Hi All,

I wanted to personally invite you to a few of our upcoming events & workshops:

Congrats to Jennifer Hom who won our Golden Access Raffle —VIP + Mezzanine Upgrade + 1:1 from yesterday’s giveaway! 🙌

San Francisco! We are unveiling these combat robots for the first time in the world… are you ready for something new, futuristic, exciting, groundbreaking, and fun? Then join us this Friday, September 26th at Temple Nightclub where we make history! Robot Kombat, DJs, Tech and Investor Panels, Outdoor Dream Yard, and more! Save $20 today online by using the code SFVIBE20!

Buy your Gigaparty 3 ticket before 6pm tomorrow and you’re entered to win:

➡️ Enter by buying any ticket before 6pm tomorrow: (saves you $10).

We’re bringing even more powerhouse voices to the stage, shaping the future of tech, safety, and venture capital:

SEPTEMBER BROKE ME

September 2021, I Ubered to the hospital alone.
Almost died.
And the man I loved wouldn’t even look at me.

That was the night I knew: if I stayed, I wouldn’t make it.

So I left.
Two kids.
One with cerebral palsy.
No plan. No certainty. Just the fear of what would happen if I stayed.

I thought my story was over..
That all I could do was survive.

But slowly — brick by brick — I began to rebuild.

I found my voice in this newsletter.
I found belonging in this community.
I found love working on events.
I found joy in music and dancing until my feet hurt.

And when I put all of that together — courage, belonging, love, joy —
it grew into something bigger than me.

It grew into the Gigaparty - an event born from the rubble of our past

Because Gigaparty isn’t just ANY EVENT.
It’s proof.

Proof that endings can become beginnings.
Proof that pain can turn into power.
Proof that rock bottom is just the foundation.
Proof that resilience can sound like music.
Proof that September can be different.

It’s where my story collides into yours.
Because we’ve all had Septembers that broke us.
And we all deserve nights that remind us we’re alive.

👉 Join us this Friday at Temple SF: www.gigaparty3.com
🎟️ Use code VIPACCESS for $10 off and a chance to win a free 1 year Founders Bay VIP Membership ($1200 value) .

If we’re not already connected, I’d love to hear from you — please follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram. Let’s connect!

Want us to sponsor an event or partner together? Contact us here

Friday, September 26 - 6:00 PM - 2:00 AM

​🔥 The WORLD'S FIRST VR-Controlled Humanoid Robot Fight 🤖🥊

For the first time ever, two humans step into VR rigs to control real combat robots in a live arena. Twitch founder Justin Kan will face off against UFC fighter Hyder Amil.

Standard tickets are almost sold out - Prices GO UP AT MIDNIGHT

Exclusive Access to Events.com Pre-IPO opportunity (Last call!)

Discover Events.com: A Game-Changer in the Events Industry

I’m excited to share that I've been granted access to an exclusive Pre-IPO allocation in Events.com, and I can extend it to you as one of the last opportunity to invest.

Why we believe it's a great opportunity:

This is the last call for new investments. Demand has been high, and capacity is tight — approvals will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

To request the Pre-IPO information package, please use this link and type in the referral field: Foundersbay https://forms.gle/GgMtJnM5Kdr2SYdq6 If you have any question about the opportunity you can send an email to Paolo [email protected], who is already an active member of our Founders Bay community.

I’m only sharing this because I believe in the transformative opportunity here, and I want my community to have a shot before it closes.

(For informational purposes only, not an offer to sell securities.)

Events.com—the future of events

Thursday, September 25 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

​Join us for the Founders Bay Virtual Workshop featuring a candid investor Q&A with Mohak Saxena of Race Capital. Mohak brings a wealth of experience investing in early-stage startups and partnering with founders to help them scale. This session is designed to give founders a rare inside look at how top investors evaluate opportunities, what they’re seeing in the market, and how you can position your company for success.

Friday, September 26 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

​The Founders Bay Virtual Workshop will focus on why having a strong financial system is key to business success in 2026. It will help business owners and startup founders understand how tracking money, planning budgets, and managing cash flow can make or break a company. The session will show how good financial systems can help you grow faster and avoid big problems.

Wednesday, October 1 - 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

​This is a workshop on winning your startup negotiations. As a founder, investor, or operator, you are negotiating at all times, often without even realizing it - whether with your cofounders, investors, advisers, business partners, M&A partners, and more. Join this interactive workshop and learn from a negotiations expert, Gerta Malaj. We will have a Q&A to give the audience the opportunity to dive deeper into any particular negotiation scenarios.

Thursday, October 2 - 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

​This private breakfast brings together top B2B founders, investors, and enterprise leaders for a curated morning of meaningful conversations, actionable insights, and a chef-prepared meal. We’ll dive into how AI is reshaping enterprise productivity, reimagining GTM motions, and what investors see as the next wave of scalable opportunities.

We’re looking for a speaker for this event—just reply to this email if you’re interested!

Friday, October 3 - 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

​This webinar is based on four cases from my personal experience. Why do some startups fail to fulfill their potential despite having a great idea, a strong market, a capable team, and many other preconditions to become a big thing? I will openly share painful lessons and my views on why some of the promising ventures I was part of never transformed into something extraordinary. Better do your own mistakes than repeat mine.

Monday, October 6 - 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Get ready for a night where the future takes the stage! Founders Bay Deep Tech & AI Pitch Night is your front-row ticket to the boldest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, robotics, and frontier tech. Watch visionary founders battle the clock as they pitch game-changing ideas to a panel of expert judges and a crowd hungry for innovation.

Tech Week, (presented by a16z) is a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. SF Tech Week takes place October 6-12, followed by LA Tech Week October 13-19. View the full schedule at: tech-week.com/calendar

We’re looking for a judge for this event—reply to this email if you’re interested!

Tuesday, October 7 - 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Join us for an evening of learning and connection as we explore the future of robotics. A panel of experts will share their views on how robots are changing the way we work, live, and solve problems. From factories to healthcare to everyday life, robotics is shaping the world around us.

Tech Week, (presented by a16z) is a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. SF Tech Week takes place October 6-12, followed by LA Tech Week October 13-19. View the full schedule at: tech-week.com/calendar

We’re looking for a speaker for this event—just reply to this email if you’re interested!

Thursday, October 9 - 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Join top founders, VCs, and operators for a high-energy happy hour 🍸 during SF Tech Week—an evening designed for real conversations, new connections, and unexpected collaboration. Whether you're raising your first round 🚀 or scouting your next investment, this is your chance to skip the pitch decks and connect face-to-face with the people shaping what’s next. With the venue's iconic ambiance and a curated crowd of builders and backers, this is where authentic relationships take root in the heart of San Francisco. 🌉

Tech Week, (presented by a16z) is a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. SF Tech Week takes place October 6-12, followed by LA Tech Week October 13-19. View the full schedule at: tech-week.com/calendar

Saturday, October 11 - 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Join us for the B.E.L.L.E AI Founders & Investors Summit, an immersive, high-energy experience bringing together AI startup founders and the investors shaping the future of technology.

Tech Week, (presented by a16z) is a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. SF Tech Week takes place October 6-12, followed by LA Tech Week October 13-19. View the full schedule at: tech-week.com/calendar

Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, Napa, CA
October 22, 2025 - October 24, 2025

Come and join Opal Financial Group's Annual Family Office & Private Wealth Management Forum - West. Known for the fastest growing population of newly structured family offices in the world, Northern California is largely dominated by first and second-generation families from the Silicon Valley. Investment strategies such as Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Technology will be familiar themes throughout this conference. Investment managers and families will come together to discuss the foundations in which they built their wealth, and uncork the various investment strategies in which to keep their portfolios growing and plentiful. Additional hot topics such as impact investing, alternatives, and the trustee beneficiary relationship, will allow for delegates to sample a diverse blend of palatable subjects while networking amongst a top tier group of private wealth professionals.

October 27 – 29, 2025

FOUNDERSBAY25 (25% off)

TechCrunch Disrupt is where you’ll find innovation for every stage of your startup journey. Whether you’re a budding founder with a revolutionary idea, a seasoned startup looking to scale, or an investor seeking the next big thing, Disrupt offers unparalleled resources, connections, and expert insights to propel your venture forward.

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.