Founder at Founders Bay & Women Founders Bay | VP of Engineering with 4x Exits | LinkedIn Top Voice | Connect With Me for Exclusive Insights and Events about Startups, Tech and Diversity
Mariane Bekker is a seasoned technology leader, investor, and advocate for women in tech, with a proven track record of scaling teams and empowering female entrepreneurs. Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, Mariane has over 15 years of experience in leading engineering teams, building high-impact communities, and supporting early-stage startups. She is currently the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Managing Partner at Founders Bay, where she advises and invests in promising startups, particularly those focused on deep tech, AI, and digital transformation.
Leadership and Community Building at Women Founders Bay
As the Founder and President of Women Founders Bay, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting female tech entrepreneurs, Mariane has established one of the largest and most active networks of women founders and investors in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization supports over 400 female-led startups across diverse fields, including AI/ML, HealthTech, FinTech, EdTech, and Climate Tech. Women Founders Bay not only fosters an empowering community but also provides resources and mentorship opportunities to help women entrepreneurs scale their startups successfully.
Tech Leadership and Venture Investment
In her role as a Managing Partner at Founders Bay, Mariane leads efforts to connect founders with the right resources, venture capital opportunities, and strategic guidance. She also oversees the publication of a weekly newsletter, subscribed to by over 20,000 founders and venture capitalists in the Bay Area, offering curated insights and a calendar of the top events for entrepreneurs. Additionally, Mariane is an Angel Investor at SHACK15 Ventures, where she focuses on early-stage investments in DeepTech and AI startups, providing both funding and strategic mentorship to emerging innovators.
Driving Change Through Diversity and Inclusion
Mariane’s commitment to gender diversity and inclusion is evident in her work as a Women Techmakers Ambassador, a Google-led initiative that champions women in tech through community-building events, public speaking engagements, and mentorship. In this role, she leverages her extensive network and expertise to create inclusive spaces where women can thrive in the tech industry. Mariane has also been a Guest Speaker at Girls Who Code since 2015, where she inspires and mentors the next generation of female tech leaders.
Entrepreneurship and Startup Mentorship
Prior to her current ventures, Mariane co-founded Fem Founders, an initiative aimed at promoting economic empowerment and fostering entrepreneurship among women. Her experience spans beyond community building; Mariane has also been a hands-on leader in the tech industry, serving as the Founder and CEO of Upward Recruiting—a talent platform dedicated to connecting early-stage startups with women from underrepresented backgrounds in software engineering, product design, and management roles. Under her leadership, Upward Recruiting made successful placements at leading startups in both Silicon Valley and New York.
Executive Roles in Leading Tech Companies
Mariane’s executive journey began with roles at prominent tech companies. As the Director of Engineering, Marketing Products at MINDBODY, she scaled the engineering team from 7 to over 40 engineers across San Francisco, New York City, and Pune. She built effective recruiting strategies, developed product roadmaps, and established a diverse and inclusive culture within the organization. Her leadership and engineering expertise were pivotal in delivering a suite of marketing and demand-generation tools for MINDBODY’s broader product offerings.
Previously, as the Head of Engineering at Rocksbox, Mariane was an integral member of the executive team, tasked with scaling the engineering department to meet growing product demands. Her experience in leading technical teams continued at if(we), where she was a Team Lead for API Development supporting a portfolio of social network products that facilitated meaningful connections among users.
Engineering Experience at Top Tech Companies
Mariane’s technical background includes her work as a Software Engineer and Team Lead at New Relic, where she contributed to the company’s pioneering digital intelligence solutions, and as a Senior Software Engineer at Tata Communications (formerly BitGravity), where she focused on content delivery and HD live streaming. Additionally, she gained early engineering experience at Manilla.com, working on innovative solutions in the finance tech space.
Educational Background and Technical Expertise
Mariane holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Computer Software Engineering from McGill University, where she honed her technical and problem-solving skills. Her education laid the foundation for a successful career in technology, product development, and community building.
Conclusion
Mariane Bekker’s journey exemplifies a blend of technical prowess, entrepreneurial vision, and a deep commitment to fostering diversity in the tech industry. Through her various leadership roles, investments, and community-building efforts, she continues to shape the future of technology and inspire women to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations. Whether advising founders on fundraising strategies, building inclusive engineering teams, or investing in the next wave of AI and DeepTech startups, Mariane is a transformative force in Silicon Valley’s startup ecosystem.