Boston Tech Week: For the first time, a16z is bringing Tech Week to Boston (May 26-31) and they’re thrilled to be joined by 80+ founding hosts, representing the best of Boston tech and beyond. More information here.
Yale Innovation Summit, May 27-28: As the Northeast’s largest innovation gathering, the Summit convenes thousands of founders, funders, researchers, policymakers, creatives, and operators from across the globe for two high-energy days of ideas, investment, and unlikely collisions. With 60+ sessions across six tracks—arts, biotech, civic, climate, health, and tech—the Summit explores the forces of innovation that are reshaping our world. From breakthrough science to public policy innovation, from climate tech to creative entrepreneurship, this is where cross-sector ideas move from ideas to impact. More innovation here.
CT Tech Week: Realist Lab presents CT Tech Week, happening June 1-5, 2026. A premier gathering for startups, entrepreneurs, investors, educators, and tech enthusiasts. Centered on “Connecting Connecticut’s Innovators,” the statewide event features workshops, networking sessions, pitch competitions, and more! More information here.
DEBUT 2026: With $190,000 in prizes, the DEBUT Challenge is open to undergraduate student teams working on innovative solutions to unmet health and clinical problems. Applications are now being accepted for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and VentureWell Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, a competition that recognizes undergraduate excellence in biomedical design and innovation. DEBUT challenges teams of students in undergraduate biomedical education to solve real-world problems in healthcare. Apply by June 5, 2026. More information here.
Patriot Pitch Competition: Is your high-potential small business innovating and working to shape the future in your industry? If so, the SBA wants to hear from you! SBA is hosting a nationwide pitch competition that will bring together entrepreneurs from across the country who are building and scaling businesses within their communities. Selected businesses will be invited to participate in a live pitch competition in Washington, DC, which will culminate in a $1 million prize pool to celebrate the innovation and ambition that has driven American ingenuity for the past 250 years. Applications are due June 10. More information here.
Massachusetts Next Generation Initiative: The MLSC is committed to a life sciences ecosystem that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable for all members of this industry. Awardees of the program will receive a year-long customized package of support, which includes non-dilutive grant funding, lab bench at a sponsoring incubator, and access to a network of seasoned professionals from the life sciences ecosystem helping them to refine their business strategies and effectively raise capital. In addition, awardees will highlight their company to sponsors, awardees, and representatives of venture capital firms at the end of the program year in a “showcase” event to promote relationship building. Applications are due June 12. More information here.
The TiE Women Program 2026 is an incredible opportunity for women founders to showcase their innovative business ideas on a global stage. If you are a woman entrepreneur with a passion for innovation and a drive to make a difference, we encourage you to apply to participate in this prestigious program. Whether you are in the early stages of launching your startup or have an established business looking to scale, this competition offers a platform to gain visibility, network with industry leaders & investors, and access mentorship. Applications are due June 15. More information here.
The Boost Platform from Sandia National Laboratories, the Department of Energy (DOE), and industry partner FedTech, is an initiative that brings national labs, startups, academia, and DOE-developed technologies together to find solutions to regional energy and infrastructure challenges. Learn from innovators across industries to develop entrepreneurial skills, ranging from technical know-how to customer discovery. Applications are due June 26. More information here.
VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator: Applications for the Fall 2026 cohort of the Ocean Enterprise Accelerator are now open! This program, built in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), helps teams kickstart their innovation journey, building the future of the blue economy through industry-specific mentorship and access to a pipeline of $140K in technology development awards. Apply by July 7. More information here.
EforAll’s Business Accelerator Program gives aspiring entrepreneurs the tools, training, and support they need to succeed. Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) is a national nonprofit organization with a proven record of supporting small businesses. Join the 2,180+ entrepreneurs who have already benefited from our program! Applications are due August 6. More information here.
HAYVN HATCH is a pitch night for female founders, held two times a year at HAYVN, a women-centric coworking & event space. Female Founders are invited to present at HAYVN HATCH. The businesses that are most likely to be selected are scalable, with opportunity for growth and an interesting USP. Pitches will consist of a 3 minute presentation by you, the founder, followed by 5 minutes for Judge / Audience questions. Total time is 8 minutes. Applicants MUST have a deck to submit with their application. Application Deadline: August 21. More information here.
