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- Upcoming Founder & VC Events Happening This Week
Upcoming Founder & VC Events Happening This Week
Upcoming Events & How To Find A Technical Co-founder & The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds
Mariane Bekker
October 13, 2024
Table of Contents
Featured Events
Want us to feature your event on the list? Add it here
October 7th - October 21
SF Blockchain Week seeks to provide world-class education for both consumers and developers with the goal of pushing the boundaries of blockchain innovation.
October 15 - 9AM - 6:30PM
Join Women In AI and Women Founders Bay for a breakfast and co-working day!
October 17
Discover how top leaders from Microsoft, Bayer, Flagship Pioneering, and the creators of PyTorch or Kubeflow are shaping next-gen data infrastructure to power Generative AI.
October 18th - October 20
ETHGlobal San Francisco is an event bringing together some of the top minds and experts in Ethereum Ecosystem to San Francisco. We enable teams to make something great in only 36 hours by providing an abundance of web3 resources like mentors, partners, and software. Sleeping is optional, but trying something new is not!
October 23rd - 5PM - 9PM
Join us for an exclusive beta launch of our upcoming 3-month mastermind group, designed specifically for founders like you. This 2 hour event is a chance to meet other committed founders and learn in a confidential, supportive environment how to grow your startup.
October 23rd - 7PM - 9PM
We’re hosting an exclusive dinner for early to mid stage Web3 x AI founders, co-hosted by Mariane Bekker from Founders Bay, and OpenServ. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow Web3 and AI founders and learn about the cutting-edge technologies being developed in the Web3/AI space.
Join our Founders Community
🚀 Elevate Your Access with A Membership Tiers!
Price: $12/month Unlock a range of benefits to supercharge your networking and event participation:
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🎁 Special Offer Expires Tomorrow: Join our All Access Membership FREE for 7 Days and receive free tickets to one of your choosing: Seed Funding Mastermind, Women in AI Dim-sum brunch
🎁 Special Offer Expires Tomorrow: Join our Premium Membership receive free tickets to ALL OF THESE: Seed Funding Mastermind, Women in AI Dim-sum brunch, Retrieve X - The Data Conference
Don’t miss out on these exciting new offerings! Upgrade your membership today and take your involvement to the next level.
Want to add your event to the list? Submit it here.
🗓️ Monday, Oct 14
👉 Founder's Mental Health: Innovation & Well-being (2:30 PM - 5:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an engaging discussion on mental health tailored for founders and innovators.
👉 AI Fusion (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Is San Francisco an AI or blockchain city? Why not both? Explore the fusion of AI & blockchain at this crossover mixer, where we dive into how AI & web3 complement each other.
👉 AI Builders Night @ Zoom HQ (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 Zoom Developers are excited to come back for our October Meetup at our HQ. This time we will be having LlamaIndex and QDrant. For this upcoming meetup, in addition to insightful talks, we’ll also be hosting lightning demos where attendees will showcase AI-powered use cases they’ve built using Zoom’s Developer Platform.
👉 SF Web3 Founders, Builders & Operators Mixer (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Ready to connect with the brightest minds in the San Francisco Web3 scene? 🔥 Join us for an evening of networking, insights, and next-level conversations about the future of web3.
🗓️ Tuesday, Oct 15
👉 Founders Run & Coffee! (7:00 AM - 9:00 AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Founders Common & Founders Run Club for an early morning run with other founders, operators & creatives! Come run and then hang out afterward to chat & network with new friends across the startup community over coffee.
👉 Gen AI Developer Day (9:00 AM - 7:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Gen AI Day focuses on introducing and deep-diving into the fundamentals of Generative AI, including basics, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and agent-based models.
👉 Women in AI Dim-sum Brunch & Co-working & Happy Hour Day (9:00 AM - 6:30 PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 San Francisco
💬 Please join the Women in AI Club community for an amazing brunch and co-work with female founders, builders, and investors!
👉 Business Transformation with AI Enablement (4:00 PM - 7:30 PM)
📍 Los Gatos
💬 Business Transformation with AI Enablement
👉 Stress-Proofing Your Startup: Building Resilience for Founders #SFTechWeek (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 San Francisco
💬 This workshop is designed to equip founders with practical coping skills rooted in emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, mindfulness, and breathwork.
👉 Between Two Founders #3: Mercury Co-founder & CEO Immad Akhund (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Mercury co-founder and CEO Immad Akhund sits down with Jeff Seibert, co-founder and CEO of Digits, to share behind-the-scenes challenges while building a category-defining company.
👉 UNICORN CUP Startup Pitch Event for North American founders (5:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 – Global Startup Pitch Contest where famous international VCs and Business Angels meet extraordinary startups from all over the world!
