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Upcoming Founder & VC Events Happening This Week + How to use user research to grow your startup at every stage

Author

Mariane Bekker
February 09, 2025

Hi,

Hope you’re all recovering from the Super Bowl celebrations! I kicked off the night at TQ Ventures’ Super Bowl Party and wrapped it up with some homemade pasta at Flour + Water in the Mission (yes, that’s why this is coming in late!). My favorite commercial? The one that flipped doubt on its head:

"You can’t be confident, so be confident. You can’t dominate, so dominate. You can’t flex, so flex. You can’t be emotional, so be emotional… You can’t take credit, you can’t have fun… whatever you do, you can’t win… so WIN!"

Which one was yours? Let me know by replying directly to this email!

🔥 What’s Coming Up This Week

We’ve got some incredible opportunities lined up:
✅ Finding Product-Market Fit – A workshop with a Stanford Entrepreneurship Professor
✅ Scaling Sales through LinkedIn – Unlocking growth strategies
✅ Office Hours with a Staff AI Engineer (VIP Members Only) – Get expert insights on your AI challenges

🚀 VIP Perk Alert: Join as a VIP to access these workshops and office hours for free!

💡 Angel Syndicate Update: $30M+ and Oversubscribed!

Our AI-focused angel syndicate is now oversubscribed with over $30M! Whether you’re a founder looking for capital & mentorship or an investor seeking exclusive deal flow, this is your chance to get involved.

For Founders

  • Get Funded: Access flexible capital from angels and operators who offer both funding and mentorship.

  • Mentorship & Network: Leverage our deep ties with VCs, LPs, and seasoned operators.

  • End-to-end Engineering Resources to build production-ready AI applications.

  • Fast, Founder-Friendly Process: Close your round without the typical fundraising headaches.

  • Apply to the AI Launchpad » 

For Investors

  • Exclusive Deal Flow: Discover top-tier AI startups before everyone else.

  • Co-Invest with Experts: Partner with experienced angels and operators who’ve scaled AI ventures.

  • No Upfront Fees: Only pay carried interest on successful exits.

  • Access Diligence & Sourcing: Tap into our robust screening process and expert deal curation.

  • Join our Syndicate »

Founders: Apply to the AI Launchpad and supercharge your venture’s potential.
Investors: Join our Syndicate to co-invest in the most promising AI innovations.

If you haven’t done so, please connect with me on LinkedIn and Instagram for exclusive insights and content about startups, investments, and diversity!

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

Tuesday, February 11 - 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

​Join AI expert Anto Patrex, Staff @ xAI as he shares insights on artificial intelligence, automation, and business strategy. With experience at xAI, NASA, and Formula 1, Anto helps startups and tech leaders use AI to innovate and grow.

This session is a great chance to ask questions, gain expert guidance, and learn from real-world AI applications.

Wednesday, February 12 - 11AM - 12PM​

Join Bret Waters, a seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Stanford professor, for a practical workshop on finding product-market fit. Learn how to make sure your product meets the needs of your customers and sets your startup up for success. In this workshop, you will:

  • ​Identify Your Customers: Discover who your ideal customers are and what they need.

  • ​Validate Your Ideas: Learn simple ways to test your business ideas before launching.

  • ​Build a Strong Value Proposition: Create a clear message that shows why your product is unique.

Thursday, February 13 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Discover how to turn LinkedIn into a powerful sales tool in this hands-on webinar. Learn to define your ideal customer profile, identify high-quality leads, and craft compelling messages that convert into booked demos.

We’ll also explore strategies for scaling your efforts, including automating outreach to maximize efficiency and impact. Perfect for sales professionals, founders, and anyone looking to supercharge their LinkedIn outreach and close more deals.

Saturday, February 15 - 9:00 AM - February 16, 9:00 PM

​This high energy hackathon leverages the latest cutting edge tools and platforms, giving teams the opportunity to build agentic driven solutions with the potential to break out and become the next unicorns (or decacorns) in the space.

