Hey — rough week to be an LA sports fan. The Brewers swept the Dodgers out of the NLCS, so there's no three-peat, and the forecast has rain on Wednesday and Thursday, which in LA counts as a regional emergency. The good news is that the Lakers open their season Wednesday night against the Warriors, and Tech Week is over, so the rooms are smaller and you might actually finish a conversation.
Seven picks this week, mostly Westside. Tuesday has two AI coding nights. Wednesday has a founders' Lakers watch party, a DTLA happy hour and a women founders' pitch night. On Thursday the Drapers write checks in Westwood, and PostHog runs a birdwatching-themed demo night (really). A few need approval, so request your spot this morning, and bring an umbrella.
Here’s What’s Up.
- Jay
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⛅ Weather: Tue ⛅ 71°/62° | Wed 🌧️ 70°/61° | Thu 🌧️ 66°/59°
Tuesday, Oct 20
1. GitHub Copilot Dev Days — Los Angeles
What's on: A community dev night on AI-assisted coding at Microsoft's LA office. Talks on the GitHub Copilot CLI (from a GitHub senior engineer) and the Copilot app (from Microsoft), then a hands-on workshop, with food and networking from 5:30. Free, but you need to RSVP on AICamp to get in. Bring a laptop.
📆 When: Tue Oct 20 · 5:30–8:30 PM PT (talks at 6:00)
📍 Where: Microsoft L.A. · 13031 W Jefferson Blvd, Playa Vista
💬 Why: You'll leave with a workflow you can use Wednesday morning, not just a lanyard. Heads up: the workshop uses Copilot credits, so don't burn your free tier beforehand.
2. Claude Meetup Los Angeles
What's on: A community-run Claude Code night organized by local enthusiasts, with an intro to Claude and then their favorite advanced workflows. Free, but you need to be approved.
📆 When: Tue Oct 20 · 6:00–8:30 PM PT
📍 Where: O'Briens Irish Pub · 2226 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica
💬 Why: 70 builders are already signed up to swap Claude Code setups over pints. It's the same night as #1, so pick Playa Vista for the workshop or Santa Monica for the pub.
Wednesday, Oct 21
3. Lakers Opening Night Watch Party (Founders Basketball × Regular Hoops × Gerber Kawasaki)
What's on: 100+ founders, investors and operators watch the Lakers open the season against the Warriors on the big screen, with a full bar and food. Free, but you need to be approved.
📆 When: Wed Oct 21 · 6:00–10:00 PM PT (tip-off 7:00)
📍 Where: Gerber Kawasaki office · 2437 Main St, Santa Monica (Ocean Park)
💬 Why: The easiest icebreaker of the year is "did you see that?" Heads up: only 16 spots were left on Saturday night.
4. DTLA Tech Happy Hour
What's on: Nerdstage's #LATHH, the recurring LA tech mixer, comes back downtown. Founders, investors, creatives and operators over food and drinks. Free with RSVP, no approval.
📆 When: Wed Oct 21 · 6:00–8:00 PM PT
📍 Where: Wurstküche · Arts District, Downtown LA (exact address on RSVP) 💬 Why: It's the same crew as the LA Tech Events newsletter, and it's the one room this week where you can just show up. Sausages and beer, and you're indoors when it rains.
5. Women Founders Network 14th Annual Fast Pitch
What's on: Ten woman-led finalists pitch for $55K in cash grants plus about $100K in professional services. There are two tracks, tech and consumer/CPG, and each pitch gets five minutes plus five minutes of judge Q&A. It opens with a networking reception and appetizer buffet. Paid: Eventbrite listed seats at $93–$114 on Saturday night, priced by row.
📆 When: Wed Oct 21 · 5:00–9:00 PM PT (reception 5:00, pitches from 6:20) 📍 Where: UCLA Covel Commons, Grand Horizon Room · 330 De Neve Dr, Westwood
💬 Why: In its 14th year, it's a real program and not a one-off, and the room is full of investors who write pre-seed checks. Parking on campus is $12–$18.
Thursday, Oct 22
6. UCLA Draper Innovation Showcase 2026
What's on: UCLA's biggest pitch night. Ten startups from across the UCLA ecosystem (Anderson, Samueli Engineering, UCLA Health, CNSI Magnify) pitch in cleantech, CPG, healthcare and B2B tech, and Tim, Jesse, Billy and Adam Draper plus Eleanor Draper Vaughan are on hand. UCLA says it's over $250K in live investments. Paid: $30 for community/founders with no reception, or $80 with the reception.
📆 When: Thu Oct 22 · 4:00–9:00 PM PT
📍 Where: UCLA Anderson School of Management · Westwood
💬 Why: It's the most investor-dense room in Westwood this fall, and watching four Drapers decide on the spot is a free lesson in how checks get written.
7. Birdwatching w/ PostHog Replay Vision
What's on: PostHog's birdwatching-themed demo night. There's a beginner's birding talk (seriously), then a PostHog product engineer on Replay Vision, a tool that watches your session recordings for you, then open community demos of how you've used Session Replay. Free, but you need to be approved. They provide food, merch and binoculars.
📆 When: Thu Oct 22 · 6:00–8:00 PM PT (talks from 6:30)
📍 Where: A studio in Los Feliz (address on approval)
💬 Why: It's the weirdest and most fun product night of the week, and you can demo your own thing. Heads up: it's a second-floor walk-up with no elevator and limited parking, so take a rideshare.
🗣️ Special mentions
Consumer Founder Happy Hour (Rho × Vardagen) · Thu Oct 22 · 6:00–8:30 PM PT · Vardagen, 1301 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice · Free, approval. For founders building food, beverage, beauty, apparel and lifestyle brands. Only 11 spots were left Saturday night. More Info here —>
Katalyst Reception at Space Industry Days · Wed Oct 21 · 6:00–8:30 PM PT · brewco social, 124 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach · Free, open RSVP. An after-party for the space crowd, hosted by the team building autonomous robotic spacecraft. More Info here —>
VC Speaker Series: Upfront Ventures' CFO Nina Sen · Tue Oct 20 · 5:30–8:00 PM PT · Expert Dojo rooftop, Santa Monica · Free RSVP. A build-vs-buy and AI talk for VC and PE operators. Founders, forward it to your investors. More Info here —>
🛋️ Online (from your couch)
Getting Fundable in 2026 (WarmIntro) · Thu Oct 22 · 10:00–11:00 AM PT · Google Meet · Free. Four founders pitch with no deck and get their pitch fixed live, and everyone else can ask questions. More Info here —>
That's the list. Seven rooms, two days of rain, and one Lakers opener. If Wednesday's tip-off goes badly, you still have Thursday to network it off. See you out there.
— Jay at WhatsupLA
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