Attend the IEEE Hard Tech Venture Summit

The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) is partnering with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Hard Tech Venture Summits committee to offer FLC federal laboratory members the opportunity to attend two upcoming 2026 summits: 

• IEEE Entrepreneurship Hard Tech Venture Summit Silicon Valley 2026 – April 16 – 17 in Menlo Park, California 

• IEEE Entrepreneurship Hard Tech Venture Summit Boston 2026 – June 10 – 11 in Boston, Massachusetts 

These events bring together hard tech startup founders, investors, manufacturers, and innovation ecosystem partners in areas including climate tech, robotics, sensors, semiconductors, communications, defense technologies, photonics, and IoT. Participants engage in structured roundtable discussions designed to foster meaningful connections and long-term collaboration across the hard tech ecosystem. 

The Hard Tech Venture Summits were created by hard tech investors who recognized that startups developing hardware-based technologies require long-term relationships across the innovation ecosystem to succeed. Attendees rotate across multiple tables and are carefully assigned to ensure they meet new participants at each roundtable, creating a dynamic exchange of insights across technology domains and funding stages. 

Federal laboratories are encouraged to apply, as these events provide a valuable opportunity to engage with the startup and investor communities shaping the future of hard tech commercialization. 

Federal labs interested in attending should apply through the summit application process: 

• Apply for the Silicon Valley Summit (April 16–17) 

• Apply for the Boston Summit (June 10–11) 

All attendees are vetted by the Hard Tech Investors committee to ensure a high-quality discussion environment. Once accepted, FLC will work directly with federal lab participants to complete the summit registration process. 

If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected].  

Want to know more? Listen to our conversation with Joanne Wong and Cassandra Carothers about their involvement with IEEE and planning the Hard Tech Venture Summit on The Transfer Files podcast!