Hi,

Hope all is well! Last week, we continued raising awareness for our new fund and had our first LinkedIn post go viral! We are doing this fund for this community, by this community, so our message is really resonating. Kristopher Floyd and I, also hosted our signature monthly investor/founder dinner which was a huge success. We got over 200 founders & VCs to join us for a full evening of talks, networking and meaningful connections.

This week, we have a bunch of exciting events:

💸 Fund Update: We got another $1M in commits last week, and next week we will focus on finalizing our legal partners. We are looking for an investor to join us and be part of the team who has a good track record! If you’re interested, reply to this email. 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!

🔥🔥 NEW: Stay tuned for our new Bay Area-focused newsletter SFVibe... We brought you the GigaParty and now, David Carvalho, Kristopher Floyd, and I are kicking off a new newsletter next week. It’ll be packed with the coolest art, music, culture, and food events around the Bay Area. We want you to be the first to know everything happening in our wonderful city! SF is back and better than ever!

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, March 4 - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

With extensive experience as an investor, engineer, and community leader, I offer personalized advice to help your startup succeed.

Wednesday, March 5 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

​Starting a startup is an exciting but challenging journey, full of lessons that often come the hard way. In this workshop, experienced founders will share the key insights, mistakes, and unexpected hurdles they encountered along the way—so you don’t have to learn them the hard way.

Thursday, March 6 - 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

​​We’re hosting an exclusive breakfast for Women founders at Perkins Coie, co-hosted by Mariane Bekker, CEO of Women Founders Bay.

​This event brings together leading voices from the world of AI, venture capital, and technology to explore the latest investment trends, breakthrough technologies, and the transformative role of women in shaping the future of AI.

Friday, March 7 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​In this hands-on workshop, we delve into the essential principles of AI agent engineering, equipping participants with the frameworks and tools needed to design, build, and optimize intelligent agents.

25% off tickets use code: FoundersBay_25

Friday, March 07 - 1:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Startup Grind, with support from Springline and Canopy, is assembling the best powerhouse community builders for the first time ever to explore the past, present, and future of Silicon Valley. Join top founders, investors, and operators for an unforgettable day of insights, connections, and innovation in the heart of the Valley! 💡🔥

Saturday, March 8 - 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM

​DiscovHER is the premier event for women entrepreneurs to gain game-changing insights and network with investors—whether launching a new venture or scaling an existing one. Hear from top VCs about what they look for, learn from trailblazing female founders who’ve built and thrived, and connect with organizations offering free resources to help you grow. If you're ready to take your business to the next level, DiscovHER is where bold ideas meet real opportunities. 🚀✨

Sunday, March 9 - 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM

​Join Hult AI Society for an AI-powered hackathon where developers, entrepreneurs, investors and students come together to build AI solutions for good! This competition challenges teams to develop AI-driven projects addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and pitch them as viable business solutions.

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.

👉 Omi Mentor Hackathon (Mar 2 - March 31)
📍 Virtual
💬 omi gives you an AI wearable that listens to you 24/7 and gives personalized advice via in-app notifications

👉 AI in HR (5PM-7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Kick off the AI in HR 2025 series with the Indeed Investment Team at a new location. Expect networking, startup demos, and great discussions on AI in HR.

👉 San Francisco AI Founder and VC Networking (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Meet vetted founders, investors, and operators at this exclusive AI networking event hosted by Open Future Forum.

👉 The AI Hustle: Happy Hour for Startup Founders & VCs (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join the second AI founder meetup of 2025 for networking, fundraising insights, and discussions on AI advancements.

👉 Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: Startup Advice with Mariane Bekker (9AM-12PM)
📍 Online
💬 Hosted by me! With experience as an investor, engineer, and community leader, I offer personalized startup advice on fundraising, technical guidance, co-founder matching, and more.

👉 SF Strategic Expansion: The How, Why, and When (12:30PM-5:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Part of The Blueprint Tour, this event helps startups connect with investors and peers while learning strategies for scaling and sustainable growth.

👉 -1 To Satya Nadella (2PM-4PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 South Park Commons hosts Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella for a special Minus One fireside chat on leadership, AI, and innovation.

👉 Private VC / Startup - B2B SAAS / Wine Tasting Mixer (5PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A networking event for B2B SaaS startups and VCs, hosted by Open Future Forum and Bay Bridge Ventures, featuring wine tasting and industry discussions.

👉 EdgeAI and On-Device ML Developer Networking at General Lithium (5:30PM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A meetup for developers building local LLM and constrained AI solutions, with discussions on edge AI, deployment challenges, and networking opportunities.

👉 Building Lasting Relationships in a Lonely World: Can AI Help? (7PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Stanford PhD candidate Eric Neumann explores the dangers of loneliness and how AI might help foster deeper, lasting human connections.

👉 MFG State of Media Capital 2025: A Decade of Growth and the Road to 2030 (8AM-9AM)
📍 Online
💬 A discussion on the evolution of media capital over the past decade and what lies ahead for 2030.

