Building Bonds in the Bay Area: Networking, Startups, and the Power of Consistency

The Bay Area feels like home to me. Over time, I've crossed paths with many familiar faces. It was great meeting James Wen for the second time. Your idea is super interesting. Let me know when it goes live, and I will start raving about it :) Kapil S. , so good to see you again, my friend. I was excited to hear about the progress you had on your start-up, Turu . It was awesome reconnecting with Tess Robinson from Slay Ventures .

Thank you, Murray Newlands , for being a great connector and hosting such a wonderful event. This spot radiates so much positive energy. If you've never attended the AI Investors and Networking event at Joe and The Juice in Palo Alto, come next Monday from 4-6 PM.

In my last post, I briefly discussed the benefits of consistently attending the same event. You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/gjbik3fw.

Here are three tips I'd like to share in this post. Please let me know if they resonate with you :)

• Go to the same event consistently:

Attending the same event regularly deepens relationships and builds a supportive community. You also become familiar with well-connected organizers. I'm often at Murray’s event every Monday from 4-6 p.m., occasionally arriving at 5 due to traffic (my best excuse, lol). Out of the many events in the Bay Area, Open Future Forum events are definitely one of the best. Highly recommended!

Here are a few great things I'd like to highlight about Open Future Forum events: Murray is hands down one of the best hosts. He's welcoming and always eager to help and connect. His optimism is infectious. Definitely attend his event and connect with him. There are a few upcoming events that you should check out. If you're looking for enterprise networking, check this out. If you're aiming to pitch to VCs, look into this event.

• Attend new events occasionally:

It helps me discover new, interesting events. If I find them engaging, I start attending regularly. This way, I build close relationships with multiple event organizers. Try this out and let me know how it works.

• Keep iterating:

The path to startup success is rarely straightforward. Only occasionally does a startup achieve product-market fit early on. You need to experiment and always build MVPs. Find internal metrics that motivate you. For me, shipping code, talking to customers, connecting with fellow founders, and engaging with investors make me feel like I'm progressing. Identify what makes you feel like you're advancing and focus on that. There are no shortcuts; find a way to sustain and persevere. Just don't die.

I often reflect on the following chart to motivate me not to quit and to keep iterating.

For Founders

If your platform requires compliance with standards like GDPR, SOC2, or HIPAA, Pangea is your go-to platform. It's a Security Platform as a Service (SPaaS). Reach out to Pramod Shintri.

If you want to set up a 1:1 with me, you can do so here. If I can assist you in any way, I'm just a click away. https://calendly.com/iandmy/1-1-with-arjun

For Investors:

Here are some startups I'd like to highlight:

Giza

Giza is on a mission to create an open AI economy. It's a permissionless platform that enables anyone to deploy and utilize machine learning models on-chain. This architecture allows for the sharing and monetization of models in a transparent, trustless environment.

Applicability and Use Cases:

I see immense potential for Giza in high-stakes decision-making scenarios. Specifically, I think there are near-term applications in both the medical and enterprise sectors.

Potential Use Case: Imagine an AI model deployed for medical decision-making. In such cases, it's crucial to verify which version of the model is being used for diagnosis. Giza's architecture enables this level of verification, ensuring trust and transparency. There are countless other use cases as well, and I highly recommend exploring this project further.

Contact Ren? K. for more information.

Turu

Turu is an AI-driven travel concierge and marketplace that offers:

• Weekend getaway inspiration
• Three-day trip plans
• One-week and 10-day itineraries

Currently, they cover five locations: New York, Las Vegas, Savannah, Charleston, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Contact Kapil S. if you want to know more about it.

AgentStat

A homebuyer can use AgentStat to quickly find the best-suited real estate agent for their needs. By entering their home preferences, budget, and location, AgentStat's algorithms will recommend agents with proven expertise and success in those specific areas, optimizing the homebuying process.

I had an opportunity to talk to Founder Aaron Rosen . Super cool concept if you find it interesting please contact him.

WhatAreThose!?

This app is a must-have for sneaker enthusiasts. Here's how it works:

• Download the app
• Scan your friends' sneakers
• Find out where to buy those sneakers at the cheapest price

It's user-friendly and intuitive. Contact Soumya Pattanayak if you want to know more about it.

I'm extremely fortunate and grateful to be part of such an engaging and supportive Bay Area founders' community. I owe you all one. Looking forward to the next event!

Sincerely,

Arjun Co-founder, i&my.ai