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Tuesday, August 18
 

8:30am CDT

First In Breakfast
LIMITED
Tuesday August 18, 2026 8:30am - 10:30am CDT
Limited Capacity seats available
First In Breakfast is a gathering designed to bring together founders, investors, and operators from across the Midwest startup ecosystem. The event is intentionally structured to maintain a strong mix of builders and capital providers, creating an environment where meaningful conversations and real relationships can take shape. The format includes a short, insight-driven discussion followed by open networking.

Hosted by Gateway Capital X Mastercraft Ventures
Event Organizers
LB

Lamarr Banks

Venture Associate, Gateway Capital

avatar for Mason Cook

Mason Cook

Managing Director, Mastercraft Ventures
Pre-seed startup investor.
Tuesday August 18, 2026 8:30am - 10:30am CDT
Bandit - Tacos & Coffee 640 W Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53703, USA

3:00pm CDT

Pressure Chamber 2026
LIMITED
Tuesday August 18, 2026 3:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Limited Capacity seats available
SEPARATE REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR ALL ATTENDEES -  REGISTRATION OPENING SOON
Free for Greater Madison Chamber Members and Forward Fest All Inclusive Pass Holders | $30 for Non-Members

Pressure Chamber returns for its 13th year as the region's top emerging companies pitch for the coveted "golden suitcase," which guarantees a reserved spot in the Chamber's exclusive Greater Madison startup meetings with top Silicon Valley investment firms this fall. Participating companies will present in front of a panel of national investors and a live audience, with the winning company chosen based on a combination of judges' scoring and audience votes. 

Thank you to Presenting Sponsor Michael Best; Supporting Sponsors State of Wisconsin Investment BoardWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)UW–Madison Office of Business Engagement and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation; Reception Sponsor Fetch; Voting Sponsor Associated Bank; Student Sponsor Madison College – Center for Entrepreneurship; Community Sponsors JP Cullen and The Gialamas Company; Investor Sponsors HealthX VenturesIdea FundMastercraft VenturesRock River Capital PartnersWisconsin Investment Partners; and Venue Sponsor FPC Live.

Hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.
Event Organizers
avatar for Alanna Thiede

Alanna Thiede

Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

avatar for Sharla Rowe

Sharla Rowe

Events Manager, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

Sponsors

Tuesday August 18, 2026 3:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
The Sylvee 25 S Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

5:00pm CDT

AI & Open Source Mixer
LIMITED
Limited Capacity seats available

Cloud Native Madison presents the AI & Open Source Mixer!

Following a massive Agentic AI Summer, we’re heading to The Rigby Pub for a night of technical networking focused on the real-world side of innovation. Talk shop with experts from Red Hat, Solo.io, and more while enjoying complimentary food and refreshments, plus a drink ticket to get you started. We’re also giving away a $999 Ardan Labs Mastery Bundle (Go, Rust, and K8s) to one lucky builder. If you’re building, engineering, or interested in experimenting, come hang out, meet the community, and become part of an ever-growing local ecosystem.

About the Community
Cloud Native Madison is the official Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) chapter for Madison, WI, fostering collaboration, innovation, and community growth in cloud-native technologies. CNCF projects are the foundation of cloud native computing. As part of the Linux Foundation, we provide support, oversight and direction for fast-growing, cloud native projects, including Kubernetes, vLLm, kServe, Kubeflow, kagent, and more. 

Find our LinkedIn, CNCF Page, and more on our Linktree.
Event Organizers
avatar for Ryan Etten

Ryan Etten

Senior Architect & Team Lead, Red Hat
Ryan Etten builds cloud-native systems and rebuilds the communities that run them. A Senior Architect and Team Lead at Red Hat, Red Hat Certified OpenShift Architect, global speaker, and certification exam developer, he leads secure cloud-native digital transformations across the... Read More →
Sponsors

Tuesday August 18, 2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm CDT
The Rigby Pub, Grill, and Event Venue 119 E Main St, Madison, WI 53703, USA
  Free, In Person
 
From $0.00

Forward Fest 2026
From $0.00
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