With 5,000 founders and investors, more than 40 keynote and fireside sessions, and over 50 exhibiting startups, this is Startup Grind's largest event ever. Bringing together great content and great people in an incredible setting, injecting some custom-built networking technology, and topping it all off with an unrivalled feeling of intimacy is how we guarantee amazing business and an awesome time.
“ these are our people ”
Get a taste of the Startup Grind Global Conference experience with a few selected talks.
We’re not another “tech conference.” We are a community -- we’re entrepreneurs -- we’re here to help -- YOU!
Around the world, hundreds of thousands of founders come together each month to attend local Startup Grind events. Every February, our Global Conference brings compelling updates from the changing panorama of the tech world -- and we put it all together for 2.5 days of dynamic content and education. You will find invaluable new friendships, and hundreds of resources to help you continue to build yourself, your life and you’ll find information to grow your startup.
7,000 entrepreneurs, 250 speakers, hundred of investors, and our team of Global Chapter Directors will join us from around the world this February. It will be our biggest and best year ever.
If you are building a company anywhere in the world, you need to be at Startup Grind Global Conference. Feel free to send us an email at globalconference@startupgrind.com if you need further convincing.
The 2018 Startup Grind Global Conference will be held at the Fox Theater (2215 Broadway) in downtown Redwood City, California.
Monday February 12
Tuesday February 13 - Wednesday 14
Full immersion of the Global Conference experience with access to all stages, exhibiting startups and sponsors, networking sessions and evening events with thousands of global founders, entrepreneurs and engineers.
Discover the newest startup trends among exhibiting startups and connect with popular sponsors/partners.
Exclusive VIP access to all Global Conference stages and networking sessions.
We have a dedicated student program with special discount rate. Currently enrolled students in a high school, college or university program can apply for our Student Pass via the application below. More information and eligibility can be found within the application.
Please complete this APPLICATION if you are interested in receiving a Student Pass.
Questions or interested in group tickets? Additional discount available - please email globalconference@startupgrind.com
The entrepreneur’s journey can be a winding one, so we often collaborate with partner companies to sponsor the tickets of a handful of applicants. To find out if you’re eligible, tell us about what you’re working on and why you should receive a sponsorship at globalconference@startupgrind.com.
If you’re a journalist reporting for a major media outlet or a private blogger with a considerable audience, we’d be happy to have you join as our guest.
Apply for a Press Pass by filling out this application.
Please note that speaker access is reserved to select media personnel on advance request and is not open to most press pass holders.
Ah, bosses — we know the drill. We have an expert team at the ready for this kind of situations: they’ve spent their lifetimes training in the fine art of tasteful wit, persuasive copywriting, and even the dark arts of corporate speak. Send us an email to and we’ll make the case on your behalf. But beware! With such great power comes great responsibility — contact wisely.
Though speakers like Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures spent over an hour with the audience, most speakers are busy founders who do us the great favor of sharing their time pro-bono exactly because they know we won’t demand much extra from them. All speakers are encouraged to meet attendees, walk the floor, and enjoy the conference — but we make no guarantees.
There will, however, be hundreds of investors among the audience — many who’d love to meet you. There was over $1.5 million offered to founders by investors they’ve met during the two days of the event, some who randomly bumped into one another.
Our secret to spotting and connecting with VIPs: say hello to those people who seem relaxed and sit back during networking breaks, as many of them will be those whose networks are already incredible. If they don’t invest, it’s likely they know those who do — so make friends instead of pitching hard.
Want to be matched with investors? Apply to our Startup Exhibition.
Aww, we were really looking forward to meeting you. We’re sorry to say we do not issue refunds, but you can definitely transfer your ticket with a friend or business colleague up to a month before the event. Email us here with your name and the name to which you’d like to transfer your ticket, and we’ll get you sorted.
Hope to see you next year!
We work with Fortune 500 as well as newly launched companies to reach entrepreneurs around the world, and we’d love to work with you. You’ll reach thousands of entrepreneurs, business owners, as well as developers, investors, and the like during our event. As a sponsor, we’ll also include you in messaging to our network -- spanning across over 140,000 online followers and subscribers. Here is our 2018 sponsor deck. Please review and email sponsors@startupgrind.com for more information.
If your business has raised less than $3M and has fewer than 20 employees, you’re eligible to apply for our Startup Exhibition. If selected, you’ll have the chance to exhibit your company during the conference, connect to our network of 200 plus investors, and enjoy perks like media opportunities and startup service discounts. This year we’ll have 300 startups exhibit on-site.
