Spring is in the air, and so are fresh opportunities for the St. Louis tech, startup, and marketing communities the week of March 23-29, 2026. Whether you’re launching a new venture or looking to sharpen your edge, there’s an event waiting for you. Erik Lutenegger, our Founder, has assembled this week’s guide to the events and opportunities that matter most for your professional growth.
ESO, Accelerator, and Funding Opportunities
Due March 31 // Arch Grants Competition
This global startup competition awards $75,000 in equity-free funding to early-stage, scalable companies, with an additional $25,000 for those relocating. In exchange for headquartering in St. Louis for one year, founders gain capital, expert evaluation, mentorship, fundraising support, and access to a powerful regional startup ecosystem. (Competition)
Due April 15 // TwelveLabs GeoVision Hackathon
Build something real in a single weekend. This high-energy, in-person hackathon brings together developers and innovators to tackle real-world challenges using geospatial AI and cutting-edge video models, combining hands-on building, mentorship, and competition across use cases in mapping, energy, and advanced manufacturing. (Hackathon)
Due April 24 // Inc 5000
This annual recognition honors the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, highlighting exceptional revenue growth and entrepreneurial success. Honorees gain national visibility through editorial coverage, a permanent company profile, and association with past industry-defining businesses. January 30th is the Early Rate Deadline. (Industry Award)
Due May 6 // Techstars Accelerators
A three-month, sector-agnostic accelerator is committed to advancing world-class startups from Japan and abroad, focused on emerging technologies across industries. Participants receive mentorship, funding, and access to a global network to scale their businesses. Applications are now open for Techstars Tokyo Accelerator. (Accelerator)
Startup, Tech, and Marketing Events
March 23
March 21-29 // +AI Perspectives Week | WashU Arts & Sciences
Enjoy a series of student-centered activities and demonstrations in which teams build AI projects, attend mentorship workshops, present final demos at a public showcase, and participate in practical sessions with Google Gemini and NotebookLM to enhance study workflows and creative experimentation. (In-Person | Washington University)
Your Social Value is Your Small Business’ Superpower | Digital Boost
Participate in an interactive masterclass designed to help small business owners map their social contributions, develop measurable storytelling, and convert purpose-driven activities into competitive levers for grants, contracts, and sustainable growth, with practical tips and resources from Digital Boost hosts. (Virtual)
AI NativeDev and the Next Evolution of DevOps | Techstrong
Uncover practical strategies and frameworks from sessions on transitioning DevSecOps to AI NativeDev, agentic AI safety, and secure platform design, plus panel discussions where attendees can compare approaches, ask questions, and map concrete next steps for their teams. (Virtual)
How to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner | Women’s Business Development Council
Be part of a focused, instructor-led meeting that breaks down owner compensation methods, demonstrates when to set a salary versus taking a draw, offers budgeting techniques for sustainable personal pay, highlights tax considerations, and presents tools to streamline bookkeeping and cash-flow management. (Virtual)
How Aspiring Founders can Use AI to Test Ideas & Move Faster | Founder Institute
Elevate your idea-testing process through a focused session that demonstrates AI-augmented customer development and market research techniques, plus practical product scoping without code. Expect concrete prompts, operational processes, and guidance on avoiding the biggest AI-driven startup missteps. (Virtual)
March 24
AI security: Build and protect | Google Cloud
Take in focused sessions on AI security fundamentals, where practitioners explore threat modeling for models, secure data handling, adversarial robustness, and governance approaches, combining case studies and actionable recommendations to help engineering and security teams protect AI deployments throughout their lifecycle. (Virtual)
Open House at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Enhance your understanding of how the Chamber supports entrepreneurs and professionals by touring the space, speaking with team members about programs, events, and partnerships, and exploring membership benefits, sponsorship opportunities, and community initiatives designed to foster business growth and collaboration. (In-Person | Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis)
