Where founders find their next move
Discover verified pitch nights, demo days, founder programs, accelerator opportunities, and investor sessions move your startup forward.
We review every listing against the organizer's official page. We don't list pay-to-pitch events, and we don't scrape. Dates, pricing and eligibility change often, so always confirm on the organizer's site before you register or travel.
This page is a focused hub for founders and startups. Looking for the full event directory, including opportunities for experienced professionals? Visit the main events page.
Less searching, better rooms
The founder event calendar is the noisiest part of the regional tech scene. This page exists to cut it down.
No pay-to-pitch
Recycled multi-city "pitch nights" that charge founders for stage time never make the list. Neither do events where the audience is mostly other people who paid to pitch.
Five markets, one calendar
NYC gets covered everywhere. Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut and Greater Philadelphia mostly don't. We track all five so you're not checking six calendars.
Deadlines, not just dates
Accelerator cohorts, grant rounds and pitch competitions close quietly. We track application windows alongside the events themselves.
How we evaluate founder events
Each listing is reviewed against the same six criteria so you can compare opportunities quickly.
- Who's actually in the roomFounders, investors and operators, or mostly service providers
- Organizer track recordPrior events run, and whether they delivered
- Cost and access modelFree, ticketed, application-only, or pitch fee
- Stage fitIdea stage, pre-seed, seed and beyond, or joining
- Follow-throughIntros, feedback or programming that outlasts the night
- Beginner suitabilityWhether a first-time founder gets value from attending
Each event is reviewed to help you compare opportunities quickly. Scores are editorial estimates, not guarantees.
Find verified founder & startup events
Explore individually checked pitch nights, demo days, workshops, office hours and founder meetups across NYC, Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut and Philadelphia, all in one place. No scraping. No clutter. Just real events reviewed before publishing.
Filter events
Search by keyword and narrow results by location, stage, purpose, format and cost.
4 upcoming events and 1 active founder program
Events last checked Aug 6. Confirm details on the organizer's site.
- AUG20THU
The Startup Pitch: Demo Showcase
Startup Grind NYC · The Yard, Herald Square, New York
Product demos and peer feedback · Pre-seed +1 · New York City · In person
Verified Aug 6 via Startup Grind. Presenting founders apply in advance. No pitch fee found, but confirm before applying.
Product DemosPeer FeedbackFounders - SEP08TUE
Code for Philly September Hack Night
Code for Philly · Indy Hall Clubhouse, Philadelphia
Technical builders · Idea stage +1 · Philadelphia · Hybrid
Verified Aug 6 via Code for Philly (Meetup). Confirm final details on the organizer's site.
Civic TechHack NightCollaborators - SEP18FRI
Philadelphia Regional Startup World Cup Pitch Competition
City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce with Temple University · SERC, Temple University, Philadelphia
Pitch competition and celebration · Pre-seed +1 · Philadelphia · In person
Verified Aug 6 via the City of Philadelphia and Temple Now. The application window has closed. This is the public pitch event and celebration, open to attend.
Pitch Competition$20K First PrizePublic Event - NOV19THU
StartUp Westport PITCH '26
StartUp Westport · Westport Library, Westport, Connecticut
Pitch finale · Pre-seed +1 · Connecticut · In person
Verified Aug 6 via StartUp Westport. Founder applications have closed. This is the public pitch finale, open to the community.
Pitch Finale$30K Prize PoolPublic Event
Active Founder Program
A rolling program, not a fixed date — always open for the next round.
NJ Founders & Funders
New Jersey Economic Development Authority · New Jersey
Investor introductions · Pre-seed +1 · New Jersey · In person
Verified Aug 6 via NJEDA. Session dates are announced per round. Confirm on the official page.
Investor IntrosApplicationNo Pitch Fee
Featured this month
The single listing we'd tell a first-time founder to prioritize.
NJ AI Hub Accelerator
Rolling cohorts · Pre-seed to Series C · West Windsor, New Jersey
Operated by Plug and Play with NJEDA backing. Two cohorts a year of up to 20 companies, no equity taken, with in-person programming concentrated into dedicated weeks. These are unusually founder-friendly terms for a program of this size, and it's the strongest structured opportunity in New Jersey right now.
Deadlines & Application Cycles
Accelerators, grant rounds and structured programs across the region. Review eligibility now and confirm current dates on the official source. Cycles shift, and we don't estimate an opening date unless the organization has published one.
- Verify on official site
NJ AI Hub Accelerator
- Organization
- Plug and Play with NJEDA
- Type
- Accelerator, no equity taken
- Location
- West Windsor, New Jersey
- Stage
- Pre-seed through Series C
- Deadline
- Two cohorts annually, confirm the current window
- Capital
- Complemented by the $20M NJ AI Hub Fund
Why pursue it: Mentorship, corporate and university introductions, and pilot opportunities without giving up equity.
Verified August 6, 2026View official program - Cycle-based
Clean Tech R&D Seed Grant Program
- Organization
- NJ Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology
- Type
- Non-dilutive R&D grant
- Location
- New Jersey companies
- Stage
- Early-stage, typically five or fewer employees
- Deadline
- Next round not yet announced
- Award
- Round 4 awarded ~$1.3M across 17 startups
Why pursue it: Non-dilutive capital in a state where CSIT-supported companies have gone on to raise $524M+ in follow-on funding.
Verified August 6, 2026View official program - Verify on official site
Capital Readiness Program
- Organization
- University City Science Center
- Type
- Investor-readiness cohort
- Location
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Stage
- Pre-seed and seed, healthcare-weighted
- Deadline
- Cohort-based, confirm the open window
- Track record
- Alumni have collectively raised $137M
Why pursue it: One of the strongest structured paths from research to funded company in the Philadelphia region.
Verified August 6, 2026View official program - Next cycle TBD
Founder Institute: Philadelphia
- Organization
- Founder Institute
- Type
- Pre-seed accelerator for aspiring founders
- Location
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Stage
- Idea stage to pre-seed
- Deadline
- Cohort applications open seasonally
- Format
- Structured curriculum with local mentors
Why pursue it: One of the few programs in the region genuinely built for people who haven't started a company yet.
Verified August 6, 2026View official program
We include closed-cycle programs only when they are highly valuable and expected to return. Application availability, deadlines and eligibility requirements can change. Always confirm the latest information on the organization's official website before applying.
Get your founder event in front of the right people
Reach founders, builders and startup-curious professionals across NY, NJ, CT, Long Island & Philadelphia. Free to submit.
- 1Send us your event details
- 2We verify the official event page
- 3Approved events are added to the directory
Free to submit. All listings are reviewed before publishing. We do not list events that charge founders a fee to pitch.