Hi Friends,
Funding Breakthrough Lab is offering one founder a full scholarship to their upcoming program, starting in just two weeks. The program focuses on real fundraising strategies, warm introductions, and direct investor access—plus it includes 1 month of VIP membership.
To apply:
• Comment on the LinkedIn post with what you're building
• Tag 3 founders you admire
🔥 Featured Events
March 18 - SF | 5PM - 9PM | AI Startup Pitch Showcase @ Pilot.com
March 19 - Oakland | 2PM - 4:30PM | Women in AI: How Women are Shaping the Future of Ai (The Rise of Agents Series)
March 19 - SF | 6PM - 9PM | The Edge of AI: Builder Night @ Tesla with You.com × Founders Bay
March 23 - SF | 9:30AM - 11:30AM | VC & Founders Breakfast by Founders Bay × You.com
March 23 - SF | 12PM - 3PM | AI Demo Showcase (FREE)
March 25 | Funded Founders Dinner at Millenium Tower Penthouse [For Startups with $1M+ in Funding]
New ✨
We’ve just launched a directory of 900+ VC firms.
You can filter and find the right investors once you become a paid member.
For Women’s Day, we’re offering 70% off — for a limited time.
To Be a Woman
To be a woman is to grow up hearing you are too much.
Too ambitious.
Too emotional.
Too direct.
Too loud.
So you adjust.
Speak softer.
Lead gently.
Succeed — but don’t make anyone uncomfortable.
To be a woman is to walk into rooms and realize you might be the only one like you there.
To be a woman is to be asked questions men rarely hear.
“How will you balance family?”
“Are you sure you want that responsibility?”
To be a woman is to watch your ambition be called ego.
Your confidence, arrogance.
Your independence, threat.
To be a woman is to see your boundaries reframed as betrayal.
And yet…
To be a woman is to refuse to shrink.
To be a woman is to carry a strength the world underestimates.
Strength to endure.
Strength to rebuild.
Strength to keep going.
To be a woman is to create.
Communities.
Companies.
Life.
Sometimes all at the same time.
To be a woman is to show up again — even after being told you were too much.
And maybe that’s the real story of women.
Not that we were ever too much.
But that the world simply wasn’t ready for how powerful we actually are.
✔ Access to every Founders Bay event FREE— private VC roundtables, VIP pitch nights, tech summits, community dinners
✔ Full Investor & Founder Directory — 500+ VCs, investors & operators
✔ Members-Only Tech & VC Whatsapp Community — the most curated and top quality community in SF
✔ Founder Resources & Playbooks — discounts, startup tools
✔ Priority tickets & discounted access to major events
✔ Community + warm intros to founders, developers & VCs
SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO VIP AND GET FREE TICKETS ($200+ Value):
Upcoming Events
AI Demo Showcase (FREE) »
Monday, March 23 - 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Join us on March 23 from noon to 3 PM for an exclusive AI networking and demo showcase, co-located with RSA. Enjoy a keynote on ‘Building What’s Next for Enterprise AI in the Agentic Era’ sponsored by You.com, followed by a delicious buffet lunch while connecting with developers, startups, investors, and corporate executives. Explore the open demo showcase featuring startups and enterprise AI solutions for vertical markets, developer tools, and platforms. Interested in exhibiting or speaking? Contact Angel Launch at [email protected] or 310-621-6850.
We’re looking for VCs who would like to speak. If interested, please reply here.
Wednesday, March 18 - 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Join us for an exclusive evening celebrating the next generation of AI innovation, hosted by Pramanya Guda from Founders Bay. The AI Startup Pitch Showcase brings together visionary founders, savvy investors, and industry leaders to witness cutting-edge AI startups present their ideas, receive live feedback from top VCs, and connect with a curated network of innovators. 🌟
Thursday, March 19 - 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Join us for networking over drinks and appetizers, followed by a conversation with builders, strategists, and investors working at the forefront of AI innovation.
Together, we’ll explore how AI is evolving, where the biggest opportunities lie, and the leadership perspectives driving the next wave of technology.
Thursday, March 19 - 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Join us on March 19th for an exclusive evening of AI insights, featuring a keynote and panel discussion with top AI experts at Tesla Van Ness – SF.
With live music from Bisi Obateru.
Monday, March 23 - 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Join us on March 23 in San Francisco for an intimate VC & Founders Breakfast, bringing together founders, investors, and builders from the AI and startup ecosystem. This morning gathering is designed to spark meaningful conversations, share insights, and create new connections. 🥐☕
Tuesday, March 24 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: 1-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, March 25 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Join us for a weekly check-in for very early stage founders who need a community of peers. Our goal is to create a space for sharing challenges and celebratory moments during this early phase. We will dedicate a portion of the meeting to self-care for high-performance as well. We will meet weekly via Zoom, and will have a monthly in-person meetup. All early stage founders are welcome.
Wednesday, March 25 - 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.
Members of the Founders Bay community will receive 20% off of any paid cap table subscription plan. For more information, you can contact David Santana here: [email protected]
Thursday, March 26 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Building a startup is not just about product and growth—it’s about making smart ownership decisions early. In this interactive virtual workshop, Aleks Gollu, Founder & CEO of 11Sight, will break down how early-stage founders can design a healthy cap table, structure fundraising rounds, and avoid unnecessary dilution as they scale.
Thursday, March 26 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Join us for an exclusive evening where founders meet investors in an intimate, curated setting, hosted by Mariane Bekker from Founders Bay. The Founder × VC Connect: Dinner & Panel brings together visionary startup leaders and top venture capitalists for a night of insights, storytelling, and meaningful connections.
Tuesday, March 31 - 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
If you’re actively investing, you’ll get an investor VIP upgrade email after registration, so you can access all the 1,000+ deal flow and networking at no cost.
– 6+ hours of content sessions & 5+ hours of networking & 15+ VC content sessions (30+ speakers)
– 65+ Zoom breakout rooms hosted by 140+ active VCs, angels, LPs & family offices
Friday, April 10 - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
The only room in Silicon Valley where 300+ global founders, Fortune 500 executives, venture capitalists, and diplomats gather for one purpose: build real partnerships, unlock capital, and accelerate cross-border opportunities—without the fluff.
What should founders actually pay themselves? It’s a common question with no clear answer, since compensation varies widely by stage, funding, industry, and location. To help create real benchmarks, Pilot is running a quick, confidential founder salary study across startups. The survey takes less than 30 seconds, and participants will receive the final report when it’s published. Take the survey and help build better data for founders everywhere.
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💡 Founders Bay is fully built on Lovable.
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Hi! I'm Mariane Bekker. I’m the founder of 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!
Founders Bay curates and shares information about third-party events for informational purposes only. Founders Bay does not organize, manage, operate, control, or guarantee any event listed unless explicitly identified as the host. All event-related decisions, obligations, liabilities, and communications rest solely with the respective event organizers. Founders Bay disclaims all responsibility for changes, cancellations, pricing, speaker participation, venue matters, refunds, or damages arising from event participation. For events hosted by Founders Bay, participation is voluntary. By registering for or attending a Founders Bay event, you acknowledge and agree that you assume all risks associated with attendance and release Founders Bay and its affiliates from liability to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.