Cap Tables And Dilution For Startup Founders | Carta
Explore a candid conversation on whether a raise strengthens growth or quietly erodes ownership. Founders hear how valuation, equity structure, and legal terms influence outcomes, while experienced operators and advisors translate fundraising mechanics into clearer choices for scaling with intention. (Virtual)
Social Media that Moves People: Messaging Strategies for Nonprofits | Nonprofit Marketers Network – STL
Transform your nonprofit’s storytelling through a structured, practice-oriented workshop that teaches message development, content strategy, and platform alignment. Attendees will leave with a tailored social media plan, confidence in their voice, and hands-on tools to increase reach and deepen supporter engagement. (Virtual)
BuildIT: AI Bootcamp for Businesses & Nonprofits | TechSTL
Experience a practitioner-led bootcamp tailored for small businesses and nonprofits that breaks down real-world AI applications across marketing, operations, fundraising, and strategy, emphasizing tools, workflows, and immediate implementation, plus takeaway prompt frameworks and templates to reuse. (In-Person | CIC St. Louis – 20 S. Sarah)
Trademark and Copyright Law for Entrepreneurs | Enterprise University
Dive into a 90-minute instructor-led virtual class that emphasizes real-world examples, hands-on tools, and concise frameworks to improve financial comprehension, strategic planning, and team leadership, equipping attendees with practical next steps and templates to implement right away. (Virtual)
Unleash Design Creativity with AI | General Assembly
Connect with practical UX techniques that pair human-centered methods and AI, discovering how to use free tools for core tasks, prioritize qualitative insights during testing, and adapt to the evolving designer role focused on strategy, ethics, and amplified creative impact. (Virtual)
How to Turn Events into a Content Engine | AMA Saint Louis
Absorb actionable guidance from seasoned event and growth marketers on starting with business goals and product priorities, crafting event formats for lasting content value, and establishing processes to repurpose video-led assets that boost authority and maintain top-of-mind presence. (Virtual)
Unveiling the B2B AI GTM report: Benchmarks for a new era | DemandBase
Ignite your next-quarter planning with a practical briefing that converts Demandbase research into action: quick, comparable funnel benchmarks, a buying-group playbook tied to higher win rates and CLTV, and hands-on advice for advertising, AI, and integration-driven pipeline growth. (Virtual)
Let’s Talk Business | St. Louis County Library
Participate in flexible drop-in meetings to help entrepreneurs talk through strategy, troubleshoot operational or marketing hurdles, and set achievable next steps with a business librarian, walking away with curated resources and clearer plans for progress. (In-Person | Clark Family Branch)
Avoiding Delays, Duties, and Seizures: A Practical Guide to Import Compliance for Small Businesses | Start Small Think Big
Enhance your understanding of importing through a grounded discussion of evolving U.S. rules, common compliance gaps, and practical steps to protect shipments. The conversation highlights documentation habits, risk reduction, and the right moments to involve brokers, attorneys, or government resources. (Virtual)
AI Happy Hour | Saint Louis Generative AI Lab
Discover an easygoing, public conversation space focused on recent AI developments, encouraging participants to lead discussions they find interesting; there’s no program, attendees may purchase food and drinks, and the host will wear a distinctive neon orange trucker hat for identification. (In-Person | International Tap House, Delmar)
Women’s History Month Soirée: She’s Next. She’s Now. She’s Legacy | #SheCan Connect Global Network
Partake in a curated networking soirée that pairs refreshments with a panel of young, current, and senior women leaders, a SheCan & She Will raffle giveaway, community updates including Catalyst Impact Leadership League nominations, and intentional time to forge inspiring professional relationships. (In-Person | The Dreamer’s Loft)
March 25
Coffee Talk @ 21c: Mentorship and the Future of Young Women | 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis
Attend a thoughtful 90-minute discussion focused on mentorship’s practical impact, featuring reflections on fostering honest dialogue, confidence-building strategies, and community-based leadership development, plus opportunities for participants to consider how they can contribute meaningfully to girls’ growth and decision-making. (In-Person)
PitchSTL
Bask in a warm, feedback-focused pitch session featuring six-minute presentations and a twenty-minute Q&A, hosted weekly with one or two startups per meeting, abundant networking, access to past-presenter info, application help, sponsorship paths, and volunteer board opportunities. (In-Person | Northside Economic Empowerment Center)
BOSS BIA Brew & Biz Tour | Women’s Coffee Networking Event
Experience a morning of intentional connection where small-group mingling, a brief host introduction, and guided conversation prompts create space for women in business to share expertise, build supportive connections, and leave feeling clearer, more confident, and ready to grow alongside fellow entrepreneurs. (In-Person | Riverbend Bookstore)
AI for the camera-shy: Creating video content without ever filming yourself | Enterprise Nation
Learn from practical demonstrations of AI video generation, avatar presenters, and automated voiceovers designed to help camera-shy creators make professional content. The webinar shares creative use cases, step-by-step examples, and time-saving techniques for marketing, social media, and customer communication. (Virtual)
GitHub Roadmap Webinar: The Future of the AI-Powered SDLC | GitHub
Enjoy a clear, narrative-driven session that links recent product releases to roadmap priorities across GitHub and Copilot, offering live demonstrations of agentic features, explanations of platform-level governance, and practical insights into how these elements combine to boost velocity, quality, and control. (Virtual)
Content Leaders Collective: Navigating Content Decisions at Scale | CMSWire / Adobe
Absorb candid insights from content leaders examining why bottlenecks persist, what modern content practices look like in reality, and how AI alters priorities. This hour-long panel navigates issues of scale, governance, and operational choices, concluding with a live Q&A to address participants’ challenges. (Virtual)
Data Visualization for Data Storytelling | DataCamp
Engage with a thoughtful presentation on transforming analysis into stories people understand and remember, using practical techniques for building clearer visualizations, tailoring messages to different audiences, and communicating complex ideas with greater precision, context, and impact. (Virtual)
GRIT March Luncheon | Jennifer Bardot, G.R.I.T Founder
Revel in practical instruction as Amy Lemire unpacks core success habits and sales strategies in a compact, two-hour in-person luncheon, offering clear workflows, prospecting techniques, and mindset practices that attendees can implement immediately to accelerate pipeline development and close rates. (In-Person | The Lodge Des Peres)
For the Women 2026 | CIC St. Louis
Embark on a two-part experience focused on meaningful connection: a collaborative Filament session teaching practical strategies for authentic networking, followed by a community social offering, shopping, a flower bar, mocktails, and casual activities designed to strengthen relationships and energize women professionals. (In-Person | CIC St. Louis – 4240 Duncan)
How AI decides what to trust | Webflow
Kick off a deep conversation with marketing and product leaders as speakers from Webflow, Reddit, and G2 unpack how AI evaluates credibility across forums, reviews, and structured content, revealing practical approaches to building authority, designing for agents, and influencing discovery and demand. (Virtual)
AI for Good: Secure, Smart, High-Impact AI for Nonprofits | Nonprofit Tech for Good
Illuminate the nonprofit potential of AI with a grounded discussion of recent changes, growing security concerns, and the tools that can support stronger communication and community engagement. Real-world use cases show how thoughtful adoption can save time while protecting relationships. (Virtual)
Building with Mistral: Open, Powerful, and Ready to Scale | Data Science Connect
Unite with peers in a webinar tailored to data executives to examine Mistral’s open, high-performance models, showcasing real-world computer vision case studies, deployment strategies for scale, efficiency considerations, and a forward-looking discussion of how generative AI will evolve visual analytics capabilities. (Virtual)
Maximize your enterprise with ArcGIS Monitor | Esri
