid –from expanding teams to positioning the business. This isn’t a lecture. It’s an active conversation designed for founders who want to compare notes, share challenges and leave with new strategies to apply immediately. Who should attend: Founders and executives with a revenue goal of $1M+ who are looking to accelerate growth, prepare for fundraising or strengthen their company’s market position.  

What does it take to transform breakthrough research into companies that shape global industries? Join leading founders, investors, and innovation leaders for a conversation on how deep-tech discoveries move from the lab into scalable ventures that attract capital, build markets, and deliver real-world impact. This curated panel—hosted by One Way Ventures in partnership with Korea Institute of Science and Technology—brings together voices from academia, venture creation, and industry to explore the path from scientific discovery to global enterprise. Expect insights into commercialization, venture building, and the global partnerships required to scale deep-tech innovation. This session will welcome a curated international audience of venture investors, banks, government representatives, and deep-tech founders visiting from across the U.S. and Asia.Featuring:  Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang (MIT) — Serial entrepreneur whose ventures, including A123 Systems and Form Energy, have collectively raised ~$2.5B Seonghoon Woo (Founder & CEO, Amogy) — MIT PhD; building an ammonia-to-power platform company that has raised $300M+ Johannes Fruehauf (Founder & CEO, BioLabs; Chairman, LabCentral) Jaspaul Paul Singh (Co-Founder & CEO, Interon) — KIST-sponsored biotech founder

What can the UK deeptech ecosystem teach us about building, scaling, and sustaining innovation communities?Join leaders from across Venture Café UK, spanning Manchester, Edinburgh, and London, for a candid cross regional conversation on the realities of deeptech today. Featuring Andrew Ruffler, Claudia Cavalluzzo, and Liam Ward, with Mike Jackson moderating, this session brings together perspectives from those actively shaping the infrastructure behind innovation.Together, they will explore how deeptech ecosystems take root and grow, what distinguishes the UK landscape, and where global opportunities for collaboration exist. Expect reflections on community building, capital access, and the unique challenges of supporting science and research driven ventures.Whether you are a founder, ecosystem builder, investor, or simply curious about how innovation scales across borders, this is a chance to gain insight, ask questions, and connect with leaders driving deeptech forward.

The backbone of Venture Café – come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. How will you make your serendipitous moment come true? We’re bringing a group of startups from Uzbekistan — one of the world’s fastest-growing startup ecosystems (#2 globally, StartupBlink 2025), with over 900 startups and 2 unicorns in the past two years — building products for international markets across AI, fintech, and digital services. It’s a great opportunity to meet the founders, see what they’re working on, and explore potential collaboration — all while enjoying a touch of Uzbek culture with traditional treats in a relaxed networking atmosphere. Agenda: 6:00pm, Welcome & Introduction from IT Park Uzbekistan6:10pm - 6:20 pm, Startup Pitches 

The Under the Hood series by Women Applying AI spotlights female startup founders building AI-driven products and solutions — uncovering both the human story and the technical journey behind their ventures. This series:​ Offers a transparent view into how AI-powered businesses are actually built.​ Showcases innovative, new AI-native solution.​  Creates a meaningful connection between founders and the community through Q&A.​ In this session, we'll meet three founders: Erika Bartucca, Co-founder of Via AI Beth McKeon, Founder and CEO of Rally AI Bobbi Wegner, Founder and CEO of Groops This session will be moderated by Pam Boiros, co-founder of Women Applying AI, a Boston-based nonprofit community designed to empower women to apply artificial intelligence in their work and lives. Through skill-building workshops, mentorship programs, and inclusive collaboration, WAAI helps women across industries gain confidence, deepen knowledge, and connect with a powerful peer network. The organization’s mission is to enable women to lead with AI—across industries, roles, and the real world.