Hi All,

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

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

At Step San Francisco 2025, I had the pleasure of moderating a candid conversation with Rak Garg (Bain Capital Ventures) and Praveen Akkiraju (Insight Partners) on what it really takes to build agentic AI products—and what’s still holding enterprise adoption back.

We talked about how AI agents are evolving from simple assistants to systems that act with real judgment, what’s working (and what’s hype), and how investors are thinking about autonomy, security, and ROI in this fast-moving space.

After my divorce, I was rebuilding everything — my career, my community, my sense of self.

I started going to events, trying to find people who understood the journey of starting over. But everything was scattered across dozens of websites.

I was building a company and wanted to learn from others doing the same — but it was hard to find real connection.

And it was even harder to find women founders, immigrants, and underrepresented builders who looked like me — people who knew what it’s like to build from scratch.

That’s when the idea hit me:

💡 What if belonging started with discovery?
What if someone mapped the ecosystem so founders could actually find each other?

That’s how Founders Bay began — first as a small newsletter sharing every founder and investor event in the Bay.

Now, it’s a full platform where you can:
✨ Create an account
✨ Save the events you want to attend
✨ Discover other founders & investors
✨ Watch workshops and talks — all in one place

When you join, you’ll also get access to our WhatsApp community, where hundreds of founders share opportunities, wins, and friendship every day.

And yes — I coded it myself, powered by caffeine and a lot of vibe coding ☕💻✨

Because belonging isn’t just about being in the room — it’s about being seen once you’re there.

✨ Explore the new Founders Bay Events Page → www.foundersbay.com/events

💙 Join the community

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

SOLD OUT but subscribe to a VIP Access Membership and attend for free

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.

As part of SF Tech Week, this summit is designed for real connection — no gatekeeping, no fluff. Just bold builders, active funders, and deep opportunities for collaboration.

​Where open minds meet open code — with a 360° view of the city.

​Join us for an unforgettable evening at The Starlite Room, featuring breathtaking 360° skyline views, an open bar, and delicious food as we bring together the brightest minds in AI, open source, and compute.

​This is where developers, founders, and innovators connect, collaborate, and unwind — all while celebrating the future of open, decentralized AI infrastructure.

​📍 The Starlite Room
🕖 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
🥂 Open Bar & Food Included

​Come for the view, stay for the people building what’s next.

Friday, October 17 - 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

With a background as an investor, engineer, and community leader, I provide personalized support to help startups grow—offering guidance on fundraising, tech development, team building, co-founder matching, hiring top talent, and personal branding to position you for long-term success.

Tuesday, October 21 - 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​​Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: 2-Hour Block Legal Advice is a chance for startup founders to get direct legal guidance from an experienced professional. Led by Jessica North (Jorrie), Partner at Perkins Coie LLP, this session is perfect for founders seeking clarity on legal matters. Jessica specializes in advising emerging companies, venture capital funds, and private equity investors, making her a valuable resource for startups at any stage.

Wednesday, October 22 - 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

​Our speaker, Ellisha Blechynden, Principal Attorney at Blechynden Legal, will break down the essentials of due diligence readiness from a legal and operational standpoint. With years of experience advising startups and investors, Ellisha will share practical insights to help you anticipate investor questions and avoid common pitfalls.

Thursday, October 23 - 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

​Securing funding is one of the biggest challenges for early-stage founders, and non-dilutive grant opportunities can be a powerful way to fuel growth without giving up equity. In this workshop, Kyle Pickett will guide founders through the complex landscape of grants, showing where to find opportunities, how to qualify, and how to strengthen applications.

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.

Wednesday, October 29 - 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

​Led by Aleks Gollu, Founder & CEO of 11Sight, the session will cover the realities of co-founder dynamics, equity decisions, and operational structures. Through real-world examples, Aleks will share mistakes that can derail momentum and the best practices that create a strong foundation for your company.

October 27 – 29, 2025

THE BIGGEST TECH CONFERENCE IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING SOON!

I’ll be speaking at Techcrunch Disrupt and hosting a panel on Family offices. Join me with coupon code FOUNDERSBAY25 to get 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.

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.

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 - 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.

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.