Pasadena Tech Happy Hour Draws Hundreds, Challenging Silicon Beach’s Tech Dominance

As Silicon Beach maintains a grip on Los Angeles’s technology landscape, a new monthly gathering organized in partnership with Innovate Pasadena is quietly reshaping the region’s tech networking scene.

The Pasadena Tech Happy Hour, occurring every third Thursday, has emerged as a vital connection point for technology professionals seeking alternatives to lengthy Westside commutes.

The monthly event serves as a platform bridging Pasadena’s tech and scientific communities, bringing together entrepreneurs, developers, designers, computer programmers, electrical engineers, and tech enthusiasts to connect, share ideas, and foster collaborations in an inclusive environment.

“People come up to me pretty every month and they say, I love that we have this locally. I appreciate not having to go to Santa Monica or Venice because we do have a pretty big tech community here in Pasadena,” said Marsha Swallow, the event’s host.

The gathering, which began in 2018 as an extension of LA Tech Happy Hour under founder Mino Garcia, now consistently draws between 70 and 100 attendees monthly to Hawg Heaven BBQ in Pasadena.

After Garcia’s relocation to the Westside, Swallow took over hosting duties, emphasizing the event’s broad appeal across technical disciplines.

“We’re not specific on what kind of tech you’re in, and I think that we end up attracting a diverse group of people,” Swallow said. “I’ve met people like the one I was talking about where they’re working on a new type of battery and they wanted to find an electrical engineer or a chemical engineer.”

The event has already fostered notable successes, including connecting startup Twyne with a director of engineering who helped complete their minimum viable product application. The startup is currently seeking investors and plans to launch in Pasadena.

Looking ahead to 2025, organizers plan to implement more structured networking tools to support industry professionals facing uncertainty in the tech sector.

“Something we’re talking about in 2025 is making it a little bit more structured, maybe having colored dots to put on their name tags if they’re looking for work or writing their job position on the name tags,” Swallow explained. “I know a lot of people are worried about layoffs, and there’s been quite a lot of layoffs in the tech community, so we want to be a resource.”

The next gathering is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2025, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hawg Heaven BBQ, located at 119 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena.

Registration is available at https://www.meetup.com/pasadena-tech-happy-hour/events/304696537/?eventOrigin=group_events_list.