Hi,

I am currently in NYC for Opal Group Family Winter Forum Family Office conference.

This week, we have a bunch of exciting events:

💸 Fund Update: We are finalizing our thesis and starting our fund modeling process. If you have any advice let us know! If you want to co-invest with us, apply here to be a limited partner » This is your chance to be part of something big — your support and involvement are key to our collective success. We’re all in this together!

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

Thursday, March 13 - 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM PDT

Join us for a pitch event for innovators in deep tech and frontier technology, hosted by Kristopher Floyd and Mariane Bekker from Founders Bay.

​​We are featuring extraordinary AI and Deep Tech startups with traction, raising their seed rounds, taking the stage to showcase their companies and compete head-head.

20% Discount Code: FoundersBay

Friday, March 14 - 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM PDT

Are you a leader or a manager? Let's make you the leader who inspires organizations to crave a new culture of innovation and high performance.

Are you a 2015 KIA or a 2025 KIA? When you become an inspirational leader you change your company's image.

Kimberly will inspire and guide you to becoming that leader.

This is a highly interactive workshop offered at a significant discount.

Friday, March 14 - 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Why This Event?

​✅ Highly Curated Audience – AI startup founders, VCs, and decision-makers shaping the next generation of AI infrastructure.
✅ Exclusive Setting – Hosted at GPU House, an AI innovation hub in Silicon Valley, ensuring high-value conversations.
✅ Engaging & Interactive – Beyond the panel, we’re fostering connections with a networking dinner, drinks, and a fun GPU-themed challenge designed for founders and investors to engage informally.

Tuesday, March 18 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​Ever wanted to create your own chatbot but thought it was too technical? This beginner-friendly workshop will show you how to build a functional chatbot using Google Cloud - no coding experience required!

Wednesday, March 19 - 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​Are you building an AI agent for your startup? Join Miles Maggio for an interactive Founders Bay Expert Office Hours session, where you’ll get tailored advice on strategies, development, and scaling.

FOUNDERS25 for 25% OFF the early bird ticket.

March 27, 2025

Join us for a transformative event designed to inspire and guide women on their financial journeys.

Participate in a full day of impactful sessions, including fireside conversations, intimate panels, and engaging discussions with curated peer-to-peer matchmaking.

Walk away richer in knowledge, community, and resources.

Take steps immediately after the event with your Wealth Creation Toolkit. This includes priority-setting exercises, diagnostic worksheets, a resource directory, and various tools and books by our speakers to support you on your journey.

Saturday, April 5 - 7:30 PM

Join us at The Masonic on April 5, 2025, for a magical evening of outstanding musical performance and powerful storytelling, all benefiting UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

Enjoy an incredible lineup with Grammy Award-winning blues virtuoso, Gary Clark Jr.; singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter; and supercharged Oakland band of siblings MeloDious.

Be inspired by internationally bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin; and celebrated scholar, writer, and researcher Cat Bohannon.

👉 Based Rollup Summit (10AM-6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Taiko takes over the Exploratorium for a full-day deep dive into based rollup innovation. Connect with top minds in the Ethereum ecosystem in an exclusive setting.

👉 Open Source AI Summit SF (11:30AM-5:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 KryptoPlanet’s 5th Open Source AI Summit returns, co-hosted with NEAR AI and key industry sponsors. Expect insightful talks, networking, and complimentary food and drinks.

👉 ETHSF Opening Ceremony (3PM-6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Kick off ETHSF with discussions at the intersection of Ethereum, AI, and biotech. A rare chance to engage with industry leaders before major tech conferences.

👉 Happy Hour: A Conversation on Women’s Health & Sexual Wellness (5PM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An intimate panel on fertility and sexual health with leading experts. Hosted at Catbird, this event fosters connection and empowerment in a sophisticated setting.

👉 Qdrant AI Builders: Show & Tell @ AWS Loft (5PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A showcase of AI and vector search innovations at AWS Loft. Meet industry experts, explore real-world applications, and network with leading AI professionals.

👉 Biomixer @ World Agritech/Foodtech 25 (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A premier networking event at World Agri-Tech and Food-Tech, uniting biotech founders, investors, and industry leaders to foster innovation and collaboration.

👉 The Tech Giveback (Bay Area Community) (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Connecting young leaders with top entrepreneurs, investors, and VCs. This event fosters inclusion and bridges the gap between Silicon Valley and underrepresented communities.

👉 Designing for Good: How Storytell is Building Humane AI (6PM-7PM)
📍 Remote
💬 Learn how Storytell is designing AI with ethical principles, prioritizing human well-being. This interactive workshop explores the balance between technology and trust.

👉 NEAR AI Paper Club -s1: Simple Test-time Scaling (6:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A discussion on "s1: Simple Test-time Scaling," an innovative method to enhance language model performance. Join AI researchers and enthusiasts for a deep dive.