👉 AthenaDAOLabs Pop-Up: Panel on Menopause and Ovarian Aging (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for drinks as we talk menopause, ovarian aging and more with some of the biggest names in the space.
👉 ODSC & Google Cloud AI Meetup in San Francisco (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Get ready for an exciting fall lineup of Google Cloud AI events! Whether you’re joining us virtually or in person, each event offers a unique opportunity to network, learn, and engage with fellow AI enthusiasts and Google experts.
👉 The AI Hustle: Happy Hour for Startup Founders & VCs (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Calling all AI founders in San Francisco! 🧠 Join us for an evening of networking, learning, and fun as we connect with fellow founders, explore fundraising strategies, and discover the latest advancements in AI. 📈
👉 Laugh GPT: Comedians Vs. A.I. Comedy Night (FREE WITH RSVP) (7:00 PM - 10:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 The robot revolution is upon us, and they've infiltrated the world of comedy! Join us for "Laugh GPT," the AI-powered comedy show that might just be humanity's last stand-up hurrah.
🗓️ Wednesday, Oct 16
👉 SignalFire AI Lab Live - Vertical AI (5:30 AM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Prepare yourself for an engaging panel discussion with founders who are building the playbooks for the next generation of Vertical AI Businesses!
👉 #ProductCon San Francisco: The Largest Product Conference (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Organized by Product School and structured around the hottest topics in Product, ProductCon takes place four times per year in San Francisco, New York, London, and Online, and gathers over 15,000 product professionals from all over
👉 Silicon Valley Founders' Networking Mixer (2:00 PM - 5:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an evening of innovation, collaboration, and networking at our upcoming event!
👉 AI Pioneers Summit by Decibel and Latent Space (3:00 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 We will be welcoming a select group of pioneers ranging from startup founders building at the cutting edge of the technology to tech leaders deploying this technology in Fortune 500 production environments.
👉 Crypto Underground: ETH Global SF Kickoff (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Crypto Underground is back! We're excited to kick off Pragma and ETH Global, two big events for crypto builders. Join us at the House of Web3 for a fun night celebrating the Ethereum community in the city of innovation. Whether you're here to hack, find teammates, or just meet new people, this is the place to be. Get ready for a night of networking, creativity, and good vibes as we get ready for ETH SF!
👉 Oakland/East Bay Nonprofit Tech Club OCTOBER Meetup (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 Oakland
💬 Join us to meet fellow nonprofit tech folks to share ideas, resources, and build community. Everyone who lives or works in the area is welcome! Temescal Brewing is a 5-minute walk from MacArthur BART.
👉 The PayFi Revolution: Where Crypto Meets Commerce (5:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 While global commerce drives most financial transactions, the Web3 space has seen limited innovation in this area. PayFi is set to change that landscape. Join us for an insightful evening exploring PayFi, co-hosted by Superteam DAO and Solana Foundation.
👉 CX Happy Hours 2.0 by TSOW x Albus #SFTechWeek (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 📢 CX leaders & executives in the Bay Area, this evening is all about you!
👉 For The Rebels - San Francisco (6:00 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 For The Rebels brings together bold, rebellious thinkers to exchange ideas and foster innovation. These casual, no-judgment events feature networking, inspiring conversations, and fireside chats with successful founders. Now, it's your turn to join this dynamic community!
👉 Baltic Tech and AI Happy Hour (6:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Get ready to mingle and raise a glass at the Baltic Tech and AI Happy Hour!
👉 SF Black MBA Regional Pitch Challenge and Women in Tech Panel (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an exciting evening of innovation, entrepreneurship, and inspiring stories at the SF Black MBA Regional Pitch Challenge and Women in Tech Panel! The event will bring together the brightest minds and most daring entrepreneurs from the San Francisco Bay Area, showcasing startups and celebrating Black women leaders in the tech industry.
👉 Web3 | AI Pitch (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 #buildweek has arrived! Whether you're building the next DeFi protocol, innovating in NFTs, or launching the latest blockchain infrastructure, this event is an opportunity to pitch or share a demo to a room full of industry leaders, potential users, and fellow innovators!
👉 Blitzscaling and Beyond: Real World Insights Post-PMF Journey (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 In this talk, Clement dives into a case study for a publicly-traded fintech B2B SaaS product company: why blitzscaling originally worked for that company, when & why it stopped working, and a framework for how to gracefully transition away from blitzscaling tactics.
👉 AI + Health Demo Night (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Demo spots will be given first to Healthcare Leaders & Clinicians actively using AI to enhance their practice, but may also be complemented by ML engineers, founders, and more showing how they are using new AI tools across Health and Biomedicine.
👉 SF Bay Area Tech AI Startup - DinnerGroup (7:00 PM - 10:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join this Tech and Business dinner group for conversation about Tech AI & Startups and meet new friends.
