From record-breaking fundraises like Anthropic’s $13B Series F in Q3 2025 and Databricks’ $10B raise at a $62B valuation, to AI SaaS leaders like Scale AI (valued at $29B) and fast-growing enterprise players like Statsig (acquired by OpenAI), the US continues to dominate the SaaS and AI market.
At the same time, competition is increasing and online channels are becoming saturated, making it harder for companies to cut through the noise. While some companies are thriving, even more aren’t making it.
This has created a market that’s pushing in-person connections back to the top of B2B marketing strategies as a way to build trust and drive engagement, with many turning to event sponsorship to boost their visibility and credibility amongst their ICP.
But with pressure to deliver ROI on every dollar spent, it can be hard for founders and leaders to know which events are worth it.
We’ve spent 10+ years in the SaaS events space, building our own events and seeing the industry evolve in the AI era. In this post, we’ll take you through the US-based SaaS and AI conferences in 2026 and how to decide which best align to your goals.
Why sponsor events?
When budgets are tight, events feel like a risky expense. That’s because a lot of events make it hard to attribute the experience to actual revenue or brand recognition.
But in the AI era, in-person connections are key and sponsorship can often be a fast track to your ICP.
Here’s why:
AI noise is only getting louder
While it feels like we’ve been talking about AI forever, we’re actually still early in the hype cycle. Hot takes, rage bait, and AI slop are going to get worse before they get better.
With so much noise even new AI techniques are falling flat. As Jen Igartua explained at SaaStock USA: “In the past, if you emailed me and mentioned my college, I’d think ‘wow, you know me’. Now, you’re getting deleted.”
In-person are a great way to circumvent saturation on digital channels and get direct access to your customers and prospects.
Buying patterns are shifting
AI is changing how we search for and buy solutions. Already, just under 60% of Google searches end without a click, and this doesn’t account for the number of conversational searches now happening in LLMs (~6% of all online searches).
If people don’t land on your website, you can’t capture lead data or cookie visitors in the same way. It breaks the old funnel and means you need to find new ways of reaching your users.
Sponsoring the right events can help you overcome these challenges, fast-track deals, and build lasting relationships. Depending on the event, there will be a number of ways to do this, including:
- Pipeline expansion and revenue: Get face-to-face with decision-makers actively looking for solutions like yours. Some events offer networking apps, others offer a full meetings service to connect you to prospects and customers.
- Brand awareness and thought leadership: Position yourself as an industry expert through speaking and content opportunities.
- Customer relationships and feedback: Deepen existing relationships and gather real-time product insights.
- Networking and making new connections: Find the people and companies that can help you grow faster, whether your next investor or peers who’ve faced your challenges before.
- Market intelligence: Experience the competitive landscape, new tech, pricing trends, and customer pain points firsthand.
Choosing which conferences to sponsor
Event sponsorship criteria
When you’re building your event strategy, start with a clear outcome in mind. Is it pipeline generation? Brand building? Meeting investors? Upskilling your team?
Maybe it’s two or three of these.
Whatever the objective, evaluate events to determine which will help you to achieve it.
Use this guide to help:
Event audience:
Who are you looking to meet and does the event have a good track record of getting them in the room? Event organizers should have a sample attendee list to help you judge if it’s the right fit.
Key things to consider:
- ICP alignment: How closely does the typical attendee match your ideal customer profile?
- Decision-makers: Can attendees actually buy your product, invest in your company, or lead partnership processes?
- Company stage: Are you targeting startups, scale-ups, or enterprise customers?
- Geographic focus: Can you serve this audience? Do you have customers or prospects in the region that you could meet?
Sponsorship opportunities
Do the options for sponsorship align with your goals? If you want qualified leads and pipeline, a booth at the back of an expo hall might not cut it.
Look for:
- Brand visibility: Logo placement, branded spaces, pitching opportunities.
- Structured networking: Facilitated meetings, matchmaking programs, and interactive content.
- Content & thought leadership: Speaking slots, roundtable discussions, podcast recordings, onsite press and media.
- Engagement formats: Demo zones, meeting areas, activations.
- Side events: Hosted dinners, networking receptions, other experiences.
ROI measurement opportunities
Does the event provide tangible ROI? Check the website and social media for sponsor testimonials and see what others have achieved.
In the sales process, ask about:
- Lead tracking: Does the event provide technology for organizing, capturing, and tracking interactions?
- Post-event support: What follow-up programs and data sharing does the organizer provide?
- Long-term relationship building: Are there other events throughout the year or community benefits beyond the event itself?
Event location
Event locations should offer more than a conference hall. Consider opportunities for team building, the market size, and logistics of getting to the events you’re evaluating.
Think about:
- Travel and logistics: Can your team easily get there? What are the accommodation and travel costs?
- Market relevance: Does the location align with your expansion or customer base priorities?
- Networking opportunities: Are there additional business opportunities in that city or region?
- The energy: The best events are in places bursting with energy outside of the conference. Are there things to see, great food, or new experiences to try?