👉 Based Brunch Meetup @ ETHSF (11AM-3PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Connect with fellow builders, founders, and innovators in the Base ecosystem over a brunch designed to fuel both body and mind. Enjoy gut-healthy and brain-boosting foods while discussing the future of Base.

👉 Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: Marketing Advice with Bryce Parrish (1PM-4PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Get expert marketing advice from Bryce Parrish on brand positioning, customer acquisition, and scaling strategies. Receive personalized feedback and data-driven tactics to grow your startup.

👉 AI Agents in Web3: Building the Decentralized Intelligence Layer (3PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hosted by Blink AI & Verisense at House of Web3, this event explores AI-driven crypto innovations. Meet industry leaders and developers shaping decentralized intelligence.

👉 Community Day @ Stanford (4:30PM-5:30PM)
📍 Stanford
💬 Where Ethereum meets academia and startups. Engage with researchers, builders, and investors to explore decentralized technology innovations.

👉 Open Lakehouse Meetup | Mountain View (5PM-9PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Join data practitioners and developers in exploring the open lakehouse paradigm, featuring technologies like Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, and Apache Spark.

👉 AI Leaders Chat at Cloudflare (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hear industry leaders discuss AI strategy, challenges, and future innovations. Enjoy networking, food, and insights from top AI executives.

👉 Private VC / Startup Wine Tasting Mixer (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A private networking event for founders with $100k+ ARR or $500k+ funding. Connect with investors from Bay Bridge Ventures over fine wine.

👉 Accelerating Agentic AI Adoption: Overcoming Challenges and Pitfalls (5PM-7PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Explore the future of Agentic AI with industry experts, discussing technical complexities, ethical considerations, and adoption strategies.

👉 AI on the Edge: Powering Intelligence Beyond the Cloud (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn about Edge AI advancements with Qualcomm Technologies, EyePop.ai, and Neo4J. Discuss AI-driven innovation beyond the cloud.

👉 AI Marketers San Francisco (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Network with marketers, founders, and investors at this AI-focused event. Enjoy discussions on AI-driven marketing strategies and innovations.

👉 Founders & Funders | Mar 11 (5:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 Connect with early-stage tech founders and investors at this community-driven mixer hosted by IgniteGTM. A great space for collaboration and networking.

👉 AI Dev Tool Demo Night & Networking @ AWS Gen AI Loft (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover the latest AI dev tools and APIs. A great opportunity to showcase your company’s API/SDKs and network with industry leaders.

👉 South Bay Systems Meetup: Replace TCP in the Datacenter (6PM-8PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Stanford professor John Ousterhout discusses why TCP is outdated for datacenter use and introduces the Homa protocol as a replacement.
💬 Taiko takes over the Exploratorium for a full-day deep dive into based rollup innovation. Connect with top minds in the Ethereum ecosystem in an exclusive setting.

👉 Humane Tech Meetup: Building Momentum for Change (3AM-5AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 How do we turn ideas into action? Join us for a collaborative session on championing a shift toward humane technology and making lasting change in your teams, organizations, and communities.

👉 Explore UK Agri-Tech: Innovations and Opportunities Breakfast (8:30AM-10AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn about the UK’s world-leading Agri-Tech ecosystem and investment opportunities. A UK Agri-Tech specialist will host a fireside chat, sharing insights into innovation, sustainability, and commercialization in agriculture.

👉 The Roadmap to Scaling w/ AI a breakfast with Deel, SVB & a16z (9AM-11AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join founders, investors, and AI leaders for a laid-back breakfast panel on using AI to scale startups. Expect real discussions on what works, what’s hype, and how to grow smarter, not just faster.

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop - R&D Tax Credit (10AM-11AM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Learn how your business can save money with the R&D Tax Credit. This workshop will break down who qualifies, eligible expenses, and how to apply—helping you maximize potential savings.

👉 Stanford Blockchain AI Summit (10AM-6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Bringing together industry and academia, this summit explores AI research and its intersection with Ethereum, featuring discussions with startups, researchers, and innovators shaping the future.

👉 Lunch & Learn: Accelerating Front-End Development with Autonomous Agents (12PM-2PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hosted by Commit & Autonomy AI, this session explores how AI Agents can accelerate front-end development, providing valuable insights and real-world applications.

👉 Road to Mainnet: The Rise of Decentralized AI Agent @ Eth SF (4:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore the future of decentralized AI agents with 0G. This event features three panel discussions on AI, blockchain, and decentralized systems, bringing together key industry players.

👉 Slovak Tech Conference (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover Slovakia’s emerging tech scene, featuring innovative startups in AI, sustainability, and digital security. The event brings together Slovak and U.S. investors and entrepreneurs.

