What's next in AI & beyond?

How Shifting Capital Strategies Impact Early Stage Builders

Date

Oct 01, 2026

Time

11:00 am - 12:15 pm

Address

Online Event

Timezone

Join us for an intimate breakfast bringing together founders, VCs and ecosystem leaders for candid conversations, meaningful connections and a chance to exchange ideas around building and investing in the next generation of companies.

This is a small, curated gathering designed for high-quality conversations, not a traditional networking event.
Note: This is a free event for the Founder Institute & my community if you have issues getting in, provide this code at the door: JENICFI

🗓️ Agenda
10:00am – 11:00am | Curated Networking & Breakfast
10:55am – 11:00am | Co-host & Sponsor Introductions
11:00am – 11:40am | Angels, Funds, and Everything In Between: Choosing the Right Capital for Your Startup (30 mins)

Jeni Chang, Managing Director at Founder Institute
Christian Doegl, Managing Partner at Navis Capital LLC
Keshia Theobald-van Gent, Partner at BDev Ventures
Vandana Sunkara, Founder at The Next 10; Angel Investor at Hustle Fund
Adela Jamal, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Milemark Capital (Moderator)

11:40am – 12:20pm | From First Check to Series A: What Investors Really Look For in 2026 (30 mins)

Adela Jamal, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Milemark Capital (Moderator)
Domingo Guerra, Managing Partner at Chispa VC
Jasmeet Singh, Managing Partner at JMoon Ventures
Jesse Courtier, MD, Founder and Managing Director at Radiologue Ventures

12:20pm – 1:00pm | Open Networking

What to expect:
☕️ Breakfast & coffee
🤝 Curated introductions to founders and investors
💬 Candid conversations on fundraising, growth, GTM
🧠 Insights and perspectives from both sides of the table
🌱 New relationships with people building and backing ambitious companies

Who should join?

Founders and startup leaders
VCs and angel investors
Operators and ecosystem leaders working with startups
Builders interested in connecting with the community

Space is intentionally limited to keep the conversation intimate and valuable. Come ready to meet smart people, share what you're working on, and leave with a few new relationships worth continuing.

Hosted by:
Founder Institute San Francisco/Oakland
AI rewrote the rules of startup building and the playbook has changed. Tech & skills are no longer the bottleneck: speed & direction are.
Founder Institute merges structured learning and execution + AI agents that build alongside you.

The Method: Business bootcamp structure + weekly pitch feedback + founder working groups.
The Network: 1:1 mentor sessions, Funding Lab, legal aid, and global event access.
The Result: 9,000+ founders across 100 countries backed by $2BN+ raised.

We give early-stage founders the tools, network, and momentum to go from zero to funding.
Learn More: https://fi.co/aifounder
Interested in our program? Meet the Team: Jeni & Lucas - come say "hi" 🌞
➡️ Our upcoming Fall cohort starts soon! Apply by Oct 30th https://fi.co/san-francisco

Founders Bay is a 200,000+ member community of founders, executives, investors and operators — weekly curated events, expert workshops and mentorship. Proudly woman-owned and operated by Mariane Bekker.

Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP (CFM) is a premier law firm serving investment managers ranging from startups to multibillion-dollar funds. CFM's corporate and IP practice groups guide companies from early-stage ventures to multibillion-dollar enterprises across emerging industries. Core offerings include comprehensive intellectual property counsel for brands, digital assets and AI technologies, alongside full-lifecycle corporate guidance spanning formation, fundraising, M&A and exit strategies.

Additional Resources: Find more Startup Events, explore AI Tools for Startup Ideation and Validation to test what you hear tonight, or take the Entrepreneur DNA test.