February Update: Builder Rhythm, Real Momentum
February didn’t slow down. The cold stuck around but the builders kept showing up to hack, to demo, to eat, and to compare notes. A few highlights and then a look ahead.
Founder Dinners
The dinners kept doing what they do best: honest conversations with people actually in the work. This month we sat down with Mike Kirkup and Brad Murray, two people with deep roots in what it takes to build real things in this region. No pitches, just the kind of candid back-and-forth that happens when experienced builders are in the same room as the people coming up behind them. You can read more about the conversations happening at these dinners over at Build From Here.
These dinners are where a lot of the real signal lives. If you’ve been thinking about joining us for spring, now’s a good time to put your hand up. Apply for the spring dinner series here: https://tally.so/r/68KAx5
Barn Ventures
We also want to flag something that’s been quietly taking shape: Barn Ventures, an early-stage fund rooted in the same builder ecosystem you’ve been showing up to. If you’re building something and want to know more, start at barnvc.com.
Hackathon Energy
The AI Agents Waterloo Voice Hackathon packed the room where over 170 people showed up, near capacity. Teams formed, ideas got tested fast, and real work happened. That’s what a good hackathon does. Not long after, the Claude Code Meetup brought ~145 builders together to share how they’re actually integrating Claude into real coding workflows: what’s working, what isn’t, and where things are heading. Both events were less about learning in theory and more about learning by doing.
Demos, Drinks, and DevHouse
DevHouse returned and delivered with lots of demos, the usual energy of builders sharing half-finished things that are more interesting than polished decks. Startup Drinks KW drew 60+ and served its purpose: low-barrier, high-density networking for people who just want to be around other builders. Hard Tech Garage Night at AutoCate brought a smaller but focused crowd for hands-on energy outside the usual software world.
February Builder Events
Here’s a snapshot of the builder-centric activity that showed up across the community this month:
KWLUG Tech Meeting – Home Assistant, MariaDB and ProxySQL — University of Waterloo Davis Centre Library
Technical Wednesday — Builders Club
age:AI Generation Beta — Builders Club
Non-Technical Wednesday — Builders Club
Difficult Conversations with Anne Bermingham — Planitar
Pancake Social at Builders Club — Builders Club
AI Agents Waterloo Voice Hackathon — Builders Club
KWLUG Dinner Meetup — Yo Sushi
Hard Tech Garage Night — AutoCate
Learn & Connect: Building an AI-Native Go-To-Market Strategy — Communitech
Hub n’ Grub: How to Podcast — Communitech
Black Excellence Pitch Night — Community Event
AC:Studio Innovation Showcase — Accelerator Centre
Purpose as the Triple Bottom Line: SDG Lens for Value Creation — Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Marketing Peer Group Kickoff — Communitech
ShipTech Forum — Vanguard Canada
Defence Innovation: NATO DIANA, Ukraine and Opportunities for Waterloo SMEs — Communitech
Close More Deals, Faster, With Less Friction — Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Software Engineering Peer Group Kickoff — Communitech
AI Evenings: Theoretical Potential vs Engineering Reality — Communitech
Technical Wednesday — Builders Club
Claude Code Meetup Waterloo — Builders Club
DevHouse Waterloo — Builders Club
Non-Technical Wednesday — Builders Club
Startup Drinks KW — Arabella Park Beer Bar
GET Together: StrikeUP Watch Party — Builders Club
AI Agents Waterloo OpenClaw Meetup — Builders Club
29 events. 13 at Builders Club with over 750 attendees across the month.
A lot of surface area, but still builder-heavy: demos, discussions, and people showing up to work on real problems.
Looking Ahead to March
Two moments worth circling. The Socratica Winter 2026 Symposium runs March 21–22, spanning an evening of stage demos at Centre in the Square followed by a full afternoon of booth demos at The Tannery. It’s the closest thing the region has to a builder science fair. Past editions have had self-driving go-karts, indie games, experimental hardware, and more. Worth showing up for.
Beyond that, March stays anchored by what’s been working: Technical Wednesdays, Non-Technical Wednesdays, and the usual community touchpoints across the ecosystem. No hype. Just staying in motion and building in proximity.
Find everything on the calendar (and you are free to add your own events!): https://luma.com/waterlooevents
Thanks to everyone who showed up in February. Let’s keep building.
-Jesse