St. Louis innovation awaits! The week of July 21-27, 2025, is designed to inspire entrepreneurs, tech pioneers, and marketing strategists. Our Founder, Erik Lutenegger, presents a carefully selected guide to events connecting you with the heart of our thriving ecosystem.
tornado response resources
For those affected by the storm, St. Louis is coming together to provide much needed resources. Here are few and ways to find even more.
Tornado Recovery Information | City of St. Louis
The main resource center for the region that provides links to city services, utilities, volunteering, donations, and more.City of St. Louis Tornado Response Fund
This fund supports the City of St. Louis’ efforts to provide immediate relief and long-term rebuilding of areas impacted by the tornado. This fund will be supported by charitable dollars only.Volunteer for Storm Recovery | Action St. Louis
Volunteers are needed to help sort and distribute items to individuals affected by the storm. Volunteers will also help with debris removal.Preliminary Business Assessment | SLDC
This survey will be used to determine the extent of the damage done in the business community in order to determine solutions and needs going forward.WeBuild Initiative | TechSTL
This is a rapid-response effort to connect volunteer tech talent to support the work addressing urgent community needs after the recent tornadoes. Get support or volunteer.Free Coworking | TechartistA, Spark Coworking, and ThriveCo
If you are someone you know was impacted by the storm, free cowork available at the TA UCity & Downtown, Spark St. Louis, and ThriveCo Locations Locations. No Signup Necessary.
Please stay safe. help if can, when you can. Together, we will rebuild and emerge stronger than before.
Funding, ESO, and Accelerator Opportunities
Due July 21 // Call for Speakers | St.Louis Startup Week
St. Louis Startup Week 2025 invites innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry experts to apply as speakers for its November 10–14 event. Ideal sessions offer actionable insights, diverse perspectives, and engaging formats like workshops, panels, or fireside chats. First-time speakers are encouraged to apply. (Speaking Opportunities)
Due July 25 // Allstate Main Street Grants Program
A national program supports 250 small business owners through a 12-week virtual accelerator focused on marketing, finance, operations, and strategic growth. Of those, 63 will receive $20,000 grants to invest in tools and resources enhancing business operations and resilience (Bootcamp)
Due August 3 // 40 Under 40: Class of 2025 | St. Louis Business Journal
This annual recognition highlights 40 young professionals under 40 who are making significant contributions to business and the St. Louis community. Honorees are selected through an editorial review based on career achievements and community impact and are featured in a special publication by a local business outlet. (Community Award)
Due August 4 // Y Combinator
A premier Silicon Valley accelerator provides $500K seed funding in exchange for about 7% equity, intensive three-month cohorts, weekly mentorship and talks, investor introductions, and alumni community support, culminating in Demo Day presentations to top-tier investors. (Accelerator)
Due August 5 // IDEA Fund | Missouri Technology Corporation
The IDEA Fund makes direct equity-based investments in Missouri’s most promising emerging companies to promote growth and encourage additional future investment. They have 4 programs: Proof of Concept for early-stage entrepreneurs, the TechLaunch for pre-seed, Seed Capital for the Seed stage, and the Venture Capital Program, which supports technology startups through matching equity or convertible debt investments up to $2,000,000. (Funding)
Due August 8 // THINKSGIVING | Filament
Filament’s award-winning initiative pairs creative teams from our region’s smartest organizations with nonprofits for a day of collaborative innovation and problem-solving. (Non-Profit Help)
Due August 14 // Small Business Hero Program | Intuit QuickBooks & Mailchimp
A nationwide initiative celebrates small businesses showing courage, perseverance, and community impact. Twelve quarterly winners receive a $20,000 grant plus marketing exposure and free QuickBooks and Mailchimp services to support growth and operational efficiency. (Grant)
Startup, Tech, and Marketing Events
July 21
The Digital Hollywood Summer Summit | Digital Hollywood
Engage with a comprehensive agenda focused on AI’s transformative role in entertainment, highlighting expert discussions, live video sessions, and interactive opportunities to learn from pioneers shaping the future of digital creativity. (Virtual)
5 AI Strategies Your Business Can Use Now | Entrepreneurs Forever
Appreciate the clarity and confidence that comes from live demonstrations of five actionable AI strategies, where Doogie Levine and Daniel Simkins dismantle AI myths and spotlight achievable uses for today’s small business owners. (Virtual)
Reach Customers Online with Google | U.S. Small Business Administration
