Founders Live San Diego
Founders Live joins forces with Connect for Idea Week 2026!
(See the Full Schedule of events for Idea Week 2026)
San Diego founders, builders, operators, and investors - Join us for an incredible evening…
Founders Live is an unforgettable networking experience and pitch competition sweeping the globe.
5 founders
99-second pitches
4 minutes of audience Q&A
YOUR VOTES decide the winner!
So bring your friends and coworkers and get to know your local entrepreneurs and vote for what you think will be the next big thing… built in SoCal.
These events sell out so get your tickets early!
Know someone who should attend? Open The Door
Starring
Rob Gaudio (Gaudio Growth Partners) as the City Leader
Co-Hosts:
Brittney Jenkins - Buzz Marketing
Jeff Severson - Primary Funding
Matt Streeter - West Pac Wealth Partners
Competing Founders and Startups
TBA
Interested in pitching at this or a future event? Apply here!
Know someone who should pitch? Open The Door
Agenda
6:00 PM - Networking
7:00 PM - Announcements, Sponsors, and Pitch Competition
8:00 PM - Networking and After Party
Important Notes:
Parking: plenty of open self-parking in parking lot (free)
Dress Code: business casual attire
Sponsored Food & Beverage: enjoy happy hour courtesy of our sponsors
Winners
The Founders Live winners package includes:
Front Row membership with unlimited access to Backstage Intelligence and the Backchannel community
Founders Live Booster Pack over $1,000,000 in cash savings on 100+ essential apps and services for startups
An appearance in the Founders Live Prime Time regional qualifiers with a chance to advance to our Prime Time global livestream tournament
Partners
Pensato is a secure layer for local AI, checking every request going in, tracing every answer coming out, and keeping a person accountable throughout, across any industry, workflow, or team.
Get a free AI Governance Readiness Evaluation
Enter the Pitch Video Challenge!
This is your chance to share your story in a 99-second pitch video.
Prizes start at 250 votes.
Voting runs Nov 2 - Dec 2
What do you need help with?
Nick will connect you directly to a partner who can help.
Do something great for someone else today
Tell them to attend an event, pitch their startup, or even lead a Founders Live city.
Front Row membership is here
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Keywords: #FoundersLive #Startups #SanDiego #PitchCompetition #Entrepreneurship