SF TECH WEEK · OCT 6–8, 2026 · SAN FRANCISCO
Open Source & Sovereign AI
Every organization is asking the same questions. How do we use AI without giving away our IP? How do we keep costs predictable as usage grows? How much of our AI should we own? This three-day track brings enterprise leaders, builders, and researchers together to work through the answers with open-weight models and sovereign AI. Day 1 is about owning your AI stack. Day 2 is about keeping your IP private. Day 3 brings both together in an open unconference and ends with demo night.
Hosted by Apollo Innovation Commons · Sponsored by TrustedRouter.com, anyeval.com, NYTokenExchange.com
Three days
Day 1 · Oct 6
Owning Your AI Stack
The strategic case for sovereign AI: when open-weight models make sense, what it really costs to run your own versus renting from a frontier lab, and how to stay free of any single vendor's pricing and policies.
Co-hosted by Outcast Ventures
Day 2 · Oct 7
Keeping Your IP Private
How organizations put AI to work on their most sensitive material, from trade secrets and product plans to customer and regulated data, and the privacy protections and governance that let security, legal, and compliance teams say yes. TrustedRouter headlines.
Day 3 · Oct 8
The Sovereign Enterprise
Two days in, bringing it together: case studies from organizations running AI on their own terms, a conversation on data sovereignty and policy, an open unconference, a closing keynote, and demo night.
How the days work
Breakfast bar + morning panel
Every day opens at 8:15 with coffee and a panel on the day's central question.
Working sessions
75-minute conversations built around real decisions. Practitioners share what they chose, what it cost, and what they would do differently.
Roundtables + open build
Lunch and afternoon blocks for small-group roundtables and hands-on time for teams who want to try things.
Happy hour
5–7 PM every day. Day 3 rolls straight into demo night.
Schedule · 2026-10-06
Schedule
Owning Your AI Stack — The strategic case for sovereign AI: when open-weight models make sense, what it really costs to run your own versus renting from a frontier lab, and how to stay free of any single vendor's pricing and policies.
Co-hosted by Outcast Ventures
8:15–10:00 AM
Coffee and Panel: Who Owns Your Intelligence?
TBA
10:15–11:30 AM
Rent or Own: The Real Cost of AI at Scale
TBA
11:45 AM–1:00 PM
Open-Weight Models in the Enterprise: Where They Win Today
TBA
1:00–2:00 PM
Lunch + Roundtables
TBA
2:00–3:15 PM
Avoiding Lock-In: Building for Model Choice
TBA
3:15–4:15 PM
Sovereign AI in Practice
TBA
4:15–5:00 PM
Why Every Company Needs an AI Sovereignty Plan
TBA
5:00–7:00 PM
Open Source Happy Hour
TBA
Speakers
We've curated a lineup that pairs the people making AI decisions right now, CTOs, CISOs, general counsel, and finance leaders, with the researchers and open source builders creating the tools that make sovereign AI possible. The full lineup will be announced October 3.
OCT 8 · 7:00–9:00 PM
Demo Night
Sovereign AI you can see working. Teams show products and tools that keep data private, bring AI costs down, or run on open models, including projects that came out of the week's sessions. Doors open at happy hour. Produced by MASS Arts.
Contributor passes
Subsidized passes for open source contributors. If you build or maintain an open model, a privacy tool, or the infrastructure that lets organizations run AI on their own terms, apply below. Eligibility details coming.
Who should come
Enterprise leaders
CTOs, CIOs, and AI leads deciding what to build, buy, or own
Security, legal, and compliance
the people who protect IP and sign off on deployments
Finance and operations
leaders watching AI spend and looking for predictable costs
Builders and researchers
creating open models and privacy tools
Sponsors & partners
Day 1 co-host
Anchor labs
Part of
SF Tech Week
FAQ
Is this part of SF Tech Week?+
Yes. The track runs October 6–8 at Apollo Innovation Commons in San Francisco. Tech Week runs October 5–11.
Do I need to attend all three days?+
No. Day 3 works best if you were there for at least one of the first two, but each day stands on its own.
What's a working session?+
A 75-minute conversation built around a real decision, led by practitioners who have made it. Expect candid tradeoffs, real numbers where people can share them, and plenty of time for questions.
What's the unconference?+
On Day 3 the board opens at 8:15 AM. Anyone can propose a session; leads from Days 1 and 2 run follow-on rooms.
How do I get a contributor pass?+
Apply in the Contributor Passes section. Eligibility details are coming.
Will sessions be recorded or streamed?+
TBA.
How do I sponsor or partner?+
Use the form in the Sponsors section.