- Founders Bay Weekly
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- A Personal Invite To Our Upcoming Events
Hi,
This week has been insane on my end! We SOLD OUT for our Quarter Century Tech GigaParty before we even released the promo videos. I still have a few tickets reserved for our newsletter VIP members so if you become a VIP member today, we’ll send you a free one: https://newsletter.foundersbay.com/upgrade?offer_id=87014425-0e41-4adc-b1e5-017290aa5314
Also, we'll be streaming exclusively on Gigaverse - a new interactive livestreaming platform in beta. Join the Founders Bay community on Gigaverse to participate in the Tech Summit starting at 5:30pm, and catch the unveiling of the world's first robot DJ at 10pm! Only on Gigaverse.
🚀 Exciting News! We’ve just open-sourced TheAgenticBrowser — a state-of-the-art AI agent that automates browser interactions through natural language commands. Automate browser tasks like web navigation, scraping, research automation, form filling, and more—all via natural language commands. 👉 Ready to explore its potential? Dive into the source code: https://github.com/TheAgenticAI/TheAgenticBrowser
If we’re not already connected, I’d love to hear from you—please follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram. Let’s connect!
But before I share more about our events, I want to take a moment to express how i’m feeling this week…
The Hardest Things In Life Shape Us The most
Women Founders Bay Event This Week
They say going through divorce is like going through grief. And they’re right.
But grief isn’t just about losing a person—it’s about losing the life you knew. The future you imagined. The comfort of knowing what’s next. Even when change is necessary, even when it’s your choice, there’s still loss.
I felt that loss deeply. The sadness, the fear, the anger, the what now?—it all hit me.
But recently, at a community retreat, I sat in silence for the first time in a long time. No distractions, no emails, no filling the void with work. Just me, breathing.
The session was about the Five Elements — Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth—and how they show up in our lives. I had no idea how much they mirrored my own journey.
And suddenly, everything made sense.
Metal (Grief) → Clarity
Grief felt like a weight crushing me. I thought it would break me. But grief isn’t just about loss—it’s about letting go of what no longer serves you. And when the weight lifted, what was left? Clarity. I finally saw what I had been ignoring for years: what I truly want, what I deserve, and what I’ll never settle for again.
Water (Fear) → Wisdom
Fear is paralyzing. Will I be alone forever? Did I make a mistake? What if I never love again? But fear, like water, moves. It teaches you to adapt, to let go of control, to trust the current. I was scared, but I kept moving. And that movement—one day, one decision at a time — turned fear into wisdom.
Wood (Anger) → Growth
Oh, the anger. At him, at myself, at time lost, at things I couldn’t change. But anger is fuel. I let it push me—not toward bitterness, but toward growth. I went deeper into my work, my friendships, my self-care. I stopped apologizing for taking up space. I didn’t shrink—I expanded.
Fire (Joy) → Connection
For a long time, joy felt impossible. But then, little by little, it returned. Late-night laughing with friends. A spontaneous trip. Dancing in my apartment like no one was watching. Fire is passion, but more than that, it’s connection. And I realized: love isn’t just in relationships—it’s everywhere, in the people who show up, in the moments we let ourselves feel alive again.
Earth (Worry) → Stability
Divorce shakes your foundation. Worry used to keep me up at night. Am I making the right moves? Am I strong enough for this? But then I realized: I am still standing. The ground beneath me is solid. I don’t have to have all the answers. I just have to trust myself enough to take the next step.
And at the end of it all?
My grief didn’t destroy me — it gave me clarity.
My fear didn’t paralyze me — it made me stronger.
My anger didn’t consume me — it pushed me to grow.
My worry didn’t break me — it made me wiser.
And joy? Joy proved that healing doesn’t mean forgetting—it means remembering how to live again.
If you’re going through hard time, I want you to know: you won’t feel like this forever.
The hardest moments are shaping you. One day, you’ll look back and realize—you didn’t just survive. You became someone stronger.
With love,
Mariane Bekker
Founders Bay Upcoming Events
Friday, January 31 - 5PM - 2AM
​​Celebrate the first 25 years of the 21st century—and glimpse the next 75!
​Join 2,000+ founders, VCs, and tech visionaries for an unforgettable evening of futuristic experiences, forward-thinking conversations, immersive art, cutting-edge demos, and non-stop music.
