St. Louis Events // Week of April 13, 2026 – Startups, AI, Tech & Marketing

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St. Louis Events - Week of April 13, 2026

The week of April 13-19, 2026, offers St. Louis entrepreneurs, technology professionals, and marketers a robust lineup of ways to expand their horizons and deepen their networks. The big news is it’s Techweek! Our Founder, Erik Lutenegger, has put together a comprehensive guide to the week’s events and opportunities, covering everything from networking and mentorship to hands-on learning and creative inspiration.

ESO, Accelerator, and Funding Opportunities

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

STL Techweek (April 13-17)

STL Techweek | TechSTL
Soak up intensive programming that blends keynotes, panel breakouts, and practical labs across AI, cyber, health, e-commerce, food tech, and media design, plus pitch contests, developer meetups, and a closing celebration, all designed to spark partnerships and real-world product momentum. (In-Person | Various)

Monday, April 13

Tuesday, April 14

Wednesday, April 15

Thursday, April 16

Friday, April 17

Saturday, April 18

April 13

April 13-14 // Demandbase GO London
Partake in concentrated sessions that translate AI concepts into go-to-market execution, from data-driven account prioritization to automated outreach and measurement frameworks, enabling marketing, sales, and revenue teams to adopt practical workflows and improve conversion velocity. (Virtual)

9 Tips To Close More Sales | Maryland Small Business Development Center
Ignite your closing ability with a practical online session led by a chief sales coach, covering nine actionable tips to sharpen focus, convert more prospects into customers, use research to gain leverage, minimize price objections, and ask for the sale with purpose. (Virtual)

How Entrepreneurs Build Profitable and Planet-Conscious Businesses | NY Public Library, Thomas Yoseloff Business Center
Gain practical insights as Elaine Pofeldt guides entrepreneurs through stories of building planet-conscious companies, from logistics-driven resale platforms to ocean-focused initiatives and scalable e-commerce furniture brands, unpacking business models, funding milestones, and actionable lessons with time for participant Q&A and resource pointers. (Virtual)

Rethinking How We Grow Human Skills in the Workplace | Taproot Foundation
Participate in a research-driven webinar that explores how organizations can cultivate human skills, problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration through experiential methods like pro bono service. Leaders from L&D and CSR will share case studies, practical strategies, and concrete steps to integrate these approaches into talent development. (Virtual)

2026 UX Career Planning with UX Woman | UX Woman
Learn practical methods to organize your UX career objectives, break larger goals into manageable tasks, set realistic timelines, pinpoint growth areas, and leave with a concise, actionable plan you can implement to progress toward your professional targets. (Virtual)

Windows of Opportunity | Urban League – Center for Entrepreneurship
Discover essential supplier diversity concepts and how they translate into real procurement opportunities during a concise two-hour workshop, with clear steps to pursue government contracts, insights on certification, resource referrals, and time allocated for participant questions and peer networking. (In-Person | Urban League HQ)

April 14

Modernizing Core Systems for AI: A CIO’s 4-Stage Roadmap | Gartner
Uncover how modernization can shift from a cost-focused initiative to a practical foundation for AI scale. The discussion highlights AI-ready architectural choices, greater flexibility across core processes, and updated KPIs that demonstrate measurable business value from transformation efforts. (Virtual)

Leading AI Automation at Scale | DataCamp
Transform fragmented automation efforts into a more coordinated AI strategy by examining the leadership principles behind successful change. The presentation highlights practical ways to align technologies with business needs and reshape processes so that AI initiatives produce stronger outcomes at scale. (Virtual)

LinkedIn? Deep Dive: Jump-Start Your Profile Today | Enterprise University
Dive into engaging 90-minute virtual workshops that blend expert-led content with actionable insights, equipping attendees with enhanced business literacy, practical tools, and confidence to address challenges and advance professional objectives. (Virtual)

College of Ag Deans at our Region’s Leading Universities | St. Louis Agribusiness Club
Gain insight into the future of agriculture through a panel featuring university leadership discussing emerging challenges, new research directions, and talent development. Alongside the discussion, guests can build connections over a shared meal and take part in tours of a leading research center. (In-Person | The National Corn to Ethanol Research Center)