Thursday, February 27 - 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

​We are hosting an exclusive dinner for Seed and Series A founders & VC, co-hosted by Mariane Bekker from Founders Bay.

​We want to bring together some of the brightest minds in the startup ecosystem, fostering valuable conversations and potential partnerships.

​What to Expect:

  • ​Networking: Connect with other funded founders & investors and share insights.

  • ​Innovative Discussions: Learn about best practices for scaling your startup

  • ​Great Food: Enjoy a delicious Mediterranean dinner while engaging with like-minded innovators.

Join our Founders Community

🚀 Elevate Your Access with A Membership Tiers!

Price: $19/month $9/month

Unlock a range of benefits to supercharge your networking and event participation:

  • Early Event Previews: Get the scoop on events happening 2 weeks ahead.

  • Discounted Conference Tickets: Enjoy significant savings on top conferences.

  • Free Workshops: Receive free access Founders Bay workshops.

  • Premium Content: Stay informed with our exclusive newsletter content tailored for founders and VCs.

  • Community Access: Join Founders Bay exclusive Founder & VC Circle.

$99/month $49/month

For those seeking the ultimate in networking and support, our VIP Access tier offers unparalleled benefits:

  • Early Event Previews: Get the scoop on events happening 2 weeks ahead.

  • Free Conference Tickets: Get complimentary tickets to key conferences and events.

  • Monthly 1x1 Office Hours: Benefit from a complimentary personalized monthly session with Mariane Bekker and legal experts.

  • Free Workshops: Receive free access Founders Bay workshops.

  • Personal Branding Session: Enjoy a complimentary strategy session to enhance your personal brand.

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

  • Connect with me on LinkedIn and Instagram for exclusive insights and content about startups, investments, and diversity. Let’s grow together!

  • Want to add your event to the list? Submit it here.

🗓️ Monday, Feb 10

👉 BIO CEO & Investor Conference (8AM-7PM)
📍 New York
💬 One of the largest investor conferences in biotech, bringing together institutional investors, industry analysts, and senior executives to shape the investment landscape.

👉 Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: AI Expert Advice with xAI Staff (For VIP Members Only) (10AM-12PM)
📍 Virtual
💬 ​Join AI expert Anto Patrex as he shares insights on artificial intelligence, automation, and business strategy. With experience at xAI, NASA, and Formula 1, Anto helps startups and tech leaders use AI to innovate and grow. This session is a great chance to ask questions, gain expert guidance, and learn from real-world AI applications. Join as VIP here and get access to all our office hours.

👉 Qdrant AI Builders: Agents in the Enterprise @ AWS Loft (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore AI agents and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in enterprise with Qdrant, Arize, CrewAI, and n8n. Learn the latest trends in AI and how to integrate them into workflows.

👉 SZ 158: Beyond the Stars ft. Dr. Franck Marchis (5PM-9PM)
📍 Menlo Park
💬 Join Dr. Franck Marchis, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, as he discusses the future of astronomy, decentralized sky observation, and the search for life beyond Earth. This event is hosted by The Park James Hotel, Career Pathway Institute, Necodex, and Tejava.

👉 Product Apéro ⚡️ AI agents for product folks: rethinking customer-centricity (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join product leaders in discussing how AI agents are reshaping customer-centricity, product feedback, and innovation. Connect with industry peers and share insights.

👉 Daytona AI Builders SF February '25 (5:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Dive into the challenges of AI coding agents, infrastructure limitations, and strategies to maximize AI-driven development.

👉 AI Made Simple (5:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 Milpitas
💬 Hosted by the City of Milpitas' Office of Economic Development and FalconX, this workshop helps small businesses and students harness AI for productivity and innovation.

👉 AI Marketers San Francisco (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Network with marketers, founders, and investors while discussing the latest AI-driven marketing strategies and automation tools.