🗓️ Thursday, Oct 17
👉 AthenaDAOLabs Pop-Up: Breakfast (8:00 AM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for coffee and croissants as we talk longevity with GlycanAge. GlycanAge is the only biological age test that accurately measures your unique response to life changes. Discover your biological age and make lifestyle improvements.
👉 RetrieveX - The GenAI Data Retrieval Conference (10:30 AM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join RetrieveX, the top conference in retrieval for GenAI. Exclusively for those building high-accuracy, multimodal workflows, featuring leaders from Microsoft, Meta AI, Bayer Radiology, YCombinator, Flagship Pioneering, Lepton AI, Expanso, Omneky, Cresta, along with the co-creators of Chameleon, PyTorch, CAFFE, & Kubeflow.
👉 Autotech Science Fair Expo (1:00 PM - 4:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Welcome to the Autotech Council Science Fair! Join us for an afternoon of innovation and discovery as OEMs, vendors, tech companies, and industry hopefuls exhibit side by side to introduce the latest automotive technology to strategy, R&D, scouting, and partnership executives from across the industry.
👉 Right Sizing Your AI Solution (2:00 PM - 11:30 PM)
📍 Fremont
💬 Join Ampere and ASA Computers on October 17 for an insightful conversation on AI innovations.
👉 TLS: How Data Centers Pave the Way for a More Sustainable World (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 At this event, we will bring together designers, operators, policy, innovation, and energy providers to discuss the opportunity for this industry to lead the way to a more sustainable future in California and beyond.
👉 San Francisco Fashion Week: FASHION TECH Conference (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 This conference brings together the brightest minds at the intersection of fashion and technology, creating a platform where innovation meets style.
👉 SF Speaker Event ~University Recruiting in the Age of AI (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Women in Recruiting join Talent Collective for a panel discussion with Amanda Richardson, CEO of Coderpad, and Ashley Santos, Head of Candidate Experience at Databricks on how organizations are adjusting their university recruiting strategies to meet new demands.
👉 AI Innovation: Enterprise Mixer + Startup Showcase (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Join us for an exciting evening of networking and innovation, with special guests from Kazakhstan's most promising AI-driven startups across various industries, including Logistics & Operations, Customer & HR Management, Cybersecurity, and Professional Services.
👉 Heavybit DevTool Sessions (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Just last month, we celebrated the 150th and final episode of Jamstack Radio. Well our long-time friend and advisor
👉 GenAI Salon with Jerry Liu & Ben Firshman (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for the 2nd ever GenAI Salon, with Jerry Liu (CEO at LlamaIndex) and Ben Firshman (Founder & CEO at Replicate), at the new W&B offices!
👉 HR Happy Hours 3.0 by TSOW x EngageWith #SFTechWeek (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Meet 30+ HR professionals in 90 minutes
👉 CSA San Francisco Chapter Meeting Oct 2024 (5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Join us at Endor Labs for an exciting in-person event filled with networking opportunities, insightful discussions, and industry updates.
👉 Agrifood and Carbon - Key Global Challenges & The Role of Data Science (6:00 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 Oakland
💬 Breakthroughs in Agrifood technology are occurring worldwide, with new chemical processing and biotech innovations combining with automation and AI to give traditionally expensive solutions a chance at profitability. These new solutions are also more sustainable, gaining the attention of investors supporting the latest climate initiatives.
👉 AI Leaders HH Series: The AI Infrastructure Stack (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Braintrust for a curated evening of drinks, great food, and better conversation with your fellow engineering & product leaders building with Generative AI.
👉 WomenTech Connect San Francisco 2024 (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 WomenTech Network and New Relic are proud to host this speed networking event designed to connect professionals and companies exchanging information to support career growth and business opportunities.
👉 “Generative AI & The Future of Innovation" (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 We are thrilled to share that Women Of MENA In Technology Bay Area is hosting their next in-person event
👉 The Battery Saloon Halloween Edition- Shocktober (6:00 PM - 10:00 PM)
📍 Redwood City
💬 This Halloween, The Battery Saloon invites you to an electrifying event that sheds light on how battery safety challenges shape the industry and market.
👉 The X Factor - Your Personal Brand Story with Donna Griffit (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Los Altos
💬 I want to invite Bay Area-based female founders to a Women of Wisdom workshop, "X factor - Your Personal Brand Story", on October 17.
👉 AI Healthcare & Life Sciences - Private VC / Startup Mixer (6:30 PM - 9:30 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 We are Open Future Forum. We are leaders, investors, founders, and engineers based in the Bay Area CA. Life Sciences and Health Care startup with more than $1m in funding and or $20k + MRR. Life Sciences and Health Care VC. Life Sciences and Health Care Professional.