Why Your Website Isn’t Attracting Better Clients | Freelancers Union
Partake in a focused session led by Justine Clay that turns your existing site into a purposeful sales tool, with hands-on steps to pinpoint who you serve, define the single visitor action you want, and leverage underused pages to attract higher-quality, better-paying clients. (Virtual)

Adobe on AI: Building Enterprise-Ready AI Governance | American Marketing Association
Attend a focused session that presents practical AI governance techniques, showcases industry case studies, and explains Adobe’s responsible AI processes, helping organizations assess current capabilities and embed policies, training, and evaluation methods to manage risk and foster ethical, scalable AI use. (Virtual)

How to Build an AI-first Culture | Section
Witness a pragmatic playbook for activating teams around AI, featuring concrete tactics for leaders to model AI use, strategies to boost adoption among reluctant staff, the critical first two or three leader moves, what year two looks like, and time for audience questions. (Virtual)

Stop Sending Proposals That Get Ghosted | CreativeMornings
Join a hands-on FieldTrip to design a repeatable proposal system: explore common proposal pitfalls, map the structure of high-converting proposals, use Adobe Acrobat PDF Spaces (and AI help) to create a branded template, make it shareable, and address questions during a closing Q&A. (Virtual)

Cybersecurity & AI Integration for Workforce Productivity | BIC Magazine
Gain actionable insights from industry leaders about integrating AI responsibly, including threat identification, governance frameworks, training approaches, and technological controls, with practical examples and recommendations designed to help organizations protect operations while unlocking measurable productivity improvements. (Virtual)

Leveraging AI and Technology Without Losing Focus | Founder Institute
Venture into a strategic conversation that helps early-stage teams distinguish high-value AI opportunities from distractions, with concrete examples of productivity and differentiation, plus guidance on prioritizing development work to support sustainable scaling and execution. (Virtual)

St. Louis Filmworks Meetup | STL.org
Appreciate an evening that pairs a practical masterclass with open networking, where filmmakers Mia Bible and Chris Lawing unpack turning scripts into productions, followed by casual connection time with complimentary food and drinks to spark collaborations and creative momentum among attendees. (In-Person | STL.org)

April 15

12th Annual SAME/SMPS Industry Day | SMPS St. Louis
Uncover federal contracting opportunities during agency presentations that span a full day of mission overviews and program updates, then book half-day one-on-one meetings with agency reps, capped by an evening networking happy hour to connect with peers and decision makers. (In-Person | The Regency Conference Center)

PitchSTL
Connect with the St. Louis startup community during a regular morning gathering where presenters receive focused feedback after brief pitches, attendees exchange introductions and advice, sponsors and volunteers engage, and organizers share resources, recordings, and application details for future presenters. (In-Person | Northside Economic Empowerment Center)

Your 2026 Social Media Plan: Posting, Branding & AI Scheduling Tools | Connect Video
Venture into a hands-on Strategy Lab where speakers guide you to convert created content into a repeatable posting system, build a branded content style guide, and implement AI-assisted scheduling. Walk away with templates, a platform-specific posting plan, and optional edited clips. (In-Person | La Quinta Wesport)

Management Rollovers and Incentive Equity Structures for Portfolio Companies | Carta
Connect the legal and economic mechanics behind management equity arrangements as the panel unpacks rollover structures, pari passu treatment, incentive pool design, and the employment and forfeiture provisions that influence alignment, retention, and outcomes in portfolio companies. (Virtual)

Moving Fast Without Breaking Things Using GitHub Code Quality | Microsoft Reactor
Experience a concise walkthrough of GitHub Code Quality in this Agentic DevOps session, where attendees learn to reduce noisy alerts, prioritize high-risk changes, and apply automated corrections, equipping teams to accelerate delivery while preserving readability, reliability, and overall engineering velocity. (Virtual)

From AI to ROI: Turning Pilots Into Scalable Impact | Data Science Connect
Enhance your approach to turning AI pilots into measurable ROI by learning how the right data, governance, and operating model enable scalable solutions, while an expert panel explores advances in generative AI and computer vision through practical case studies and implementation lessons. (Virtual)

