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- SF IRL - Apr 6th, 2026
SF IRL - Apr 6th, 2026
A curated newsletter showcasing the top tech & startup events in San Francisco
Jonathan Chang
April 06, 2026
Hi SF IRL! There's a ton of vibrance and energy coming back into the city and at SF IRL, we are excited to be a part of it. Excited to come with you all with some great events for Issue #189.
I'm Jonathan, the creator of SF IRL. I've been a Bay Area resident all my life and moved into San Francisco about 5 years ago. My vision for SF IRL is simple. Showcase the best tech + startup events in SF and to connect all of our builders and investors together. We are a growing community having over 10000+ subscribers. As we keep growing, if you enjoy reading these, please share this with your friends so we can hit 11,000 readers. As always, SF IRL is one of my many side projects. If you like to be involved in helping, please shoot me an email!
Lightfield is an AI-native CRM that remembers everything, then acts on it. It automatically captures and organizes every customer conversation across email, meetings, and notes, creating your team’s collective customer memory. Try Lightfield free today.
Excited to say SF IRL has partnered with ElevenLabs to give founders 33 million in ElevenLabs credits or equivalent to $4k to build voice AI agents.
Check Out the ElevenLabs Startup Grant & use code 11SFIRL723 for expedited review. We believe voice is the most natural way to communicate, and the future of human-AI interaction depends on making those conversations feel real. The ElevenLabs Grants Program exists to give early-stage startups and small teams the tools they need to build the future of AI audio with the best tools available, without cost being a blocker. ElevenLabs is the complete conversational agents platform, so whether a startup is creating an AI tutor, support assistant, or the next generation of voice-powered game characters, the grant will provide them with 12 months and 33 million characters of free access to ElevenLabs' cutting-edge AI audio, equivalent to over 600 hours of audio.
Sponsored
Apr 9th, 2026 - Go-to-Market AI in 2026
Location: San Francisco
Time: 6-8:30pm
What: Lightfield is hosting an operator-focused happy hour and panel on AI in go-to-market.
There’s no shortage of AI advice online, but much of it comes from people who aren’t actively selling or operating day to day. This event is designed to be different.
We’re bringing together operators building and scaling AI-driven go-to-market motions for an evening of conversation, connection, and practical insight. The night will start with a happy hour, followed by a panel discussion focused on how teams are actually using AI to improve how they sell and market — without requiring new tools or complex workflows.
You’ll hear from leaders at some of the fastest-growing companies in AI GTM, including Matt Serna (Lightfield), Jack Brethauer (Rox), and Justin Parnell.
No product demos. No pitches. Just practical insights and meaningful conversations with peers.
Lightfield is an AI-native CRM that remembers everything, then acts on it. It automatically captures and organizes every customer conversation across email, meetings, and notes, creating your team’s collective customer memory. Try Lightfield free today.
Location: San Francisco
Time: 6-8pm
What: Founder Skybar Social @HumanX:
Join Intercom, Elevenlabs, Brex, Render, and Newmark for a founder social above the clouds. We're bringing together an intentional group to foster meaningful connections with low ego.
We'll provide drinks, food, and an exceptional environment. You provide the conversations and networks to help each other succeed.
Space is limited, RSVP early. RSVPs are non-transferable. No plus ones.
Jun 2nd-3rd, 2026 - Microsoft Build - San Francisco
Location: Keynotes (Palace of Fine Arts); Sessions and Expo (Fort Mason)
What: This hands-on, no-fluff event is for professional developers and engineers to immerse in the latest advancements across Azure, GitHub, and AI development. After 10 long years we are coming back to San Francisco for 2 days of building together. Learn more and register now. (#MicrosoftPartner)
I’ve made a form to connect the best founders raising with my list of VCs. If you are a founder raising your next round and want to potentially be featured to investors in the SF IRL network, please fill out this form.
I’m launching a newsletter that will feature the top founders looking to hire, founders looking for their cofounder, and operators that are looking for their next role. If you are interested in being featured, fill this form here.
You can subscribe to Day Zero here.
Events Coming Up
Apr 7th, 2026 -AI Happy Hour @ SPIN SF | Render x Exa x Greptile
Location: San Francisco
Time: 6-8pm
What: We're taking over SPIN SF on April 7th for an evening of ping pong, drinks, and good conversation. No talks. No agenda. Just show up.
