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- Upcoming Founder & VC Events Happening This Week
Upcoming Founder & VC Events Happening This Week
Upcoming Events & The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds
Mariane Bekker
July 14, 2024
In partnership with
Table of Contents
Featured Events
Saturday July 20 - Sunday July 21
Attention Gen AI developers and hackers! We're thrilled to invite you to the era of Agents 2.0 - reliable, observable & safe agents 🔥
Join us for a two-day long AI hackathon hosted by MultiOn & AgentOps to discover what is now possible using Agents and build the future of AI!
AI Innovation and Insights for Startups at Plug and Play [I will be recording my radio show series live on stage!] (Link)
Thursday July 18, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Join AWS, Hubspot, Silicon Valley Impact, & DuploCloud for an AI panel discussion and an evening of networking and knowledge sharing.
If you’re an AI Founder, RSVP Here for free: https://lu.ma/pqlvaotf
Thursday July 20, 2:00pm - 7:00pm
Take an afternoon off for some fun in the sun with like-minded people who care about creating and promoting AI systems for social good.
🗓️ Monday, Jul 15
👉 Afore Founders-in-Residence Cohort 4: Showcase & Happy Hour (3:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Friends of Afore - we're delighted to invite you to get a first look at Afore's fourth Founders-in-Residence cohort! Teams will share their raw updates - many of them are still very early on their journeys and won’t raise for another few months. During this showcase, our fir’s will share what they’ve learned / built so far and where they’re headed!
👉 B2B SAAS AI Investors & Networking (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Our team leads community initiatives, ranging from regional events and summits to virtual content, complemented by our dynamic private online hub. Our platform serves as an exclusive knowledge-sharing and Q&A space for industry leaders.
👉 Awesome AI Dev Tools - July (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.
👉 Winning Contracts With AI: How To Leverage LLMs To Win SAM.gov Opportunities (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Are you looking to enhance your ability to secure government contracts through SAM.gov? Join us for an exclusive workshop, "Winning Contracts With AI: How To Leverage LLMs To Win SAM.gov Opportunities," and discover how General Lithium’s internal contract search tool can give you a competitive edge in the contracting process.
👉 Founder Fireside Chat with Chris Bakke, Indeed.com, and Codi (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Indeed and Codi for a fireside chat with Chris Bakke, repeat entrepreneur, founder, investor, and Internet Personality. Chris co-founded Laskie (acquired by X/Twitter), Interviewed.com (acquired by Indeed), and was COO of 42Floors.
👉 Data for AI Presents: Data Deep Dives (5:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an exciting evening of insights, networking, and innovation as we explore the cutting-edge world of data infrastructure and platforming for Generative AI, multimodal models, and beyond. Whether you're a founder, engineer, executive, or innovator, this event is designed for those who are passionate about the future of AI and the data that drives it.
🗓️ Tuesday, Jul 16
👉 Unlock the power of AI to drive large-scale business transformation (8:30 AM - 3:00 PM)
📍 San Jose
💬 Immerse yourself in the transformative journeys of enterprise executives.
👉 Chinese Tech Network - Startup Pitches and Fireside Chat (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Join us for an evening at the Plug and Play Chinese Tech Network (CTN) event co-hosted by ZH-Island this month. This monthly gathering is a fantastic opportunity to dive into the world of tech entrepreneurship and gain valuable industry insights. Our event will feature dynamic startup pitches from emerging tech innovators, providing a platform for fresh ideas and groundbreaking solutions.
👉 The Third Dimension: Live Recording of Silicon Zombies (5:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Menlo Park
💬 Join us for an illuminating session on the future of the supply chain, "The Third Dimension: The Story of Things Before We Get Them.” We'll dive into the intricate journey products undergo before reaching our hands, exploring innovative advancements in logistics, technology, and sustainability. Discover how AI, blockchain, and other cutting-edge technologies are transforming supply chains, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and resilience in an increasingly complex global market.
👉 Building AI Agents x MLOps Community - Demo Day @ Microsoft Reactor (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 🎉🤖🍻 Join Us at the Building AI Agents's next "Demo Day" Meetup in San Francisco @ Microsoft Reactor! Are you building an AI Agent and want to meet and learn from other amazing builders like you? We're excited to invite you to the next edition of the "Building AI Agents Meetup"! We're taking our thriving community back to the heart of tech innovation — San Francisco.
👉 THE GATHERING (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 THE GATHERING is a groundbreaking event designed to build genuine connections, tackle real challenges, promote peer learning, and have fun.
👉 AI Product Management Experts (5:30 PM - 8:00 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 Product Management conversations.
👉 Bay Area Monthly AI Safety Meetup (July) - w speakers from Princeton, Sony, and Holistic - sponsored by Holistic AI (5:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 July edition of the monthly academic salon discussing all aspects under the critical topic of AI safety, merging scholastic learnings with enterprise ideals.
👉 Unstructured Data Meetup SF (5:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 This is an in-person event! Registration is required to get in. Github will email you a form the day before the event, which you will need to complete for your access pass. Registration will close 2 days before the event. Who Should attend: Anyone interested in talking and learning about Unstructured Data and Generative AI Apps.
👉 Longevity Trivia @ age1 office (6:30 PM - 10:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Come join a group of founders, scientists, investors, students, and longevity enthusiasts for ~ longevity trivia ~ at the age1 office! This will be full on aging-themed trivia, with a picture round, a song round, prizes, and more! If you're new to the field - no worries, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the space.
🗓️ Wednesday, Jul 17
👉 Robotics Founder & Funder Summit: AI + Robotics (5:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Join us for an exclusive evening at the intersection of robotics innovation and investment. The Robotics Founder and Funder Summit, hosted at Google's Sunnyvale campus, brings together visionary founders, leading venture capitalists, and industry experts for a night of insights, networking, and collaborative opportunities.
👉 AI GTM Networking (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 We are Open Future Forum. We are leaders, investors, founders, and engineers based in the Bay Area CA. Come and meet featured investors.
👉 All about L2s and the Solana Virtual Machine (5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Take a break from your mid-week routine — join us at the Solana office in SF on July 17th at 5:30 PM for a panel discussion and Q&A focused on the new generation of L2s on Solana and the SVM. It'll be followed by our weekly happy hour with food & drinks where you can meet other Solana ecosystem contributors, developers, and founders.
👉 Sake Social: An Evening with Cleanlab and ODSC (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for an evening where data meets delight! Dive into the world of artificial intelligence in a relaxed and engaging atmosphere.
👉 Founders and Funders: AI with CC Gong (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us on July 17th for our Founders and Funders AI event live in San Francisco with C.C. Gong. Hear from both the founder and investor perspective and gain insights into the current AI market from both sides of the table.
👉 AI For Designers #16 (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Calling all designers! Join us for our monthly AI for Designers event. Explore the world of AI-powered design tools and learn how they can enhance your creative process.
👉 Blockchain x Social Impact Panel (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Are you curious about the real-world use cases of blockchain for social impact? Join the Crypto Council for Innovation and SheFi for an all-star panel and networking event focused on blockchain's role in driving positive change.
🗓️ Thursday, Jul 18
👉 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.
👉 Crush It Conference 2024 (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM) [I’M SPEAKING] [30% DISCOUNT CODE: CRUSHIT]
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join a full-day conference packed with insights on creating real value and leveling up your productivity at work.
👉 Conference : Google I/O Extended (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join us for Google I/O Extended Silicon Valley 2024 Conference!
👉 Indian Diaspora Meetup with Accel in SF Bay Area (4:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join Indian Diaspora founders and practitioners to explore opportunities in AI innovation.
👉 The Intersection of Energy, Sustainability and Information Technology (4:30 PM - 7:00 PM)
📍 Milpitas
💬 Join us at FalconX for an event focusing on Energy and Sustainability, fostering innovation and collaboration.
👉 AI Innovation and Insights for Startups at Plug and Play (5:00 PM - 9:00 PM) [I'M RECORDING OUR RADIO SHOW WITH BRIAN SPARKES]
📍 Sunnyvale
💬 Network with AI startups and industry leaders at this exclusive curated event.
👉 AI + Web3 Networking Conference with Fetch.ai (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Dive into AI and Web3 at the House of Web3 in Presidio.
👉 Early-Stage Tech Mega Mixer (5:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join the Early-Stage Tech Mega Mixer hosted by PomJuice for networking opportunities.
👉 How AI Unlocks the Ancestral Story: Advanced Methods in Population Genetics (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Explore AI's role in population genetics and genetic genealogy.
👉 🧠 GenAI Collective 🧠 AI Video Quest 📽️ (6:00 PM - 8:30 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join the GenAI Collective for a unique AI video generation experience and discussions.
🗓️ Friday, Jul 19
👉 Network with AI CTOs and Deep-tech Researchers (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
📍 Palo Alto
💬 Connect with AI CTOs, deep-tech researchers, and VCs at this networking event.
👉 💰🔥 Detect Sales Opportunities and Prevent Churn with LLMs (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Discover how LLMs can enhance customer feedback analysis and business strategy.
🗓️ Saturday, Jul 20
👉 AI Agents 2.0 Hackathon by MultiOn & AgentOps (9:00 AM - 9:00 PM) [CO-HOSTED BY ME]
📍 San Francisco
💬 Join the AI Agents 2.0 Hackathon to explore the latest in agent technology and AI development.
👉 Innovate and Elevate: Pioneering the Future of Tech and Entrepreneurship (10:30 AM - 1:00 PM)
📍 San Francisco
💬 Gain insights from industry leaders on networking and startup success strategies.
👉 Founders Bay Presents: AI for Social Good Pool Party and Panel (2:00 PM - 10:00 PM)
📍 San Rafael
💬 Join Founders Bay for an afternoon of networking and discussions on AI for social good.
🗓️ Sunday, Jul 21
👉 CTO Hikes (10:00 AM - 12:30 PM)
📍 Fremont
💬 Join tech CTOs, CEOs, founders, and investors for a hike and networking.
Looking to throw a networking event to promote your business?
We can plan out your events from start to finish in the Bay Area! Our event planning packages start at $2k+.
Email me at [email protected] or book time with me to learn more.
Why Founders Need to Prioritize Work-Life Balance...
By Mariane Bekker
As founders, we pour our hearts and souls into building our companies. The journey is very rewarding, but it can also be exhausting.
Recently, I took some time off to disconnect and recharge in Hawaii. One morning, sitting by the beach with no emails to check and no calls to answer, I realized how important it is to step back and breathe. This pause gave me the clarity I needed to continue growing the business.
During my first year building Upward Recruiting, I fell into the trap of working 100+ hours a week. It was unsustainable, and I burnt out after a year. I'm not alone in this. 16% percent of startups fail due to burnout, and 63% of entrepreneurs report dealing with burnout. These numbers are staggering.
As founders, we often feel a duty to always give 110% to our companies, prioritizing our startups over our well-being. But building a successful company doesn't mean sacrificing our health and happiness.
What Helped Me Achieve Work-Life Balance:
Dedicated Disconnect Time: I shut down all electronics and disconnect from work completely 1-2 evenings a week. It’s my time to unwind and recharge.
Regular Exercise Routine: Whether it’s hiking, hitting the gym, or swimming, regular exercise keeps me balanced and focused.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Incorporating mindfulness practices and yoga into my routine helps clear my mind and manage stress effectively.
Quality Time with Loved Ones: I schedule at least 1 outings a week with close friends and family where work talk is off-limits. It’s refreshing and reminds me why balance matters.
Having a Coach: Having a coach to talk to has been invaluable. It provides me with guidance, perspective, and a sounding board outside of my immediate circle. I teamed up with Natalie Pan, an incredible startup coach specializing in mental health for founders to offer you a free session. Book it here!
Taking time off allowed me to return with renewed energy and fresh perspectives. It reminded me that our greatest asset is our well-being. When we prioritize balance, we not only improve our own performance but also set a positive example for our teams.
So, this summer, I encourage you to take some time off. Whether it’s a weekend getaway, quality time with loved ones, or simply unplugging for a bit, do it. Trust me—it’s good for you and your business.
Feeling Burnt Out? Struggling with your mental health while building your startup?
I teamed up with an amazing coach specializing in mental health for founders Natalie Pan from Not Too Crazy to offer you a free session!
The Week 10 Biggest Funding Rounds
After a calm holiday week, investors jumped back in, giving large amounts of money to startups in robotics, biotech, healthcare, and other fields. Six startups received over $100 million each, which could be a good sign for startups this summer.
Sector: Robotics
Funding: $300M
Details: The Pittsburgh-based startup raised $300 million in a Series A led by Coatue, Lightspeed Venture Partners, SoftBank Group, and Jeff Bezos's Bezos Expeditions. Skild AI specializes in building robot brains for diverse applications, achieving a valuation of $1.5 billion.
Sector: Biotech
Funding: $277M
Details: San Diego-based Element Biosciences secured over $277 million in a Series D led by Wellington Management. Founded in 2017, the company focuses on DNA sequencing and multi-omics technology, with total funding now at $678 million.
Sector: Film
Funding: $250M
Details: Regal, the U.S.'s second-largest movie theater chain, raised $250 million to upgrade its 425 locations nationwide. Owned by Cineworld, the company emerged from bankruptcy last year with plans for luxury recliners and enhanced amenities.
Sector: Healthcare
Funding: $200M
Details: Troy, Michigan-based HarmonyCares closed a $200 million round led by General Catalyst, McKesson Ventures, and a national payor. The healthcare provider offers in-home primary care across 15 states, focusing on services like home health and hospice.
Sector: Financial Services
Funding: $200M
Details: Earned Wealth, a wealth tech startup, raised $200 million led by Silversmith Capital Partners and Summit Partners. Founded in 2021, the company provides financial planning and investment advice tailored for medical professionals.
Sector: Artificial Intelligence
Funding: $130M
Details: New York-based Hebbia raised $130 million in a Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz. Hebbia specializes in AI solutions for analyzing complex data, including structured and unstructured formats like regulatory filings.
Sector: Govtech
Funding: $90M
Details: San Francisco-based Hayden AI secured $90 million in a Series C led by The Rise Fund. The vision AI platform enhances traffic safety and accessibility through geospatial data collection sensors and predictive analytics.
Sector: Aerospace
Funding: $70M
Details: Albuquerque, New Mexico-based X-Bow Systems, a developer of solid rocket motors and hypersonics technologies, raised more than $70 million led by Razor’s Edge.
Sector: Artificial Intelligence
Funding: $60M
Details: New York-based Captions raised a $60 million Series C led by Index Ventures. The company specializes in generative video creation and editing platforms, with a valuation of $500 million.
Sector: Sustainability
Funding: $58.4M
Details: Woburn, Massachusetts-based ZwitterCo closed a $58.4 million Series B funding round led by Evok Innovations. Founded in 2018, the company focuses on water treatment using membrane technologies, with total funding reaching nearly $99 million.
Source: Crunchbase
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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’m the founder of Women Founders Bay, a community of tech female founders on a mission to increase funding going to women.