Hi Friends,

I just got back from the Amalfi Coast, where I celebrated the wedding of two incredible human beings! Between breathtaking views and far too much pasta, I couldn’t resist sneaking in a little coding time — and built more features for our new Founders Bay platform.

You can now browse 300+ active VC firms, filter them by stage and industry, and even view and message some of our members directly on the site. We’ve already had 200+ founders and investors join in less than a week, which blows me away.

To thank you for believing in this community, I’m giving everyone a free VIP trial to explore all the features. Try it out, send me any bugs you find, and most importantly — start connecting.

Love you all,
Mariane

Here are some events happening this week and the LinkedIn post about all the events.:

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

Want to feature or add an event to our calendar? Submit it here

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

David Carvalho and I are hosting A GIANT Halloween party with the city, with over 10,000+ attendees, and you’re all invited!!!

Friday, October 31 - 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM

🎃 FREE HALLOWEEN BLOCK PARTY: Nightmare on Front Street 🎃

​Get ready for a spook-tacular Halloween celebration in the heart of downtown San Francisco!

​Join us for Nightmare on Front Street, a hauntingly fun block party featuring themed cocktails, live music, creepy-cool activities, and costumes galore — all happening within California’s first-ever Entertainment Zone on Front Street.

​Experience Halloween like never before as Schroeder’s, Harrington’s Bar & Grill, and Royal Exchange take over Front Street for one massive outdoor celebration — where you can sip, dance, and mingle right in the street with your favorite spooky spirits.

💎 Membership Has Its Perks

Want guaranteed entry, speaker meet-and-greets, and exclusive lounges?

👉 Join VIP — our full-access experience.

Not ready for VIP? Try our Growth Membership for early event access and member discounts.

👉 Real Time Video AI Summit (9:30AM-6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 The first of its kind gathering focused on real-time video AI technology. Join top researchers, builders, and creative technologists shaping the future of open, live video intelligence. Expect deep dives into innovations like Self-Forcing and StreamV2V.

👉 [FutureX]Consumer: What is still defensible in the age of AI? (12PM-1PM)
📍 Stanford
💬 Explore what remains defensible in a world transformed by AI. This Future[X] session brings together top investors and operators to discuss evolving industries. A must for founders navigating the shifting consumer and tech landscape.

👉 AI in Production Mini Conference, October 2025 (1:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Go beyond the hype—learn what’s really happening with AI in production. This hands-on mini-conference features real-world use cases and deep discussions. Sponsored by Descope, Scalekit, CopilotKit, and Autonomy.

👉 Open Source & AI (4:30PM-8PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Explore the evolving intersection of open source and AI in this evening of community and innovation. Hear from builders shaping the future of collaborative AI development. A must-attend for open tech enthusiasts.

👉 Agents & APIs Developer Meetup (5:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn from Apollo GraphQL’s Michael Watson about scaling API development for AI applications. Enjoy demos, food, and networking with fellow developers. Perfect for anyone bringing AI products to production.

👉 Dr. Ivan Poupyrev - Can Reality Be Intelligent? (5:30PM-6:30PM)
📍 Berkeley
💬 Hear from award-winning inventor Dr. Ivan Poupyrev on blending digital and physical realities. Explore how design, AI, and interactivity are shaping the future. Hosted by UC Berkeley’s Design Field Notes.

👉 Smarter Search, Smarter AI: RAG, Rerankers & Real-World Impact (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Dive into how retrieval and reranking power modern AI agents. Featuring talks and demos from innovators advancing real-time search and document intelligence. Expect deep technical insight and lively discussion.

👉 Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: 2 Hour Block Legal Advice (10AM-12PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Get expert startup legal guidance from Jessica North, Partner at Perkins Coie LLP. Learn about corporate structure, equity, compliance, and fundraising. Ideal for founders preparing to scale or raise capital.

👉 PyTorch on the Edge: Amazon SageMaker x Qualcomm® AI Hub (12PM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover how to deploy PyTorch models directly onto Qualcomm-powered devices using Amazon SageMaker. Hands-on workflows and real hardware testing included. A must for anyone building edge AI applications.

👉 TEDAI San Francisco 2025 (1PM-10PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 TEDAI brings bold thinkers to explore AI’s impact on humanity and creativity. Expect panels, debates, and immersive experiences that go beyond the typical AI conference. Where human vision meets technological power.

