Hi Friends,

What. A. Week.
From hosting 5 back-to-back events to speaking at Opal’s Family Office AI Conference, this week was a whirlwind of connection, innovation, and community. We pulled off: 2 AI panels, 2 family office gatherings 1 unforgettable masquerade ball

Huge thank you to my powerhouse co-hosts Kristopher Floyd, David Carvalho (SFVibe), Pauline Chan (Pilot), Andrew Boos (Darwinian Ventures), and Meg Mcwilliams (Gossip Goblin) — couldn’t have done it without you.

Now I’m catching my breath (sort of) before heading to Nashville tomorrow to record a podcast — stay tuned!

Here are a few of our events happening this week:

🚨🚨 Super excited to officially announce FutureFest 2035 — a bold new summit + Alan Walker block party where founders, VCs, and futurists explore what’s next in AI, space, longevity, robotics, and immersive entertainment. If you’d like to apply to speak or demo your cool hardware product, apply here.

🧠 10AM–3PM: Visionary keynotes, panels, and live demos from the pioneers shaping the next decade

🎶 3PM–10PM: Massive Alan Walker Block Party — music, innovation, and future-forward vibes all night

🎟 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Get 20% off with code FUTURE20 — valid for the first 100 tickets or until Monday at midnight

👉 Grab your ticket now before prices go up!

Whether you’re building, investing, or just curious about what’s next — this is where the future gathers.

🔐 Founders Bay VIP Perks This Week

If you're a VIP Member, book your private 1:1 with Jessica North, Partner at Perkins Coie LLP this week:

Not a VIP yet? You’re missing out on:

✓ Monthly Investor Dinners
✓ Weekly Expert Office Hours
✓ Private WhatsApp Community of Founders & VCs

👉 Join Founders Bay VIP today and unlock all-access.

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

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

Tuesday, June 17 - 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​​Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: 2-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.

Friday, June 20 - 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

​We’re hosting an exclusive breakfast at a stunning mansion in Menlo Park, co-hosted by Mariane Bekker and Kristopher Floyd from Founders Bay

​Enjoy coffee, a delicious brunch, and great conversations with others who are working on AI products or exploring new opportunities. Whether you’re just starting or already scaling your AI company, you’ll find a welcoming space here.

Tuesday June 17 - June 19

We’re excited to partner with Human+Tech Week (June 14-20) to explore Human Potential in the Age of AI. Early Bird Discounts are available now, and along with our 20% community discount code, tickets will never be cheaper. Use code “FoundersBay” for your additional 20% off.

This link will automatically add our code (discount visible at checkout): https://lu.ma/humantech?coupon=FoundersBay

Visit the event site for more information on Human+Tech Week, Events, Speakers, and Schedule: https://humantechweek.com

(Remember, discounts are applied at checkout, where you’ll see updated pricing.)

Connect with Human+Tech Speakers, Thought Leaders, and Attendees you want to meet – before the Event! Our agents are happy to assist you – No purchase required: https://humantechweek.com/gobby

Monday, June 23 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Why support art for kids? Too many children are pushed into paths that don't reflect who they are. For creative kids, that pressure can lead to silence, isolation—even despair. Chris Babcock Art Prep gives them a voice, a safe space, and a path to thrive. Supporting this work isn't just about art—it's about saving lives.

Tuesday, June 24 - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Technological innovation—particularly in robotics—is transforming industries at an unprecedented rate. Staying ahead of these changes isn't just advantageous; it's critical for your future relevance and success.

​At the FUTURECRAFT 2035 Robotics Showcase, we're making cutting-edge strategic foresight accessible to everyone. Strategic foresight is a structured approach to exploring future scenarios, identifying emerging trends, and preparing proactively for disruption.

Thursday, June 26 - 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

​Join us for the Deep Tech Pitch Competition hosted by Mariane Bekker from Founders Bay, where the boldest startups in science and technology share their groundbreaking ideas. This event brings together entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts to explore the future of deep tech—think AI, robotics, biotech, space tech, and other world-changing innovations.

Friday, June 27 - Saturday, June 28

Excited to be an official partner of the AI for Good Summit + Demo Day, June 27–28 held at Stanford University. Join 800+ AI startup founders, investors, engineers, and innovation leaders for two days of keynotes, panels, startup pitches, and networking on campus.

🎯 60+ startups showcasing world-changing AI solutions over 2 days
🎯 300+ investment firms invited from top VC firms and emerging funds
🚀 Industry leaders from NVIDIA, Stanford, Visa, Google, and more are sharing insights. 🤝 Exclusive networking opportunities with innovators, founders, and visionaries.
📍 2-day immersive experience on Stanford campus

🎟️ Get your ticket now: https://lu.ma/mfhjupbv • Early Bird 2-Day Pass: $99 (until June 16, 11:59 PM PT)

💥 Use code FOUNDERSBAY25 at checkout for an extra 25% off 🔗 Register here: https://lu.ma/mfhjupbv

Wednesday, July 2 - 5:00 PM - 8:00 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.

Saturday, July 5 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM

​Step into the future this July 5 at FutureFest 2035 — an immersive daytime conference designed for founders, VCs, and futurists exploring what’s next in AI, space, longevity, robotics, and the future of entertainment.

Don’t miss out on these exciting new offerings! Upgrade your membership today and take your involvement to the next level.

Subscribe To Growth Access and get free tickets to: Founders Bay Virtual Workshop - Changing the Landscape of GTM Tech, Founders Bay Virtual Workshop - Future Proof your Business with AI Strategy,

Subscribe To VIP Access, get all the workshops above for free and get free tickets to: Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: 2 Hour Block Legal Advice, Founders Bay: AI Founders & VC Breakfast @ Luxury Menlo Park Mansion "The Deck House", Deep Tech Pitch Competition @ Perkins Coie, Founders & VC Happy Hour @ STAK Space

👉 The New NORMAL: Normalizing AI Enterprise Architecture (1PM-5:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hosted by OPAQUE, this is a pre-conference workshop designed to supercharge your AI agent development from prototype to production. Learn as they walk you through the NORMAL Stack—a six-layer blueprint for secure, observable, production-grade AI.

👉 YC AI School Afterparty @ Anthropic HQ (5PM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 If you are a student building at the frontier of AI, join us to learn more about Anthropic's leading family of models, connect with peers, and hear from our research team about what’s top of mind and how we can help bring your AI-powered ideas to life.

👉 SF Awesome AI Dev Tools - June (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover the latest AI developer tools and meet fellow builders in SF. Great for getting new ideas and practical insights for your next project.

👉 GenAI Model Training & Inference Innovators Night (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us on June 16th at the AWS Startup GenAI Loft in San Francisco to learn and discuss how to build and deploy the next generative AI model, hosted by the AWS GenAI Team.

👉 collage club: featured artist night (6PM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Bring or make a collage to display at Bazaar Cafe for a month long collective collage show! We will have tags to make a label/plaque for your art for the display in addition to our usual collage ephemera & supplies.

👉 Ai x Web3 Meetup (6PM-8PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Story is partnering with Solayer and Fuzzland to host a meetup for builders, students, and anyone curious about blockchain and AI technology in Palo Alto! We will also have some snacks and drinks to make it extra fun! Come hang out at Story HQ.

👉 FC SF • Founders Run & Coffee! (7AM-9AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Kick off your morning with a group run followed by casual coffee chats. Great way to meet fellow startup enthusiasts before the workday begins.

👉 HUMAN+TECH SUMMIT: Human Potential in the Age of AI (9AM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A full-day summit exploring the intersection of human potential and AI innovation. Includes exclusive experiences for VIPs and builders.

👉 AWS AI Hack Day Micro Conference (9:30AM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an incredibly engaging day at the AWS Loft. A full-day AI hackathon and micro-conference focused on collaboration, innovation, and hands-on AI development. Ideal for devs and builders.

👉 Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: 2 Hour Block Legal Advice (10AM-12PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 An online legal clinic led by Jessica North of Perkins Coie offering direct startup legal advice. Perfect for founders facing key legal decisions.

👉 AI/ML Infra Meetup with Meta, Inferless, DDN & Alluxio (Sunnyvale, CA & Virtual) (4:30PM-8PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Hear insights from top engineers about large-scale AI/ML infrastructure. Learn about LLM serving, storage, and production ML systems.

👉 AI Founders, Researchers, & Investors Mixer (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A mixer to bring together AI founders, researchers, and investors. A casual evening networking event for AI builders and backers. Enjoy food, drinks, and good conversations.

👉 Realtime AI Meetup (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Voice AI developers, founders, and enthusiasts. Explore cutting-edge speech models with expert panels and demos. Food, networking, and AI showcase included.

👉 June 2025 Event: Agent vs Agent: The Future of AI-Powered Cyber Warfare (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 What happens when the battlefield is AI vs AI? A deep dive into the world of autonomous AI agents in cyber defense and offense. Explore what's next for AI in cybersecurity.

👉 AI Talks at Qlay with Experts from Amazon, Waymo and Intuit (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A gathering connecting enterprise leaders with AI startup founders. Industry leaders discuss trends in AI adoption, innovation, and investment. Hosted by Qlay and partners.

👉 How Search Powers Public Good + Agents & MCP with Mastra (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for a meetup at Elastic's SF office. Talks and networking focused on search technology, AI agents, and their public-good applications. Pizza and refreshments provided.