👉 Algorythm+ | Intro to Emotion AI (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Emotion AI, also known as affective computing, is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on developing systems capable of simulating human emotions.
👉 Go Tech Yourself (8:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for this one-of-a-kind improv comedy show where tech meets comedy in the most ridiculous way. Whether you're a tech geek or just love a good laugh, you won’t want to miss this night!
🗓️ Friday, Oct 18
👉 ETH Global San Francisco (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 ETHGlobal San Francisco is an event bringing together some of the top minds and experts in the Ethereum Ecosystem to San Francisco. We enable teams to make something great in only 36 hours by providing an abundance of web3 resources like mentors, partners, and software. Sleeping is optional, but trying something new is not!
👉 Silicon Valley Bootstrappers Breakfast at Red Rock Coffee (9:00 AM - 10:30 AM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Come join entrepreneurs who eat problems for breakfast®. At a Bootstrappers Breakfast®, we have serious conversations about growing a business based on internal cash flow and organic profit: this is for founders who are actively bootstrapping a startup.
👉 Democratizing AI Infra - MLOps Community (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for the next MLOps Community meetup in San Francisco at the AWS GenAI Loft. Our theme, "Democratizing AI Infra," promises to spark engaging discussions and insights from industry experts. Whether you're a machine learning engineer, data scientist, or data engineer, this is your chance to connect with fellow professionals and dive into the latest in AI and MLOps. Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your horizons and have some fun while you're at it!
🗓️ Saturday, Oct 19
👉 CASPA 2024 Annual Conference and Dinner Banquet (9:00 AM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Santa Clara
💬 This year’s theme is “DEMOCRATIZING AI: How The Semiconductor Industry Powers AI As A Universal Utility.” The event will feature a lineup of industry executives, leaders, and pioneers already confirmed, with more to be announced. Prepare to be surprised and inspired by the visionaries shaping the future of technology.
👉 TEDAI For Good Hackathon is Back Too! (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Our AI For Good Open Source Hackathon is an exciting competition that provides an opportunity for participants to showcase their coding skills, collaborate with fellow developers, and create innovative AI-based solutions, all to promote the purpose of promoting open-source applications of AI to urgent societal or environmental issues.
👉 Pawsomic Saturday: Paws and Their Founders (10:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Our speaker is the co-founder of Petcube, who will share their incredible journey of how they identified opportunities in the booming pet industry, made their way into YC, and shifted their focus from hardware to software.
👉 Open Source Conversational & Multi-modal AI Hackathon (11:00 AM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Pipecat.ai, Daily, and our fellow sponsors are excited to bring you the Real-Time Voice and Multimodal AI hackathon, with a focus on Open Source developer tools.
👉 GenAI in the Valley: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (12:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 As a renowned deep-tech modern media, Valley 101’s award-winning podcasts and video programs have produced several viral hits over the past year, gaining widespread industry attention.
👉 Salon in the Park: AI x Dignity (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 This Salon in the Park event, hosted by the SuperHuman Society in the beautiful backdrop of Alamo Square Park, invites you to engage in conversation among participants as we explore the potential effects of AI on the dignity of humans, our cultures, and the natural environment.
👉 CMU San Jose AI Forward _ Explore, Engage, Enroll (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this event is perfect for anyone interested in AI. Come meet top AI experts in the tech industry, our faculty, and the CMU Team. Learn about our courses, and discover the endless possibilities AI has to offer. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your AI knowledge to the next level!
🗓️ Sunday, Oct 20
👉 Vertical Specific AI Agents Hackathon (10:00 AM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 CreatorsCorner, collaborating with Sambanova Systems, Prem, Marly, Senso, and others enthusiastically welcomes individuals and teams to join our hackathon! Seize this opportunity to create cutting-edge solutions that enhance human potential through AI-
🗓️ Monday, Oct 21
👉 AI Investors & Networking (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Come and Meet Featured investors
Featured investor: Domenic Giovanzana VC @ Pathfinder Ventures (HPE)
👉 AI, Collaborative Decision Models, and Visual Search 🔍 (BrAIN + Poshmark) (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 Redwood City
💬 We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming BrAIN event, co-hosted by Poshmark! This in-person gathering will feature two exciting talks that delve into the cutting-edge of AI and decision-making models.
🗓️ Tuesday, Oct 22
👉 TED AI San Francisco 2024 (9:00 AM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 2 days of TED Talks, panels, and interactive sessions. The history of AI is being written now. Join the conversation, because we ain't seen nothing yet. Connect with pioneers, trailblazers, doers, builders, dreamers, and leaders to better understand where AI is headed and its profound impact on our civilization, industries, communities, institutions, and culture.
👉 CoS SF Mixer (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Come connect with other CoS in San Francisco for a special night of connection and learning!