Startup Boston Week – September 14-18: Are you a founder? Do you currently work at a startup? Are you new to the startup scene in Boston or New England? Looking to grow your network? You’re in the right place. Startup Boston Week, is BACK for Year 10. This is THE conference where the entire startup community comes together – all industries, all departments, all company stages. Don’t miss out on your chance to network with the startup community! More information here.
MassVentures invests in academic spinouts and seed-stage deep tech companies based in Massachusetts. With a focus on venture development, MassVentures provides catalytic funding and support to help founders get traction, build their MVP, find early customers, accelerate GTM strategy, expand sales and bring on key staff. They look for innovative technologies which support the economic growth initiatives of the Commonwealth and place an emphasis on diverse founding teams and diverse geographies throughout the state. More information here.
The Northwestern Mutual Accelerator™ Powered by gener8tor program is focused on addressing barriers to financial equity and expanding financial access for tech startups aligned to Northwestern Mutual’s key strategic areas of focus including fintech, insurtech, digital health and data analytics. More information here.
ARPA-E SCALEUP Ready Program: The SCALEUP Program is ARPA-E’s early commercialization program designed to help teams turn their groundbreaking ideas into reality. During the SCALEUP Ready program, ARPA-E experts will provide guidance to awardees as they establish their business model, supply chain, and sales channels. Applications are now accepted on a rolling basis. More information here.
FinTech Sandbox is a nonprofit which enables financial technology entrepreneurs to build robust products by providing access to critical data, development tools and a curated network of customers, entirely for free. FinTech Sandbox is open to all startups innovating in financial services that can use financial data products we offer for product development and testing. The spirit of the program is to offer data to start-ups that could not otherwise afford it. More information here.
Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. As one of the largest pre-seed investors in the world, they funded over 3,200 companies that have gone on to have a market cap of $79B+. Each company receives up to $120,000 in funding, and access to the worldwide network of investors, hands-on mentorship, and over $4M of perks. Applications are open year-round and will be considered on a rolling basis. Your application will be valid for 12 months from the date of application. More information here.
Through its 2030 Fund, MassCEC invests at the earliest stages of company development across the climatetech landscape. With a focus on tough tech and underserved sectors, MassCEC investments aim to advance clean technology, fill funding gaps, create green jobs, and leverage private capital throughout the Commonwealth. More information here.
P&G Ventures is an early stage startup studio within Procter & Gamble that partners with entrepreneurs to accelerate billion dollar ideas that improve consumers’ lives. Focus areas include nontoxic home and garden, women’s health, anti-aging, daily wellness, and cleaning/sanitizing. More information here.
IFundWomen Boston is a crowdfunding ecosystem designed to help the women-led startups, small businesses, nonprofits, side hustles, and passion projects of Boston raise funds to launch and grow. Join iFundWomen if you are a Boston-area women-led startup to fundraise for your business and get your ideas launched. More information here.
SoGal Foundation has teamed up with Winky Lux, bluemercury, twelveNYC, Twilio, and other sponsors to make a small step towards progress by providing several $10K and $5K cash grants to Black women or nonbinary entrepreneurs. Awardees will also receive tactical help navigating the fundraising environment at large so that they will have a more equitable opportunity at scaling the next billion dollar idea. They will also receive lifetime “ask-me-anything” access to the SoGal Foundation and SoGal Ventures teams. More information here.
The Innovate413 Accelerator is a five-month, no-equity launch program that helps founders test ideas, find real customers, and raise early funding. Innovate413’s model emphasizes early customer access, providing introductions to more than 100 employers and nonprofits in advanced manufacturing, sustainability, fintech, and adjacent sectors. Startups also receive hands-on AI and product development support through UMass Center for Data Science & AI and PixelEdge, along with structured investor exposure throughout the program. Standout teams may receive up to $10,000 in grant funding. More information here.