Discover how to boost your online presence using Google tools in this workshop. Learn SEO best practices, create a free Google Business Profile, and explore advertising strategies to get your business noticed across all devices. (Virtual)
Building AI/ML Products for Scalable Business Impact – Meta Head of Product | Product School
Witness a focused discussion on leveraging AI and machine learning to enhance business scalability. Learn how to target 10X improvement opportunities, balance technical and operational scaling, and create a metrics hierarchy linking model performance directly to business revenue. (Virtual)
St. Louis Queer Tech Game Night | TechSTL
Participate in an inclusive Game Night hosted by TechSTL’s Queer Tech Affinity Group, featuring a variety of board and card games. Enjoy snacks, Fritz floats, and drinks available for purchase in a welcoming all-ages environment designed for fun and connection. (In-Person | TechArtista Downtown)
July 22
The agentic era: Reshaping the future of business | Google Cloud
Venture into an insightful exploration of how emerging technologies are transforming business landscapes, focusing on agency in decision-making and innovation to shape future commercial strategies and operations. (Virtual)
Rising Grinds | The 89th Collective
Connect with a vibrant community of creatives, entrepreneurs, and leaders each Tuesday morning over coffee, where conversations spark collaboration, relationships grow naturally, and legacy-building begins in an energizing, welcoming space. (In-Person | The 89th Collective)
Ultimate Guide to Salesforce Backup Best Practices in the Age of AI | Salesforce Ben / Veeam
Attend a comprehensive webinar that breaks down the must-have elements of robust Salesforce data protection. Discover how AI and automation can enhance recovery speeds, identify anomalies early, and ensure your backup plans align with compliance demands for sustained business continuity. (Virtual)
Automate, Trust and Monitor: Building AI Ready Governance Foundation | IBM
Take in strategies for tracing the entire lifecycle of data assets while combining governance policies and access controls to support evolving regulatory demands and improve data reliability across organizations. (Virtual)
The World’s Best Marketing & Communications Strategies 2025 | Gartner
Gain valuable perspective from award-winning marketing initiatives, as the Gartner webinar presents success stories behind top performers and distills key practices that contributed to real-world results in today’s competitive landscape. (Virtual)
Become Lender Ready | Veterans Business Outreach Center (Mississippi State University)
Join this live online session focused on helping veterans and their spouses prepare for successful business financing. Learn what lenders expect during the loan process and gain valuable insights to make your small business lender-ready, all at no cost. (Virtual)
Setting a Target Fund Size | Carta
Learn how the scale of your fund drives strategic and financial outcomes in this focused discussion on aligning capital goals with operating costs, portfolio planning, and investor expectations for lasting venture performance. (Virtual)
Knowledge is Power: How AI is Helping Builders Navigate Their Contracts and the Tariffs | NECA
Absorb practical insights into navigating tariff-driven disruptions, where AI emerges as a vital tool for interpreting contracts, automating critical functions, and defending profitability in today’s volatile construction landscape. (Virtual)
Eliminate the Legacy Barrier: Unlock AI Readiness by Modernizing Your Database | ActualTech Media
Dive into a comprehensive discussion on leveraging cutting-edge AI and AWS expertise to make database modernization three times faster while maintaining integrity, helping businesses seize new opportunities. (Virtual)
AI’s Impact on Organizational Culture
Explore the transformative effects of AI on leadership and organizational culture, where visionary thinkers are empowered to pursue greatness as AI disrupts outdated notions of managing through others during an engaging session. (In-Person | Missouri Athletic Club)
TeXperts: St. Louis Thought Leadership Workshops | TechSTL
Transform your communication approach with sessions focused on packaging expertise, delivering authentic messages in diverse formats like podcasts or TED talks, and leveraging PR strategies to grow your reputation within tech markets worldwide. (In-Person | TechArtista Downtown)
Podcast & YouTube Creators: From Why to Wow! Your Podcast Purpose & Brand | Gearhart Law
Be part of an innovative event that combines mindset work with graphic design expertise to enhance your podcast’s clarity and brand presentation. Gain practical knowledge on expressing your mission clearly while developing consistent artwork that captures audience attention. (Virtual)
2025 Digital Engagement Benchmarks | American Marketing Association
Attend this informative session designed to deliver the newest data on digital marketing engagement, equipping you with knowledge to enhance personalization, boost conversion rates, and maximize impact from virtual events. (Virtual)