👉 Compound AI Systems: October/MTV (6:30 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Join experts in data and AI for an in-person deep dive into AI infra on October 22. Gain invaluable insights from pioneers shaping this cutting-edge field. Don't miss this chance to expand your knowledge, network, and stay ahead. Secure your spot for this exclusive gathering of AI infra leaders and enthusiasts.
👉 Algorythm / Upskilling in AI for Absolute Beginners (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Algorythm for an exhilarating and interactive lecture crafted especially for absolute beginners! This session will break down the complexities of AI and equip you with the essential knowledge to start your AI adventure.
🗓️ Wednesday, Oct 23
👉 Implementation in Business | San Francisco (10:00 AM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses that harness the power of AI are leading the way in innovation, efficiency, and growth. This workshop is designed to give you the tools and insights to integrate AI into your business strategy, transforming how you operate and make decisions. Whether you’re looking to stay ahead of the competition or explore the full potential of AI, this training will help you take that crucial next step.
Whether you're a small startup or a large corporation, this event is perfect for anyone looking to stay ahead in the digital age. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from the best in the field!
👉 SF Golden Hour Tech Girl Walk (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Tired of tech networking events that are 90% men, where you are forced to qualify yourself? Tired of not having your voice heard? Toast's member meetups are the opposite of your usual tech meetup! Connect with women and non-binary folks in tech who meet you where you are.
👉 Silicon Valley Space Week: Data Centers in Space (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join NTT's Silicon Valley ecosystem partners, venture capitalists, early adopters of emerging technology in industry, and Dr. Leon Alkalai CEO for Mandala Space Ventures in an interactive discussion about the opportunities for efficient and extensive data center growth in space.
👉 Seed Funding Mastermind Group (5:00 PM - 9:00 PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an exclusive beta launch of our upcoming 6-month mastermind group, designed specifically for founders like you. This one-day event is a chance to meet other committed founders and learn in a confidential, supportive environment.
👉 Pre Next.js Conf Meetup (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Kick off Next.js Conf with Strapi, Mux, Neon, and Makeswift! Join us for talks, networking, and chats about all things web!
👉 Engineering Career Happy Hour feat. ngrok creator Alan Shreve (5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for a chill happy hour event hosted by SignalFire, featuring special guest Alan Shreve, Founder of Ngrok, a tool used by millions of developers every day. In this event, Alan will share his engineering journey and talk about his experience bootstrapping and transitioning from full-time engineer to CEO. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in discussions, ask questions, and network with other engineers in a casual setting. This event aims to provide valuable insights and strategies for engineers at various stages of their careers who are looking to advance their professional growth and explore new opportunities.
👉 Brex Connect SF 10/23 (6:00 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 This isn't your typical networking event; our goal is to make space for meaningful connections, learn from each other, and move each other forward.
👉 Tech and Business Networking | Elevating Your Potential - SF (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Strive welcomes you to 'Tech and Business Networking', San Francisco's hottest networking event! We are set in the perfect central location in North Beach for all to join.
👉 Cup of Courage: Creativity (Fireside Chat & Networking) (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 _Encouraging exploration of creative passions and authentic self-expression, especially in the face of criticism or self-doubt._
👉 Menlo Park Tech + Startups Social (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 Menlo Park
💬 Join us for the Menlo Park Tech + Startups Social!🍸🎉
🗓️ Thursday, Oct 24
👉 Out in Tech Bay Area | Peninsula | Bi-Monthly Mixer (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Join us at Joe's & the Juice in Palo Alto every third Thursday, bi-monthly, join us at Joe's for exciting networking with Out in Tech members! This is the perfect opportunity for professionals in the Peninsula and South Bay area to connect, share ideas, and build meaningful relationships.
👉 AI in Marketing (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Bringing together founders and marketers.
👉 11th Peninsula Climate Coffee and Happy Hour (5:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Redwood City
💬 All climate fixers, domains are welcomed to socialize, eat, drink, and partner.
👉 FemTech Happy Hour (5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
📍 null
💬 Join us for a special FemTech Happy Hour in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We are gathering the FemTech community of the Bay Area at the beautiful Eve Wellness location in San Francisco for an evening of light bites, refreshing drinks, and meaningful conversations. Whether you're a founder, investor, or passionate supporter of women's health, this is an opportunity to connect, share insights, and expand your network. Come with an ask – our community is here to support you! This event is brought to you by Strawberry Health, a women's hormonal care company, and Eve Wellness, a state-of-the-art, FDA-approved ultrasound imaging clinic with a soothing, spa-like environment. We look forward to an inspiring evening of connection and collaboration.
👉 SF Startup & Tech Mixer (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 As seen in Entrepreneur Magazine. We’re SF's premier tech networking event with one of the largest membership groups in Southern California and growing every month! Don't miss this opportunity to meet your next big business connection!
👉 AI & Tech Networking (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 null
💬 Meet and network with tech & AI professionals, founders, and investors. Pitch to the audience with your project and seize your chance to dive into the world of AI technology and venture capital.
👉 Founders & VCs: Business Models To Drive Revenue MedTech, Biotech & AI Panel (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Founders & VCs: Business Models To Drive Revenue MedTech, Biotech & AI Panel. Join us for an exciting evening focused on the latest business models driving revenue in MedTech, Biotech, and AI. Connect with industry leaders, visionary founders, and top investors as we explore how innovative strategies are transforming the healthcare technology landscape.
🗓️ Friday, Oct 25
👉 Tech Weekend | San Francisco | Oct 2024 (9:00 AM - 5:00 AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Founders Village is a close-knit community that exclusively exists to support founders. We are based in San Francisco, Bay Area. Over 2.5 years, we've cultivated a close-knit, give-first culture where most founders regularly attend and actively contribute. Our signature event Tech Weekend repeats every 5 weeks. Tech Weekend attracts founders from 20+ US states and 15+ countries, mostly aged 25-55, from solo founders & scientists to CEOs of 150 people companies.
👉 AI Enterprise Forum (9:00 AM - 6:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 We are giving you a first look at a new technology with our AI partner where startups can pitch to an AI Digital Twin of an actual Investor. You can give 2 minutes to pitch the Digital Twin investor from the stage who will ask questions. See if you can impress the Digital Twin AI Investor to get a meeting with the real investor. We will select two startups who pay to pitch for $395 or higher for this high-profile opportunity.
👉 Central Eurasia @ Silicon Valley 2024 (10:00 AM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Are you curious about the next wave of global unicorns? Look no further than Central Eurasia! The first-ever Central Eurasian Technology Conference is coming to the heart of San Francisco, and you're invited.
👉 Startup Co-working Day at Intercom (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for a co-working day with founders and investors in Intercom's canteen space.
👉 Dream Bigger Challenge: Filipino Americans Pitch Competition (2:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 The Dream Bigger Challenge is a pitch event showcasing Filipino Americans uplifting lives through startups.
👉 Getting to Wow! Silicon Valley Pitch Secrets: A Workshop for Entrepreneurs SF #TechWeek (3:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Bill Reichert, one of Silicon Valley's most prominent venture capitalists and General Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures, with $2 billion under management, is joining us for an exclusive class on mastering the art of pitching. Bill and Pegasus have invested in over 250 startups, including SpaceX, Impossible Foods, SambaNova, Airbnb, 23andMe, and over 20 other unicorns.
👉 AI/Journalism Hackathon at UC Berkeley: Harnessing AI to Enhance Trust and Deepen Engagement in Local Communities (5:30 PM - 4:00 PM)
📍 Berkeley
💬 Join Hacks/Hackers and UC Berkeley Journalism for a dynamic weekend that will unite journalists, documentary filmmakers, technologists, and designers to explore this question. Our audience needs accurate information to make important decisions about their lives and communities. Yet, AI-generated content will make it increasingly difficult for the public to distinguish between authentic and artificial content.
🗓️ Saturday, Oct 26
👉 AI Summit Fall 2024: AI for Everyone | Silicon Valley and Online (8:00 AM - 6:30 PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 At TechEquity Ai, we believe that AI is for everyone. As a community-focused AI non-profit, our mission is to democratize access to AI knowledge and applications. The AI Summit is your chance to explore how to use, build, govern, and empower AI, especially in C-suite initiatives.
👉 Out in Tech SF Bay Area | East Bay: Halloween-Themed Board Games Social (2:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
📍 Fremont
💬 Play with Out in Tech friends! Or come chill for the afternoon. Halloween-themed - costumes optional, spooky drinks and snacks encouraged! Bring your own game or choose one of the house’s over 20 games - Catan, Monopoly, Splendor, and more. Decks of cards and poker chips available.
🗓️ Sunday, Oct 27
👉 Official Opening Event for TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 - Sweat & Sparks: BeActive SF (12:00 PM - 1:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Kick off TechCrunch Disrupt with a healthy start—a fun social workout! Come connect with some of the best founders and investors while sweating out the weekend’s indulgences!
👉 Disrupt 2024: Climate Hackathon (Hack the Climate for a Sustainable Future) (12:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 It all starts with humanity acknowledging, learning about, and taking action in the fight against climate change. Want to get involved on a deeper level and contribute your experience, skills, and knowledge in developing innovative climate solutions? Join together with other climate-minded humans and hack for a sustainable future!
🗓️ Monday, Oct 21 to Sunday, Oct 27th Events
How to Find a Technical Co-Founder: A Step-by-Step Guide
By Mariane Bekker
I have spent over ten years leading engineering teams in the Bay Area and ran a recruitment agency for engineers for three years. I understand how important it is to find the right co-founder for your startup, so I’m excited to share some steps to help you on this journey.
