Table of Contents
The Lead
Our Community in Action: Scenes from the Community
Plan Ahead: Community Calendar
Events by Category
💻 Developer Meetups: (1) Technical Sessions
🤝 Networking & Community: (2) Social Mixers
🤖 AI & Emerging Tech: (1) Deep Dives
🚀 Entrepreneurship, Startups, & Innovation: (5) Founder‑Focused Growth Ops
The Insights
Event Recaps: What You Missed
From Idea to Impact: A Memphis Startup Story
Memphis‑Made Spotlight: A 48‑Hour Game Jam Build
Powered by Community: Thank You to Our Sponsors
📸 Our Community in Action
BDPA Memphis’ Coffee and Code event
DevMemphis w/Bryce Sharp presenting about Memphis Game Jam 2026
Developer Meetups, Workshops, & Tech Talks
💼 Code School Mock Interviews
Feb 20 — 9:00AM | In-Person
Why it matters: Strengthen Memphis’s tech talent pipeline while sharpening your own hiring lens.
Volunteer with CodeCrew to run structured mock interviews for future full-stack and AI engineers. Two students. Focused feedback. Real workforce impact.
If you care about who gets hired next in Memphis tech, this is leverage.
𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲
Why These Events Matter This Week:
Community compounds. Structured speed networking and peer work sessions create real proximity between Memphis designers and engineers. Turning introductions into collaboration and solo progress into shared momentum. Show up, plug in, and strengthen your place in the ecosystem.
🎨 Design & Code: Speed Network Pt. 2
Feb 18 — 6:00PM | In-Person
Why it matters: Expand your circle without wasting time.
Five-minute rotations. Designers and engineers only. Structured, focused, high-signal.
Ideal if you’re building credibility, partnerships, or simply strengthening Memphis tech fluency.
🎨 Memphis AI Meetup — Weekly Coffee & Conversation
Feb 19 — 8:15AM | In-Person
Join a 30‑minute, no‑pressure conversation on what’s working with AI in real workflows. It’s a casual, open space for anyone exploring automation, swapping insights, and building community momentum in Memphis tech. All levels welcome. Lead by Scott Finney.
💻 Code Together by Code Connector
Feb 21 — 2:00PM | In-Person
Why it matters: Momentum through proximity.
Bring your laptop. Work alongside local technologists. No formal instruction—just peer support and shared problem-solving inside Panera on Poplar.
Low barrier. High compounding value.
𝐀𝐈 & 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡
🤖 AI Workshop: Tools for Marketing
Feb 18 — 10:00AM | In-Person
Hosted by the Greater Memphis Chamber
Why it matters: Turn AI into applied advantage.
This session breaks down practical AI tools for content, email, and messaging—grounded in Memphis business use cases. Expect actionable workflows, not theory.
For operators who want efficiency and sharper execution now.
Entrepreneurship, Startups, & Innovation
Why These Events Matter This Week:
Memphis builders need strategy and execution. From Mayor Paul Young outlining our economic direction to operator-focused sessions and founder pitch prep, these rooms connect policy, capital, and real-world practice. Fueling smarter decisions and stronger local momentum.
💼 TSCPA Memphis Chapter | February Meeting
Feb. 17 — 11:30AM | In-Person
A rare chance to hear directly from leaders shaping Memphis’s economic future. Ted Townsend and David Waddell break down the forces driving regional growth, capital trends, and what founders and operators should watch as Memphis scales. High‑signal insight for anyone building here. Learn more details.
🎤 Inside Memphis’s Economic Future
Feb 17 — 12:00PM | In-Person
Mayor Paul Young speaks at the Memphis World Trade Club. Located at the Chickasaw Country Club in Memphis. Sponsored by Epicenter.
Why it matters: Direct insight into policy, capital, and public-private alignment shaping Memphis’s next decade.
Founders tracking funding, incentives, or strategic positioning should be in the room.
🚚 Do More With Less: Lunch & Learn for Trucking
Feb 17 — 12:00PM | In-Person
Why it matters: Operational edge in a tightening logistics market.
Practical strategies for fleets, CDL schools, and brokers navigating margin pressure and complexity. Real execution frameworks—training, dispatch, workflow.
For builders at the intersection of logistics and applied tech.
☕ Business Over Breakfast
Feb 19 — 7:30AM | In-Person
Hosted by the Greater Memphis Chamber
Why it matters: Expand weak ties that become strong opportunities.
Structured morning networking with company spotlights and clear introductions. Efficient, welcoming, cross-sector.
If you want visibility in Memphis business and tech, show up early.
🚀 Launchpad: Preparing Your Pitch
Feb 20 — 1:30PM | In-Person
Why it matters: Clarity converts.
This Crews Center session sharpens narrative, delivery, and confidence for early-stage founders. Expect hands-on refinement, not abstract advice.
If you plan to pitch investors, partners, or customers in Memphis—train here first.