👉 [SF] AI After Hours w/ Encord (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Connect with fellow AI enthusiasts at GitHub HQ. An informal gathering of AI professionals with talks, community vibes, and pizza. Great for post-work AI conversations.

👉 Stateful Agents Meetup: Vibecoding full-stack agentic apps (5:30PM-6:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Charles Packer for a live demo on agent development. Learn how to build full-stack AI agent apps using no-code prompting on the Letta SDK. Live demo includes agent memory, tools, and app deployment.

👉 Operationalizing AI Agents in Production (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Meetup on scaling and deploying AI agents effectively. Discover best practices for resilient, observable AI pipelines in production. Enjoy technical talks, food, and drinks with peers.

👉 build no code ai agents with lindy ai @ studio 45 (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hands-on event for building and demoing no-code AI agents. Open to both new and experienced Lindy users.

👉 World Summit AI - SF (9AM-5:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join the leading global summit series on AI, bringing together top minds from around the world. Expect inspiring talks and thought-provoking discussions on building a human-centered AI future.

👉 SF Coffee Club | Early-Stage B2B Vertical AI Founders & Funders (10AM-11AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A casual meetup for early-stage founders and funders focused on Vertical AI. Sip coffee, network, and connect with fellow enthusiasts and investors.

👉 AI Founders Lunch - Discuss GTM & Scaling (12PM-2PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A small, curated lunch for seed-stage founders to discuss real-world growth challenges and marketing experiments. Share insights on scaling your startup post-PMF.

👉 AI Hack Night at GitHub (4PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hack, build, and network at GitHub’s vibrant space in SF. Collaborate with developers to explore AI’s potential and create impactful solutions.

👉 AIBrix & vLLM - A new open source toolkit for scaling GenAI inference at scale (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Meet the vLLM community and learn from experts at Bytedance and AWS about efficient LLM inference. Dive deep into talks and practical insights for scaling GenAI.

👉 AI Circle x Appen: Experts in the Loop (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Explore how human insight ensures safer and more responsible AI. Hear from leaders at major tech companies and connect with peers in AI governance.

👉 MCP Server Builder Series (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join hands-on talks and demos on Model Context Protocol (MCP) server development. Connect with fellow developers sharing experiments and practical lessons.

👉 Scaling AI That Works: Real-World Architectures & Success Stories (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Dive into real-world architectures and strategic frameworks aligning AI with business outcomes. Expect actionable exercises and expert speakers.

👉 Building AI to Remember: Engineering AI Memory (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover how to design AI applications with memory. Learn from four builders tackling this critical aspect of AI.

👉 OutPro + StartOut + Out in Tech | SF PRIDE 2025 Mixer @ 111 Minna (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Celebrate SF PRIDE with networking, art, and community at 111 Minna Gallery. Connect with LGBTQ+ professionals and entrepreneurs in tech and business.

👉 AI Startups Night in SF. Speakers: Pramod Gosavi and Jimmy Zhu, Senior Principals, Blumberg Capital (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An evening for AI founders and investors to connect over food and ideas. Enjoy a fireside chat with Blumberg Capital’s senior principals on the B2B AI landscape.

👉 GenAI with The Giants - Cohere x Invisible (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Watch a Giants baseball game from a luxury suite while networking with AI leaders. Discuss transformative GenAI applications with Cohere and Invisible.

👉 AI Startup School Afterparty (Unofficial, Hosted by Stanford Founders) (6PM-8PM)
📍 Stanford
💬 Unofficial afterparty for AI Startup School attendees hosted by Stanford Founders. Expect chill vibes, live demos, and good conversation.

👉 dev_night(25): build + secure AI Agents (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn best practices for building and securing AI Agents from industry experts. Engage in 1:1 conversations and share your views on this evolving field.

👉 AI Agent Founder Dinner (6:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A ticketed dinner for leading AI Agent founders to tackle hard technical and strategic questions. Share experiences and challenges with peers over a curated meal.

👉 Thought Leadership Dinner "The Role of Memory and Retrieval in Agentic AI" (6:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An exclusive dinner hosted by Unusual Ventures for engineering executives. Dive into strategic discussions on memory-rich architectures in agentic AI.

👉 Monthly Small Business Office Hours (at Excelsior) (10AM-3PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Get help with starting, managing, or growing your small business. Meet with an SBDC advisor for free guidance and resources.

👉 12 (scrappy) AI Founders Talking First Customers (5PM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Early-stage founders and investors share wins and mistakes in getting first customers. Network and learn practical tips on acquiring early users.

👉 Monthly Robotics & AI Meetup - Public (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 See live robotics demos and join hands-on tinkering with other hardware and AI enthusiasts. Swap ideas and showcase your own robot or project.

👉 ETHGlobal SF Happy Hour June (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Connect with the SF crypto community over drinks and casual conversation. A chill evening to meet other builders and blockchain enthusiasts.

👉 Secrets of AI Go To Market - 0 to $100M at Glean with AJ Tennant (Head of Sales @ Glean) (7PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn how to scale an AI-native company from zero to $100M ARR from Glean’s Head of Sales. Enjoy an intimate dinner and AMA with proven sales insights.

👉 Go Tech Yourself (8PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Pitch your worst app idea and watch improv comedians bring it to life on stage. A unique comedy show mixing tech fails and live unscripted fun.

👉 Mtn View Bootstrappers Breakfast at Red Rock Coffee (In Person) (7AM-8:30AM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Connect with other bootstrapped founders over morning coffee. Share ideas, challenges, and advice in a relaxed breakfast setting.

👉 Founders Bay: AI Founders & VC Breakfast @ Luxury Menlo Park Mansion "The Deck House" (10AM-1PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Menlo Park
💬 Meet AI founders and investors over brunch at an exclusive Menlo Park mansion. Enjoy good food, coffee, and great conversations to spark new ideas.

👉 Famm Fest (5PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Celebrate Pride with LGBTQ+ professionals, entrepreneurs, and allies. Enjoy entertainment, networking, and fun activities in a vibrant community atmosphere.

👉 YC* AI Startup School Afterparty (5:30PM-10:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An intimate afterparty for YC AI Startup School attendees and young founders. Talk projects, share knowledge, and enjoy drinks with fellow builders.

👉 San Francisco, CA: Premium Bootcamp (JUNE 2025) [ABCs Of Attraction] (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join an immersive social skills bootcamp with lectures and live practice. Gain confidence, real-life experience, and personal feedback over multiple days.

👉 AI Insiders: Cybersecurity (6PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An invite-only salon focused on AI’s impact on cybersecurity. Meet builders, researchers, and investors shaping the future of digital defense.

👉 London AI Nexus in SF (6:30PM-10PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 London’s AI community touches down in San Francisco for an evening of drinks and connections. Mingle with YC founders and AI professionals from both cities.

👉 San Francisco Healthcare, Pharma & Business Networking Event (7PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Connect with professionals in healthcare, pharma, and business industries. Build relationships and discover new opportunities to grow your network.

👉 Leela Improv Community Jam (Fri-062025-San Francisco-CA) (7:30PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join a fun improv jam open to everyone, from newbies to pros. Play games, laugh together, and build community through improvisation.

👉 ai + lab auto 24hr hack @ studio 45 (9:30AM-2PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 We're bringing together the best of the Bay Area AI, hardware, and bio communities to explore solving challenges in lab automation. Expect to work with cutting-edge lab tools like liquid handlers and robotic microscopes.

👉 BASH- Bay Area & Sacramento Short Film Festival 2025- Part 1- PLUS (11AM-5PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 BASH is a semi-annual film festival showcasing Bay Area and Sacramento-made shorts, from epic comedies to dramas and documentaries.

👉 Climate Picnic: 🌱 Building Community Around Local Climate Action in the Bay Area 🌱 (1PM-4PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for a low-pressure picnic—bring vegetarian snacks and a blanket, and discuss local climate action in a relaxed, community-focused environment.

👉 YC AI Startup School | AI Mixer & Hackathon @ DraperU (1:30PM-6:30PM)
📍 San Mateo
💬 Come meet YC AI Startup School attendees and chill with AI folks while brainstorming and building cool projects. This event has a fun, low-pressure vibe with 5 hours of hacking, networking, and chill hangouts.

👉 SF 30s/40s Mixer at the de Young Museum (4PM-6:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore the de Young Museum with fellow creatives and art lovers, followed by drinks at a nearby bar. Meet professionals, enjoy great art, and network with fellow 30s/40s professionals.

👉 Agentcies.co - Agents for Ai Native Companies (Launch Event Party!) (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Agentcies.co is launching a platform for AI-powered solopreneurs and small businesses, providing personalized AI agents that never need a break. Come to learn how these agents can revolutionize your customer support, ticketing, and knowledge management.

👉 SOULSTICE (7PM-2AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Celebrate the solstice with purposeful play, flow props, and incredible DnB performances, featuring Substance from Shogun Audio.

👉 Longevity Summit @ Viva Frontier Tower (10AM-5PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore the latest trends and breakthroughs in longevity biotech with top experts and innovators. Get hands-on with free health tests and interactive exhibits.

👉 FAST TAKEOFF: Deep Tech Week Opening Party (5PM-2AM)
📍 Alameda
💬 It's the opening party of SF Deep Tech Week held aboard the USS Hornet organized with Navier. Kick off SF Deep Tech Week with a massive party on a historic aircraft carrier. Experience hardware demos, investor talks, and live music late into the night.

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.