Step 1: Build a Candidate Profile
a) Define Your Tech Stack
To find the right technical co-founder, you first need to determine your tech stack and have a general idea of what programming languages you will use. Engineering specialties are similar to medical specialties; each engineer has a specific area of expertise. Choosing the wrong specialty can lead to suboptimal results for your product.
Start by deciding what you will build for your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and the engineering role you need to hire for:
Web App
A web app is an application that can be accessed through a web browser.
Popular Languages:
JavaScript (React, Vue.js, Next.js): Used for building interactive user interfaces.
Python (Django, Flask): Common for backend development due to its simplicity and effectiveness.
Engineering Role: Full-Stack Engineers can help you build this.
Mobile Web App
A mobile web app is a web application that can be viewed on a phone’s browser. You can reuse the same codebase as the web application but with different styling for mobile.
Engineering Role: Full-Stack Engineers can help you build this.
AI Tooling
AI tooling refers to applications that use artificial intelligence for data analysis, machine learning, or automation. Founders often use these tools for chatbots or recommendation systems.
Popular Languages:
Python: The primary language for AI development due to its rich libraries like TensorFlow and PyTorch.
R: Often used for statistical analysis and machine learning.
Engineering Role: ML/AI Engineer.
Mobile App (Native)
These are applications built specifically for iOS or Android platforms, taking full advantage of device features.
Popular Languages:
Java: Used for Android app development.
Swift: The primary language for building iOS applications.
Engineering Role: iOS Engineer or Android Engineer.
Mobile App (React Native)
This type of application is built using React Native, allowing you to maintain a single codebase for both iOS and Android.
Popular Languages:
JavaScript: Used with React Native for building cross-platform apps.
Dart: Used with Flutter for creating natively compiled applications.
Engineering Role: React Native or Flutter Engineer.
b) Choose a Seniority Level
Assess the level of experience and expertise required for the role:
1-3 Years:
Title: Founding Engineer (5-10% equity)
Details: Suitable for early-stage startups; they can help build prototypes and experiment with ideas.
4-7 Years:
Title: Technical Co-Founder or Lead Engineer (10-20% equity)
Details: Ideal for managing product development and integrating AI features.
8+ Years:
Title: CTO or Chief Architect (20-30% equity)
Details: Expert in scaling products and strategic planning; well-connected in the industry.
Once you have defined the engineering role and experience level, you can create a specific candidate profile. For example:
Example Profile: A Full-Stack Engineer with 3+ years of experience in React and Node.js, a background in healthcare, and experience at an early-stage startup.
Step 2: Set a Compensation Package
Baseline Structure
When setting compensation for your co-founder, consider the following options:
Equity Only: 20% (post-MVP) to 40% (pre-MVP) with a 2-4 year vesting period and a 1-year cliff.
Equity + Salary: 15%-30% equity plus a salary range of $50k-$100k, with the same vesting terms.
Equity + Deferred Salary: 15%-20% equity plus a salary based on experience, for example:
$100k for candidates with less than 2 years of experience.
$150k for candidates with more than 2 years of experience.
Key Notes
Compensation is more than just salary; consider the total value offered, including equity and other benefits.
Be clear about what you expect from candidates and the support you can provide.
Step 3: Create an Enticing Job Description
For an early-stage startup, it’s beneficial to create an executive summary that you can share with potential co-founders. This summary should include exciting information about your startup and can be shared easily with interested parties.
Include the Following in Your Executive Summary:
Mission Statement: What is your startup’s purpose?
Product Overview: What are you building?
Reasons to Join: What makes your company a great place to work?
Team Composition: Who is already on the team?
You can also include your job description within the executive summary. Your job description should cover:
Company Mission: A brief overview of your vision.
Link to Executive Summary: Direct candidates to the summary.
Role Responsibilities: What will the co-founder do?
Requirements: What skills and experience are needed?
Benefits: What can you offer to attract candidates?
Example of an Executive Summary
(Provide an actual example here if desired.)
Step 4: Promote the Role & Network
Now that you have your executive summary, it’s time to promote the job.
a) Post Your Job Descriptions on Job Boards
Share your job postings on popular platforms like:
LinkedIn Jobs
WellFound
HackerNews
Indeed
b) Proactive Outreach
Use LinkedIn to send InMails and connect with engineers who fit your profile. Use the search bar to find candidates by typing keywords like “full-stack engineer” and filtering by People. Send connection requests to message them for free.
LinkedIn also has an “#opentowork” filter to find candidates actively seeking new opportunities.
For more advanced searching, consider subscribing to "LinkedIn Recruiter Lite," which allows you to look for engineers with specific tech stacks.