👉 ACG Silicon Valley presents: M&A Tech Connect 2025 (8:30AM-6:30PM)
📍 Santa Clara
💬 Network with top C-suite leaders at Levi’s Stadium and explore the latest trends in M&A, tech innovation, and business growth.

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop - What I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Startup (2PM-3PM)
📍 Online
💬 Hosted by me! Learn key lessons from experienced founders on common startup pitfalls, fundraising strategies, and unexpected challenges.

👉 Hack Night at GitHub (4PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Weaviate for an evening of AI hacking, collaboration, and networking with fellow developers and tech enthusiasts.

👉 In-person - The Future of the Japanese Economy: Is the Sun Rising Again? (4PM-6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore Japan’s economic resurgence, corporate reforms, and investment trends, while addressing concerns about its aging population.

👉 San Francisco Fintech/Proptech Symposium (5PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A high-impact networking event featuring panels, startup pitches, and insights from top investors and industry leaders.

👉 Frontier Tower Co-creation Summit (5PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn about The Frontier Tower, a 16-story hub for AI, biotech, crypto, and frontier tech communities shaping the future.

👉 AI Agent Demo Night (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover cutting-edge AI agent technologies and network with innovators pushing the boundaries of automation.

👉 Startup Pitch Event by Startup Valley in San Francisco (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Pitch your startup, connect with investors, and engage with business professionals shaping the future of entrepreneurship.

👉 Artificially Un-intelligent – SF Tech Comedy Show, brought to you by Explo (6:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A night of tech-themed comedy featuring engineers, founders, and VCs-turned-comedians from top platforms like Netflix and Comedy Central.

👉 SZ 164: A Taste of Mongolia (5AM-9AM)
📍 Menlo Park
💬 A live podcast event featuring entertainment, an anniversary celebration, exclusive conversations with visionary leaders, and networking.

👉 Women in AI Breakfast: Latest Investment Trends & Technologies @ Perkins Coie (10:30AM-12:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hosted by me! A discussion on the latest AI investment trends, breakthrough technologies, and the role of women in shaping the future of AI.

👉 Making a Break into AI Venture Capital: Live Networking in San Francisco (1PM-2:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A session for accredited investors exploring the AI startup ecosystem, investment strategies, and the next wave of AI unicorns.

👉 Redefine Possible | International Women’s Day Summit (1:45PM-6PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Hosted at Google’s campus, this summit celebrates women in tech and leadership, fostering conversations on breaking barriers and innovation.

👉 Immigrant Founders Networking @ Microsoft Reactor (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A gathering for immigrant founders, investors, and tech leaders to build connections and explore the future of immigrant entrepreneurship.

👉 AGI Builders Meetup SF with Entrepreneur First (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A special event featuring AI Demo Night, where teams showcase cutting-edge AGI projects to the SF tech community.

👉 Modal x Mistral Demo Night (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A major developer event where Modal and Mistral unveil new AI product capabilities and invite the community to showcase open-source LLM applications.

👉 Latest Innovations in User Experience with Reddit and Qlay (6PM-8:30PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 A deep dive into Reddit’s latest UX innovations and Qlay’s AI-driven talent acquisition solutions, connecting enterprise leaders and startup founders.

👉 Founders in Food Presented by Rho (6:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A dinner event for food industry founders, investors, and entrepreneurs, featuring a Michelin-starred chef and meaningful networking opportunities.

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop - AI Agent Engineering: Key Pillars & Practical Strategies (11AM-12PM)
📍 Online
💬 Hosted by me! A hands-on session covering essential frameworks and tools for designing, building, and optimizing AI agents.

👉 Coffee Meet Up: AI in Women’s Fertility Wellness (12PM-1PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A casual gathering at La Boulangerie in Hayes to discuss AI’s impact on women’s reproductive health with experts like Dr. Kay Waud.

👉 We Are Silicon Valley - Uniting the Best of the Bay [coupon code: FoundersBay_25] (1PM-7:30PM)[I’m speaking]
📍 Menlo Park
💬 Startup Grind, with support from Springline and Canopy, is assembling the best powerhouse community builders for the first time ever to explore the past, present, and future of Silicon Valley. Join top founders, investors, and operators for an unforgettable day of insights, connections, and innovation in the heart of the Valley! 💡🔥 Join VIP and get a free ticket »

👉 DiscovHER (1PM-7PM) [I’m Speaking]
📍 Palo Alto
💬 A premier event for women entrepreneurs to connect with investors, learn from top VCs, and gain insights from trailblazing founders. Perfect for those launching or scaling a business. 🚀✨

By Mariane Bekker

Raising capital is essential for fueling your startup’s growth — but every round comes with a dilution tradeoff. A burning question for many founders: How much ownership should I expect to retain after each funding round?

Here’s a look at how founding team ownership typically evolves from Seed to Series C, based on recent data across the startup ecosystem.

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.