Gain hands-on knowledge of monitoring workflows that enable teams to spot capacity constraints, automate alerts, and optimize system health, resulting in proactive maintenance, minimized disruptions, clearer operational metrics, and smarter budgeting across enterprise GIS environments. (Virtual)
How To Get 5-10 New High Paying Clients In 90 Days Using AI | Network After Work
Network with hosts Cory and Ira in an intensive 90-minute webinar that lays out AI-driven workflows to attract five to ten high-paying clients, covering simple automated systems, seven remote selling tactics, proven follow-up frameworks, the year’s top AI tool, and practical implementation steps. (Virtual)
Strictly Social | T-REX
Uncover a welcoming social hour built around informal conversation, free beer, and meaningful facetime with a guest bartender whose work examines demographic change, big data, and urban trends, creating an atmosphere where ideas, people, and perspectives naturally mix. (In-Person | T-REX)
Build & Protect: Small Business Protection & Opportunity Overview | Porscha Anderson
Embrace a hands-on overview that walks through contract essentials, trademark protection, and tax considerations, plus practical ideas for diversifying income streams, offering entrepreneurs step-by-step advice and resources to strengthen legal standing and uncover new business opportunities with confidence. (In-Person | CIC St. Louis – 20 S Sarah)
March 26
Redesign the Frontline Role for AI’s Impact | Gartner
Immerse in a discussion of how frontline work is being redesigned for an AI-enabled future, where automation creates space for deeper customer value, organizations rethink workforce planning, and agents are prepared through upskilling for evolving service responsibilities. (Virtual)
Shipping Agentic AI: The GTM Playbook | Product School
Experience a tactical masterclass led by an Amazon PM group leader and guest, mapping the end-to-end GTM lifecycle for agentic AI, from defining use cases and building stakeholder buy-in to commercialization, risk management, and launch metrics, culminating in practical frameworks attendees can apply immediately. (Virtual)
Will AI Take Your Job? What to Do About It | OSDC AI
Immerse yourself in evidence-based insights as Sheamus McGovern reviews the latest research on employment and AI, clarifies what technologies excel or fall short, and offers practical tactics and a skills framework to stay relevant while building transferable professional assets. (Virtual)
Digital Engagement Benchmarks for 2026 | MarketingProf + ON24
Partake in a concise, evidence-based presentation exploring how to personalize digital touchpoints, interpret live and on-demand audience trends, leverage webinar and event KPIs, and apply AI-generated content insights, equipping marketing teams with concrete steps to improve engagement and conversions. (Virtual)
The AI-Augmented Executive | Section
Transform decision-making with a focused session that teaches leaders how to partner with AI for medium- to high-stakes choices. Speakers unpack frameworks, playbooks, and team-level implications, empowering executives to build repeatable workflows that improve judgment, alignment, and measurable business outcomes. (Virtual)
How to go solo without going alone: the creative entrepreneur’s support system | CreativeMornings
Understand the strategies creatives use to design sustainable, fulfilling businesses, including systems that reduce urgency, collaboration practices that keep ideas visible, intentional AI adoption, and practical examples. The workshop includes a guided, tangible activity and a recording shared afterward for replay. (Virtual)
Connectability: The Relationship Advantage for Entrepreneurs | NY Public Library, Thomas Yoseloff Business Center
Enhance your founder toolkit with a practical Zoom presentation by Fred Steck that covers relationship-based strategies for winning investor confidence, communicating effectively, and leading resilient teams. Expect actionable guidance on negotiating, handling tough conversations, and sustaining connections during rapid company growth. (Virtual)
Founders Lounge Global | Powered by Metis Analytics
Engage with a community-driven weekly workshop that prioritizes discussion, shared learning, and applied techniques for designing agentic systems, troubleshooting model behavior, and integrating AI into workflows, offering founders and engineers a space to ask questions, experiment, and iterate together. (In-Person | Spark Coworking – St. Louis)
AI Coding Workshop | STL AI Lab