👉 Manus: Building the Hands for AI (4:30PM-5:50PM)
📍 Stanford
💬 Join Manus AI’s Co-founder Tao Zhang and Dr. Richard Dasher for a talk on robotics innovation. Learn how intelligent hands are redefining interaction and automation. Part of Stanford’s US-Asia Tech Management Center series.

👉 Thang Luong, Co-founder, VietAI (4:30PM-5:50PM)
📍 Stanford
💬 Hear from Google DeepMind’s Thang Luong on building Vietnam’s AI ecosystem. Discover how VietAI is empowering local talent through education and research. A story of innovation, community, and impact.

👉 Unsloth × Mistral × NVIDIA Night (5:30PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Enjoy a night of open source, open bar, and boba at Y Combinator’s SF office. Featuring talks from Unsloth, Mistral, and NVIDIA on accessible AI training. Great for developers and researchers in open AI.

👉 PyTorch Afters: The future of AI infra for RL + large-scale inference (5:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Kick off PyTorch Conference week with insights on scaling RL and AI infrastructure. Learn from frontier labs building the next generation of compute systems. Connect over food, drinks, and cutting-edge discussions.

👉 AI infra & open-source models #3 (6PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Meet GPU experts and open-source contributors during Open Source AI Week. Explore advances in infrastructure, distributed training, and community-led research. A hands-on session for deep technical minds.

👉 Floodgate: Friends and Family (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join a community of builders, scientists, and creators celebrating innovation and craft. Hear how people are integrating AI tools into real projects. A warm, creative gathering for those shaping the next wave.

👉 Fin x Gamma: Transforming Communication with AI (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn how Fin Voice and Gamma are redefining human communication with AI voice and visuals. Product leaders share lessons on trust, UX, and performance. Perfect for designers and founders in AI-driven UX.

👉 Claude Code Anonymous - SF Edition (6PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A meetup for developers experimenting with Claude Code, Codex, and agentic tools. Share real experiences, discuss limitations, and explore workflow transformations. Fast-paced talks followed by open discussion.

👉 AI Open Source Happy Hour @ Starlite room (7PM-10PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 San Francisco
💬 Celebrate open, decentralized AI with Founders Bay & Akash Network at the Starlite Room. Enjoy skyline views, open bar, and conversations with top innovators. A relaxed networking night for builders and dreamers.

👉 AWS AI Hack Day Micro Conference (9:30AM–8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Experience a full day of hands-on hacking, learning, and networking at the AWS Loft. Build impactful AI solutions with fellow developers and explore the latest in AWS AI innovation.

👉 AGNTCY Summit | Multi-agent Systems at Scale (2PM–7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover the Internet of Agents with open-source pioneers. Learn through real-world demos and talks exploring how multi-agent systems are scaling in production today.

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop: Are You Due Diligence Ready for Founders (3PM–4PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Learn how to prepare your startup for investor due diligence. Gain practical legal and operational insights from Ellisha Blechynden, Principal Attorney at Blechynden Legal.

👉 Surreal: Productivity with Gamma – $0 to $50M ARR in 2 Years (5PM–8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hear Gamma founder Grant Lee share how his AI company hit $50M ARR with just 30 people. Explore how productivity is evolving in an AI-first world.

👉 Cracking Enterprise GTM w/ 12 Scrappy Founders (5:30PM–8:30PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Hear from 12 founders on landing and scaling enterprise customers. Learn real-world tactics to break through POCs and accelerate B2B growth.

👉 📊 AI Benchmark Club (5:30PM–7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join top AI engineers and researchers for technical talks on AI benchmarks. Featuring speakers from Meta, Artificial Analysis, and Cerebras during Open Source AI Week.

👉 AI Founder, Researcher, & Builder Happy Hour (5:30PM–7:30PM)
📍 Berkeley
💬 Network with Berkeley’s AI community at Freehouse. Meet founders, builders, and researchers over great food and drinks.

👉 Trivia & Community: NVIDIA × DeepInfra × vLLM (6PM–9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join NVIDIA, DeepInfra, and vLLM for an AI-themed trivia night. Enjoy food, drinks, and fun competition with engineers and researchers.

👉 Four Ex-Pixar Filmmakers Discuss the Future of AI Entertainment (6PM–9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hear four ex-Pixar creators discuss AI’s impact on filmmaking. Gain insights from Emmy-winning artists on creativity in the age of generative tools.

