The questions we get most often, grouped by topic. Anything missing — or if you need a faster answer — write to partnerships@socaldeeptech.com. Same-day reply during business hours.
SoCal Deep Tech Week is an annual, week-long convening connecting deep-tech founders with the investors, industry leaders, and government stakeholders rebuilding America's industrial base. More on About.
September 14 – 18, 2026 in Long Beach, California. Specific venues across the waterfront, aerospace corridor, and downtown core are being finalized — see Venue.
Edition 003. SDTW launched in 2024 (Edition 001) and ran its second edition in 2025 (Edition 002). The 2026 edition is the third year — and the first hosted in Long Beach.
SDTW is run by an independent core team and a rotating host council of operators, investors, and program leads. The Week is partner-supported, not corporately owned.
The cohort is invite-only and capped at ~500. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We prioritize working founders, deploying capital, program officers, and operators in the deep-tech ecosystem.
Submit an application from the Apply section on the home page. The form takes about five minutes; we respond within ten business days.
Yes — district forums, the public-policy forum, and the closing reception (The Last Word) are open by application. The flagship summits and founder dinners remain cohort-only.
Cohort participation is invitation-based; specific fee structure is communicated at acceptance. Open events have a separate ticketing flow that opens closer to the Week.
A limited number of cohort seats are reserved for early-career founders and student-led teams shipping in critical-tech sectors. Note this in your application.
Five days, four flagship summits (single-track), founder dinners every night, district forums, floor tours of the manufacturing corridor, and bookend receptions. The full schedule is on Program.
Chatham House by default. On-the-record sessions are clearly marked; embargoed announcements are tracked separately for credentialed press. See the Operating Statement.
The on-the-record main-stage sessions are recorded and published; closed-door sessions are not. The recap memo summarizes key threads from off-record rooms without attribution.
Possibly. The program lock is around Labor Day 2026. Significant changes after that are communicated to the cohort and published partners by direct email.
Request the 2026 prospectus from Sponsor. We respond within five business days. Tiers range from $25K event partner through title sponsor.
Yes — submit a side event proposal at Host a Side Event. Approved side events get listed on the Week's hub, share the cohort calendar, and use a co-branded banner.
Side events should be substantive, non-recruiting-only, and aligned with the Week's editorial themes. Vendor showcases without a clear program don't get approval.
Title and presenting tiers are exclusive. Track-level and dinner-level sponsors are exclusive within their track. Event partners are non-exclusive.
Request credentials from the Press & Media Kit. Working journalists, accredited outlets, and independent writers covering deep tech are prioritized. We confirm 2-3 weeks before kickoff.
Yes — the Brand Kit is open to all. Logos, wordmarks, color tokens, and usage guidelines are included.
The short-form recap is on the 2025 Recap page. The full memo (partner list, coverage log, post-event survey) is publishing soon and available on request.
Long Beach (LGB) — under ten minutes to downtown by ride-share. LAX is the international default at about 40 minutes. SNA (John Wayne) is an alternate for OC arrivals. See Venue.
The host hotel block opens with venue confirmation, roughly 90 days out. The block has historically sold out fast — confirmed cohort gets the rate code first.
Mail us — partnerships@socaldeeptech.com is read every day, including weekends during the run-up to the Week. Same-day reply during business hours.