Venture Summits

The Hard Tech Venture Summit was launched by IEEE Entrepreneurship in 2025 in San Francisco to connect early-stage Hard Tech founders with specialized investors and industry partners.

In 2026, the IEEE Systems Council joined the initiative through its Industry Committee and, together with IEEE Entrepreneurship, expanded the Summit into a North American series — Silicon Valley, Boston, and Toronto.

Hard Tech innovation is increasingly defined by complex, system-level integration across electronics, communications, semiconductors, sensing, AI, and physical platforms — domains where systems engineering and cross-disciplinary coordination are essential.

The Systems Council supports scientists and researchers from its member societies who are commercializing their innovations, the summit is here to help. Hard Tech startups require not only technical excellence but also qualified capital, industry partnerships, and manufacturing expertise. The Summit provides a structured platform to help these ventures build the relationships necessary to scale and succeed.

2026 Summit Series

Silicon Valley: April 16–17 — SRI, Menlo Park, CA
Boston*: June 10-11, Thomas M. Menino Convention Center 
Toronto: October 20-21 - MyantX, Mississauga Ontario
*with a Systems Council member society.

Contact

The IEEE Hard Tech Venture Summit Series is led jointly by IEEE Entrepreneurship and the IEEE Systems Council. For partnership, participation, or collaboration inquiries, please contact the Summit Leadership Team:

Joanne Wong 
Systems Council Secretary
Chair, Hard Tech Venture Summit Series – IEEE Entrepreneurship

Bruno Iafelice
Chair, Systems Council Industry Committee
Chair, Venture Summit Silicon Valley – IEEE Entrepreneurship