👉 SF Tech: CEO Mixer (6PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A curated gathering of CEOs and founders focused on scaling businesses and driving innovation. This exclusive event offers peer collaborations, strategy sharing, and networking.

🗓️ Tuesday, Feb 11

👉 Coffee Club | Early-Stage B2B SaaS Founders & Funders (10AM-11AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Casual networking for B2B SaaS founders and investors hosted by Forum Ventures and Emergent Ventures. Connect with SF-based VCs and industry leaders.

👉 Founders Bay Expert Office Hours: AI Expert Advice with xAI Staff (10AM-12PM)
📍 Online
💬 AI expert Anto Patrex, formerly at xAI, NASA, and Formula 1, shares insights on AI, automation, and business strategy to help startups innovate and grow.

👉 -1 To Vinod Khosla (4:30PM-6:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures and Sun Microsystems, as he shares his journey in technology, investing, and social entrepreneurship.

👉 SF Ruby February Meetup @ GitHub (5PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A gathering of Ruby developers hosted at GitHub HQ featuring a keynote on UI architecture by Joel Hawksley.

👉 ✨ CodeGen Night with E2B, Latent Space, EdgeAGI 👾 (5PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A night of AI agent tech talks and hands-on hacking featuring speakers from leading AI companies. Enjoy food, drinks, and networking with AI engineers.

👉 Founders & Funders (5:30PM-9PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 Community-driven mixer by IgniteGTM, bringing together over 550 founders, investors, and advisors to collaborate and network.

👉 GenAI Master Class: From Prototypes To Production Series – Pt 3 (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn how to build and deploy production-ready Generative AI applications with insights from MasterClass engineers.

👉 AI Agent Demo Night ~ w/ Jam.dev (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Witness live demos of cutting-edge AI agents designed for automation, coding, and more. Enjoy food, drinks, and great networking.

👉 SF Platform Meetup: February 2025 Edition (6PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Bringing together the SF Platform community with talks from Deepti Srivastava (Google Spanner) and Nathen Harvey (Google DORA).

👉 Gen Jam SF: Make an Imaginary News Report with AI (6PM-10PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Create a sci-fi or fantasy AI-powered news broadcast with talking avatar anchors and B-roll footage.

👉 AI Lab Live - AI Gals' Galentine's Gathering (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A networking and collaboration event for women in AI, designed for meaningful discussions and industry connections.

🗓️ Wednesday, Feb 12

👉 Humane Tech Meetup: Technology That Helps Us Thrive (2AM-4AM)
📍 San Mateo
💬 What does it mean to thrive in the digital age? Join us for a discussion on humane technology and how it fosters creativity, balance, and meaningful connections.

👉 AI Keynotes at Microsoft - AI for CTOs (9AM-4:30PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 AI is transforming the role of CTOs, and this event features a stellar lineup of speakers exploring AI’s impact on leadership and technical strategy.

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop: Finding Product Market Fit (11AM-12PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Join Bret Waters, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Stanford professor, for a workshop on how to find and validate product-market fit for your startup.

👉 AI Keynotes at Microsoft - CIOs at Microsoft (1:30PM-3:30PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Learn how AI is transforming enterprise IT and CIO strategies in this exclusive session featuring insights from Microsoft experts.

👉 SF Data + AI Happy Hour (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join data and AI professionals for an evening of networking and discussions on industry trends, emerging tools, and investment opportunities.

👉 AI For Marketers #23 (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore the latest AI-powered marketing tools like ChatGPT and Hugging Face, and discover how AI can enhance content, automation, and growth strategies.

👉 OneSixOne Ventures x Grace Gong Early Stage Founders Happy Hour (6PM-8:15PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Network with early-stage founders and investors at this exclusive happy hour hosted by OneSixOne Ventures and Grace Gong.

