Silicon Valley: Founders Dinner & Poker 2.0 with Special Guest Daria Bakai
Join us for an evening of great food, conversations, and (optional) a friendly, low-stakes game of poker.
Please see our statement of inclusivity below.
Special Guest - Daria Bakai, Serial Founder, Champion Rally Race Driver and Poker Player.
Daria was a Top 3 driver in the National Rally Championship and only the woman to compete.
During her time as a rally racer, she advertised rally driving for women as a social media influencer and appearing in multiple television and radio interviews. She is a member of the Women in Motorsport Committee and represented Ukraine in the World Motorsport Cup in Italy in 2021.
Daria combines her passion for auto sports, innovation and entrepreneurship by growing multiple companies, including Plateau Motors (a auto service company) and HIVE (a company helping small business owners and entrepreneurs with cost-effective staffing.)
Founders and Investor ONLY
Our events are exclusively for Startup Haven founder and investor members. If you are a startup founder working full-time on a venture-scalable company or an active startup investor, then we welcome you to attend this event as our guest.
However, please do not bring uninvited guests and please do not share this invitation with anyone who is not a full-time founder or active investor.
About Startup Haven
Startup Haven was founded in 2006 and has grown to become a singular fund, accelerator and network of more than 2,500 vetted, venture-scale founders and investors across the US.
About Founders Dinner and Startup Poker 2.0
These events have been running continuously for more than 18 years. If you are new to the Startup Haven network, you should know that this is a fun, very-low-stakes poker game and that we embrace diversity, open conversations, and learning. Playing in the poker game is not required, but it is a ton of fun and you might just win some cash and/or a cool sponsor prize!
The poker game after dinner is 100% optional.
Beginner poker players are encouraged to attend! This is a nice, friendly game of low-stakes poker and the first buy-in starts at just $10. If you want to play poker, ease make sure to bring cash, small bills preferred. If you don't want to play poker, that's fine, too -- just come for dinner and conversations!
Details on the poker game can be found here: Poker Basics Webpage.
Random and Guaranteed Poker Seats
Just a reminder that in the event that more than 40 attendees want to play poker, Level/2 members will be seated first, then Level/1, and then we will cut cards for the remaining seats.
Safety Concerns
If you are sick, or have loved ones that are vulnerable, please consider coming to future events instead.
If you have safety concerns and would like someone to accompany you to your vehicle, we would be happy to accommodate you, just let one of our team members know or email us in advance at membership@startuphaven.com.
Inclusivity
We acknowledge that poker, as well as the tech and startup community, has historically been male-dominated. We believe neither should be and we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members and players.
We strongly encourage women, people of color, and individuals from all underrecognized groups to join us at our events. Your presence enriches the experience for everyone, and we are dedicated to ensuring that our poker community is diverse, respectful, and inclusive.
Read here, here and here for more about why we play poker at Startup Haven, and believe that poker is for everyone.