👉 Production AI with Open-Source Metaflow by Outerbounds, Netflix, and Nebius (6:30PM–9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn how Netflix and Outerbounds use Metaflow to scale real-world AI systems. A must for those taking AI from prototype to production.

👉 Cafe Compute {Spooky Edition} (7PM–10PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A late-night pop-up café with coffee, donuts, and AI conversations. Hosted by Cerebras, BCV, and Cognition—come mingle with the AI community in a fun setting.

👉 GovTech 2025: The Future of Public Innovation (9AM–5PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore how AI and emerging tech are reshaping public services and government innovation. Connect with civic leaders, founders, and technologists driving impactful change in the public sector. A must-attend for anyone passionate about tech for good.

👉 Dynamo & Dine: High-performance LLM Inference with Baseten and NVIDIA Dynamo (11:30AM–2PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Enjoy a hands-on AI systems workshop and Brazilian lunch with NVIDIA and Baseten. Learn deep optimizations for large-scale LLM inference from top engineers. Great for AI builders focused on performance and scalability.

👉 The AI x Marketing Meetup #14 (11:30AM–2PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join marketing and AI leaders redefining growth and automation. Explore how AI is transforming branding, SEO, and community-driven strategy. Perfect for marketers and founders at the AI frontier.

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop: Navigating Grant Opportunities for Founders (3PM–4PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Learn how to access non-dilutive funding and government grants for your startup. Expert Kyle Pickett breaks down where to find grants and how to strengthen applications. A clear roadmap for founders seeking smarter fundraising.

👉 World Wild Web: MCP Server Hack Night (4:30PM–8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Cloudflare and Fiberplane for a collaborative hack night exploring AI MCP servers. Build, code, and connect with fellow web and AI developers. Perfect for anyone shaping the future of internet infrastructure.

👉 TorchGeo Meetup: Building GeoAI with PyTorch (5PM–7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore GeoAI innovations with PyTorch and the TorchGeo team. Learn tools and techniques for geospatial AI applications. Ideal for AI engineers working with maps, imagery, or Earth data.

👉 Google Gemma Developer Meetup (5PM–8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Connect with the Gemma team at Google’s SF office over food and drinks. Get insider updates on Gemma’s latest AI developments. A relaxed evening for developers and AI enthusiasts alike.

👉 🧠 The AI Collective Tri-Valley | Nightmare on LLM Street: AI Deep Learning & Security (5PM–8PM)
📍 Pleasanton
💬 A Halloween-themed deep dive into AI security and trust with experts from NVIDIA and HiddenLayer. Discuss real threats, ethics, and the evolving safety of LLMs. Ideal for anyone navigating the risks of advanced AI.

👉 Treats & Clips – AI Video Agents Behind the Scene (5:30PM–7PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Meet the team behind OpusClip and learn how AI is reshaping video creation. Enjoy demos, Q&A, and networking with the builders. Great for creators and AI product innovators.

👉 TED-style Talk 🌟 MJW Executive & Corporate Social (6PM–8:30PM)
📍 San Mateo
💬 Join leaders shaping the future of AI, investment, and tech in a TED-style social. Network with executives and investors over dinner and inspiring talks. A premium Silicon Valley gathering for innovators.

👉 Robotics Happy Hour (sponsored by Rerun and BitRobot) (6PM–8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Mix and mingle with roboticists, founders, and researchers in SF. Share insights on embodied AI and robotics innovation over drinks. A lively hub for physical AI conversations and collaboration.

👉 Building Open AI Agents: Inference, Memory & Coding Systems (6PM–9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Dive into the design of scalable AI agents with experts from Meta, SGLang, and Anyscale. Learn about efficiency in LLMs and real-world system orchestration. Perfect for developers advancing open-source AI.

👉 PyTorch Dendritic Optimization Hackathon (6:30PM–11PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Upgrade your PyTorch models using neuroscience-inspired optimization. Apply “dendritic” design to make ML smarter, smaller, and faster. A must for hands-on AI researchers and tinkerers.

👉 Vercel Ship AI Afterparty — hosted by Braintrust & Browserbase (6:30PM–10PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Unwind after Ship AI with a relaxed evening of food, music, and conversation. Meet builders, investors, and AI enthusiasts in a chill, open setting. No agenda — just community vibes.

👉 🧠 The AI Collective SF | Online to Offline: How Founders Drive Sales with AI (8:30AM–11AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A breakfast session for founders and investors exploring how AI reshapes founder-led sales. Learn frameworks for turning online presence into offline results while mastering storytelling and authenticity. Expect real examples and insights from early-stage experts.

