SF Bay Area Events: Thu Evening + All of Friday
Thursday evening stacks five accessible tech events (Hardware Pitch Night at Studio 45 leads with 284 RSVPs; How AI Startups Go Viral surged 191% overnight to 236; Frontier Residency Demo Day for investors at 995 Market; Lightning Talks at Productboard; Female Founder Vibe Coding Workshop) plus two already sold out (Edge Cases #002 and Agentic Engineering Dinner), alongside three cultural picks. Friday is lighter on tech — one Mountain View startup competition — but culturally rich: OUT Museum opening week (first Chinese queer museum in the US, free, Chinatown), Illuminate Happy Hour at Golden Gate Bandshell, immersive Orpheus opera at ODC, and 7+ free/cheap comedy shows across Mission and SOMA.
Thursday evening is one of the denser tech nights of the week — Hardware Pitch Night hit 284 RSVPs (the highest of any evening event tonight), "How AI Startups Go Viral" exploded from 81 to 236 RSVPs overnight (+191%), and both the Agentic Engineering Leadership Dinner and Edge Cases #002 are fully sold out. If you're going out tonight, the window runs 5 PM through 9 PM and every slot matters.
Friday is lighter on tech but heavier on culture: the inaugural week of the first Chinese queer museum in the US, a free outdoor concert in Golden Gate Park, an immersive opera retelling Orpheus in the surveillance age, and a wide comedy circuit across Mission and SOMA. If your schedule is flexible, Thursday evening is the stronger tech night.
Coverage: Thursday, May 28 evening (5 PM onward) and Friday, May 29 all day.
Thursday, May 28 evening
Five tech events and three cultural picks running between 5 PM and 9 PM. Two are already sold out — listed for reference only.
Hardware Pitch Night — Physical AI
| Time | Thu May 28, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM PDT (check-in from 5:30 PM) |
| Venue | Studio 45, Mission/Bernal area, San Francisco (address disclosed post-approval) |
| Host | Studio 45 × informal × informal fund |
| Category | Hardware pitch night — physical AI |
| Access | Free — approval required (284 going, highest RSVP count of the evening) |
| Register | lu.ma/dchl54jz 1 |
Six climate hardware startups pitch live, with VC judges and a two-hour networking window around the demos. 1 Startups presenting:
- HYARKS — autonomous scouting vessels for tuna fisheries
- Carbon Origins — AI- and VR-assisted industrial robots
- Bimotal — high-performance motors and actuators for robotics and mobility
- AUTOGENBOT — agricultural automation (claims +40% yield)
- Itemfarm — orchard microfactory for local additive manufacturing
- èlevit — smart surface interfaces as a post-touchscreen physical UI
Judges: David Merrill (co-founder and executive chairman, Elroy Air — autonomous cargo aircraft), Finn Meeks (GP, South Park Commons), Leon Zhang (head of storytelling, Fictiv). Format: 5:30–6:30 PM networking, 6:30–7:30 PM pitches, 7:30 PM onward networking. Approval required — apply via lu.ma before heading out.
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How AI Startups Go Viral in 2026
| Time | Thu May 28, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM PDT |
| Venue | Workato AI Hub, San Francisco (address disclosed post-approval) |
| Host | Workato Developer Events × Bond AI × Yelaine Wang |
| Category | Founder talk — growth & B2C distribution |
| Access | Free — approval required (236 going, up from 81 yesterday — +191%) |
| Register | lu.ma/hakgo7h1 2 |
Two speakers with a combined 1.2M+ social followers break down how B2C AI startups are hitting viral distribution in 2026 — AI avatars, user-generated content strategies, and sub-$1 CPM. 2 Andrew Meng (Yorby AI, 800k+ followers, known for his "NDA" viral video series) and Thomas Kim (YourAverageTechBro, former Google engineer, 400k+ followers) cover what's actually working now, not in 2024. Agenda: 6:00–6:30 PM arrival, 6:30–7:30 PM talks, 7:30–8:00 PM Q&A, 8:00–8:30 PM networking. The overnight RSVP surge suggests this one will be at capacity soon — apply early.
Frontier Residency Demo Day — investors only
| Time | Thu May 28, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM PDT |
| Venue | Frontier Tower @ Spaceship, 995 Market Street, San Francisco |
| Host | Frontier Tower SF (Katia Yakovleva, Lucas, Kristopher Floyd) |
| Category | Demo day — AI / health / longevity / crypto |
| Access | Investor-only — approval required (261 going) |
| Register | lu.ma/frontier-residency-demo-day 3 |
Batch 0 of the Frontier Tower × Superhero Hotel residency: six founders across AI, health data, longevity, and crypto who have been building in SF for two months inside the 16-floor co-living building at 995 Market. 3 Several are described as approaching ~$1M ARR, with backing from Balaji and other angels. Access requires marking yourself as an angel investor or VC on the approval form.
Lightning Talks: Real-World AI Workflows for Product Teams
| Time | Thu May 28, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM PDT |
| Venue | Productboard, 333 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94104 |
| Host | Productboard SF |
| Category | Lightning talks — product management × AI |
| Access | Free — approval required (155 going) |
| Register | lu.ma/2gzg4i35 4 |
Four 15-minute talks from PMs who are actually using AI in their workflows — no vision decks. 4 Speakers:
- Anthony Amenta (Principal Product Ops Manager, Productboard): measuring product value and AI impact, live demo
- Aoife Mornard (PM, Gorgias): using Claude Code to ship customer analytics 3× faster
- Chris Ivester (founder, Dialog): from idea to clickable prototype with Claude Design in 15 minutes
- Dominic Williamson (Group PM, Atlassian): why designing agent workflows is now a core PM skill
Agenda: 6:00 PM doors + snacks, 6:30 PM intro, 6:45 PM talks, 7:45 PM networking and raffle. Public address at 333 Bush St, near St. Mary's Square Garage (433 Kearny St, open until 10:30 PM, ~5-minute walk).
Female Founder Vibe Coding Workshop
| Time | Thu May 28, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM PDT |
| Venue | San Francisco (address disclosed post-approval) |
| Host | AI Snack Club × Lovable |
| Category | No-code workshop — Lovable platform |
| Access | Free (includes Lovable credits) — open registration (67 going) |
| Register | lu.ma/a4ui6g00 5 |
Global Future Founder Series by Lovable (valued at $6.6 billion, backed by Accel and CapitalG), San Francisco edition — aimed at female founders with zero coding background. 5 Build a real project with Lovable's natural-language interface, take home Lovable credits, and connect with other women building on AI. Hosted by AI Snack Club (Monica Abrams, Elizabeth Chen, Maddie Mitchell). No approval barrier — open registration.
🚫 Sold out — listed for reference
Agentic Engineering Leadership Dinner (5:30–8:30 PM, Ozumo Pine Room, Bay Bridge view): sold out. 6 Private dinner hosted by Port CEO Zohar Einy for senior platform engineering leaders. Topics: moving from AI-assisted to AI-led engineering, agentic workflow governance. No presentations, no pitches.
Edge Cases #002 by AGI, Inc. (5:00–7:30 PM, AGI HQ, SF): sold out — went from 56 registered to event-full. 7 Mochamad Asri (lead architect, NVIDIA; PhD, UT Austin) on system architectures for near-memory LLM serving — bandwidth, latency, end-to-end QoS. Format: one paper, 45 minutes, off-the-record Q&A, drinks. 15 seats, researchers only. Case #003 is now open for community proposals.
Thursday cultural picks
- Chinatown After Dark Meets SOMA Nights Block Party — 5:00–9:00 PM, 1145 Folsom Street, SF. Free, RSVP via RA.co. DJ set from Yuka Yu, Syd Gris, and Kazukat; block party format with surprise performers. Organized by Nu Tekno. 8
- 25th San Francisco Documentary Festival — Opening Night — 6:00 PM, Roxie Theater, SF. Tickets: $25 opening night, $17–19 standard in-person, $10 online. The festival's silver jubilee runs through June 4; full schedule at sfdocfest2026.eventive.org. Presented by SF IndieFest. 9
- Arcade Karaoke at 5 Shots SF — 9:00 PM until close, 21+. Free with RSVP (Eventbrite). Live band setup (guitar, drums, piano), 1,000+ song library, Guitar Hero, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart arcade. MC Dirty Murty. Happy Hour from 9 PM; $3 shots on the hour. VIP Rockstar Pass $10 (priority stage access, limited to arrivals before 10 PM). Two-drink minimum. 10
Quick reference — Thursday evening
| Event | Time (PDT) | Venue | Access | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Residency Demo Day | 4:00–7:00 PM | 995 Market St, SF | Investor-only / approval | lu.ma/frontier-residency-demo-day |
| Edge Cases #002 (AGI, Inc.) | 5:00–7:30 PM | AGI HQ, SF | SOLD OUT | lu.ma/ny79q2ow |
| Chinatown After Dark + SOMA Nights | 5:00–9:00 PM | 1145 Folsom St, SF | Free / RA.co RSVP | ra.co/events/2428638 |
| Female Founder Vibe Coding Workshop | 5:30–7:30 PM | SF | Free / open | lu.ma/a4ui6g00 |
| Agentic Engineering Dinner | 5:30–8:30 PM | Ozumo, SF | SOLD OUT | lu.ma/iod1jf08 |
| How AI Startups Go Viral | 6:00–8:30 PM | Workato AI Hub, SF | Free / approval | lu.ma/hakgo7h1 |
| Hardware Pitch Night | 6:00–9:00 PM | Studio 45, SF | Free / approval | lu.ma/dchl54jz |
| Lightning Talks: AI Workflows | 6:00–8:30 PM | 333 Bush St, SF | Free / approval | lu.ma/2gzg4i35 |
| SF DocFest Opening Night | 6:00 PM+ | Roxie Theater, SF | $25 | sfdocfest2026.eventive.org |
| Arcade Karaoke (21+) | 9:00 PM–close | 5 Shots SF | Free / RSVP | Eventbrite |
"Approval required" = apply on lu.ma; address disclosed after approval is accepted. Capacity can close without notice.
Friday, May 29
Lighter on structured tech programming — one startup competition outside SF, one afternoon concert in the park, and a dense cultural evening across several venues.
Illuminate Friday Happy Hour at Golden Gate Bandshell
| Time | Fri May 29, 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM PDT |
| Venue | Golden Gate Bandshell, 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, Golden Gate Park, SF |
| Host | Illuminate (City of Awe) |
| Category | Free outdoor concert |
| Access | Free — no registration required |
Live music from Tracorum at the Golden Gate Bandshell, part of Illuminate's "City of Awe" programming series. 11 No tickets, no RSVP — just show up.
OUT Museum opening week
| Time | Fri May 29 through Tue Jun 7, 2026 (opening week) |
| Venue | 949 Clay St., San Francisco, CA 94108 (Chinatown) |
| Category | Museum opening — AAPI Heritage × Pride Month |
| Access | Free — website: outmuseum.org |
Grand opening of the first Chinese queer museum and archive in the United States, landing at the intersection of AAPI Heritage Month and Pride Month. 12 Full slate of programming runs through June 7 at 949 Clay in Chinatown. Free to enter.
The Glance: A Laptopera
| Time | Fri May 29 – Sun May 31, 2026 (specific Friday showtime not yet published) |
| Venue | ODC's B. Way Theater, San Francisco |
| Host | Laptopera Productions × 836M |
| Category | Immersive opera — surveillance themes |
| Access | From $25 — tickets via ODC Dance |
A contemporary retelling of the Orpheus myth (reimagined as "Orphea" and Eurydice) set in a world of constant surveillance — blending live voice, movement, and technology. 13 Co-presented by Laptopera Productions and 836M. Check ODC's Salesforce ticketing page for exact Friday showtimes and seat availability.
L'Chaim America!
| Time | Fri May 29, 7:30 PM PDT |
| Venue | Jewish Community Center, San Francisco |
| Category | Salon theatre reading |
| Access | $40 (includes dinner) |
Actors Zoe Hall, Marcelo Tubert, and Kimberly Green perform a salon-style reading with no sets, props, or costumes — each taking multiple roles across a series of American Jewish stories. 13 Stories span an Iranian Thanksgiving on the midwestern plains to a naturalization ceremony in an American suburb. Dinner included in the $40 ticket.
SF Neo-Futurists: The Infinite Wrench
| Time | Fri May 29, 9:00 PM PDT |
| Venue | 447 Minna St., San Francisco, CA 94103 |
| Host | SF Neo-Futurists |
| Category | Theater — 30 plays in 60 minutes |
The SF Neo-Futurists' signature recurring show: 30 original plays performed in 60 minutes, every Friday and Saturday. 14
World premiere: Silent Bells & Organ Pipes sound sculpture at Grace Cathedral
| Time | Fri May 29 (specific time not published) |
| Venue | Grace Cathedral, San Francisco |
| Category | Sound installation — world premiere |
| Access | Free/cheap (per Funcheap listing) |
World premiere of a new sound sculpture installation inside Grace Cathedral. 15 Check Funcheap or Grace Cathedral's website for exact entry times.
Engage! Art, Blackness, and the Universe at MoAD — Day 2
| Time | Fri May 29 (Day 2 of 3; Thu May 28 – Sat May 30) |
| Venue | Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), San Francisco |
| Host | MoAD × California College of the Arts (CCA) × UC Berkeley |
| Category | Talks / book signings / art workshops |
Three-day programming at MoAD including talks, book signings, and hands-on workshops inspired by works currently on view. 12 Friday is Day 2.
Friday comedy circuit
Several free or low-cost comedy shows run across the Mission and SOMA on Friday night. 14
| Show | Time | Venue | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy Funny Asians (AAPI Comedy Month) | 7:00 PM | The Function, 1414 Market St, SF | Free |
| Golden Gate Comedy Night | 7:00 PM | The Function, 1414 Market St, SF | Free |
| Rush Hour Comedy Night (Black & Asian comedians) | 7:00 PM | The Function, 1414 Market St, SF | Free |
| The Stoner Comedy Jam | 8:00 PM | Moe Greens, 1276 Market St, SF | Free |
| The Confessional: Sins & Secrets Improv | 8:00 PM | Endgames Improv, 2965 Mission St, SF | Ticketed |
| Your Fucked Up Relationship (improv) | 9:00 PM | Endgames Improv, 2965 Mission St, SF | Ticketed |
| The Ritual Comedy Show | 10:15 PM | Endgames Improv, 2965 Mission St, SF | Ticketed |
Note: The three 7 PM shows at The Function may share the same venue slot — check individual event listings for current status. 14
SF Critical Mass
| Time | Fri May 29, evening (last Friday of the month) |
| Access | Free — no registration |
Monthly group bicycle ride through San Francisco streets. Occurs on the last Friday of every month. Check Critical Mass SF social accounts for the current meetup point. 14
⚠️ Outside SF — Mountain View startup competition
| Time | Fri May 29, 12:30 PM – 6:00 PM PDT |
| Venue | JJ Lake, 340 E Middlefield Rd, Mountain View, CA 94043 ⚠️ |
| Host | Beta University Events (Yifu Liu, David Chi) |
| Category | Startup competition — AI / deeptech |
| Access | Approval required (291 going) |
| Register | lu.ma/o79jqzg0 16 |
18 selected startups pitch live across two tracks: AI/Deeptech (12 teams) and One Person Company (6 teams). 16 Top 3 AI/Deeptech teams and one OPC winner receive a sponsored trip to the July global finals in Asia, where the total prize pool exceeds $10 million (including $100K+ cash and investment opportunities). Focus areas include AI, robotics, semiconductors, quantum computing, aerospace, biotech, climate tech, brain-computer interfaces, and advanced materials. ⚠️ Mountain View — roughly 35 miles south of SF.
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Quick reference — Friday, May 29
| Event | Time (PDT) | Location | Access | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illuminate Friday Happy Hour | 4:30–7:30 PM | Golden Gate Bandshell, GGP, SF | Free | No RSVP |
| AI & Deeptech Startup Competition ⚠️ | 12:30–6:00 PM | JJ Lake, Mountain View | Approval | lu.ma/o79jqzg0 |
| OUT Museum opening week | Open through Jun 7 | 949 Clay St, SF (Chinatown) | Free | outmuseum.org |
| Engage! at MoAD (Day 2) | All day | MoAD, SF | Varies | MoAD website |
| The Glance: A Laptopera | Fri–Sun (time TBD) | ODC B. Way Theater, SF | From $25 | odc.dance |
| L'Chaim America! | 7:30 PM | Jewish Community Center, SF | $40 (w/ dinner) | JCC website |
| Crazy Funny Asians + comedy circuit | 7:00–10:15 PM | The Function / Endgames, SF | Free–ticketed | Funcheap |
| SF Neo-Futurists: The Infinite Wrench | 9:00 PM | 447 Minna St, SF | Ticketed | sfneofuturists.org |
| SF Critical Mass | Evening | SF (check social media) | Free | No RSVP |
| Silent Bells & Organ Pipes (world premiere) | TBD | Grace Cathedral, SF | Free/cheap | Grace Cathedral |
| Margaret Cho: Choligarchy | 9:30 PM | Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, SF | SOLD OUT ($65+) | — |
⚠️ = outside SF proper. Margaret Cho listed for awareness only — sold out per SF Standard as of May 27. 12
Cover image: AI-generated scene
References
- 1
- 2
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- 925th San Francisco Documentary Festival 2026 — Funcheap
sf.funcheap.com
- 10
- 11Illuminate: LIVE Events — City of Awe
illuminate.org
- 12The 15 best events in SF this week — SF Standard
sfstandard.com
- 13Out and about May 28–June 2, 2026 — The Voice of SF
thevoicesf.org
- 14Events for May 29, 2026 — Funcheap
sf.funcheap.com
- 15Events for May 29, 2026 (Page 2) — Funcheap
sf.funcheap.com
- 16
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