Presented by hessian.AI
PyCon DE & PyData has always been about building bridges — between disciplines, between communities, between ideas and implementation. And today, the worlds of startups, open source, and AI are more connected than ever.
That's why this year we're opening a dedicated space for exactly these conversations: real discussions, no hype, no fluff — just founders, engineers, and curious minds talking honestly about what it takes to build.
The Startup Lounge is a new, unrecorded format — which means you can speak freely, think out loud, and have the kind of conversation that doesn't happen on stage.
📅 Wednesday, April 15, 2026 🕙 10:00 – 12:00 📍 Lounge, 1st floor, darmstadtium
This is not a talk. There are no slides.
The Startup Lounge is an interactive, participatory format built around open conversations and peer exchange. Whether you're actively building a company, thinking about it, or just want to understand how open source and AI actually connect to real business — this is your space.
You'll be in a room with 2,000+ Python developers, engineers, and data scientists. That's a rare concentration of technical depth and practical experience. Use it.
The session combines short impulse talks, guided table discussions, and open networking.
An introduction to the format and an overview of the session.
Three short talks to spark discussion, including topics such as:
The core of the session — three parallel discussion tables:
Participants are free to move between tables and join different conversations.
Unstructured time to continue conversations, connect, and follow up.
Because the best conversations at a conference never happen on stage.
The Startup Lounge is intentionally small, intentionally unrecorded, and intentionally unscripted. You'll meet founders, engineers, and domain experts — and actually talk to them. Share a challenge, get direct input, form your own picture.
If you're building something, thinking about building something, or just want to understand how open source and AI are reshaping what's possible — come find out for yourself.