Hi All,

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

Workshops:

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

Also, if you’d like to sponsor any event down below and get your logo and company in this newsletter, reply to this email!

We’re doing a Black Friday sale across the entire Founders Bay community.
Get 70% off your membership for the next 3 months — this week only.

If you’ve been thinking about joining or upgrading, this is the moment. Here’s what you unlock:

✔ Access to every Founders Bay event FREE— private VC roundtables, VIP pitch nights, tech summits, community dinners
✔ Full Investor & Founder Directory — 2,000+ VCs, investors & operators
✔ Members-Only Tech & VC Calendar — the most curated event calendar in SF
✔ Founder Resources & Playbooks — pitch templates, intros, startup tools
✔ Priority tickets & discounted access to major events
✔ Community + warm intros to founders, developers & VCs

This is the lowest price we’ve ever offered — and it’s only available for 7 days.

When I first stepped into the SF Founder/VC Scene, I didn’t know a single person.

No warm introductions.
No community.
No idea where I fit.

I walked into my very first event alone at The Modernist — just hoping I wouldn’t stand awkwardly in a corner all night. And then something happened that changed everything:

I met two people — Sako M. and Ed Choudhry — who made sure I didn’t stay invisible.

They introduced me around as if I had always belonged there.
They brought me into one of the most active tech communities, LPM.
They invited me to moderate the Google AI Summit — the moment that kick-started my speaking career.
They co-hosted my first founder & VC events.
They helped me create my Women Founders group.
They opened doors I didn’t even know existed.
They never expected anything in return.

That night didn’t just change my evening — it changed the direction of my life.

And they weren’t the only ones.

David Carvalho opened an entirely new world for me — creativity, nightlife, events, and community energy. Together, we built Gigaparty into something magical. And more than anything, he showed me that love can be safe and healing — that connection doesn’t have to hurt to be real.

Amanda Cheng, Jeni Chang, Vincent Fong, Erika Bahr, Huan Li, and Janet Gehrmann, who’ve shown up for me again and again, are reminders that friendship doesn’t need a big backstory to be powerful. Sometimes, the people you meet in the grind become your chosen family.

Brian Sparkes, Bill Barry, Jessica Kobilova, David Leibowitz, and Jeremiah Owyang were among the first people who believed in me — before I had a platform, a community, or even a real presence. They put me on panels, featured me on radio shows, and treated me like I belonged long before I felt like I did. That kind of early belief is rare, and it stays with you forever.

Justin Fink, my manager at You.com, gave me the chance to step into a new chapter in my career — and supported me in ways that made the transition not only possible but exciting.

and last but not least, this community of 100k+ founders, VCs, and builders who lift each other every single day.

Thanksgiving is a reminder of the people who make our lives possible:

The friend who introduces you to a room.
The believer who speaks your name when you're not in it.
The people who sit with you in your hardest moments.
The partner who shows you love can be safe.
The friends who open their homes to celebrate your milestones.
The leaders who give you your first chance.
The parents who step in when you need support.

So this Thanksgiving, my hope is simple:
May you feel surrounded by people who see you, support you, and believe in you —
And may you become that person for someone else.
Because the truth is: none of us builds alone, and none of us rises alone.
And the world we’re creating together is so much bigger than any one of us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mariane Bekker

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

We’re working with UCSF Children's Hospital to support the UCSF Cerebral Palsy program, the same program that supported my son and me during our hardest chapter.

Even the smallest gift — the price of a cup of coffee — can change a child’s world.
Help us reach our $3,000 goal. Truly, even $5 makes a difference.

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

Thursday, December 4 - 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

​Start your morning with inspiration, connection, and community at the Women Founders Breakfast — a gathering designed to bring together women leaders, innovators, and investors who are shaping the future of entrepreneurship. Hosted at Focus Innovation Studio, this breakfast offers a relaxed and empowering space to share insights, exchange stories, and build meaningful relationships with fellow founders and supporters in the startup ecosystem.

Thursday, December 4 - 7:00 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! 🍹

Friday, December 5 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​This online workshop brings together immigration attorneys, project developers, and investors to help global founders and professionals understand viable pathways for entering and scaling within the U.S. market.