Apr 8th, 2026 - Iceberg on the Rocks: Happy Hour
Location: San Francisco
Time: 6:30-9:30pm
What: Join us for the Iceberg Builders & Leaders Happy Hour, an invite-only gathering of data infrastructure leaders and practitioners during Iceberg Summit.
On April 8th from 6:30–9:30 PM at 111 Minna Gallery, we’re bringing together a focused group of practitioners running modern data platforms in production. Expect candid conversations about Iceberg at scale, streaming ingestion, and how teams are using their data foundations to power internal AI workflows and real production use cases.
Apr 9th, 2026 - HumanX After Hours: Networking Mixer
Location: San Francisco
Time: 5-8pm
What: Join Twill and Innodata for an exclusive post–HumanX networking mixer, where AI founders, operators, investors, and industry leaders come together to connect, exchange insights, and explore new opportunities across the ecosystem.
This is your opportunity to unwind after the conference, reflect on key themes from HumanX, and engage with a curated community of innovators in a relaxed, high-quality networking setting.
Apr 9th, 2026 - Lightyear Residency Demo Day
Location: San Francisco
Time: 4-6pm
What: Join us for Lightyear Residency's Demo Day.
Lightyear is a one-month founder residency based out of a historic mansion in Pacific Heights. Lightyear is the residency for the most ambitious founders doing a year’s worth of work in one month.
Schedule:
4pm: Light Refreshments
429pm: Doors Close
430pm: Demos Begin
5pm: Founder Meet & Greet
Apr 9th, 2026 - Valon Padel Day in SF
Location: San Francisco
Time: 4-6pm
What: Valon is hosting a padel day in San Francisco. Join us for an afternoon on the courts, along with food and drinks. Some of our NYC team is in town visiting our SF office — come through and hang.
No experience necessary — equipment is provided. All levels welcome.
Apr 9th, 2026 - App Growth Dinner SF - Easter Edition
Location: San Francisco
Time: 7-9pm
What: We’re hosting an invite-only dinner for the best app growth founders & operators in SF.
Come meet other A-tier talent, share alpha, and leave with a few new friends (and a full stomach). We’ll be keeping the dinner small and curated, everyone is vetted.
Apr 9th, 2026 - Hardware Craft Night
Location: San Francisco
Time: 6:30-9:30pm
What: Think wine & paint night, but make it hardware. Come hang, make something cute, and leave with a little creation you're proud of. We'll have beads, heart-shaped PCBs, and a mix of fun materials to play with. You can make earrings, phone charms, a keychain, whatever you want. No skills needed - just vibes and a willingness to get a little crafty. We'll have snacks, sweet treats, and sips.
Apr 11th, 2026 - Vex Private Markets Summit
Location: San Francisco
Time: 8:30am-5pm
What: A full-day summit on the future of private market structure.
Five fireside chats with thought leaders across secondary liquidity, tokenization, governance markets, trading without going public, and startup fundraising.
Apr 14th, 2026 - Raising Children in the Age of AI
Location: San Francisco
Time: 5-8pm
What: As artificial intelligence becomes more present in everyday life, it is beginning to shape how children learn, think, and grow.
What does this mean for childhood, and how should it change the way we approach parenting and teaching?
Join us for a conversation with Nikunj Kothari, Celeste Kidd, Sonja Schmer-Galunder, and Ari Krakowski—experts in AI, psychology, and education—to explore how emerging technologies are influencing cognitive, social, and emotional development. The panel and audience Q&A will be moderated by Lauren Dash, Head of Brand at Imbue and a parent navigating these questions herself.
Apr 16th, 2026 - $100K AI Startup Pitch-Off @ Chargebee Beelieve '26
Location: San Francisco
Time: 5-8pm
What: Pitch to enterprise buyers at SF’s premier AI monetization event for a chance to win $100K in cash to grow your business.
10 founders.
1 stage.
$100,000 on the line.
And a panel of enterprise AI buyers who don’t sugarcoat feedback.
Apr 16th, 2026 - Slides Down: AI Founders Party by DigitalOcean & Zendesk
Location: San Francisco
Time: 5-9pm
What: Winter cohorts are wrapping. Demo days are done. You survived. One night to actually exhale before you're back to the grind, come hang.
DigitalOcean and Zendesk are throwing a proper celebration for the SF startup community.
Founders fresh off Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, Techstars, and beyond, this one's for you.
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