Venture & Innovation Partner · Boston AI Week 2026
Where Side Projects Become Startups
DECODE is a Silicon Valley 501(c)(3) founder community with roots at Berkeley and Stanford, on a mission to help students and alumni turn part-time projects into full-time startups.
About DECODE
A 50,000-strong founder community
Early-stage founders, operators, and investors across the Bay Area and beyond — open to all builders.
Bridging industry with academia
A community built to connect working founders, investors, and operators with the next generation of builders.
Dinners, events, and a flagship gathering
Curated monthly dinners and quarterly events built for honest conversations and real introductions, anchored by a flagship gathering each fall.
Programs that open doors
From a no-fluff founder newsletter to the DECODE VC Fellowship, practical playbooks for the earliest stages.
The Berkeley and Stanford Connection
- Dual-campus roots: DECODE grew out of the entrepreneurship communities at UC Berkeley and Stanford, and its programs are hosted jointly with student organizations, alumni networks, and entrepreneurship centers on both campuses. That dual-campus DNA — turning academic energy into working companies — is exactly what DECODE brings to Boston AI Week, in the other great university region building AI.
DECODE × Boston AI Week
DECODE joins Boston AI Week as a bridge between two great builder communities — connecting Silicon Valley's founder network with the people building the Massachusetts AI economy.
Join the community
Frequently asked questions
- Who is DECODE?
- DECODE, the Silicon Valley founder community rooted at Berkeley and Stanford, is a partner of Boston AI Week 2026, the Festival of AI in Massachusetts.
- Why is DECODE part of Boston AI Week?
- DECODE is a Venture & Innovation partner of Boston AI Week 2026, The Festival of AI. Boston AI Week is built as a rising tide for the whole ecosystem, and partners like DECODE help make the festival open, statewide, and useful to the people building AI here.
- How can I connect with DECODE?
- Use the "Visit DECODE" link on this page, or visit www.decode.build. You can also meet the DECODE team during Boston AI Week events across Massachusetts.
- When is Boston AI Week 2026?
- Boston AI Week 2026 runs September 16 – October 28, 2026, with Core Festival Week from September 24 – October 2, 2026. Browse every session on the Boston AI Week schedule.