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Hi everyone!
Sorry for the delay with this week’s newsletter. I’ve been splitting my time between the hospital and preparing for Burning Man with my Titanic’s End camp, so life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately!
We’re hosting two big events next week:
☀️ Founder & VC Breakfast: Marketing and Growing Your AI Startup, featuring marketing leaders from LinkedIn, Cisco, and AGI.
🚀 Our first You.com SF Hackathon, bringing together 200+ builders, followed by an after-party at the Bank of Amador!
Thank you for your patience, and I hope you’re all having an amazing summer.
Here’s what’s happening in the community this week! ✨
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This Week's Journal
You Can’t Outrun the Past
We all carry ghosts of the past.
A relationship that ended before we were ready.
A friendship that quietly faded.
A dream that never happened.
A version of ourselves we thought we’d become.
I used to think life was like a race.
If I worked harder, moved faster, or made better decisions, maybe I could outrun my mistakes. Maybe I’d get far enough ahead that the past would stop catching up.
But that’s not how life works.
You can’t go back and unrun the road that brought you here.
The conversations you wish had gone differently. The relationships that ended. The opportunities you missed. The moments you wish you had handled with more grace. They become part of your story, not because they define you, but because they shaped you.
For a long time, I spent energy trying to rewrite chapters that had already been written.
Eventually, I realized something freeing: the goal isn’t to erase the past. It’s to build a future that’s bigger than it.
Every difficult experience teaches us something if we’re willing to listen. Heartbreak teaches us what we value. Failure teaches us resilience. Loss teaches us gratitude. Every chapter, even the painful ones, gives us tools we didn’t have before.
The past doesn’t disappear. It becomes part of the foundation you stand on.
So instead of asking, “How do I get away from this?” try asking, “What can I build because of this?”
You don’t need to outrun your past.
You only need to keep moving forward.
The future isn’t created by pretending the past never happened. It’s created by carrying its lessons without carrying its weight.
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 | | Founders Bay Virtual Workshop: AI-Native Transformation: Tips & Pitfalls | | Virtual · Tue, Jul 21 · 11AM-12PM PT | | FREE | | View event → |
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|  | | Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: Startup Advice With Mariane Bekker | | Virtual · Tue, Jul 21 · 3PM-5PM PT | | FREE for VIP | | View event → |
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|  | | Founders Bay: Virtual Investor Pitch Session | | Virtual · Mon, Jul 27 · 10AM-11:30AM PT | | FREE for VIP | | View event → |
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|  | | Founders Bay Virtual Workshop: Selling in the Age of AI | | Virtual · Tue, Jul 28 · 10AM-11AM PT | | FREE | | View event → |
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Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: Startup Advice with Mariane Bekker
Tue, Jul 21 · Paid event FREE for VIP
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Founder/VC Breakfast: Marketing and Growing Your AI Startup
Wed, Jul 22 · Paid event FREE for VIP
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Founders Bay: Virtual Investor Pitch Session
Mon, Jul 27 · Paid event FREE for VIP
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AI Breakfast @ Tesla hosted by Founders Bay x You.com
Wed, Jul 29 · Paid event FREE for VIP
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AI Innovators Pitch Competition @ Brex
Thu, Jul 30 · Paid event FREE for VIP
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Women Founder & VC Meetup @ Hustle Fund
Wed, Aug 5 · Paid event FREE for VIP
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In-person events in San Francisco — VIP members attend for free
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 | | Founder/VC Breakfast: Marketing and Growing Your AI Startup | | SF · Wed, Jul 22 · 10AM-1PM PT | | FREE for VIP | | View event → |
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|  | | Funders & Founders Happy Hour | | SF · Thu, Jul 23 · 6PM-9PM PT | | FREE | | View event → |
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|  | | You.com Agentic Hackathon @ AWS Builder Loft | | SF · Fri, Jul 24 · 10AM-8:30PM PT | | FREE | | View event → |
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|  | | Step Into the Titanic @ the Bank at Amador | | SF · Fri, Jul 24 · 9PM-12AM PT | | FREE | | View event → |
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| | | Step Into the Titanic @ the Bank at Amador | | SF · Fri, Jul 24 · 9PM-12AM PT | | FREE | | View event → |
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|  | | The New Builder Playbook: Women Leading in the AI Era | .local Build Fest Week | | SF · Wed, Aug 12 · 5:30PM-8:30PM PT | | FREE | | View event → |
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|  | | Step SF 2026: the AI & Tech Startup Festival | | SF · Thu, Aug 27 · 9AM-8PM PT | | FREE for VIP | | View event → |
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More This Week
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The Top 100 AI VCs Directory
A hand-researched directory of the 100 most active AI investors — check sizes, stage focus, partner emails, recent AI deals, and warm-intro paths. Delivered as a sortable XLSX + designed PDF.
| ✓ 100 active AI funds |
✓ Partner emails |
✓ Warm-intro paths |
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Free tickets and members-only guides — yours when you're a VIP
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📚 Featured Playbook
From Profile to Influence — Master LinkedIn Branding
Turn your LinkedIn profile into a deal-flow engine — attract investors, customers, and operators on autopilot. 30-page PDF with audit checklist.
$9 · Free for VIP members
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