Business Partnerships 101: Collaborating with Other Businesses the Right Way | Start Small Think Big
Participate in a thoughtful exploration of how small businesses can approach partnerships with greater clarity and protection. The presentation examines collaboration structures, upfront planning, and essential legal and operational terms that help prevent conflict and support more successful outcomes. (Virtual)

Geoguessr Tournament | T-REX
Explore rapid-fire rounds of Geoguessr gameplay that reward sharp observation and geographic intuition, as participants interpret Street View cues, post scores on a live leaderboard, vie for top honors and a trophy engraving, and enjoy a social atmosphere for players of all levels. (In-Person | Geospatial Innovation Center @ T-REX (4th Floor))

WashU Innovation & Entrepreneurship Awards | Skandalaris Center
Savor a showcase of entrepreneurial progress as judges reveal winners of the Spring Skandalaris Venture Competition and the Global Impact Award, while recipients of follow-on investments are announced and up to $250,000 in funding is awarded to advance commercialization efforts. (In-Person | Crowder Courtyard)

Build & Protect: Small Business Protection & Opportunity Overview | Porscha Anderson
Kickstart your business security by learning practical contract essentials, trademark basics, and tax support strategies in an interactive session that walks you through protecting intellectual property, mitigating legal risks, and identifying realistic avenues for additional revenue generation to strengthen long-term stability. (In-Person | CIC @ 20 S. Sarah)

April 16

Canva Create 2026 Keynote | Canva
Revel in a program filled with keynote access, recorded sessions, workshops, and hands-on feature exploration, all centered on creativity at scale. Speaker conversations, design education, and community-focused experiences come together to spotlight fresh ideas, skill building, and the latest platform innovations. (Virtual)

The Economics of AI in Patent Practice – Who Captures the Value? | IPWatchdog
Understand how AI is reshaping patent prosecution economics through real-world examples of tool adoption, workflow redesign, and client-facing impacts, with insights on whether efficiency gains lead to lower costs, higher margins, or novel pricing approaches for firms competing for sophisticated IP clients. (Virtual)

Startup Budgeting Tactics | Urban League STL Women’s Business Center
Discover hands-on tactics for startup budgeting in a focused session with Jamie Amerson, covering how to prioritize expenses, create basic financial projections, monitor cash flow, implement cost controls, and use straightforward templates and tools to keep your business finances organized and decision-ready. (Virtual)

Codex for Software Engineers | OpenAI Academy
Witness a practical demonstration of Codex as an AI software engineering partner that produces code, answers repository questions, assists with refactoring and documentation, and automates tests and debugging, illustrating concrete ways to accelerate development workflows and reduce repetitive engineering effort. (Virtual)

Define Your AI Strategy: Build vs. Buy vs. Partner | Chetu
Ignite your planning with a targeted session that clarifies when to build, buy, or partner on AI, maps trade-offs around control, cost, and speed across varied organizational contexts, and provides a compact, goal-focused checklist to support informed implementation decisions. (Virtual)

AI Powered by Deskside Workstations: Accelerated Compute without the Cloud | Digital Engineering 24/7
Elevate your understanding of workstation-based AI as this panel examines how deskside systems can power simulation, generative design, real-time visualization, and local model deployment. The discussion also highlights practical development strategies and real-world applications shaping engineering and manufacturing workflows. (Virtual)

Your Top Event Trends for 2026 | MarketingProfs
Enjoy a data-driven, 60-minute webinar where Cvent and industry expert Julie Haddix unpack the top event trends for 2026, translating platform intelligence and research into actionable strategies to elevate attendee engagement, boost ROI, and design innovative, future-ready event experiences. (Virtual)

Rapid No-Code IoT Prototyping with Microsoft Fabric | Saint Louis Microsoft Fabric & Power BI Meetup Group
Uncover how a codeless IoT workflow lets you simulate devices and stream live telemetry directly into Microsoft Fabric, where participants will explore, analyze, and visualize data in real time to shorten development cycles and validate prototypes quickly. (In-Person | Cortex @ 4220 Duncan)