👉 AI Dev Tools Night @ Cloudflare HQ (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join AI dev tool builders for lightning talks and networking at Cloudflare HQ. Learn about the latest advancements in AI infrastructure and tooling.

👉 🧠 The Thought Experiment Lab (6:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discuss fascinating philosophical thought experiments that challenge our understanding of reality, ethics, and human nature.

🗓️ Thursday, Feb 13

👉 Founders Bay Virtual Workshop - LinkedIn for Sales (11AM-12PM) [HOSTED BY ME]
📍 Online
💬 Learn how to leverage LinkedIn for sales, scale outreach, and close more deals through targeted engagement strategies.

👉 Immigrant Founders Networking @ Microsoft Reactor (5PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A gathering of immigrant founders, investors, and operators to discuss opportunities, challenges, and the future of immigrant-led startups.

👉 The AI Advantage: Solving Supply Chain Challenges with AI Agents (5PM-7PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Explore how AI-powered automation can enhance supply chain efficiency, reduce risks, and transform data into actionable insights.

👉 Bay Area Mixer for CTOs, CPOs, AI Leaders, and Founders (5:30PM-7:30PM)
📍 Menlo Park
💬 An exclusive networking event where AI leaders and founders discuss AI-driven workflow automation and startup scaling strategies.

👉 [Ray Meetup] ByteDance & NVIDIA on Multi-Modal Data (5:30PM-8PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 Learn how ByteDance and NVIDIA use Ray to process multi-modal data at scale, with insights from industry experts.

👉 Groq Developer Meetup (5:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 Join Groq’s developer community to explore LLM applications and AI acceleration strategies while enjoying pizza and drinks.

👉 Love for Design Happy Hour (6PM-8PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Connect with fellow designers over drinks and discuss the latest trends in AI-driven design and UX innovation.

👉 Funding Trends for Early Stage Founders in 2025 (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Learn from Crunchbase, VC experts, and startup founders about the latest funding trends, investment strategies, and emerging startup opportunities.

👉 Entrepreneurs Panel & Networking Cocktail (6PM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Hear from successful entrepreneurs about their journeys, lessons learned, and strategies for overcoming startup challenges.

👉 Reality of MedTech In 2025 (6PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 A panel discussion on the future of MedTech, covering challenges, regulatory hurdles, and market opportunities in healthcare innovation.

👉 ODF Explorer Event (6:30PM-8:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A networking event for aspiring startup founders looking to meet potential co-founders, investors, and mentors.

👉 119th SF Hardware Meetup @ Humanmade | Wildfire Prevention + Recovery (6:30PM-9:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore how hardware innovation is helping address natural disasters and wildfire recovery efforts.

🗓️ Friday, Feb 14


👉 NBA All-Star Weekend: Buzzer Beater Brunch (10AM-12:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Celebrate NBA All-Star Weekend with a Women's Economic EmpowHERment brunch featuring powerhouse women transforming sports and business.

👉 Brotherhood Deli Speakeasy (1PM-4PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 An exclusive pre-game card party with Spades, Uno, and curated cocktails from Maker’s Mark, featuring electrifying beats from a resident DJ.

👉 Brotherhood Deli Happy Hour (3PM-5PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an afternoon of plant-based bites from Beyond Meat, refreshing drinks, and networking at Parklab Gardens.

🗓️ Saturday, Feb 15

👉 Aiify.io {AI Agents} Love Hack (9AM-9PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A Valentine’s Weekend AI hackathon focusing on AI agents in productivity, DeSci, healthcare, Web3, and more.

👉 Multimodal AI Agents - 2 Day Hackathon (9AM-7PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A hackathon hosted by Google DeepMind, Weights & Biases, and others with over $50K in prizes for innovative AI-powered software solutions.

👉 🧠 GenAI Collective 🧠 Hike at SF Land's End 🥾 (10AM-1PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A scenic hike along Lands End Trail with AI enthusiasts, blending nature, networking, and thought-provoking AI discussions.