👉 Connecting Perspectives: A Human-Centered AI Conference (5PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A discussion-driven event exploring ethical AI, human values in tech, and the role of AI in society. Expect collaborative dialogue, networking, and actionable insights.

👉 Databricks DevConnect I Mountain View (5PM-9:30PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 A technical meetup for data engineers hosted by Databricks, featuring deep dives into data engineering, AI, and analytics through discussions and hands-on learning.

👉 Minds of AI Meetup: Building Private, Scalable AI (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A practical developer meetup on private AI solutions. Learn how to build scalable AI using organizational data without moving or transforming it, featuring insights from MindsDB experts.

👉 Platform Engineering (6PM-8:30PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Explore how modern platforms can be scalable, resilient, and adaptable. Connect with industry experts and learn strategies for building the platforms of the future.

👉 AI For Marketers #24 (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn how AI tools like ChatGPT, Hugging Face, and Midjourney can transform marketing. Discover AI-driven content generation, automation, and strategies to optimize digital marketing.

👉 📚 Short Story Symposium [public] (6:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A discussion group focused on speculative fiction exploring alternative worlds. Featuring works by authors like Ted Chiang and Ursula K. Le Guin, with a focus on social commentary.

👉 Hardware Dinner | Wildfire Tech @ Studio 55 (SoMa) (6:30PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An intimate hardware-focused dinner for deeper networking and discussion among tech enthusiasts, featuring curated guests and three-course dining.

👉 Artificial Art – AI vs Human Composers (6:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A live performance game show testing your ability to distinguish between AI and human-composed music, blending live performances with interactive audience participation.

👉 AI Agent Founder Dinner (6:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A small, invite-only dinner for AI founders focused on agent applications. A space to share challenges, learnings, and strategies with fellow builders.

👉 Road to Overflow SF with Sui & Walrus (9AM-3PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 As part of ETHSF'25, join us for Road to Overflow, a technical deep dive and hackathon prep session designed to help developers get ready for Sui Overflow 2025—Sui’s global virtual hackathon with $500,000+ in prizes across 8 tracks. ETHSF'25 is a decentralized, week-long event series across the Bay Area, bringing together blockchain, AI, and d/acc communities.

👉 LeadiQ's Innovation Summit (10AM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 This exclusive invite-only event was created to bring together the best and brightest to share in a small group setting their vision for the future and how data, AI, and technology are solving the most pressing problems in B2B.

👉 <d/acc day> @ UC Berkeley (10AM-5:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Led by Vitalik Buterin, d/acc is his vision for a more thoughtful approach to technological acceleration—one that prioritizes decentralization, defense, and democracy. This event focuses on advancing technology without concentrating power.

👉 Making a break into AI Venture Capital: Live Networking in San Francisco (10:30AM-12PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Founders Creative for a live session on investing in AI startups. We will discuss the industry, evaluating startups, and investing in the next generation of AI unicorns. This session is for accredited investors with a minimum $100K investment.

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop: Funding Fundamentals – Valuations, Raising Capital, and Investment Strategies (11AM-12PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Raising capital is one of the most critical—and complex—challenges founders face. This workshop provides a solid understanding of financial essentials to drive successful fundraising and strategic growth.

👉 Nebius AI Cloud Unveiled - San Francisco Meetup (1PM-6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Be among the first to experience Nebius AI Neocloud—an NVIDIA-accelerated AI cloud platform—with exclusive free GPU credits to test drive its capabilities, including a new text-to-image AI Studio.

👉 AI PitchForce & Conference (HYBRID) (2:30PM-6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 If you would like to pitch at this event, purchase a ticket and submit your pitch deck. Early bird pitches range from $200-$600. The event features investor Q&A, feedback, and demo tables for in-person attendees.

👉 Thursday Crypto Run and Coffee - ETH San Francisco (4PM-5PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join a 30-45 minute social run around the Presidio, followed by coffee and networking at the House of Web3. Every attendee receives an official POAP to commemorate the experience.

👉 Powering AI and ML with Metaflow (5PM-8:30PM)
📍 Los Gatos
💬 Join Outerbounds and Netflix for an evening of talks, food, and networking on the latest in ML, infrastructure, and generative AI. Speakers from Flexport, Masterclass, and Netflix will share insights.

👉 Wine & Dine with AI Revenue Leaders (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An exclusive invite-only event for C-Suite Revenue Executives to discuss how today’s leaders leverage AI in go-to-market (GTM) strategies.

👉 South Bay Startup Founders Meetup (5PM-8PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 A networking event for early-stage founders, entrepreneurs, and startup enthusiasts to exchange knowledge, gain feedback, and collaborate on ideas.

👉 The Chai Room: Bay Area Edition (5:30PM-9PM)
📍 Oakland
💬 A space for South Asian wxmn creatives to connect over chai, lo-fi music, and a little shopping in celebration of Women’s History Month.

