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
🤖 AI & Emerging Tech: (1) Deep Dives
🤝 Networking & Community: (3) Social Mixers
💸Entrepreneurship, Startups, & Innovation: (1) Business Insights
The Insights
Event Recaps: What You Missed
Memphis Tech Spotlight: The Power of Being Seen in Memphis Tech
Deep Dive: Tech901 Workforce Impact
Powered by Community: Thank You to Our Sponsors
📸 Our Community in Action
Design and Code Meetup
Memphis Data Professionals
🗓️ Click here for the full event calendar
This link takes you to a calendar of events, listed in chronological order: Community Calendar🌐.
Developer Meetups, Workshops, & Tech Talks
🔐 Security in Operational Technology & Distributed Energy Resources
Jan 30 — 9:00AM | In-Person
A high-impact, practitioner-level workshop at UofM’s FedEx Institute. Built for those securing critical systems, this session delivers applied tools, real-world scenarios, and proximity to serious infrastructure conversations shaping Memphis’ energy and security future.
𝐀𝐈 & 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡
👓 Rex Gatling: Developing for Smart Glasses
Jan 28 — 5:45PM | Virtual
An insider look at where AR and AI are converging—straight from a builder shipping on XREAL, Meta, and Snap. Learn how platform shifts actually happen, what smart glasses enable today, and why the post-smartphone era is closer than it looks.
📣 Hosting something soon?
Meetups, launches, panels, workshops! If it’s helping grow the Memphis tech scene, we’ll make sure folks know.
𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲
🎧 Virtual Lunch! by Code Connector
Jan 26 — 12:00PM (Virtual)
A low‑barrier, high‑energy meetup with Code Connector. Swap wins, questions, and career moves in a welcoming space built for early‑career momentum. Easy entry point into Memphis tech.
💻 Tech901 Info Session
Jan 29 — 6:00PM (Virtual)
A clear on‑ramp into Memphis tech training. Explore courses, hear alumni stories, and get guidance on choosing your next step. Ideal for anyone defining their path or reskilling with purpose.
🧪 Code School Mock Interviews
Jan 30 — 9:00AM (In‑Person)
A community‑powered skill‑building moment. Volunteer to run mock interviews and help new engineers practice real hiring norms. A direct way to strengthen Memphis’ talent pipeline.
Entrepreneurship, Startups, & Innovation
🍳 Snacks & Startups: Hospitality & Food Service Industry w/ D'Bo's Daiquiris & Wings
Jan. 28 — 1:00PM | Virtual
Ever wondered how a local staple goes national? Join Julian Boyd of D’Bo’s to see how tech and strategy turn a neighborhood favorite into a franchise empire. It’s the perfect low-pressure way to see how Memphis grit scales. Grab a seat virtually and start defining your own path in our city's booming ecosystem. Register for the Webinar.
Upcoming Conferences/Hackathons
Global Game Jam 2026
January 30 - February 1 | In-Person & Virtual
Global Game Jam 2026 brings Memphis creators together for a weekend of focused collaboration at the FedEx Institute of Technology. Join Unreal Engine Memphis and Memphis Game Developers to build games, form teams, and showcase your work in person or remotely.
GiveCamp Memphis 2026 Hackathon
February 27- March 1| In-Person
GiveCamp Memphis is a weekend event where designers, developers, database experts, marketers, copywriters, and creative professionals volunteer their time and talent to help local nonprofits. Over the course of one weekend, we build websites, data systems, donation tools, logos, and more to help organizations better serve our community.
DevOps Days + AI Nashville 2026
May 14-15 | In-Person
DevOpsDay Nashville is part of a respected global conference series where local experts lead practical conversations on modern software delivery. The event blends curated talks on DevOps and AI. Giving teams clear, actionable insight into building faster, safer, more resilient systems.
Explore Recaps of Local Tech Events
Memphis Data Professionals w/ Speaker DeNisha Malone
When Copilot Meets Real Analytics Work
On a cold evening at the FedEx Institute of Technology, Memphis Data Professionals gathered for something refreshingly practical: a working session on how Copilot actually shows up inside Power BI—not the hype, the workflow.
Guided by DeNisha Malone, the session treated Copilot as a foundation, not a finish line. Speed with judgment, AI with accountability.
Here’s what stood out:
AI as a starting point, not a shortcut. Copilot sped up scaffolding, but judgment, refinement, and trust stayed firmly human.
Prompt clarity matters. The best results lived in the middle ground—clear intent, clean data, no magic tricks.
Data hygiene is non-negotiable. Star schemas, labeled fields, disciplined prep. Copilot only reflects what you give it.
Trust is earned. Seeing Copilot say “I don’t know” sparked real conversations about verification, hallucinations, and when review is mandatory.
Community over polish. Live builds, honest limits, and side conversations reminded everyone why these rooms matter.
This wasn’t about chasing AI trends. It was about Memphis doing what it does best: learning together, in real time, with real work on the screen.
Memphis Design and Code w/ speaker Marco Cabrera
Demystifying WordPress, One Real Question at a Time
At the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship, the Design and Code meetup felt less like a talk and more like a working room. Builders, students, and early-career technologists showed up not to be sold on WordPress, but to understand how it actually works in practice.
Guided by Marco Cabrera, the session treated WordPress as shared infrastructure: flexible, opinionated, and only as good as the decisions behind it.
What stayed with us:
WordPress isn’t a shortcut. It lowers barriers without removing rigor. Especially when teams understand roles, plugins, and structure.
Most problems are operational, not technical. Clean configuration beats clever fixes.
Seeing the work matters. Live demos exposed where people get stuck and how experienced builders navigate real constraints.
Dialogue drove the learning. Slides took a back seat to questions, shared context, and practical tradeoffs.
More than anything, the room reflected a familiar Memphis truth: knowledge here isn’t guarded. It’s shared: out loud, in community, and shaped by real projects.
🌱 The Power of Being Seen in Memphis Tech
Some people don’t need a full mentorship program. They just need to be seen.
In Memphis tech, we underestimate how far a single moment of recognition can go.
A quick side conversation.
A coffee chat.
A message checking in.
A “you’ve got this.”
For someone new to tech, especially someone who’s never felt represented in this field, these moments hit different.
If you’re a seasoned professional, your presence is more powerful than you think.
Show up. Say the thing. Send the message.
You might be the first person who ever made them feel like they belong.
Inside Tech901’s Workforce Impact
In early 2026, Tech901 will release its Impact Report with Contemporary Media, showcasing how Memphis is building a stronger, more inclusive tech workforce.
The report highlights real outcomes: thousands of adults trained, certifications earned across IT, data, and cybersecurity, and graduates hired by employers throughout Memphis and the Mid-South.
Tech901 invites employers, supporters, and funders to purchase an advertisement in the Impact Report. Ad support helps cover production costs, allowing Tech901 to stay focused on what matters most—training, certification, and employment outcomes for Memphis talent.
For organizations invested in workforce development and economic mobility, this is an opportunity to align with a program delivering measurable results.
Organizations interested in supporting the Impact Report through advertising can learn more and apply here: Impact Report
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.
And if you’re an individual who values this work, your contribution makes a difference too. Every donation, big or small, helps us highlight local innovators, amplify underrepresented voices, and keep Memphis’ tech story thriving.