👉 Women in Data Science (WiDS) IBM at Silicon Valley Lab (9AM–4PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 Celebrate innovation and inclusion at IBM’s 3rd annual WiDS event featuring women shaping the future of AI. Engage in workshops, hands-on demos, and discussions on open AI technologies. Free and open to all attendees.

👉 Applied Agents Hackathon (9AM–8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Build next-generation AI agents with Anthropic, ElevenLabs, Runway, and Windsurf. Compete for $70K in prizes while creating autonomous tools and creative applications. A full day of hands-on building and collaboration.

👉 dAGI Summit (10AM–6PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A full-day summit uniting 300 AI builders, 40 companies, and top investors shaping open-source and decentralized AI. Hear from experts on agentic systems and open models driving the next AI wave. A must for OSS founders and builders.

👉 Hologram Hackathon (5:30PM–1AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A 16-floor vertical village for frontier tech—AI, neuroscience, robotics, and art converge in one hackathon. Collaborate with innovators reimagining the human-AI future through creation and experimentation. Expect late-night energy and visionary projects.

👉 Founders Running Club @ TechCrunch Disrupt Week (9:30AM–11:30AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join founders, investors, and creators for a relaxed 5K community run during Disrupt Week. Meet at William McKinley Monument and enjoy scenic views toward Golden Gate Park. A healthy way to connect and recharge with fellow innovators.

👉 AI Networking Walk San Francisco (Startups & Investors) (10AM–11:30AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Take a scenic 2.4-mile networking walk from Marina Green to Crissy Field with AI founders and investors. Enjoy coffee, fresh air, and conversations that spark collaboration. Sponsored by TechTrust.ai and Aonic Revive.

👉 Dumb Things 2.0 AI Hackathon with Replicate, DigitalOcean, and OpenAI (10AM–6:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A playful hackathon for “fun but smart” AI ideas—no project too small or silly. Build quirky yet functional AI apps with Replicate, DigitalOcean, and OpenAI. Bring your humor, creativity, and coding chops.

👉 Verilog Meetup (11AM–2PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Hands-on FPGA and ASIC design meetup for hardware engineers and enthusiasts. Build real systems with open-source tools and experiment with sound, graphics, and CPU design. Perfect for anyone advancing in chip-level innovation.

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⚡ Sustainable Success: How Founders Can Thrive Without Burning Out — Insights from Allison Tibbs, CEO of Nourished Life Coaching & Consulting

Being a founder means carrying both vision and responsibility—and that balance can sometimes come at the cost of your wellbeing. At our recent Founders Bay Virtual Workshop, Allison Tibbs, CEO, Coach, and Speaker at Nourished Life Coaching & Consulting, shared powerful insights on how founders can sustain success without sacrificing their health, joy, or purpose.

As an executive coach and wellness expert, Allison has helped leaders worldwide build habits that support high performance while avoiding burnout. In this interactive session, she guided founders through practical frameworks to manage stress, protect energy, and cultivate resilience in the face of constant demands.

💡 Key Takeaways

🔹 You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup
Entrepreneurship often glorifies hustle—but success built on exhaustion isn’t sustainable. Allison reminded founders that taking care of your physical and mental health is a strategic advantage, not a luxury. When you’re energized and focused, your business thrives too.

🔹 Stress Management Is Energy Management
Allison encouraged founders to identify what truly drains or fuels them. By managing energy—through rest, boundaries, nutrition, and mindful routines—leaders can stay grounded even in high-pressure moments. “Your energy,” she said, “is your most valuable currency as a founder.”

🔹 Build Systems for Resilience
From morning rituals to end-of-day reflections, small habits compound into sustainable growth. The key is consistency over intensity—designing routines that fit your lifestyle and help you recover faster from challenges.

🔹 Define Success on Your Own Terms
Burnout often stems from chasing external expectations. Allison urged founders to redefine what “success” means personally and professionally, aligning goals with values and wellbeing.

✅ Why It Matters for Founders & Leaders

As Allison shared, “You can have both—ambition and balance. When you take care of yourself, you take care of your business.”

👉 Want to learn more?
Connect with Allison Tibbs on LinkedIn or visit Nourished Life Coaching & Consulting to explore personalized coaching for founders and leaders.

View the entire workshop video here: