San Antonio Startup and Tech Week kicks off this year with a new name, a five-day run of free programming, and events scattered across downtown venues from Texas Public Radio to the Central Library. The rebrand reflects a shift toward the city's growing base of developers, engineers, cybersecurity experts and AI builders, who take center stage in this year's program.
A New Name for an 11-Year-Old Event
The event, now in its 11th year, is free and open to the public but requires online registration, with some individual sessions requiring separate sign-ups, according to Axios. Organizers added tech to the event's name this year, a change Geekdom CEO Charles Woodin said in a statement reflects what is happening in San Antonio now, as reported by Axios. Geekdom is the organizer behind the annual conference.
Sessions this year are grouped into five categories: founder, tech and builders, AI and applied innovation, small business and solopreneur, and capital. The lineup is meant to serve people launching businesses, running nonprofits, investing in local companies or simply exploring the direction San Antonio is headed, per the same account. The full schedule is available online.
Where the Week's Events Take Place
Sessions take place across several downtown venues, including Texas Public Radio, the Central Library and Geekdom at the Rand Building, the Axios report notes. Among the featured speakers is Sandra Velasquez, who is scheduled to appear at Texas Public Radio on September 29. Velasquez moved her Latina beauty brand, Nopalera, to San Antonio in 2025, according to the same account.
Nonprofits Get Their Own Track
Beyond the founder-focused sessions, the week includes programming aimed squarely at the nonprofit sector. San Antonio Startup Day, an event series hosted by Geekdom and LaunchSA leading into the broader conference, includes a nonprofit-edition gathering, according to a listing on Luma. That session features a technology-focused talk titled Using Technology to Amplify Your Organization's Impact, with GiveKit co-founders Alberto Carrazco and Zac Brown.
The nonprofit track also connects to MissionPitch, an intensive six-week accelerator program that brings startup-style storytelling and business tools to San Antonio's nonprofit sector, per the Luma listing. It's a sign that this year's programming isn't limited to founders chasing venture capital — nonprofit leaders get their own dedicated runway.
Linux and Open-Source Learning
learnOPENtech teaches Linux and open-source software.
What the Week Adds Up To
Taken together, the annual week of programming is designed to offer networking and support for San Antonio's small businesses, from first-time founders to established nonprofit leaders. With its new name and expanded focus on tech talent, this year's event leans further into the idea that San Antonio's innovation economy now runs well beyond traditional startups.
