San Jose, CA
October 18, 2025
The Smart Cities Council’s Silicon Valley Startup & Investor Week (SVS&IW) has wrapped a successful second edition a dynamic, week-long immersion connecting innovators, investors, partners, clients, peers and mentors across the future of smart cities, AI, and digital transformation.
Hosted by Smart Cities Council President, Corey Gray and Andrew Côté, founder and CEO of the wildly popular Deep Tech Week, and this time aligning with Tech Week SF by a16z, SCS&IW is a unique format; an intensive seven-day series of targeted meetings, workshops, and curated receptions designed to help high-potential ventures sharpen their business strategy and investor narratives, fast-track their capital strategy and connect directly with key decision-makers in the world’s most competitive innovation ecosystem.
Program Highlights and Participants
This October’s edition attracted a strong lineup of participants, each gaining direct exposure to the Bay Area’s leading VCs, corporate investors, and innovation networks.
Three companies were selected for the structured Investor Week program:
- Smart AI Connect
- HITIQ
- Orca
Ecosystem Shout-Out: Collaboration in Action
Throughout the week, participants engaged with a significant cross-section of the Bay Area SCC ecosystem — including VANTIQ, Vaidio, XQ, Digital Twin Consortium, Smart Talent AI, OrchestraOS, Glidand GridScience.
Individual experts from within the SCC network such as Arthur Mrozowski, Junaid Islam, Mike Warren, Martin Kirkwood, Ken Nim (Offchain Global), provided valuable input and connections to our delegates.
Their collective expertise, insights, and energy ensured that every interaction added real value — building bridges between startups, investors, and innovation leaders across North America and beyond.
New members also joined select networking activities to experience the SCC community in action including SCC Startup Members, Owl Sentry which has now been selected to participate in Edition III. As a testament to the value of SCC’s startup accelerator program, after meeting with Smart Cities Council Poland at a Startup Wroclaw pitch session in May, Owl Sentry has now set up in San Francisco and are already making a significant impact.
A Week in Motion
- Day 1: Informal Delegate & Member Reception
- Day 2: Two fully catered networking receptions (80 + attendees each)
- Day 3: Smart Talent AI Workshop & Networking Reception
- Day 4: VIP Dinner for Delegates and Members
- Day 5: NFL Sunday Networking hosted by Mike Warren / Syrup Ventures
- Days 6–7: 1-on-1 investor and strategy sessions
These sessions focused on practical investor readiness — from refining financial models and pitch decks to mastering due diligence discussions and capital strategy positioning.
Core Focus: Direct, Targeted Access to Partners, Clients and Investors
Drawing from the official SCC Investor Mission framework, the week offered:
- Direct sessions with high-value investors, mentors, and clients from SCC’s curated global network.
- Workshops on capital and governance fundamentals — board structure, shareholder agreements, risk, and process design.
- Investment narrative refinement — defining quantum and use of funds, selecting the right instrument, and building a compelling business story.
- Pitch-readiness sessions to strengthen decks, data rooms, and go-to-market plans.
Through SCC’s partnerships, the program provided exposure to over 1,000 VCs and 5,000 startups across the Bay Area innovation ecosystem.
Momentum Builds for February 2026
Following the success of the October edition, Smart Cities Council is now accepting applications for the next Silicon Valley Startup & Investor Week — February 2026.
The upcoming program will feature a tighter, more structured format with clearly defined deliverables, deeper engagement with venture and corporate investors, and enhanced outcomes for both startups and investors.
“Silicon Valley is the undisputed home of technology and venture capital, and since we hosted the Smart Cities Summit in San Francisco in May this year, the demand for advice and access to this unique ecosystem has been significant. This is how the program was born it’s an immersive accelerator for growth,” said Corey Gray, Smart Cities President.
“Our goal is to help companies translate values driven missions into sales, and investment and relationships into results. February 2026 will build on this success with an even more refined agenda.”
Expressions of interest are currently being received from all over the world from which 6 companies will be selected.
Register Now for the third Edition being held in February 2026
Startups, scale-ups, and innovation-driven city partners looking to expand into the North American market are encouraged to register now to secure their place for February 2026.
Submit your expression of interest here and we’ll share full program information — or take the next step and apply now to lock in your spot.
Learn more here
Apply now for your chance In February to be one of 6 tech/deep tech startups globally to spend a week of mentoring and networking with investors, partners, clients and peers in the world’s home of technology and venture capital
Or contact karen.norden@smartcitiescouncil.com to learn more or express your interest.
For more information on Smart Cities Council programs:
