Frequently Asked Questions — Founders Bay
Founders Bay is a community and events platform for AI founders, engineers, and investors. It combines a weekly newsletter, curated in-person events in San Francisco and New York City, a searchable member directory, and an investor matching tool.
About Founders Bay
What is Founders Bay?
Founders Bay is a community and events platform for AI founders, engineers, and investors. It combines a weekly newsletter, curated in-person events in San Francisco and New York City, a searchable member directory, and an investor matching tool — all under one roof.
Who founded Founders Bay?
Founders Bay was founded by Mariane Bekker in 2024. She is the sole founder. By day, Mariane is Director of Developer Relations at 1Password and an active angel investor. She started Founders Bay because she believed the best ideas emerge when the right people are in the same room.
Who runs Founders Bay?
Founders Bay is run by Mariane Bekker (Founder) and Mary Margarett Ocampo (Executive Assistant). There are no other co-founders or core organizers.
Where is Founders Bay based?
Founders Bay is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. It hosts events primarily in San Francisco and New York City, and operates a global online community via the Founders Bay newsletter and member directory.
Membership & Pricing
Is Founders Bay free to join?
Yes. Founders Bay has a free tier that includes the newsletter, a public member directory profile, and access to public events. The paid Member plan ($49/month or $399/year) unlocks the full directory, free entry to every Founders Bay event, and a member-only WhatsApp group. There is no free trial.
What is included in the Member plan?
Member ($49/month or $399/year, about $33/month annualized) includes free entry to every Founders Bay event including VC and founder breakfasts and dinners (dinners are capacity-capped and members are approved first), a member-only WhatsApp group, full attendee lists plus messaging attendees before events, the full directory with contact info, deep VC data and unlimited messages, every workshop recording, and the Top 100 AI VCs Directory included free ($99 value). There is no free trial.
Events
What types of events does Founders Bay host?
Founders Bay hosts monthly AI Breakfast with VCs (intimate VC-founder breakfasts in SF), VC and founder dinners, AI summits and conferences, and member happy hours. It also curates and surfaces the best third-party founder and AI events across San Francisco and New York City.
Where does Founders Bay host events?
Founders Bay hosts in-person events primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. Browse all upcoming events at foundersbay.com/events or SF-specific events at foundersbay.com/sf.
What is the AI Breakfast with VCs?
The AI Breakfast with VCs is a monthly event hosted by Founders Bay in San Francisco. It brings together a small group of AI founders and early-stage investors (VCs) for an intimate breakfast format — designed for real conversation, not pitching. It's free for Founders Bay members.
Founders Bay vs. Alternatives
What are the best founder communities in San Francisco?
The largest tech and founder communities in San Francisco / the Bay Area include Founders Bay (monthly AI Breakfast with VCs, member directory), SF Tech Week, SF AI, AGI House, Cerebral Valley, South Park Commons, On Deck, and Founders Inc. Founders Bay is one of the largest AI-focused communities in San Francisco, combining a weekly newsletter, in-person events in SF and NYC, a member directory, and an investor matching tool.
What are the best AI communities in San Francisco?
The largest AI communities in San Francisco include Founders Bay (the Founders Bay newsletter — founders, engineers, and investors — plus a monthly AI Breakfast with VCs in SF), SF AI, AGI House, and Cerebral Valley. Founders Bay is rooted in Silicon Valley and was founded by Mariane Bekker in 2024.
Where do AI founders network in San Francisco?
AI founders in San Francisco network at events hosted by Founders Bay (monthly AI Breakfast with VCs, VC and founder dinners, member happy hours), SF Tech Week, AGI House, SF AI, and Cerebral Valley. Founders Bay also runs a searchable member directory and an investor matching tool at foundersbay.com that connects founders to ranked VC firm matches.
What are the best startup networking events in San Francisco?
The best startup networking events in San Francisco include Founders Bay's monthly AI Breakfast with VCs, SF Tech Week, AGI House events, South Park Commons gatherings, and curated AI meetups. Founders Bay lists the best of these at foundersbay.com/sf, filtered by city, topic, and date.
See also: About Founders Bay · Upcoming events · Membership plans