July 23
Five key marketing initiatives to elevate your business | Enterprise Nation
Unite with fellow small business owners in an interactive webinar detailing five practical marketing initiatives that can transform how you approach promotion and measurement within your enterprise. (Virtual)
Coffee Talk at 21: Art + Community Development | 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis
Kick off your day networking over coffee while engaging in meaningful conversations about how art influences community-led progress, housing equity, and cross-sector efforts to build inclusive, vibrant neighborhoods in St. Louis. (In-Person | 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis)
Build an AI App with Azure using RAG | Microsoft
Unveil the potential of RAG in app development through guided learning on embeddings, vector search, and cloud deployment, while connecting with Microsoft experts to refine AI architecture strategies for the next wave of intelligent apps. (Virtual)
PitchSTL | Presenters: Younique Strands & Replication Scientific AND B.J. Cook, Replication Scientific
Ignite your entrepreneurial spirit by joining a vibrant weekly event where St. Louis startups pitch ideas and receive valuable feedback in a supportive community at Cortex. Presenters share insights in engaging six-minute slots followed by 20 minutes of Q&A. (In-Person | Cortex @ 20 S. Sarah)
STL Insight Breakfast: Fueling the Future of Defense Innovation | TechSTL
Share a morning with decision-makers across public, private, and nonprofit sectors as they explore the future of defense innovation. Learn from engaging panels and keynote presentations about cross-sector innovations enhancing defense capabilities here in St. Louis. (In-Person | Husch Blackwell)
Faking Human: A guide to using AI in your marketing | Thriving Through Change | CreativeMornings
Connect with others in a vibrant virtual setting to understand the impact of AI on marketing. This interactive session equips you with knowledge on ethical AI use and practical applications that respect your brand’s values. (Virtual)
Lunchtime Live | Food Trucks: Soul Burger, Wok and Roll, Scoops of Joy
Lunchtime Live is Downtown St. Louis’ premier outdoor lunchtime party that features live bands, local eats, and community. (In-Person | Old Post Office Plaza)
Automate Like a Pro: Use Cases | HubSpot
Immerse yourself in a hands-on session where HubSpot experts guide Marketing and Sales Hub Professional users in creating workflows that automate lead nurturing and sales processes, boosting efficiency and ensuring timely responses to potential customers. (Virtual)
Founder’s Guide to AI: Using Agentic Workflows to Automate Repetitive Tasks | Founder Institute
Dive into a hands-on session exploring how AI-driven agentic workflows can automate repetitive tasks, freeing founders to focus on impactful work through practical examples from HeyVail, CrowdTamers, and Insight’s marketing automation systems. (Virtual)
How to Close Bigger Deals Faster with Partnerships | Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center
Engage with insights on building strategic partnerships to close bigger deals more efficiently, learning how collaborations can expand revenue streams and shorten sales cycles without extra resources. (Virtual)
Summer with Skandy: Hyper-Growth Startups and Corporate Innovation | Skandalaris Center
Network with peers while gaining expert insights from Deborah Barta on managing rapid scaling within startups and driving corporate innovation. This event provides practical approaches to navigating disruption and creating partnerships that fuel growth. (In-Person | WashU @ Seigle Hall)
Strictly Social | T-REX
Indulge in an informal evening gathering designed strictly for social interaction, hosted monthly on the fourth Wednesday. Meet local figures like Sarah Fenske while enjoying drinks your guest bartender serves amidst friendly conversations. (In-Person | T-REX @ 5th Floor)
July 23-27 // St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase | Cinema St. Louis
Embrace storytelling from emerging talents and seasoned filmmakers in this event honoring 25 years of local cinema. Attendees can participate in discussions, masterclasses, and networking events that foster artistic growth and celebrate creative camaraderie. (In-Person | Hi-Pointe Theatre)
July 24
Smarter Content Marketing Driven by AI | General Assembly
Attend this informative session exploring AI’s role in transforming content creation by handling time-consuming tasks, freeing marketers to develop meaningful campaigns and scale efforts effectively. (Virtual)
M/WBE Contract Legal Svcs: Prime-Sub Agreements – Protecting Your Business | NYC Department of Small Business Services
Witness a valuable online session designed for minority and women-owned businesses to learn essential contract terms and negotiation strategies for subcontracting opportunities, ensuring fair dealings and safeguarding business interests. (Virtual)
What Generative Search Means for Brand Visibility (and What CMOs Are Doing About It) | Search Engine Land
