Hi All,
It’s been an incredible week — I’ve been onboarding at my new role as Head of Developer Relations at You.com, where I had the chance to meet the amazing team building the next generation of AI tools and APIs for developers.
At the same time, I’ve been at TechCrunch Disrupt, where I hosted a packed Family Office panel, and we’re gearing up for our SOLD-OUT VC/LP Dinner at Millennium Tower, sponsored by Kruncher.AI. Exciting times all around!
We also got 400 founders & VCs to create an account in our new foundersbay.com membership platform. Thank you for all the support!!!
I wanted to personally invite you to a few of our upcoming events & workshops:
Nightmare on Front Street - A free Halloween Block Party (Already a 1000+ people RSVP)
If we’re not already connected, I’d love to hear from you — please follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram. Let’s connect!
💼 From “Bossy” to Bold: Redefining Leadership
I was moderating a panel on Women in Wealth Leadership at the Opal Family Office Forum on Friday — and looked out at a full room of leaders.
I asked one question:
“How many of us have ever been called bossy?”
Every hand went up.
There were women who manage billions of dollars and women who lead teams.
Women from different cultures, backgrounds, and generations — yet every single one had heard it.
The word might change — intense, emotional, demanding, direct —
but the message is the same: tone it down.
It’s a reminder of how unconscious bias still shapes how confidence is perceived.
👉 According to McKinsey & LeanIn, 73% of women leaders experience microaggressions questioning their judgment or tone — for example, being told they’re “too direct.”
👉 The Harvard Business Review found women are twice as likely as men to be described as “intimidating,” “abrasive,” or “bossy.”
But here’s the truth: women make exceptional leaders.
Because leadership isn’t about tone — it’s about clarity, empathy, and results.
And the data proves it:
💡 Companies with more women in leadership are 25% more likely to outperform competitors (McKinsey).
Just today, my friend and founder Evie Jeang shared that during a negotiation, someone told her, “You’re too direct.”
She smiled and said, “I’m just being clear.”
So the next time someone calls you bossy?
Wear it like a badge of honor.
You’re not bossy — you’re bold.
You’re a leader.
Want us to sponsor an event or partner together? Contact us here
Friday, October 31 - 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
🎃 FREE HALLOWEEN BLOCK PARTY: Nightmare on Front Street 🎃
We welcome DJ Clayton William from Empire Dance Record Label.
Get ready for a spook-tacular Halloween celebration in the heart of downtown San Francisco!
Join us for Nightmare on Front Street, a hauntingly fun block party featuring themed cocktails, live music, creepy-cool activities, and costumes galore — all happening within California’s first-ever Entertainment Zone on Front Street.
Experience Halloween like never before as Schroeder’s, Harrington’s Bar & Grill, and Royal Exchange take over Front Street for one massive outdoor celebration — where you can sip, dance, and mingle right in the street with your favorite spooky spirits.
Bay Area-born and raised, Clayton William is a Billboard-charting, Grammy-nominated producer, engineer, DJ & remixer. After seven years in L.A. working with top artists like Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Walshy Fire (Major Lazer), E-40, Too Short, Lil Jon and YG, he now serves as A&R and in-house producer/DJ at EMPIRE Records in San Francisco. He’s releasing club/festival bangers that fuse hip hop, Latin and pop music.
VC/LP Dinner at Millennium Tower [Techcrunch Disrupt Side Event][SOLD OUT]
Wednesday, October 29 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Join an exclusive evening of connection and conversation at the Founders Bay VC & LP Dinner, hosted at the iconic Millennium Tower in San Francisco. 🍷 This intimate gathering brings together venture capitalists, limited partners, and ecosystem leaders for a curated dining experience designed to spark collaboration, share insights, and explore the future of investing.
Sponsored by:
Kruncher AI powers the entire deal lifecycle with intelligent data that drives better decisions with:
Automated deal screening with 10× more data points and 90% less noise
Auto-generated company reports featuring 300+ configurable signals
Investment memos created in under 2 hours instead of 3 days
Continuous monitoring of the growth and KPIs of your watchlist and portfolio companies
All of this in a single source of truth.
Schedule a call with the Founder (ex Microsoft OpenAI for Banks): Calendly
Thursday, October 30 - 10:00 AM –11:00 AM
Get ready to pitch your startup to leading investors and venture capitalists at the next Founders Bay Virtual Investor Pitch Session. This online event connects early-stage founders with seasoned investors eager to discover the next wave of high-impact startups. Whether you’re raising your pre-seed or Series A round, this is your opportunity to showcase your vision, traction, and growth potential to an audience that matters.
Thursday, October 30 - 4:45 PM - 8:30 PM
We are pleased to announce that the third installment of the AWS Agentic AI in Action series will highlight the work of startups: CrewAI, Kong and CodeRabbit.
Why you should be there:
Learn from top companies to build and scale Agentic AI systems.
Go beyond the hype with deep-dive sessions.
Live Demos to see the Agentic AI in action.
Network with fellow AI developers and builders, over the dinner and expo booths
Thursday, October 30 - 11:00 AM –12:00 PM
A strong personal brand can change the way opportunities come your way. Instead of constantly chasing investors, clients, or partners, the right brand presence makes them come to you. In this workshop, Bruna Grace will share how founders and leaders can create a brand that attracts attention and builds trust in competitive markets.
Tuesday, November 4 - 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Join us for an exclusive Founders Bay Expert Office Hours session with Amy Cunha, President and Founder of Big Picture PR. In this session, Amy will share actionable insights on how founders can develop effective go-to-market (GTM) and public relations strategies to elevate their brand presence, attract customers, and build lasting visibility in competitive markets.
Wednesday, November 5 - 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Join us for a laid-back evening of networking, drinks, and great conversations! Whether you're a startup founder looking for funding, a VC seeking the next big idea, or just someone passionate about innovation, this event is for you.
Grab a drink, share your journey, and connect with people who can help take your vision to the next level! 🍹
Thursday, November 6 - 11:00 AM –12:00 PM
In today’s fast-changing, AI-driven world, leaders can’t afford to blend in. This workshop - provided by the team that created executive brands for leaders at Apple, Amazon, Omnicom, Booz Allen Hamilton, and New York City - is designed to help you understand how to align your unique strengths with market opportunities, so you can compete with confidence and position yourself as the voice people trust.
Friday, November 7 - 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Founders Bay is excited to partner with AI INFRA SUMMIT, the premier gathering for builders, investors, and innovators shaping the future of AI infrastructure.
As a Founders Bay community member, you can save on your ticket using this 35% discount link: 👉 https://luma.com/aiinfra_4?coupon=FOUNDERSBAY35
Connect with top leaders from AMD, Supermicro, WEKA, top NeoClouds, and more as we explore the technologies powering the next wave of AI.
Don’t miss this one-day event packed with insights, networking, and opportunities. Register now — space is limited!
Friday, November 7 - 3:00 PM –4:00 PM
Spend an hour with Jessica-Rose Clark — professional mixed martial artist, world champion, and hands-on self-defence coach — as she shares practical tools to help you feel safer and more confident in everyday life. Jessy combines her years of experience in competitive fighting with her passion for teaching to make self-defence approachable and effective for everyone.
Wednesday, November 12 - 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Start your morning with a dynamic gathering of founders and investors shaping the future of AI and technology. The VC & Founder Breakfast brings together innovators, builders, and funders for candid conversations over great coffee and an inspiring atmosphere. Whether you’re scaling your next big idea or exploring where to invest next, this breakfast sets the stage for collaboration and breakthrough thinking. 🚀
Friday, November 14 - 11:00 AM –12:00 PM
Change is constant in the startup journey — from shifting markets to rapid product pivots. In this workshop, Executive Coach Weronika Sobolak, former Meta & Facebook leader and Founder of Weronika Sobolak Coaching & Consulting, will guide founders through proven strategies to stay grounded and confident amid complexity.
Tuesday, November 18 - 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Join us for the AI & Emerging Tech Pitch Battle, hosted by Mariane Bekker from Founders Bay, where visionary founders showcase groundbreaking innovations transforming industries through artificial intelligence, deep tech, and frontier technologies. This dynamic event brings together top founders, investors, and industry experts to spotlight the startups shaping the future of technology.
Apply to pitch: https://forms.gle/XDWzGJYXkU2suU116
Thursday, November 20 - 11:00 AM –12:00 PM
In this high-impact session, veteran startup leader and investor Larry Udell, Founder of the LES Silicon Valley Chapter, draws on his extensive experience launching, scaling and advising tech companies to reveal how founders transform bold ideas into enduring success. You’ll gain an inside view of the pivotal decisions, growth inflection points and mindset shifts that mark the journey from founder to fortune.
Managing Partner, Founders bay
Hi! I'm Mariane Bekker, an investor and a tech executive with over a decade of experience building high-performing engineering teams at leading startups such as New Relic and Mindbody. I've led engineering through 5 acquisitions and 1 IPO.
I’m the founder of Founders bay and Women Founders bay, connecting founders with expert guidance, events and funding opportunities in the Bay Area.