High‑Impact Events Worth Planning For
Why This Section Matters This Week:
These multi‑day events require planning. Here are the high‑impact opportunities Memphis builders should have on their radar.
GiveCamp Memphis 2026 Hackathon
February 27- March 1| In-Person
A weekend where Memphis creatives and technologists build real tools for local nonprofits, from websites to data systems to donation platforms. High‑impact, high‑purpose work that strengthens the city’s social infrastructure while connecting you with peers who care about community.
Oracle Innovation Day Memphis - Presented by Camptra
March 11, 2026 | In-Person
A practical, Memphis‑focused look at how AI and cloud technologies are reshaping operations across regulated industries. Expect expert insight, live demos, and peer conversations designed to help leaders move from exploration to execution.
Memphis AgentCamp
March 16, 2026, | Virtual
A full day dedicated to making AI accessible for every role and skill level. Speaker lineup is still forming, but the event promises hands‑on learning and community‑driven sessions built for Memphis professionals exploring AI’s real‑world impact.
Digital Delta Defense - Cybersecurity CTF Competition
March 28 | In-Person
A hands‑on cybersecurity challenge hosted by UMRF Ventures and Raymond James, at the FedEx Institute of Technology. Build skills by solving real scenarios, collaborate with peers, and contribute to the momentum behind Memphis’s growing security talent pipeline.
Special Note: This is geared towards college-aged individuals!
DevOps Days + AI Nashville 2026
May 14-15 | In-Person
Part of the respected global DevOpsDays series, this regional event blends DevOps and AI insights with practical, practitioner‑led sessions. A strong option for Memphis teams looking to sharpen delivery, resilience, and modern engineering practices.
Explore Recaps of Local Tech Events
February's Code & Share: Experimentation Over Polish
On a quiet Saturday afternoon, Code Connector's monthly gathering felt less like a demo day and more like a studio door left open. Developers shared unfinished work, asked questions out loud instead of in chat, and modeled something Memphis tech does well: learning by showing what's incomplete.
Coriano Harris presented experimental NextJS apps that treat software like a living body. Interfaces that breathe, bruise, and defy gravity. Not for production. For exploration.
Michael Payne launched a mentorship service while naming the fear that holds many back: "Projects don't have to be perfect to be useful. They just have to exist."
Kevin Kawchak shared advanced medical AI work standardizing robotic systems for oncology trials, a technical depth beyond most of the room. But the exposure positioned Memphis in specialized, high-impact fields.
And JC Smiley redesigned Memphis Tech Scene to solve a foundational problem: making the ecosystem visible to itself.
📖 If you care about how Memphis builds momentum through generous knowledge-sharing and the willingness to ship imperfect work, this recap captures the texture of the room.
From Idea to Impact: A Memphis Startup Story
How SpeciNate Turns Conservation Needs into Real‑World Impact
You're adding features. Your users want fewer decisions. Here's the difference, and why it matters.
Coriano Harris learned this building SpeciNate: clarity beats transparency, narrow validation beats broad promises, and trust is earned through proof, not potential. In Part 2 of our Q&A series, he breaks down exactly how to design for constrained teams, validate without overbuilding, and turn Memphis constraint into a competitive advantage.
📣 7 lessons you can apply to your product tomorrow. Whether you're building for conservation, healthcare, or anything mission-driven.
🦏 From hackathon validation to beta launch, SpeciNate shows what happens when discipline meets clarity. Read Part 2 now → https://memphistechscene.beehiiv.com/p/specinate-part-2-building-for-trust-constraint-and-conservation-that-works
Memphis-Made Spotlight: A Game Built in 48 Hours
At this year's Global Game Jam, hosted by Memphis Game Developers in partnership with BDPA Memphis, Naim Hakeem and Bryce Sharp built Fishtographer. A cozy deep-sea photography game where you explore the ocean, document marine life, and dodge the dangers lurking below.
What They Built
Mr. Sharp handled game development in Godot while Mr. Hakeem created essential art assets, pushing into new technical territory with each asset. Procreate Dreams 2.0 powered smooth 8-frame swimming cycles from multiple angles. A submarine modeled in Blender was converted into rotating 2D sprites. The Shrine of Neptune was vectorized in Illustrator with a cohesive marble aesthetic.
Why It Matters
This is Memphis game development in action: collaborators experimenting with new techniques under a 48-hour deadline, blending creative tools, and shipping something playable. It's the kind of momentum that happens when local builders have space to push their skills.
Powered by Community: Thank You to Our Sponsors
A sincere thank you to our sponsors: Tech901, Uncomplicated Inc., and Memphis Technology Foundation. Your support does more than sustain this work; it strengthens the infrastructure of Memphis’ tech ecosystem.
Because of you, Tech Scene Media can consistently surface stories, moments, and people that make this community visible, connected, and welcoming. You help turn momentum into something lasting, and we’re grateful to build alongside you.
If you believe in the power of community and want to support inclusive storytelling, consider becoming a sponsor.