Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum
OUR FLAGSHIP EVENT
Our signature event brings together members of the Dartmouth community who are interested in entrepreneurship. The Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum connects founders, venture capitalists, and anyone else with an interest in helping Dartmouth entrepreneurs thrive.
Registration is now open
September 11, 2026 • SAN FRANCISCO
Tickets are $150 (Day-Of $175)
WHAT IT IS
The Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum is a full day of keynotes, panels, fireside chats, and networking, with startup office hours the afternoon before.
It's built around one idea: put the people who make Dartmouth entrepreneurship work (alumni founders, VCs, operators, students, and faculty) in the same place, and let the connections happen.
WHY ATTEND
Connect with alumni across five decades and dozens of industries
See what a Dartmouth education leads to, from first-time founders to household-name companies
Get direct, practical input on your startup during founder office hours with alumni mentors
Find your next co-founder, hire, investor, or first customer
Leave with the push to start something or to join someone who already has
BY THE NUMBERS
A record crowd in 2025
Can we beat our record?
600+ registrations
72 speakers across 20 sessions
Alumni from five decades
10+ years running in San Francisco
IN THE NEWS
INSIDE THE EVENT
On the Main Stage
The Forum draws leaders from across the Dartmouth network.
Get ready for an exhilarating day packed with inspiration and insight!
We host an impressive lineup of Main Tent Speakers, engaging Panel Discussions, and Fireside Chats featuring our newest inductee into the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame.
There will be plenty of time for networking, so bring your best stories and reconnect with old friends while making new connections that could give your venture the boost it needs.
Topics from previous sessions
AI-Native Enterprises
Founding at Dartmouth
Space Innovation
Product Leaders
Social Entrepreneurship
AI x Medicine
Accelerators & Dartmouth Technology
Bootstrap/Anti-VC
New Media
New Energy Infrastructure
Biotech
National Security
Sustainable Commerce
Food and Agriculture
The Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame
Launched in 2023, the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame honors alumni who've transformed their industries and made an impact through their work. Inductees are nominated by the Dartmouth community and celebrated at the Forum each year.
James Coulter '82 - co-founder & executive chairman, TPG
Keith Dunleavy '91 - founder & CEO, Inovalon
Steven Hafner '91 - co-founder & CEO, KAYAK
Shonda Rhimes '91 - founder, Shondaland
Chris Meledandri '81 - founder & CEO, Illumination
Lew Cirne '93 - founder, New Relic
Steve Mandel '78 - founder, Lone Pine Capital
Mark Mader '92 - CEO & co-founder, Smartsheet
Brent Frei '88, Th'89 - co-founder, Smartsheet & Onyx; founder & CEO, TerraClear
Startup Office Hours
Are you a startup founder looking for mentorship?
This is an invaluable opportunity to get advice from seasoned industry founders, operators, and investors that could be critical to your start-up's success. This is one of our most anticipated events, where we have Dartmouth mentors and startups meet for 20-minute speed mentoring sessions. We routinely max out on the number of startups connecting with Dartmouth mentors.
Thursday September 10, 2:30pm - 6:00pm
Convene, San Francisco, CA
Attend in-person Startup Office Hours and get a free ticket for the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum!
Founder’s Farmer’s Market
Calling all consumer goods startups!
A spotlight for Dartmouth founded consumer businesses, from hand crafted goods, to food, to skincare, to accessories, to wearables, and more*... We want to share the wonderful goods brought to you by Dartmouth founders.
If you are a business selling consumer goods and you would like to have a free table at the Founder’s Farmer’s Market, please let us know!
DEF Happy Hour & Founder’s Farmer’s Market
September 11, 5:00-7:00pm
*If you have an alcohol business, regulations with the building are prohibitive from setting up tastings. If you have other materials to share to highlight your business, we can work with you to see if there is another way to do a table.
ATTEND
Join us at the Forum
The Forum is open to Dartmouth alumni, students, faculty, and friends of the community. Come for the sessions, stay for the people.
SPEAK
Share what you’ve learned
Every year, alumni founders, investors, and operators volunteer their time on stage and at office-hours tables. It's one of the highest-impact hours you can give the Dartmouth community.
For questions about participating, please contact:
Kari Chen
DEN West Coast Program Manager
Thank you to our sponsors:
