Upcoming Founder & VC Events Happening This Week

Upcoming Events & The Essential Metrics To Track For Your Startup & The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds

Author

Mariane Bekker
May 19, 2024

Table of Contents

Tuesday May 21, 6pm - 8pm

​Join us for a dynamic evening that brings together innovative founders, funders, and passionate allies of women's health and technological innovation.

We will have a fireside chat with ​We'll have Nola E. Masterson, a Femtech Fund lead investor from Portfolia.

Networking events are a great way to meet fellow founders and investors. Here are events happening in San Francisco this week for founders.

🗓️ Monday, May 20

👉 AI B2B Investors & Networking (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 We are Open Future Forum. We are leaders, investors, founders, and engineers based in the Bay Area CA.
Details: Networking, Drinks, and AI and ChatGPT conversations.

👉 Awesome AI Dev Tools (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 You probably already know that AI is changing the world. Come learn about some of the awesome AI dev tools being worked on.

👉 Berkeley LLM Meetup (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 The Berkeley LLM Meetup aims to connect Berkeley PhD students, faculty, and alumni with people working in or interested in LLMs (in particular systems supporting LLMs) in the industry.

👉 Executive Cocktail: Buy or Build? When and how to make decisions? (6:00 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Bring your hardest buy vs. build challenges and decisions to the dinner table with curated product and engineering leaders. Walk away with new insights from fellow leaders who have been in your shoes.

🗓️ Tuesday, May 21

👉 Design The Future (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us in San Francisco as we gather developers and leaders for two electrifying days of networking, insights, and hands-on experiences designed to help your team launch whatever’s next.

👉 FemTech Founders x Funders x Allies Happy Hour (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for a dynamic evening that brings together innovative founders, funders, and passionate allies of women's health and technological innovation.

👉 Executive Dinner: Building the Financial OS for SMBs | SF (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 We are excited to bring together executive leaders like yourself to discuss some pressing industry and product trends that you and many leadership teams of leading B2B fintech companies and banks are wrestling with.

🗓️ Wednesday, May 22

👉 V5 Summit for VCs (ALL DAY) [I’m speaking] [USE DISCOUNT CODE: MARIANE40]
📍 San Francisco
💬 In the heart of innovation, the V5 Summit stands as a beacon for VCs seeking to revolutionize their funds and operations. For VCs eager to outpace the competition with AI-driven efficiency across their fund's lifecycle, this is the event to join the crème de la crème of San Francisco's VC scene.

👉 🧠 GenAI Collective 🧠 Marin Open Mic Demo Night (5:30 AM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Rafael
💬 Come share in the coolest AI products being built and used in Marin. By community request, the highlight of this event will be an "open mic" style demo, where you are invited to either share what you are building, or just the coolest AI products you've found and enjoy using.

👉 DeveloperWeek AI/ML 2024 Hackathon Sponsored by AWS (8:30 AM - 5:30 AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 The DeveloperWeek AI/ML 2024 Hackathon. Admission to the hackathon is free, but hackathon participants are invited to join the rest of the Galaxy & DevDays event via a special discount code and separate registration (contact us for more details).

👉 Featured in Generative AI San Francisco and Bay Area 🧠 GenAI Collective 🧠 Marin AI Co-Working (10:30 AM - 5:00 PM)
📍 San Rafael
💬 If you're based in Marin or Sonoma and working on (or planning) an AI product, come and co-work with us!

👉 AI in Hiring: AI for Recruiting & Onboarding by (5:00 PM - 7:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 The second 'AI in HR' event for 2024 from Indeed. This time with event co-sponsor Paradox.ai! This event has a focus on AI-based tools for recruiting, interviewing, sourcing, and onboarding.

👉 TWIF SF Happy Hour with Streetbeat, Plaid, Finley & CoreVC (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Who: This Week in Fintech, Streetbeat, Plaid, Finley, and CoreVC and Fintech's best operators, investors, and founders. What: SF Happy Hour with an open bar & light bites.

👉 Women in AI Founders and Funders Dinner by Orrick and Women in AI Club MAY 22 Wednesday, May 22 (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Women in AI Club is dedicated to connecting, empowering, and elevating women founders, investors, and talents in artificial intelligence. We partner with AI leaders, VCs, and service providers to support women in founding, investing, and building in the AI space.

👉 Monthly Startup, Tech & Business Networking San Francisco (6:00 PM - 10:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 We are organizing our Monthly event for leading experts in Technology, IT, and Artificial Intelligence, as well as entrepreneurs and investors in San Francisco.

👉 Bitcoin PizzaParty @ The Foundry (6:00 PM - 10:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 You're invited to PizzaDAO's 4th annual Global Pizza Party on Wednesday, May 22 in honor of Bitcoin Pizza Day. There are over 150 events organized for the same day all over the world.

👉 VC + Tech Mega Summer Mixer ☀️ (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Take a break from the blue light of your screen, and spend an hour or two meeting some of the most creative, and kind people in we know! This startup social mixer will feature a laid-back vibe, at one of my favorite craft breweries in the city, the perfect way to wind down on a Wednesday night.

🗓️ Thursday, May 23

👉 V5 Summit for VCs (ALL DAY) [I’m speaking] [USE DISCOUNT CODE: MARIANE40]
📍 San Francisco
💬 In the heart of innovation, the V5 Summit stands as a beacon for VCs seeking to revolutionize their funds and operations. For VCs eager to outpace the competition with AI-driven efficiency across their fund's lifecycle, this is the event to join the crème de la crème of San Francisco's VC scene.

👉 Morning Tech Brew (8:00 AM - 10:30 AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for this Morning Tech Brew coffee hour, where we invite builders to come together, share their journeys, and learn from one another's experiences.

👉 AI Founders Connect at Plug and Play x Round 5 (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM) [I’m speaking] [USE DISCOUNT CODE: WOMEN40]
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Engage with a panel of venture capitalists discussing the latest trends and insights in AI investing, focusing on the dynamic Silicon Valley tech landscape.

👉 Open source LLMs & GenAI (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 We all know that AI is changing the world. But what happens when you combine AI with the power of open source? Join us at the Intuit Open Source Meetup for an engaging evening of tech talks on GenAI, LLMs, and open source.

👉 Inkle x ECL: Fundraising Discussion & Mixer (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Inkle in collaboration with Efficient Capital Labs welcomes founders for a fundraising discussion + mixer in the heart of San Francisco!

🗓️ Friday, May 24

👉 STARTUPS MIX & PITCH (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 The evening kicks off with an open mixer featuring BYOB beer and wine, along with chips and salsa. Then, we delve into a focused pitch session. Witness 5-10 startups present their ideas to a panel of judges and participate in collaborative pitch reviews. Don't miss this opportunity to network, learn, and be inspired by the vibrant startup community.

🗓️ Saturday, May 25

👉 Whole Women's Wellness: A holistic approach to your wellness (9:00 AM - 3:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us at the Thriving Women in Business Center for a day dedicated to nurturing your mind, body, and soul. Discover the power of holistic practices to enhance your overall well-being based on your individual Whole Self Wellness Assessment (a $197 value!) exploring your health history, current nutrition and movement, accounting for any chronic conditions, stress management, sleep, and more.

👉 Founders Running Club :: Easy 5-10km Run + Talks (9:30 AM - 11:00 AM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 FRC is inspired by the startup community of San Francisco. We launched there on July 16, 2022. Now we bring this concept to ten chapters around the globe. In every city, we host weekly Running + Networking events for founders (including future and ex-founders), their friends and families, investors, IT professionals, startup enthusiasts, and creatives of all sorts.

👉  In-Person Hackathon Coworking Day (11AM-4PM) [San Francisco]
📍 San Francisco
​We are hosting another chance to work in community with other hackathon participants.

👉 Meet Up: Gen-AI Applications in Business and Consumer Markets (3:00 PM - 4:30 PM)
📍 Mountain View
💬 🚀 At EntreConnect, we pride ourselves on being more than just a network – we’re a thriving community of founders and investors 🤝, each with our own stories of entrepreneurial journeys.

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From MVP to Series C: The Essential Startup Metrics You Must Track For Your Startup

By Mariane bekker

As a startup founder, your journey is a balancing act between building, launching, and growing your product. Focusing on the right metrics will empower you to make data-driven decisions and guide you during your startup growth phase.

The significance of data-driven decisions cannot be overstated. According to research, data-driven organizations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers. However, with so many different metrics out there, it can be difficult to know which ones are actually worth tracking. That's why we've put together this guide on the key startup metrics that you should be tracking.

Let’s explore the essential metrics that you should track at different stages of its growth. From the early days of MVP validation to the later stages of scaling and beyond, these metrics will empower you to make data-driven decisions and steer your startup towards greater heights. Let's dive in!

🌱 Pre-Seed Stage

At the pre-seed stage, your primary objective is to validate your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and gain a deep understanding of your target users. This stage is all about gathering early adopter feedback and achieving product-market fit.

Here are the key metrics to focus on:

  1. User Engagement: Monitor how users interact with your product or service to gauge their level of interest and satisfaction.

  2. Early Adopter Feedback: Gather feedback from your initial users to identify pain points and areas for improvement.

  3. Product-Market Fit: Measure how well your product or service meets the needs of your target market and adjust accordingly.

💡 Seed Stage

Congratulations, you've secured funding and are ready to grow! At the seed stage, financial health becomes crucial for sustainable growth. Here are the metrics that matter:

  1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Understand how much it costs to acquire each new customer. Ensure your CAC remains reasonable to achieve profitability.

  2. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Determine the total value a customer brings to your business over their lifetime. Focus on acquiring high CLV customers.

  3. Churn Rate: Keep an eye on customer churn to identify potential issues in customer satisfaction and retention.

  4. Revenue Growth: Track the rate at which your revenue is increasing to ensure your startup's progress and potential for future funding.

🚀 Series A Stage

As you enter the Series A stage, your startup is scaling rapidly. Now, it's time to shift your focus to profitability and customer retention. Here are the metrics that will support your growth:

  1. Gross Margin: Analyze your gross margin to assess how efficiently you manage costs and produce your product or service.

  2. Customer Acquisition and Retention Rates: Continuously measure how many new customers you're acquiring and how many you're retaining.

  3. Spotting Expansion Opportunities: Identify new markets or segments where your product or service can thrive and grow.

📈 Series B Stage

The Series B stage marks significant growth and expansion. At this point, your startup's success will largely depend on sustainable growth and market positioning. Keep an eye on the following metrics:

  1. Customer Acquisition Channels: Identify the most effective channels that bring in new customers and allocate resources accordingly.

  2. Customer Satisfaction (NPS): Measure your Net Promoter Score to gauge customer loyalty and identify areas for improvement.

  3. Market Penetration: Analyze how much of your target market you've captured and strategize to increase your reach.

📈📈 Series C and Beyond

As a mature startup, your focus shifts towards optimizing efficiency and profitability. Here are the crucial metrics for this stage:

  1. Customer Lifetime Value-to-Cost Ratio (LTV/CAC): Ensure that the lifetime value of your customers outweighs the cost of acquiring them.

  2. Customer Churn: Keep churn rate low by nurturing customer relationships and enhancing your offerings.

  3. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU): Track the average revenue generated by each customer to assess overall business performance.

Remember, metrics aren't just numbers; they are powerful tools that drive strategic decision-making. Tailor your metrics to your startup's stage to measure progress effectively and fuel your startup's growth!

The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds

Once again, it was a good week for raising big rounds. Two U.S. startups got more than a quarter-billion dollars each, and eight got over $100 million. Almost a third of the funding went to biotech, highlighting the fast growth of the industry.

  1. Uniquity Bio

  • Sector: Biotech

  • Funding: $300M

  • Details: Uniquity Bio, a clinical-stage drug development company focused on immunology and inflammation, was launched by Blackstone Life Sciences with a significant $300 million investment. The company has already gained FDA acceptance of its Phase 2 investigational new drug application for one of its medicines.

  1. Vercel

  • Sector: Developer Platform

  • Funding: $250M

  • Details: Vercel, a platform facilitating cloud-based web application development, secured a $250 million Series E at a valuation of $3.25 billion. The round was led by Accel, with participation from existing investors including CRV, GV, and Tiger Global. Vercel simplifies the process of migrating websites to cloud infrastructure and boasts big-name clients such as Under Armour and Nintendo.

  1. Sigma

  • Sector: Analytics

  • Funding: $200M

  • Details: Sigma, a cloud analytics startup, raised a $200 million Series D co-led by Spark Capital and Avenir Growth Capital. This round represents a significant increase in valuation, with a 60% rise from its previous financing. Sigma aims to empower companies with advanced analytics solutions.

  1. Restaurant365

  • Sector: Accounting

  • Funding: $175M

  • Details: Restaurant365, offering enterprise management software for restaurants, raised $175 million led by ICONIQ Growth. The Irvine-based startup helps restaurants manage accounting, payroll, and supply chain operations. This follows a $135 million round at a $1 billion valuation last year.

  1. The Bot Company

  • Sector: Robotics

  • Funding: $150M

  • Details: The Bot Company, founded by Kyle Vogt, former CEO of Cruise, aims to develop robots to assist with household chores. The $150 million seed funding came from investors including Quiet Capital and Stripe's Patrick and John Collison.

  1. Weka

  • Sector: Data

  • Funding: $140M

  • Details: Weka, a data platform, secured a $140 million Series E, valuing the company at $1.6 billion. Led by Valor Equity Partners, this round facilitates faster and more efficient data movement for companies building AI projects.

  1. Lycia Therapeutics

  • Sector: Biotech

  • Funding: $107M

  • Details: Lycia Therapeutics, based in South San Francisco, completed a $106.6 million Series C led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners. The company focuses on developing therapeutics for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases by degrading extracellular and membrane-bound proteins.

  1. Alkira

  • Sector: Cloud Infrastructure

  • Funding: $100M

  • Details: Alkira, based in San Jose, California, closed a $100 million Series C led by Tiger Global Management. The company enables businesses to manage hybrid cloud assets efficiently.

  1. Ajax Therapeutics

  • Sector: Biotech

  • Funding: $95M

  • Details: Ajax Therapeutics, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, raised a $95 million Series C led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The company is developing a drug for the bone marrow cancer myelofibrosis.

  1. ByHeart

  • Sector: Nutrition

  • Funding: $95M

  • Details: ByHeart, a New York-based infant formula brand, secured $95 million in financing, with undisclosed investors. The company also announced the expansion of two new production facilities in Oregon and Iowa to triple its supply capacity.

Source: Crunchbase 

CEO, Founders Bay

Hi! I'm Mariane Bekker, 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 recently founded Founders Bay, a venture studio for early-stage founders with a mission of empowering women founders to grow their startups. Learn more: www.foundersbay.com