BOSS BIA Happy Hour | Come & Go Women’s Networking
Bask in a casual networking atmosphere tailored to women in business, complete with signature cocktails and happy hour deals. This come-and-go gathering emphasizes real conversation over formal presentations, encouraging attendees to connect, collaborate, and enjoy community without pressure or agenda. (In-Person | Saucy’s – High Ridge)

How to Use Podcasts as a Sales and Marketing Tool | SCORE Long Island
Partake in a practical presentation that explains who listens to podcasts and why, how to advertise or sponsor shows, strategies to secure guest appearances, steps to produce your own episodes, and five actionable ways to leverage podcasts to expand your business reach. (Virtual)

Founders Lounge Global | Powered by Metis Analytics
Transform your approach during summit days that mix focused talks, practical workshops, and demo rounds, highlighting real-world building challenges and scalable strategies while providing time for collaboration, investor and founder interactions, and collective troubleshooting to refine product roadmaps. (In-Person | Spark Coworking – St. Louis)

2026 Business After Hours | Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Metro St. Louis
Network with entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders at a recurring after-hours social that promotes collaboration and visibility for local Hispanic and Latino businesses. Guests enjoy a two-hour networking window with a responsible alcohol policy; members enter free, non-members pay $10 preregistration or $15 walk-ins. (In-Person | St. Louis Lambert International Airport)

AI Web Application Firewall | PySTL
Embark on a practical walkthrough of an AI middleware security system where speakers will demonstrate integrating intelligent anomaly detection into web frameworks, explain the combination of feature extraction and adaptive learning, and outline high-performance request validation using a Rust-based accelerator. (In-Person | TechArtista CWE)

April 17

AI and digital tools for small businesses | Enterprise Nation
Venture into a focused webinar that frames AI as a practical assistant rather than something intimidating, offering step-by-step examples of prompt crafting, time-saving applications for marketing and presentations, and guidance on prioritizing digital tools for immediate use. (Virtual)

Wavelength: Calibrating Your Wavelength: Making Your Growth Visible | Filament
Discover a series of facilitation-led activities that help you tune into your current trajectory, articulate growth clearly, and apply simple metrics; through roleplay, mapping, and feedback, attendees practice making development tangible for performance reviews, teams, and personal branding. (Virtual)

AI for Search and Research | Can Code Communities
Engage in focused monthly lessons covering topics such as prompt engineering, generative creativity, and AI reasoning, with live demonstrations of platforms like Perplexity and Gemini, practical research exercises, and opportunities to ask questions and apply techniques immediately during the webinar. (Virtual)

Bourbon Friday @ Techweek Closing Ceremony
This evening brings three hours of relaxed networking with curated drinks, lively conversations, and opportunities to connect with local tech professionals as organizers partner with a regional tech group to mark the week’s finale. Expect approachable mingling, drink-focused hospitality, and easygoing industry conversation. (In-Person | The Post Building)

ThurtenE Carnival 2026 | Washington University
Enjoy a long-standing university celebration filled with carnival attractions, dramatic performances, and shared moments that bring the campus and wider community together. The experience mixes classic amusement with springtime energy, creating a spirited setting shaped by connection, fun, and familiar memories. (In-Person | Washington University in St. Louis)

SWE End of the Year Gala | Society of Women Engineers at SIUE
Savor a business-casual evening designed for meaningful exchanges between students, sponsoring companies, and SWE leaders, featuring early networking, a keynote speech, plated dinner service, sponsor recognition during awards, free parking, and doors opening shortly before the program. (In-Person | Southern Illinois University-School of Engineering)

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What’s inspiring you this week? We’d love to hear about it in the comments! Your ideas help shape the future of the St. Louis Startup, Tech, and Marketing Ecosystem. For event submissions or upcoming deadlines, email us at [email protected].

© Tenacity, LLC. This content was curated and compiled by hand, requiring hours of work each week. You may not copy, repost, or reproduce this content without permission. However, we welcome and appreciate links to the original post if you’d like to share it with your community. Thanks!

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