Startup & VC Day at Tech Weekend | Deep Tech Pitch, Panels & Mixer | SF

This event is part of Tech Weekend January 23-24, 206

Tech Weekend is a 48-hour fundraising sprint by Founders Village where founders meet dozens of investors in back-to-back sessions.

Founders attend to meet VCs through:
• 1:1 VC Office Hours
• Pitch Competitions (Deep Tech & AI)
• VC Panels & Debates
• Founder–Investor Mixers

If you’re building in AI, Deep Tech, Health Tech, FinTech, Climate Tech, BioTech, Bio-Convergence, Well-Being Tech, NeuroTech, Quantum, Space Tech, Dual-Use Tech, Vertical Tooling, EdTech, Cybersecurity, SaaS, Marketplaces, Consumer AI, Robotics, Spatial Intelligence, Physical AI, scientifically intensive ventures, Renewable Energies, or any other frontier sector—Tech Weekend helps you meet the right investors faster.

Two days. A marathon of VC conversations. Fast, Structured and result oriented.
👉 To attend the full weekend:

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | Panel: The Founder–VC Relationship — From First Call to Term Sheet

VC Panelists:

• Vik Ghai: Co-Founder & Managing Partner at G2C Ventures (Focus: Enterprise AI, Automation).
• Paulina Szyzdek: Investment Principal at E12 Ventures (Focus: Deep Tech, Robotics, Space).

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Panel: Cross-Border Fundraising — How International Founders Can Win U.S. Capital in 2026

Session Focus: U.S. legal structures (Delaware C-Corp, red flags to avoid); How international teams should tell their story for U.S. investors; Matching with the right VC for geography, stage, and sector; Market-entry timing and GTM strategy; Visa, relocation, and operational considerations founders overlook.

• Doug Griffin: Managing Partner at Spatial Capital (Focus: Pre-seed/seed in applied physical AI).
• Olga Chumanskaya: VP at Khosla Ventures (Focus: Breakthrough technologies, physical AI; early investor in OpenAI, RocketLab).
• Jay Kim: Partner at GS Futures (Focus: Physical AI, Deep Tech).
• Mark Blocker: Partner at SV Venture Group (Focus: Fintech, Entertainment, Healthcare).

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM | Fireside Chat: What VCs Wish Founders Knew Before Fundraising

Session Focus: Common myths about fundraising; Misalignments between founders and investors; How decisions are really made inside VC partnerships; How founders accidentally push investors away; What creates "instant conviction".

Panelists:

• Freddy Dopfel: Principal at LG Technology Ventures. Investment Focus: Deep Tech.
• Scott Walbrun: Principal at BMW i Ventures. Investment Focus: Future of Mobility, Energy, AI, SaaS.
• Viral Gandhi: Investor at KCK Medtech. Investment Focus: MedTech and Healthcare AI.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch + Open Networking

Complimentary lunch with Vegetarian, Halal, Vegan, and Gluten-Free options available.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | VC Debate: Will AI Replace Humans — or Unlock a Better Future for Us?

Session Focus: A point-counterpoint debate exploring the long-term impact of AI on work, creativity, and human purpose (Side A: AI Will Replace Human Labor vs. Side B: AI Will Augment Human Potential).

Side A: AI Will Replace Human Labor.

Side B: AI Will Augment Human Potential.3:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Deep Tech Pitch Competition

VC Panelists:

• Sunil Grover: Co-founder & Managing Partner at G2C Ventures (Focus: Enterprise AI, Vertical AI, Agentic AI, SaaS).
• Jacob Flores: Analyst at Type One Ventures (Focus: Deeptech - space, ai/compute, neurotech, energy, industrial automation/robotics).

Pitch Competition Judges:

• Maria Pienaar: Operating Partner at Unicorn Growth Capital (Focus: Embedded Finance, Fintech, Stablecoin infrastructure).
• Serephina Ha: General Partner at Axci Capital (Focus: Deep Tech).
• Investment Focus: Deep Tech.
• 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Founder & Investor Mixer

Drinks + relaxed evening networking with founders and investors.

Stay Connected

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Instagram: @founders.village
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If you have any questions, feel free to email us at [email protected]

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