Wednesday, December 10 - 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.

​Each selected founder will have a few minutes to present their pitch deck, followed by live feedback from investors and startup mentors.

Wednesday, December 10 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​In this session, you’ll discover how to identify scalable growth channels, attract your first users, and convert early adopters into loyal advocates. Through practical frameworks, case studies, and actionable insights, you’ll learn the same lean tactics top growth marketers use to test, iterate, and achieve explosive results on minimal budgets.

Thursday, December 11 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

​In this Founder Deal Lab, we’ll explore proven strategies for converting pilots into multi-year partnerships. Learn how to align technical outcomes with business impact, build strong internal champions, and design pilot structures that set your startup up for expansion.

​Jin Kang, Global Head of Forward-Deployed Engineering & AI GTM at AWS, will share insights from working with startups and enterprise teams worldwide — breaking down how founders can successfully navigate complex sales cycles and scale enterprise adoption.

If you’re a VP in an AI company and would like to speak, reply to this email

Friday, December 12 - 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

​Hosted by Mariane Bekker, Managing Partner of Founders Bay, this exclusive breakfast brings together AI executives, founders, and innovators for meaningful conversations over coffee and freshly baked breakfast pastries, provided by an SF local staple, Sam's Bakery. Guests will discuss the latest trends in AI infrastructure, automation, and enterprise adoption in a collaborative and future focused setting.

The event will be held at the Tesla Showroom on Van Ness, creating a one of a kind environment where innovation and design meet. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore new Tesla vehicles, enjoy a Tesla light show, and sign up for supervised demo drives during or after the event.

Thursday, December 18 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​Building a startup is hard—but building one without a clear go-to-market engine is even harder. In this hands-on Founders Bay workshop, fractional GTM & sales leader Laura Garrison will walk early-stage founders through how to validate their sales motion before investing heavily in tools, people, or processes. You'll learn how selling early—and selling simply—can dramatically increase your odds of traction and product-market fit.

If you’re an investor and would like to speak, reply to this email

Thursday, December 18 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

​Celebrate the season with an exclusive evening of fine dining and high-impact conversations at the Founder/VC Holiday Dinner in San Francisco. This invite-only gathering brings together visionary founders, venture capitalists, and tech leaders to connect over shared insights, emerging trends, and the future of innovation in AI, frontier tech, and startups.

Thursday, January 8 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

​“90 Days to Investor-Ready: Build Your Founder Brand” is a high-impact virtual workshop designed to help early-stage founders build a powerful personal brand that supports fundraising, credibility, and long-term growth. Over 90 days, participants learn how to communicate their vision with clarity, develop a compelling founder narrative, and position themselves as leaders worth investing in.

Wednesday, January 14 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​Led by Ellisha Blechynden, Principal Attorney at Blechynden Legal, this workshop will cover essential considerations for founders, from entity selection and ownership agreements to equity allocation and protecting intellectual property. Ellisha brings extensive experience helping startups navigate the legal and strategic complexities of launching and scaling a company.

Thursday, January 15 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

​Founders Bay presents The Guadalupe Method, a grounding workshop designed to help founders build with clarity, steadiness, and genuine connection. Led by Jason Corder—two-time TEDx speaker, community-builder, and founder of Agencee—this session explores how rooting yourself in the city you’re building in can transform both your leadership and your company’s trajectory.

Tuesday, January 20 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

​Join us for an exclusive evening designed for founders who have raised $1M+ for their current company. This private dinner brings together a select group of high-growth founders, with limited spots reserved for aligned investors looking to connect in a meaningful, intimate setting.

​Enjoy curated conversations, shared learnings, and a panoramic penthouse view—perfect for building relationships that move companies forward.

​This dinner is proudly supported by Fidelity Private Shares.

​Fidelity Private Shares is an all-in-one equity management platform that helps you maintain a clean cap table, an organized data room, and a clear equity story. 

​Members of the Founders Bay community will receive 20% off of any paid cap table subscription plan. You can see an overview of their product here, or you can contact David Santana at [email protected] for more information.

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. I’m also Head of Developer Relations at You.com, and we just raised $100M to grow our AI Search Infrastructure!