Learn strategies to run AI narrative audits, develop rapid-response protocols for misrepresentation, and curate brand assets as training data. This session equips marketing professionals with tools to influence how AI interprets and portrays their brands. (Virtual)
AI in the Crosshairs: Regulation, Litigation, and the Road Ahead | Morgan Lewis
Take part in a dynamic webinar exploring the evolving regulations and litigation challenges surrounding artificial intelligence at both state and federal levels, featuring expert legal partners discussing healthcare implications, competition concerns, and future investigative trends. (Virtual)
How LastPass is Modernizing Customer Engagement With a Composable, AI-Ready Stack | Emarketer
Participate in this live Tech-Talk where LastPass shares strategies on modernizing marketing infrastructures with real-time data architectures to boost efficiency and reduce acquisition costs. Industry leaders will discuss leveraging AI-powered tools to drive more relevant customer interactions. (Virtual)
From Data to Dollars: 5 Ways to Use Feedback to Drive Revenue | MarketingProfs
Share in this educational experience, highlighting the value of customer input in driving revenue. Gain knowledge on spotting early trends, enhancing campaign messaging, and continuously measuring impact to make better decisions that align with your customers’ evolving preferences. (Virtual)
Downtown Summer Nights | Live Music: Mark Harris
Transform your summer evenings with weekly celebrations featuring live music, outdoor movies, and delicious food at a vibrant downtown plaza. Enjoy performances by local artists alongside classic film screenings under the stars, creating memorable nights for all ages. (In-Person | Keiner Plaza)
Crafting Your Elevator Pitch for Confident Networking | Start Small Think Big
Participate in a supportive workshop where expert guidance and peer feedback help entrepreneurs develop compelling elevator pitches, sharpen messaging, and gain the poise needed to communicate value effectively across diverse audiences. (Virtual)
St. Louis Black Tech Mixer | TechSTL
Celebrate the vibrant St. Louis tech community by connecting with local Black leaders shaping innovation, enjoying a welcoming atmosphere designed for meaningful conversations on emerging technology and professional opportunities. (In-Person | Heydays HQ)
Founders Lounge Global
Embrace the opportunity to connect with fellow entrepreneurs through interactive sessions to encourage experience sharing and professional development. Founders Lounge offers a supportive space to nurture business ideas. (In-Person | Spark Coworking)
Social Thursdays | KRe8 Spaces
Soak up the vibrant energy of a Thursday evening for networking and fun. Meet like-minded individuals, enjoy engaging music, and spend quality time unwinding at an inviting venue dedicated to community connection. (In-Person | KRe8 Spaces)
July 25
EmpowerHER: The Voice Within | Filament
Elevate your perspective at EmpowerHER: The Voice Within, where engaging discussions and interactive sessions focus on nurturing leadership and confidence among women. (In-Person | Filament)
Prompting with Purpose: Best‑Practice Techniques for Harnessing ChatGPT | OpenAI Academy
Experience a beginner-friendly webinar emphasizing best-practice prompting techniques. Gain insights into crafting well-structured inputs and learn repeatable strategies that make ChatGPT more controllable and valuable across professional, academic, or personal use cases. (Virtual)
The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Practical AI | Small Business University (Small Business Expo)
Ignite new possibilities for your business as Jessica McKellar shares real-world strategies and practical AI applications that help small teams work smarter, automate efficiently, and unlock growth opportunities with ease. (Virtual)
Bourbon Friday // Entrepreneur Networking & Bourbon Tasting
Partake in an engaging social mixer that celebrates the St. Louis innovation scene and fine bourbons. This three-hour event encourages meaningful exchanges, relaxed mingling, and enjoyment of the area’s finest whiskey offerings. (In-Person | Techartista Downtown)
Microbusiness Socials | Neighborhood Innovation Center
Celebrate the chance to join like-minded microbusiness owners at these monthly socials. This event fosters collaboration, learning, and networking opportunities where attendees can support each other’s growth and gain insights to elevate their businesses. (In-Person | Urban Eats)
Value Proposition Canvas | Business & IP Centre Liverpool City Region
Experience an engaging walkthrough of the Value Proposition Canvas, gaining insights into precisely defining customers and visualizing value, which are crucial steps toward achieving product-market fit. (Virtual)
Join us on Meetup or Tiktok.
We’re all ears! What has you enthusiastic about the days ahead? Your feedback shapes our vision for the St. Louis startup, tech, and marketing community. To share events or critical deadlines, email us at [email protected].
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