Top 8 US SaaS and AI conferences to Sponsor in 2026
1. SaaStock USA
When: April 15-16 2026
Where: Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas
Audience Breakdown:
Early and growth stage SaaS and AI founders, along with go-to-market and finance leaders looking for pipeline generation, strategic partnerships, and investment opportunities.
- 2000+ attendees from SaaS, AI, Fintech, and Professional Services
- 50% Founder & C-Suite executives
- 28% VP/Director/Head of level
- 10% Investors and VCs
- 12% Other
Why sponsor?
SaaStock USA is the largest meetings event in AI and B2B software, with sponsorship packages designed to help you cut through the nose and connect directly with in-market executives.
Over the course of two days, the SaaStock Meetup program will facilitate 12,000 one-to-one meetings. Sponsors can buy these meetings and arrive at SaaStock with a calendar full of meetings with their ICP.
“We booked 12 meetings in one day. That’s more than ever before,” Alex Jeensma, Founder and CTO, ElasticScale
Key opportunities:
- Pipeline generation: Our meetings program allows Sponsors to buy Hosted Meetings packages, connecting you with vetted Founders, C-Suite leaders and senior decision makers who are ready to meet you.
- Brand visibility: Position yourself among America’s most active AI and B2B software buyers with opportunities across signage, digital promotion, event branding, and exhibition space.
- Thought leadership & credibility: Establish your authority through speaking slots, workshops, and our ‘Tabletalks’ roundtable program.
- Targeted experiences: Host dinners, invite-only product previews, or private networking sessions with your ICP.
Get in touch to find out more about our Sponsorship opportunities for 2026.
2. HUMANX
Where: San Francisco
When: 6-9 April 2026
Audience: Senior leaders across AI, SaaS, cloud, enterprise innovation, and investment
Why sponsor: HumanX is a large-scale AI and technology event designed for senior decision-makers. Sponsorship options span branding, hosted experiences, and thought leadership opportunities that promise to connect brands with executives and deliver ROI.
3. Inbound by HubSpot
When: 16-18 September
Where: Boston, MA
Audience: Marketing, sales, customer success, and RevOps leaders
Why sponsor: Inbound is hosted by HubSpot and brings together growth leaders to share hands-on strategies for optimizing revenue. Sponsorship opportunities range from turnkey packages, to brand activations, and thought leadership.
4. SaaStr Annual 2026
When: 12-14 May 2026
Where: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Audience: AI and B2B founders and executives. VCs with a focus on AI applications.
Why sponsor: SaaStr’s flagship event, SaaStr Annual brings together executives, founders, and entrepreneurs, from startups to enterprises. According to their website, sponsorship opportunities offer leads, brand exposure, and customer connections through a central exhibition hall.
5. AI4 2026
Where: Las Vegas, NV
When: August 2026
Audience: AI leaders, data executives, and enterprise adopters
Why sponsor: AI4 is an artificial intelligence industry event that brings together thousands of executives and technology innovators. Sponsors have the opportunity to connect with AI industry leaders through branding, networking, and thought leadership opportunities.
6. NVIDIA GTC 2026
When: 16-19 March
Where: San Jose, CA
Audience: AI business leaders, developers and technical practitioners
Why sponsor: GTC brings together AI hardware, software, and applications to share how industries are transforming in the AI era. Sponsors and exhibitors have the opportunity to showcase their technology, engage with customers, and connect with decision makers.
7. B2B Marketing Exchange (B2BMX)
When: 9-11 March
Where: Carlsbad, CA
Audience: SaaS CMOs, GTM leaders, demand gen, and RevOps teams
Why sponsor: B2BMX brings together go-to-market leaders focused on revenue and marketing innovation. The event offers flexible tiered packages with opportunities across networking, brand visibility, and thought leadership.
8. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
When: October 13-15 2026
Where: San Francisco, CA
Audience: Startup founders, early-stage investors, and innovators
Why sponsor: TechCrunch Disrupt is attended by 10,000 startup founders and VCs. By exhibiting, companies can have dedicated space in the exhibition hall, access to lead generation opportunities through the Disrupt app, and benefit from additional brand visibility at the event across technology, signage, and press.
SaaStock USA: Your fastest route to AI and B2B software buyers
Think you know event sponsorship?
Think again.
At SaaStock, we’ve redefined sponsorship to deliver real ROI, with opportunities across:
- Hosted Meetings: Pitch your products to qualified AI and B2B software founders & C-Suite who have expressed an interest in meeting you. Hosted Meetings are pay-for-performance, so there’s no risk!
- Tabletalks: Get in front of a targeted group of attendees through interactive, roundtable discussions.
- Exhibition hall: A booth on the showfloor acts as a hub for conversations and a place to meet your prospects.
- Brand awareness: Get your brand in front of 1000’s of attendees and forge deep, long-lasting connections with customers, prospects, peers, and investors.
- Thought leadership: Sponsorship that gives you a platform to share insights and perspectives that captivate and inspire, fostering credibility and trust among your audience.
