Hard Tech Venture Summit

Silicon Valley

April 16-17, 2026
SRI, Menlo Park

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Free to apply. Limited spots.
Applications reviewed by hard-tech investors.

Where the Hard Tech ecosystem comes together. A premier, IEEE curated event connecting early-stage Hard Tech founders with pre-seed, seed, and Series-A Hard Tech investors and critical service providers from the Hard Tech innovation ecosystem.

Hard Tech = Startups building technology rooted in hardware innovation.

Summit Chairs

Bruno Jafelice, TVLP Institute
Joanne Wong, REDDS Capital
Cassandra Carothers, Departure Capital

Investors’ Committee

Muffi Ghadiali, i3 Ventures
Lisheng Wang, TSV Capital
Alex Fries, Ecosystem Ventures
Sabrina Sasaki, Monozukuri Ventures
Omar Zahr, TandemLaunch Ventures

We connect Hard Tech startups with selected investors and resources to accelerate growth.

Hard Tech Startups

Hard Tech founders raising pre-seed to Series A funding who need specialized pitch frameworks and direct access to investors with hard tech expertise.

Hard Tech Investors

VCs, Corporate VCs, and Angels seeking curated Hard Tech deal flow with deep technical context, early insight into the path to commercialization, and opportunities to gain visibility and network with other Hard Tech investors.

Who Should Also Attend

Service Providers

Select providers supporting Hard Tech startups in manufacturing and commercialization.

Talent & Experts

Industry experts and professionals seeking roles with Hard Tech startups—as board members, advisors, or hands-on team members.

Enterprise Innovation Teams

Corporate innovation teams seeking partnerships or acquisitions with Hard Tech startups to drive growth and innovation.

Ecosystem building

All attendees are vetted by Hard Tech investors, ensuring a community of innovators who understand and can share the Hard Tech realities and challenges.

Meaningful engagement

We keep the audience limited to ensure meaningful interactions. At the 2025 Summit, a 2:1 startup-to-investor ratio enabled great networking.

Collaborative Network

Hard Tech innovators—IEEE and non-IEEE—connect with peers and resources, accelerating startup growth and technology development.

Join Us in
Menlo Park

Event Fee

Filling up!
Register today.

$455 Early Bird sold out

$665 Today's Rate

$555 Today + IEEE member discount

Last seats (don't wait!)

April 16

Morning:

Afternoon:

Roundtable networking discussions are curated matches of Hard Tech startups, investors, and service providers, organized by our Investors Committee based on domain and funding stage.

Visit booths in the summit expo area to see the startups demos and service providers kiosks.

April 17

Engineering Design to Manufacturing Workshop

For Hard Tech startups scaling beyond prototyping. Learn essential information to successfully navigate vendor relationships, manufacturing challenges, and regulatory compliance on the path from prototype to production with guidance from experienced manufacturing experts.

Morning:

Visit booths in the summit expo area to see the startups demos and service providers kiosks.

Mentors:

Jason Umhoefer
Sarvesh Karkhanis
David Viera
Rui Xu
Brogan Miller
Miklos Szegedi
Daniel Renner
Ted Larson

Agenda subject to change.

Definition of

Hard Tech

Startups building technology rooted in hardware innovation, including:
Communications • Electronics • Photonics • Sensors • IoT • Robotics • Semiconductors • ClimateTech • SpaceTech • Defense

Can IEEE and non-IEEE members attend?

YES! The entire Hard Tech community — IEEE and non-IEEE — is welcome to participate and engage with investors and startups. IEEE members get a discount.

Which investors will be attending?

Confirmed investors include: Intel Capital, Yamaha Motor Ventures, Bosch Ventures, At One Ventures, Samsung Next, Sony Semiconductor Solutions, TSVC, Monozukuri Ventures, i3 Ventures, Departure Ventures, REDDS Capital, Ecosystem Ventures, Corelabs Capital, Althing Ventures, Navis Capital, güil Mobility Ventures, Red Glass Ventures, VU Venture Partners, and various angel investors.

We are adding new firms daily, so please check back regularly for the most up-to-date list.

Is the Summit about pitching to investors?

No. The pitch sessions are just a brief “Hi, I’m here” — a way to introduce yourself and provide context. The real value is the full day of interaction, where a group of carefully vetted startups and investors spend the day chatting and sharing opinions in structured roundtables, plus informal networking during coffee breaks and lunch.

The Summit a full day building key relationships, not transactional pitching.

QUESTIONS?

Email:
[email protected]