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Where To Be: October 2026 Tech Events

Where To Be: October 2026 Tech Events

There's something for everyone this October. Fintech events. Climate-focused tech chats. Pitch events in front of national VCs.

We've curated the top 9 events, from Atlanta to Memphis to Eastern Tennessee, that need to be on your calendar if you are a founder, investor, or tech ecosystem builder.

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Tech Square Ventures is an Atlanta-based firm investing in enterprise (B2B) and marketplace technology companies.

9 Atlanta and Southeast Tech Events to Know in Fall 2026

Open up your calendar app and get adding these events to your busy fall schedule:

1) Atlanta Fintech Week

September 28 - Oct 2 - Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta Fintech Week showcases this ecosystem and connects it to the global fintech community through curated events, discussions, and experiences. Atlanta Fintech Week is a citywide series of events connecting fintech leaders, founders, investors, and innovators across Atlanta’s financial technology ecosystem.

Some highlights: 

2) HR Excellence Awards Gala

October 8 - Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Presented by SHRM-Atlanta and Kaiser Permanente, the 2026 HR Excellence Awards Gala is Atlanta's premier celebration of HR leadership, innovation, and organizational impact

3) Atlanta Climate Week

October 10-15 - Location: Across Atlanta

Atlanta Climate Week is uniting changemakers, innovators, and communities to transform bold ideas into climate action through speakers, action days, and community activation.

Some highlights: 

4) Avant South 2026

October 12-13 - Location: Atlanta, Georgia 

Avant South is Atlanta's premier tech and innovation event, advancing the city's position as the leading technology hub of the South. Known for producing top talent, fostering innovation, and developing future leaders, Atlanta is now setting its sights on becoming one of the nation's top five technology and entrepreneurial ecosystems. This year's theme is AI in Action.

Highlights on the agenda will include: 

  • Atlanta Innovation Cup
  • Keynote: From Classroom to Career: Building Atlanta’s Talent Advantage
  • From Drugs to Donuts: The AI Behind the Things We Depend On
  • AI’s Next Unicorn: What Will It Take?

5) Atlanta Startup Awards

October 12 - Location: Atlanta, Georgia 

This in-person event is all about celebrating the brightest and boldest startups, founders, team members, and mentors in the A. Join fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and fans in the grand Biltmore Ballrooms for a new and improved Awards experience you won't forget.

6) Startup Mountain Summit

October 12-13 - Location: Johnson City, Tennessee

The Startup Mountain Summit was designed to give early-stage startup founders the inspiration, resources, and knowledge needed to build successful ventures in Appalachia and beyond.

At the Summit, you’ll hear from some of the biggest names in entrepreneurship, attend hands-on workshops, and have the opportunity to pitch your startup in front of hundreds of founders and a panel of investors.

Speakers this year include Brad Feld (co-founder of Techstars), Rob Walling (founder of Tiny Seed), and more. 

7) DelTech

October 14-16

Location: Memphis, Tennessee

DelTech is a premier regional conference dedicated to advancing technology and innovation across the Delta region. The goal is to bring together entrepreneurs, industry leaders, investors, and policymakers. 

Highlights will include sessions and events like: 

  • Epicenter Live! at DelTech 
  • Black Founder Breakfast hosted by BCOM
  • The Long Game: What It Really Takes to Build Something That Lasts
  • SBIR/STTR Unlocked: Turning Innovation into Funding Opportunities
  • From the Delta to the World: Position Your Innovation for New Markets
  • Building the Delta’s Next Generation of Innovators: Inside EpicenterU
  • Advocating for Entrepreneurship: Turning Policy into Progress
  • Lessons Learned as a MedTech Entrepreneur

8) Venture Atlanta 

October 14-15

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

The big one. Venture Atlanta supports the Southeast’s most promising tech companies by connecting founders and funders through one of the nation’s largest venture capital conferences. Close to 100 companies from across the Southeast are set to take the stage this year in front of investors from across the country. 

Some highlights on tap for Venture Atlanta include: 

  • Investor Pickleball Tournament
  • Deep Tech Investing & Trillion Dollar IPO’s: Building Category Leaders
  • Startup Showcase Seed Pitches
  • When Enterprise Turns to the Private Market for Innovation
  • The Rural Health Opportunity: Investing in the Next Frontier of Healthcare Innovation
  • You Built a Great Company. Now, Can You Execute a Great Exit?
  • Deep Tech AUTONOMY & DRONES Panel
  • Deep Tech COMPUTE — Quantum + Decision Advantage
  • Built in Atlanta, Sold for Billions: Adam Wexler's Founder Journey
  • Deep Tech BUILD — Manufacturing + Space Panel

9) HackATL 

October 16-18

Location: Atlanta, Georgia 

Since 2013, thousands of students have come to Goizueta to prototype bold ideas, stress-test business models, and pitch to angels, VCs, and industry leaders. Up to $13,000 in prizes on the line. HackATL is Emory's student-run business hackathon, hosted by EEVM. One weekend to take an idea from scratch to pitch.

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The featured graphic was created using AI. The rest of the article was written the old-fashioned way.

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