👉 AWS AI Meetup - Nova Networking Night (5:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join AWS for a discussion on Amazon Nova Foundation Models and their real-world applications, followed by an open forum and networking.

👉 Groq Developer Meetup (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Meet fellow developers and learn how Groq is helping build faster and better LLM applications. Enjoy pizza, drinks, and hands-on demos.

👉 Data Agents #2: Driving GTM Innovation with AI-Driven Accuracy (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A discussion on how AI is transforming GTM strategies, with insights into AI-driven sales forecasting, market insights, and customer engagement.

👉 AWS AI Meetup - Nova Networking Night (5:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join AWS for a discussion on Amazon Nova Foundation Models and their real-world applications, followed by an open forum and networking.

👉 Breaking into Selling to the Government: Why It Matters & How to Win (6:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 ​💡 Unlock $1M+ in Non-Dilutive Capital & Navigate the Path to Government Partnerships

👉 Onchain and AI - Building The Future on Base (5:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A panel session on the intersection of blockchain and AI, featuring insights into building within the Base ecosystem and networking opportunities.

👉 Founders Bay AI and Frontier Tech Pitch Night (5:30PM-8PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 San Francisco
💬 A pitch event featuring AI and Deep Tech startups with traction, raising their seed rounds, competing for investor attention and funding.

👉 Crypto & AI Builders Meetup in SF (ETH SF) (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hosted by Monad and Electric Capital, this meetup brings together crypto and AI builders for a discussion on why AI needs blockchain and future opportunities.

👉 San Francisco Bootstrappers Breakfast Startups (7AM-8:30AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A casual gathering for entrepreneurs to discuss challenges, exchange ideas, and network over breakfast.

👉 Making a break into Venture Capital: Live Networking (10AM-11:30AM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 A session on investing in AI startups, evaluating opportunities, and navigating venture capital. For accredited investors.

👉 Useful Agents Hackathon w/ NEAR AI, SF Compute & Electric Capital 💻 (10AM-2PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A 24-hour AI agent-building sprint with a $20K prize pool and startup-focused challenges. No blockchain required.

👉 Decentralized AI Day (3PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A gathering of open-source AI enthusiasts to explore decentralized AI and its impact on the future.

👉 Sonoma AI with Wine (4:30PM-6:30PM)
📍 Santa Rosa
💬 A private AI meetup with food, wine, and talks on generative AI, knowledge graphs, and tech development.

👉 The AI Engineering & Investment Summit (5PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A networking event for AI engineers, investors, and innovators discussing AI-driven industry demands.

👉 AI Titans Hillsborough Mansion Dinner with BlackRock @ PaleBlueDot GPU House (5PM-8:30PM)
📍 Hillsborough
💬 An exclusive AI networking event for top founders, VCs, and investors at a private mansion.

👉 Pi Day Reunion (5PM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A gathering of MIT alumni and tech professionals celebrating Pi Day with networking and pie.

👉 Happy Hour & Wrap-Up Social @Eth SF (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A closing social event for ETH SF attendees to reflect on key takeaways and discuss Web3 innovations.

👉 ETH SF After Hours with Crypto Underground X Stand with Crypto Cali Tour (6PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A final ETH SF gathering uniting crypto leaders, policymakers, and Web3 enthusiasts for networking and action.

👉 AI For Good Hackathon (9AM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join this hands-on event to learn AI agent building and help NGOs improve their efficiency. Workshops, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities will be provided.

👉 Stupid Hack #Web3AI #ETHSF #GDC (10AM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A fun and chaotic hackathon where creativity meets absurdity. Bring your wildest, most impractical ideas and turn them into reality.

👉 Find your voice: Writing for professional & personal branding (12:30PM-2:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn to develop your unique writing style for branding and engagement. Includes exercises on crafting mission statements and defining brand personality.

👉 Taiwan Demo Day 2025 Spring @ Plug and Play (1PM-5:30PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Discover AI innovations from top Taiwanese and international startups. Founders will showcase cutting-edge technology shaping the future.

👉 Brides of March (2:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Celebrate the 25th annual Brides of March with a citywide procession in wedding dresses. Stops include bars, parklets, and fun photo ops.

👉 Watch Party: Indian Wells Finals (11AM-4PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join the Mission Athletic Club community to watch the WTA and ATP finals at Indian Wells. Enjoy food, drinks, and fun games with fellow tennis fans.

By Mariane Bekker

Valuing your startup accurately at each stage of its development is crucial for attracting investors, securing funding, and measuring your company's growth. In this blog post, we will explore how to value your startup at the pre-seed, seed, series A, and series B stages, using average funding and valuation figures as benchmarks.

The table presents the average amount raised for different funding rounds in 2025.

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.