STARTUP FINANCE
STARTUP FINANCE
Financial Systems for Founders
Before making a financial decision, ask how much runway it buys and whether your cash gets you to the next meaningful milestone.
8 October 2026Pleasanton
Read event notes SF Tech Week 2026
What founders can carry forward from the room.
Firsthand notes from conversations about AI, finance, fundraising, customers, community, brand, identity, and security. Each report ends with a decision or question founders can use.
12 event reports5 to 8 October 2026San Francisco Bay Area
Start here
SF Tech Week changed the questions I ask founders
Meeting founders in person changed the questions I ask. My biggest takeaway was to spend more time listening before offering a solution.
Read the week overviewEvent by event
Browse the conversations
Choose the problem you are working through now. Each note separates what happened in the room from the practical founder takeaway.
FUNDRAISING
Preparing for a Series A
Satish’s Series A panel recap: written commitments, signed agreements, organized records and preparing security evidence for diligence.
7 October 2026Expensify Lounge, 88 Kearny St, 16th floor, San Francisco
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GOVERNMENT SALES
Selling to government
A conversation with Amy Johanek and Greg Hall at Okta about a first government contract and preparing for the requirements of the actual buyer.
6 October 2026Okta HQ, 100 First St, fifth floor, San Francisco
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SOVEREIGN AI
Sovereign AI and agent memory
Lessons from Open Source x Sovereign AI on data ownership, portable agent assets, memory and questions to ask about infrastructure protections.
7 October 2026The Fold, San Francisco
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AI AND CLOUD SECURITY
Google for Startups and Wiz
Satish’s reflection on meeting Wiz at Google for Startups during SF Tech Week and connecting AI and cloud security with founders’ growth questions.
6 October 2026The Aviary at Metreon, 135 Fourth St, fourth floor, San Francisco
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FOUNDER COMMUNITY
MeetStream and Prefactor Founders Night
A short reflection on attending MeetStream and Prefactor Founders Night and making space for direct founder conversations during SF Tech Week.
7 October 2026WeWork, 650 California St, San Francisco
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BRAND BUILDING
Potato Meter and brand building
Satish’s reflection on tonik’s Potato Meter event and why understanding brand building belongs alongside product and customer conversations.
8 October 2026San Francisco
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CUSTOMER UNDERSTANDING
Built by Community at Reddit
A reflection on Built by Community at Reddit headquarters with Chris Slowe and learning how Reddit can be useful for founders.
8 October 2026Reddit headquarters, San Francisco
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AGENT SECURITY
Build AI Agents with Auth0
Satish’s reflection on the Auth0 event at Okta and the questions agent security raises about identity, permissions and connected tools.
8 October 2026Okta headquarters, San Francisco
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BUILDING AI
Agents and APIs
A brief recap of the Agents and APIs event at CANOPY Jackson Square and how it fits into Satish’s wider SF Tech Week learning.
5 October 2026CANOPY Jackson Square, 595 Pacific Ave, fourth floor, San Francisco
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FOUNDER PITCHES
The Auth0 buyer pitch
Lessons from eight pitches at the Auth0 buyer event: explain the value clearly, understand timing and treat credibility separately from a buying commitment.
5 October 2026San Francisco
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AGENT DELIVERY
Can your agents actually ship?
A reflection on an SF Tech Week program about moving from agent generated code to delivery, validation, review and governance.
5 October 2026VirtusLab, 3 Embarcadero Center, Codi street level, San Francisco
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Bring one question into your next founder conversation.
Good event notes should improve the next decision. Pick the report closest to your current problem, use its questions, and document what changes.