The other half of hunting for funding is being in the room. This is a running calendar of the U.S. events where startups and student founders meet the people who hand out non-dilutive money: SBIR program managers, AFWERX and SpaceWERX teams, DARPA, defense primes, and the investors who back dual-use companies. Dates and details below, with a link straight to each official page.
Calendar updated July 28, 2026. Dates shift and some 2027 dates aren't published yet. Where a date isn't locked we say so; always confirm on the official site before you book travel.
Where DoD program managers, primes and defense VCs gather. The fastest rooms to meet the people who write non-dilutive checks.
The reason this site is named what it is. AFWERX, SpaceWERX and DIU program managers hold office hours, startups pitch, and defense VCs are everywhere. If you go to one defense event, go to this.
Official site ↗ fedsupernova.comProgram offices brief real business opportunities and a non-traditional vendor can get in front of DoD tech leadership without a prime in the way.
Official site ↗ ndiatechexpo.org~300 exhibits and direct access to Air Force and Space Force acquisition executives. Strong for airpower, space, autonomy and AI startups.
Official site ↗ afa.orgThe biggest land-power show in the country. The Innovators Corner pitch stage and the xTech prize ecosystem make it a real funding on-ramp, not just a trade show.
Official site ↗ meetings.ausa.orgLess a pitch venue, more the room where Pentagon leadership, defense-tech capital and policy all show up at once. Go to build relationships above your weight class.
Official site ↗ reaganfoundation.orgThe largest U.S. maritime expo. If you build anything for the Navy, Marines or Coast Guard, this is where the program managers are.
Official site ↗ seaairspace.orgThe premier national-security-space gathering. SpaceWERX and USSF access, startup programming, and investors under one roof at The Broadmoor.
Official site ↗ spacesymposium.orgThe densest concentration of space primes, government buyers and investors of any space event. Space-hardware teams find partners and SBIR leads here.
Official site ↗ smallsat.orgThis isn't a conference, it's the funding event. Same-day SBIR/STTR pitch-to-award decisions and direct program-manager access. Watch the calendar and apply.
Official site ↗ afwerx.comThe only way to talk to a DARPA program manager before you write a proposal. Proposers Days run continuously against active programs.
Official site ↗ darpa.milRun by the agencies themselves. Meet program directors, learn how proposals are scored, and map the non-dilutive money across all 11 SBIR agencies.
Free, virtual, and connects you to all 11 federal SBIR/STTR agencies in a week. The 'Meet the Program Director' sessions alone are worth it.
Official site ↗ americasseedfund.us250+ DoD scouts, 50+ contracting offices, and roughly $4B of SBIR/STTR seed funding represented in one place, plus a Defense Innovation Challenge pitch competition.
Official site ↗ events.techconnect.orgThe in-person counterpart to SBIR Week. Book one-on-ones with federal SBIR/STTR program managers and walk the agency innovation showcases.
Official site ↗ americasseedfund.usProgram-manager one-on-ones across agencies and proposal workshops for the government's largest early-stage R&D programs. Boston in the spring.
Official site ↗ techconnect.orgAgency program managers come to your region. Real face-time, non-dilutive funding education, and local ecosystem connections without flying to DC.
Official site ↗ americasseedfund.usNSF takes no equity and funds deep tech up to ~$2M. The Project Pitch gives you direct program-director feedback before you commit to a full proposal.
Official site ↗ seedfund.nsf.govWhere private capital, accelerators and press concentrate. Useful when you're raising a round alongside your non-dilutive strategy.
The world's largest tech show now has real defense, space and AI presence. Eureka Park is the startup zone, and corporate VCs walk it looking for deals.
Official site ↗ ces.techThe signaling venue for founders building in the national interest. Concentrated access to the leading dual-use VC and its policymaker network.
Official site ↗ a16z.comThe SXSW Pitch competition, investor meetups, and Austin's Capital Factory ecosystem next door. Good for dual-use teams with a consumer angle.
Official site ↗ sxsw.comStartup Battlefield is a genuine funding catalyst, and the VC density in the room is hard to match. Press visibility is a bonus.
Official site ↗ techcrunch.comIf you're in a batch, this is the highest-leverage investor day in the country and rounds often close off it. If you're not, it's a reminder of what to apply to.
Official site ↗ ycombinator.comPitch competitions with real prize money and investor judges. Some of the best early, non-dilutive capital a student or pre-incorporation team can win.
The world's richest graduate startup competition: $1M+ in cash and investment, ~300 investor judges, and a strong deep-tech field. For many student teams it is the funding round.
Official site ↗ rbpc.rice.eduA year-long, three-stage competition with a $100K grand prize and heavy hard-tech judging. Great structure for a student team turning research into a company.
Official site ↗ mit100k.orgA university course that puts student teams on real DoD problem sets, with sponsor relationships and a proven pipeline into defense-tech startups and follow-on SBIR/DIU funding.
Official site ↗ h4d.us$200K+ in cash prizes, industry mentorship, and investor judges, open to student teams and recent alumni worldwide.
Official site ↗ hankamer.baylor.eduA collegiate competition built specifically for hard-science ventures, with up to $50K in prizes and deep-tech mentorship. On-point for dual-use founders.
Official site ↗ colorado.eduThe founders who stand out at these events can show the physics already works. Email us before the event and we'll get free Ansys and an engineer lined up so your demo and your data are ready when you shake hands with a program manager.