Discover a welcoming, hands-on gathering that walks through AI-driven coding practices, sharing concrete tips, tool recommendations, and collaborative workflows, while discussing emerging trends like Open Claw and Claude skills and offering attendees chances to present and learn from each other. (In-Person | Renaissance AI Lab)
Access to Capital: Are you Capital ready? | The 89th Collective
Unveil practical steps to make your enterprise funding-ready as an experienced financial expert walks through investor expectations, credit and cash-flow essentials, pitch positioning, and application tactics; participants will leave with clear action items and opportunities to connect with other business owners. (In-Person | The 89th Collective)
Social Thursdays | KRe8 Spaces
Explore a Thursday-night social experience focused on relaxation, community, and light entertainment. For $5 general admission, attendees get three hours to mingle, unwind, and build connections with local creatives and neighbors in a warm, inclusive environment. (In-Person | The KRe8 Place)
March 27
CreativeMornings St. Louis | Speaker: Madeline Hissong
Partake in a morning conversation with Madeline Hissong about turning market tables into a thriving bakery, exploring practical steps, community partnerships, and the daily rhythms of baking, while enjoying treats from her kitchen and connecting with fellow local creatives. (In-Person | Stupp Center at Tower Grove Park)
Turning AI Recommendations into Clear, Defensible Decisions | BullFrog AI & Xtalks Life Sciences
Explore how a novel decision-support approach organizes messy evidence into explicit, auditable comparisons rather than composite scores, improving portfolio prioritization, target selection and biomarker strategy. Speakers will demonstrate robustness analysis, governance benefits, and how to run and measure a lightweight pilot. (Virtual)
Where Women Celebrate Success, Build Connections, and Advance | Urban League STL Women’s Business Center
Celebrate women’s achievements through an inspiring Women’s History Month gathering centered on collaboration, shared resources, and mutual support. A live panel and audience Q&A explore growth in business, leadership, and well-being, alongside light refreshments, themed swag bags, and meaningful professional connections. (In-Person | St. Louis Public Library – Central Branch)
Mill Creek Valley Lunch & Learn | HSSU Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Take in a guided conversation with historian Gwen Moore that delves into Mill Creek Valley’s legacy, connecting historical displacement and community strength to modern discussions on development and equity, offering attendees practical insights on why these narratives matter for entrepreneurship and innovation. (In-Person | Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship)
Bourbon Friday | Sponsored by Tenacity
Elevate your Friday routine by joining a three-hour social mixer focused on community-building among entrepreneurs, featuring brief bourbon tastings, open-floor conversation to share experiences and struggles, practical parking suggestions, and enforced age requirements to promote responsible participation and drinking. (In-Person | TechArtista CWE)
Code til Dawn (March) | TechSTL
Revel in a hands-on evening designed for builders of all levels to refine MVPs, debug complex systems, explore new tools, and learn from seasoned mentors while collaborating with peers, enjoying provided food, and making meaningful progress in a concentrated, late-night setting. (In-Person | CIC @ CET)
March 28
ProductCamp St. Louis 2026 | St. Louis Product Management Group
Connect with a diverse community of product practitioners through interactive, attendee-driven sessions that invite anyone to propose topics, lead discussions, and join deep-dive roundtables, creating a dynamic environment for knowledge sharing, mentoring, career growth, and meaningful professional networking. (In-Person | East Academic Building (EAB) – Webster University)
March 29
St. Louis Code & Coffee
Thrive in a community-driven session that blends focused work and friendly networking: a concise round of introductions, organizer updates, optional project sharing, and self-directed collaboration. A member-led workshop may occur mid-event, followed by continued co-working until the scheduled end time. (In-Person | TechArtista UCity)
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What’s on your radar this week? Share your thoughts in the comments below! We’re passionate about elevating the St. Louis Startup, Tech, and Marketing Ecosystem, and your feedback keeps us moving forward. Have an event or date you’d like featured? Email us at [email protected].
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