The Startup Program is simple and transparent: if chosen, your startup receives 4-full day tickets, including a display booth for one of the two conference days (so, you can attend the other).
San Francisco (SFO) is the most trafficked airport in the Bay Area, complete with its own airport BART station. It is the closest (15mi/24km) to the Fox Theater. Travelers will get to ride the BART to Millbrae, then transfer onto the Caltrain to Redwood City.
Oakland (OAK) is located across the peninsula in the East Bay, offering slightly cheaper airfare and accommodations. It’s furthest (29mi/47km) from the Fox Theater, but offers nearby BART public transit to get into Silicon Valley.
San Jose (SJC) is located at the very bottom of Silicon Valley and is closest to Palo Alto. While not far from the Fox Theater (20mi/32km), SJC doesn’t offer many public transit options. Rental cars or car sharing are highly encouraged.
We usually find the cheapest tickets on Skyscanner or Google Flights.
Here are our partner hotels that offer special room rates between February 12 to February 15, 2018 for all Startup Grind Global Conference attendees:
Just mention “Startup Grind” when you call to book. Must complete booking before January 15, 2018 to receive these special room rates.
Sure, though streetside parking is limited near the venue. Luckily, local garages offer more spaces by the hour. Both of the following garages offer paid parking 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Monday through Friday, with free parking after 6:00 PM.
Winslow Parking Garage: Located on Middlefield close to the Fox Theater, Winslow offers parking for 50 cents per hour.
The Main Street Parking Lot: Located on Main Street by City Hall, this garage offers parking for 25 cents per hour.
Jefferson Garage: The underground garage on Middlefield between Jefferson and Winslow provides 1.5 hours of free parking.
Marshall Street Garage: With entrances off of Marshall and off of Broadway offers 1.5 hours of free parking.
The Jefferson and Marshall garages offer limited parking that may be limited by duration.
Absolutely. The Fox Theater is a few blocks from the Redwood City Caltrain station. If you’re visiting us from San Francisco, you can easily take the BART to the Millbrae BART station and connect onto Caltrain.
The Caltrain runs between San Francisco and San Jose, with stops covering the entire Bay Area. See the Caltrain schedule here.
BART is San Francisco’s city rail service and the best way to commute to and from OAK and SFO airports. See Bart locations and schedule here. It may be wise to purchase a Clipper Card, used for all public transit in the Bay Area.
For bikers and rail commuters, thanks for doing your part to save the rainforests!
You may also hire a car using Uber or Lyft. Use code “uberSGConf” for your first ride free.
Yes. Over 100 Startup Grind Directors and thousands of startup founders are flying in from places like Iran, Mongolia, Australia, and China. They’re definitely not stepping away from their businesses, families, and teams without good reason: this is going to be good.
Absolutely! You can enter and exit the event at your leisure so long as you are wearing your Startup Grind wristband, which acts as your ticket.
But do us a favor: do not remove, tamper, or attempt to transfer your ticket to another visitor, or we may have to refuse your entry.
You can shower and sleep with your wristband on, and if you wear it for the whole year, we guarantee you a free ticket to our next conference. Yes, really!
Thanks for offering your time! We usually receive many applications for just a limited number of volunteer spots, but if you have the right skill set to be an awesome volunteer please fill out this form.
Yes: comfortable. Expect some people to feel most comfortable dressed in formal business attire – it can be a nice confidence booster. Also expect to mingle with a Silicon Valley crowd that’s most comfortable in casual streetwear, maybe accented with a company hoodie.
Keep in mind the amazing people you’ll be meeting at this conference, and dress to impress and connect with them. However you style yourself, make sure it’s respectful of the beautiful venue and other guests attending the event.
We appreciate your enthusiasm, but we ask our guests to stick to business cards at most. Flyers tend to take time and focus away from the conference experience, so nail your pitch instead.
The only exception is paid sponsors, who also receive a booth and other perks at the event. Learn more about sponsorships here if you’d like to reach the Startup Grind audience. We’d love to work together.
Trust us, we’re big proponents of a simple and inviting US immigration policy for ambitious entrepreneurs and skilled technologists. Unfortunately, we will not be sponsoring visas for attendees to the Startup Grind Global Conference.
Any other questions? Email globalconference@startupgrind.com or tweet @startupgrind on X.
We are a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs.