Innovate Hampton Roads

Connect Coastal Virginia's Sip&Socialize Business Networking
2026-03-18 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-04-15 17:00 - 19:00 (Africa/Abidjan) | Jimmy G’s Chop House & Bistro Bar, 3333 Virginia Beach Boulevard #UNIT 17, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, Virginia Beach, VA, 23452, US
Join Connect Coastal Virginia for our Sip & Socialize Networking Event where GovCon leaders, tech innovators and creative minds meet!

Geeks at a Bar- Peninsula Happy Hour
2026-03-24 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-28 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Marketplace at Tech Center, 12090 Jefferson Ave, Newport News, VA, 23606, United States
Do you work with technology or for a tech company? Do you speak geek? Come network with other technology industry workers for a casual, conversational happy hour.

Networking Happy Hour with Jake Maines
2026-04-01 17:00 - 20:00 (Africa/Abidjan) | Aslin Beer Company, 823 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, Virginia Beach, VA, 23451, US
Voted Best Networking Event In The 757

Come eat, drink, & mingle!
Networking Happy Hour is a low-key, no agenda, meet new people/catch up with old friends-type of event.
Swing by anytime between 5 & 8 p.m. for a few minutes or the whole time!
More info about the events can be found at http://networkinghh.com/.

Startup Meet-Up: Students & Startups in Conversation
2026-04-01 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Sadler Center, 200 Stadium Dr, Williamsburg, Virginia
The Career Development & Professional Engagement, Graduate Career Management Center, and the W&M Entrepreneurship Hub invite you to the Startup Meet-Up—an evening designed to spark real opportunities.
The Startup Meet-Up brings students, alumni, startups, and small businesses together for focused, small-group conversations centered on action. Using a structured, roundtable-style format, founders rotate among tables for short, high-energy discussions on skills, interests, and real opportunities—including internships, micro-internships, project-based work, and early-career roles.
Whether you’re exploring what’s next, looking to apply your skills in a real-world setting, or building something and seeking motivated talent, this event is designed to help conversations turn into momentum.
You don’t need a polished pitch or a perfect résumé. Bring your curiosity, your skills, and a willingness to engage. Opportunities often start with one good conversation.
For Startups, Small Businesses, and Ventures: Meet motivated W&M talent from across disciplines and share what you’re working on now. Come prepared to discuss real needs, projects, or roles where students and alums can contribute and grow.
For Students and Attendees:
Explore where your skills fit, practice talking about what you can offer, and discover opportunities you won’t find on a job board—no prior startup experience required.
Advance registration is required. Space is limited.
Sponsored by: Career Development & Professional Engagement | Graduate Career Management Center | W&M Entrepreneurship Hub

Norfolk.js: 670k People Watched Us Vibe Code
2026-04-27 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Assembly, 400 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510, Norfolk, VA, 23510, US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYx8NX49OS8
Imagine being flown across the country to build a full-stack app from scratch in under four hours, where you have to demo what you made in front of a dev influencer, corporate recruiter, and competing engineering teams regardless of if it’s finished or a broken mess.
Now imagine that it’s all being filmed by a full production crew, having to juggle team interviews and makeup touchups between code commits and debugging attempts, all to make a video that’s been viewed over 670,000 times! Terrifying right?
Ryan McGovern and Austin Galyon did exactly that while competing in a CodeTV Web Dev Challenge sponsored by Intuit, where they built Pantry Party – a collaborative generative recipe app built using Astro, Convex, Clerk, Netlify, and the Claude API, most of which they had never seen or used before that morning. They’ll share what the experience was actually like behind the scenes, where AI-assisted coding helped, where it completely failed, and how their tooling has evolved since.
All skill levels welcome! The 757Dev Community means a lot to me, and I thank each of you for your support. 🖖
As always, HUGE thanks to Assembly for hosting. Learn more about the amenities and community of Assembly at https://www.assemblynfk.com/
Street parking is free after 6 pm. From 6:30-7:00 pm, we will have someone at the door to let you in. After 7, message the #javascript channel on 757Dev Slack. We meet in the Fur Room on the 4th floor.

Women in Business Hampton Roads Coffee Meetup
2026-05-08 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | COVA Brewing Company, 9529 Shore Drive, Norfolk, VA 23518, Norfolk, VA, 23518, US
Join Women in Business at COVA Brewing!
It’s completely free, completely open format, and designed to make it easy to come as you are. Stop by anytime from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. We’ll do introductions starting at 9 a.m.
If you want to be part of it, click hereto join the email list and get calendar invites. https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/1aТAw7QFaE0y_GHуnu0gL8Mх6C1V1cZjNGz8zX47РKkA/viewform?edit_requested=true

Women in Business Happy Hour
2026-07-09 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Sojourn Fermentory, 1400 Bridgeport Way #Suite 103, Suffolk, VA 23435, Suffolk, VA, 23435, US
Women in Business is a community dedicated to supporting, connecting, and empowering women entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders. Through networking, education, and meaningful relationships, we create opportunities for women to grow personally and professionally while building a stronger business community together.

Just Market
2026-08-05 13:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | The Harbor Club, 333 Waterside Drive #Suite 200, Norfolk, VA 23510, Norfolk, VA, 23510, US
A half-day conference for those who want to win attention, build trust, and stay top of mind without being salesy.

TL;DR: Watch The Video Instead
Everyone’s selling something. Fewer people know how to be remembered.
Just Market is a half-day conference for professionals who want to grow the right way. Through relationships, reputation, and real connection. Not scripts. Not pressure. Not another pitch.
Hosted by Jake Maines, host of the #1 Networking Event in the 757, Just Market exists because the most successful people in any room aren’t the loudest ones. They’re the ones everyone already knows, likes, and trusts before the conversation even starts. This conference teaches you how to become that person.
What you’ll walk away with:

A sharper personal brand that makes you the one people think of first
Practical networking and follow-up skills that build real relationships
Strategies for staying top of mind without being salesy
Tools to use AI, content, and community to grow your business
A room full of people who think the same way you do

The format:
Six speakers. 20-minute sessions. Real conversation. No fluff. MC’d by Zack Miller, sessions run from 1:00 PM through 5:00 PM. Then the conference flows directly into the 5th Anniversary of Networking Happy Hour downstairs at The Market at Waterside, running until 8:00 PM. You’ll leave with ideas you can use the next morning and connections you’ll still be talking about next year.
Who should be in the room:
Business owners. Sales professionals. Entrepreneurs. Service providers. Coaches, creatives, and anyone who grows through people. If the world keeps telling you to be pushier and you’d rather just be better, this is for you.

Networking Happy Hour's 5th Anniversary
2026-08-05 17:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | The Market, 333 Waterside Drive #Suite 106, Norfolk, VA 23510, Norfolk, VA, 23510, US
Voted Best Networking Event In The 757

Five years ago, I started Networking Happy Hour with no agenda, no speakers, and no idea it would turn into this.
Just a simple idea: get good people in a room, skip the formalities, and see what happens.
What happened was a community. Hundreds of professionals from across Hampton Roads who show up every month to have real conversations, make real connections, and grow their businesses the way it has always worked best — through people they actually know and trust.
On August 5th we are celebrating five years of that.
The 5th Anniversary of Networking Happy Hour is happening at The Market at Waterside in Norfolk from 5 to 8 p.m. Same format as always. No pitches, no agenda, no name tag awkwardness. Just the best networking event in the 757 with a reason to make it a night worth remembering.
If you have been coming for years, thank you. If you have been meaning to come and haven’t made it yet, this is the one to show up for.
Come when you can. Stay as long as you want.
The night follows directly after Just Market Conference, held upstairs at The Harbor Club at Waterside. One building. One afternoon. One evening worth your time.
Free to attend. Just show up.

Virginia Cup Pre-Party Celebration
2026-09-17 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | The HIVE Downtown by City of Virginia Beach, 140 Independence Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, Virginia Beach, VA, 23462, US
Kick off the Virginia Cup at The Hive with food, drinks, networking, and fun before the main event!

The excitement is building for the Virginia Cup. In partnership with The Hive, the celebration starts early! Join us from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at The Hive in Virginia Beach for a pre-event networking gathering ahead of the main event just one block from the Sandler Center.

Why You Should Join Us Early:
Meet the Ecosystem:
This is more than just happy hour—it’s your chance to connect with founders, funders, professionals, creatives, operators, and innovation champions from across Virginia. Whether you’re looking to invest, hire, partner, or simply get inspired, this is where the conversations begin.
Food & Drinks, On Us:
Enjoy complimentary refreshments and light bites while you connect with some of the region’s most dynamic leaders in business and tech.
Skip the Stress:
Arrive ahead of the crowd, find easy parking, and settle in before the big night begins. No last-minute rush—just a smooth transition into an evening of innovation.
Just Minutes from the Action:
The Hive is a short walk from the Sandler Center, making it the perfect spot to kick things off before the pitches begin.
Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, an aspiring founder, a creative, a professional, an investor, or a supporter of Hampton Roads innovation, this pre-event gathering sets the tone for an unforgettable night.
Arrive early. Raise a glass. And let’s celebrate the future of startups together.

Be sure to get your tickets to the main event here: https://bit.ly/vacup