Example Message:
“Hi Anna, I’m the founder of Gem AI, a pre-seed startup building the most accurate accounting AI agent out there. I’m looking for a technical co-founder to help build our web app, and your experience with full-stack applications is a great fit. We are about to close our seed round from top-tier investors so now is a great time to join. Book time with me here to learn more: calendly.com/anna.”
c) Attend Events & Networking Opportunities
Participate in relevant events such as:
AI conferences
Development tooling events
Hackathons
Co-founder matching events
Industry-specific meetups
Tips for Networking:
Introduce yourself and explain your mission.
Ask what type of engineering work they do.
Inquire if they have experience in startups.
Determine if they are currently looking for a job.
Step 5: Design an Effective Interview Process
Here’s a typical structure for an engineering interview:
Initial Call (60 minutes):
Sell them on your mission and team.
Understand what they are looking for in a role.
Assess culture fit and align on compensation.
Technical Screens:
Coding Exercise (1 hour): Evaluate their coding skills.
Design System Exercise (1 hour): Assess their ability to design scalable systems.
Project Review (1 hour): Discuss previous projects they have worked on.
Project Management Review (30 minutes): Gauge their project management capabilities.
Hiring Mishaps:
Be cautious of these common pitfalls when hiring a technical co-founder:
Lack of startup experience.
Experience limited to outdated technologies (e.g., .NET/Java/C#).
Only leadership experience without technical skills.
Poor communication abilities.
Hiring a mobile engineer when you need a full-stack engineer.
Candidates with only machine learning or AI experience.
Finding a co-founder is a crucial step for your startup. By following these steps—building a candidate profile, creating a clear job description, conducting a targeted search on LinkedIn, and staying engaged—you’ll be on your way to finding the right partner for your venture.
If you need more tips & tricks, you can book an initial startup consultation with me: https://calendly.com/marianebekker/consultation 🌟
The Week 10 Biggest Funding Rounds
1. Form Energy, $405M
Sector: Renewable Energy
Details:
Raised a $405 million Series F led by T. Rowe Price.
Developing and commercializing multiday energy storage systems.
Based in Somerville, Massachusetts; founded in 2017.
Total funding raised: $1.5 billion in equity and grants.
2. City Therapeutics, $135M
Sector: Biotech
Details:
Launched with a $135 million Series A led by Arch Venture Partners.
Building a product engine for RNAi therapeutics across multiple diseases.
Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
3. EvenUp, $135M
Sector: Legal Tech
Details:
Raised a $135 million Series D led by Bain Capital Ventures.
Valuation exceeds $1 billion.
AI-powered platform for the personal injury sector.
Founded in 2019; total funding raised: $235 million.
4. AtVenu, $130M
Sector: Event Management
Details:
Raised $130 million from Sixth Street.
Provides payments and inventory logistics software for live events.
Founded in 2012; total funding raised: $161 million.
Based in San Clemente, California.
5. Maven Clinic, $125M
Sector: Healthcare
Details:
Raised a $125 million Series F funding round led by StepStone Group.
Valued at $1.7 billion.
Partners with employers and health plans for clinical support.
Founded in New York; previously raised $90 million in Series E.
6. Auger, $100M
Sector: Supply Chain Management
Details:
Launched with a $100 million seed round led by Oak HC/FT.
Founded by Dave Clark, former CEO of Amazon’s worldwide consumer division.
Developing an AI-powered tool for inventory management.
Based in Bellevue, Washington.
7. Cytovale, $100M
Sector: Health Diagnostics
Details:
Raised a $100 million Series D led by Sands Capital.
Focused on detection technologies for fast-moving and immune-mediated diseases.
Founded in 2013; based in San Francisco.
Total funding raised: nearly $229 million.
8. Glooko, $100M
Sector: Healthcare
Details:
Secured a $100 million Series F led by Georgian.
Integrated digital health platform for patients and healthcare providers.
Founded in 2010; total funding raised: $301 million.
Located in Palo Alto, California.
9. Toca Football, $100M
Sector: Sports
Details:
Raised approximately $100 million from various investors.
Offers training centers and entertainment venues for soccer.
Founded in 2016; based in Costa Mesa, California.
Total funding raised: more than $240 million.
10. Imprint, $75M
Sector: Payments
Details:
Raised a $75 million Series C led by Khosla Ventures.
Valued at $600 million.
Creates co-branded credit cards.
Founded in 2020; total funding raised: $202 million.
Located in New York.
10. Judo Bio, $75M
Sector: Biotech
Details:
Launched with $100 million in initial financing, including a $75 million Series A.
Developing oligonucleotide medicines delivered to the kidney.
Co-led by Atlas Venture, Droia Ventures, and TCG.
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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.