👉 BIG Summit | NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 (10:30AM-11PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Business Inside the Game presents a day of discussions with leaders in sports, tech, and entertainment during NBA All-Star Weekend.

👉 Brotherhood Deli Speakeasy Presented by Maker's Mark (12PM-3PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A live recording of Lonzo Ball’s What An Experience podcast with cocktails, music, and behind-the-scenes athlete stories.

👉 Freewriting: Express Yourself and Explore Ideas (12:30PM-2:30PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A guided freewriting session to boost creativity, process emotions, and unlock personal and professional insights.

👉 The Silicon Valley Computer Programming Club: Monthly Meeting (1PM-3PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 A free meetup for all skill levels discussing AI, web development, programming languages, job searches, and more.

👉 Career Ready with AI & Agents (2PM-5PM)
📍 Santa Clara
💬 A conference by the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin focused on preparing for careers in GenAI & Agentic AI.

👉 Resonance: The Intersection of Sound & Tech (6PM-10PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A discussion on AI and music featuring a 7th-gen sitar virtuoso and an MIT AI researcher, hosted by Beatoven.ai.

🗓️ Sunday, Feb 16

👉 DAYBREAKER SF // Lovers & Clubbers (10AM-1PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A high-energy, love-filled daytime dance party celebrating connection, joy, and movement.

👉 DeepSeek and Tariffs | Hardcover Follow-Ups #1 (2PM-4PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 A book club-style discussion linking past reads to current events for deeper engagement and understanding.

How to Use Market Research to Grow Your Startup 🚀

By Mariane Bekker

No matter what stage your startup is in, market research is your secret weapon. It helps you understand customers, validate ideas, and make smart business decisions. But how do you use market research effectively at each stage of your startup journey? Let’s break it down.

💡 Idea Stage: Do People Even Want This?

Before you spend time and money building a product, make sure people actually need it.

🔎 How to use market research:
✅ Conduct surveys and interviews to understand customer pain points.
✅ Analyze competitors—what are they doing well, and where do they fall short?
✅ Check for existing patents or trademarks to avoid legal issues.

🎯 Goal: Validate that there’s a real demand for your idea.

🌱 Pre-Seed Stage: Building the Right MVP

Now that you know people are interested, it’s time to create a simple version of your product (MVP) and test it.

🔎 How to use market research:
✅ Gather feedback from early users—what do they like, and what’s missing?
✅ Run A/B tests to see which features or messaging work best.
✅ Test different business models to find out how you’ll make money.

🎯 Goal: Make sure your MVP solves a real problem and is something customers will actually use.

🚀 Seed Stage: Getting Your First Customers

Your product is ready—now, how do you attract customers and grow?

🔎 How to use market research:
✅ Identify the best marketing channels—social media, SEO, partnerships?
✅ Test different pricing strategies to find what customers are willing to pay.
✅ Look at industry trends to find new opportunities.

🎯 Goal: Get early traction and start generating revenue.

📈 Series A: Scaling Up

You have customers, but now it’s time to grow faster and more efficiently.

🔎 How to use market research:
✅ Optimize customer acquisition—where are your best customers coming from?
✅ Analyze customer retention—why do people stay, and why do they leave?
✅ Test new markets—are there untapped opportunities in different locations or demographics?

🎯 Goal: Scale your business while keeping customers happy.

🌍 Series B & Beyond: Becoming a Market Leader

Your startup is successful, but how do you dominate the industry?

🔎 How to use market research:
✅ Expand into new regions—what markets are ready for your product?
✅ Fine-tune your marketing strategy using deep customer insights.
✅ Explore acquisitions—are there smaller startups you can acquire to grow faster?

🎯 Goal: Strengthen your brand, optimize operations, and prepare for long-term success.

Market research isn’t just for the beginning—it’s a powerful tool at every stage of your startup. The more you understand your market, the smarter decisions you can make.

Mariane Bekker, 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.

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