VC Funds Attending: General Catalyst, Bain Capital, a16z, Signal Fire, Mantis VC, TPG Capital, Blackrock, 500 Global, Darwinian Ventures, Nima Capital, Blitzscaling ventures, and many more
​Be the First to See These AI Innovations
​Embodied AI: Witness the unveiling of Foundation’s humanoid robot—spinning tracks as the world’s first robot DJ!
​Enterprise AI Tools: Get an exclusive look at powerful new AI solutions by TheAgentic — redefining innovation for the enterprise.
Are you interested in being a sponsor? Email me at [email protected]!
Friday, January 31 - 11AM - 12PM
​In this workshop, you'll learn about the basic and advanced technical structures that support Agentic Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. You'll explore the main parts, design ideas, and best practices needed to create scalable, secure, and smart agent-based SaaS platforms. This session is perfect for technical leaders, architects, and developers who want to build strong Agentic SaaS applications that can perform tasks autonomously, adapt to user needs, and integrate smoothly with various systems.
Tuesday, February 4th - 9AM - 12PM
​Get a 15 minutes 1×1 with me. With extensive experience as an investor, engineer, and community leader, I offer personalized advice to help your startup succeed. Here’s how I can assist you:​Fundraising Strategy: ​Technical Guidance, ​Co-Founder Matching, ​Talent Recruitment, ​Personal Branding
Wednesday, February 5 - 5:30PM - 8:30PM
Join us for the next installment of the Founders Bay Talk Series as we delve into "The Future of AI Agents." This exclusive event is tailored for visionary founders, influential VCs, and leading AI experts eager to explore the transformative potential of AI agents and digital workers across various industries.
Workshop: Building AI Agents like Devin AI
Dive deep into the practical aspects of creating sophisticated AI agents with our comprehensive workshop.
Wednesday, February 5 - 11AM - 12PM
​​Starting or investing in a startup is exciting, but understanding the details is crucial. Our "Effective Due Diligence Strategies for Founders & Investors" workshop helps both founders and investors learn how to evaluate businesses effectively. Whether you want to invest in a promising startup or seek investment for your venture, this workshop gives you the insights you need to make confident decisions and build trustworthy relationships.
Friday, February 7 - 10AM - 5PM
​​This bootcamp is for early-stage founders who want to learn the fundraising process. You’ll get practical advice, hands-on experience, and learn from industry experts and founders who’ve successfully raised funds. By the end of the day, you’ll have the knowledge, tools, and confidence to fundraise for your startup.
Friday, February 7 - 11AM - 12PM
​Join us for an exciting workshop led by Akash Saraf, Founder of TheAgentic, where you'll learn how to move beyond traditional Software as a Service (SaaS) tools and embrace Digital Workers to enhance your business operations. This hands-on session will guide you through the steps to integrate intelligent digital assistants into your daily workflows, boosting efficiency and collaboration.
Friday, February 7 - 6PM - 10PM
​​🎉 Join Us for the Engineering Leadership Soiree at Tesla! 🚗✨
​Network and celebrate with the brightest minds in the industry at an unforgettable soirée filled with innovation, meaningful connections, and world-class entertainment.
Wednesday, February 12 - 11AM - 12PM​
Join Bret Waters, a seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Stanford professor, for a practical workshop on finding product-market fit. Learn how to make sure your product meets the needs of your customers and sets your startup up for success. In this workshop, you will:
​Identify Your Customers: Discover who your ideal customers are and what they need.
​Validate Your Ideas: Learn simple ways to test your business ideas before launching.
​Build a Strong Value Proposition: Create a clear message that shows why your product is unique.
Tuesday, February 18 - 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Grow your business with Kristopher, a seasoned innovation and marketing specialist and advisor at 500 Global in San Francisco. With a proven track record with both Fortune 500 clients and early stage startups, Kristopher is here to share his expertise to help you succeed.
Thursday, February 27 - 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
​We are hosting an exclusive dinner for Seed and Series A founders & VC at a beautiful Cow-hollow mansion, co-hosted by Mariane Bekker from Founders Bay, Rabadi Real Estate.
​We want to bring together some of the brightest minds in the startup ecosystem, fostering valuable conversations and potential partnerships.
​What to Expect:
​Networking: Connect with other funded founders & investors and share insights.
​Innovative Discussions: Learn about best practices for scaling your startup
​Great Food: Enjoy a delicious Mediterranean dinner while engaging with like-minded innovators.
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.
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