The Talent Hunt: 20 AI Startups Pitch to 200 Top Builders -#SFTechWeek

The team is the moat in the AI era. And the war for talent has never been louder.

Once a year, the best builders converge on SF. This is the week to go get them. This time, the startups pitch, and the builders choose.

On October 7, founders and technical leaders from 20 of SF’s fastest-growing startups pitch to 200+ top AI builders—AI engineers and FDEs shipping at the frontier. Then: breakout rooms for AMAs and 1:1 chats that could lead to your next great hire or big career move.

Participating startups include Mercor, Rillet, Cresta, HappyRobot, Retell AI, and Infinity - some of the most exciting teams in AI, with breakout products and remarkable growth.

📅 How the afternoon runs

3:00 · Doors open, check-in, coffee

3:30 · Startup Pitch: 20 startups, 3 minutes each

4:30 · Founder Panel: how the best AI startups actually hire in 2026.

5:00 · Breakouts & 1:1s: meet the teams, ask questions, explore opportunities

6:00 · Happy Hour: drinks, pizza & more conversations

After the event: We’ll share participating companies’ open roles with all builders, so you can share your profile and get introduced to teams that interest you.

👀 Who should come

AI Builders: this event focuses on AI engineers and FDEs who’ve shipped something people love, embrace startup ambiguity, and want to build something ambitious. This is your room.

AI startups: early- and growth-stage AI teams with ambition and traction, whether in models, infrastructure, applications, robotics, or beyond - as long as you’re making life or work meaningfully better.

🎟 Free for builders and startup teams. Limited capacity; invitations are based on signup order and fit with the event’s focus.

Hosted by Jobright - #1 AI Hiring Platform trusted by 2M+ people.