Beyond 2% - Building A Better Tomorrow Salon
Everyone is welcome to come!
Book a showroom spot here
Where Bold Women Lead. Their Visions Scale New Heights.
Join the first Building a Better Tomorrow Salon to kick off a new event series that will highlight different demographics, sectors, countries, industries. Our first series focuses on the gender gap.
Beyond 2 - Building A Better Tomorrow Salon is Silicon Valley’s is highlighting the struggles women face in entrepreneurship. We come together to discuss strategies and share knowledge to help push and create change. The Beyond 2 edition is giving new female talent a platform to show what they are birthing to make a better tomorrow. This exclusive event brings together visionary leaders, groundbreaking technology, and strategic capital to spark real momentum.
Connect with change makers, discover powerful solutions, and access the tools to amplify your impact. This is more than an event—it’s a launchpad and glimpse of the future women create.
Who is This For?
Founders, Creators, Artists, Leaders, Investors, Builders and Ideators of tomorrow.
It’s for investors who care about supporting positive change.
It’s for people who want a brighter tomorrow.
It’s for creators and innovators who want to be with like minded individuals.
It’s for innovators looking for supportive friends.
It’s for founders and investors with similar world goals to meet.
It’s for people who want to move away from pure capitalism.
It’s for people who believe in abundance.
🔥 Why This Salon Matters:
It’s a space to nurture the innovation that shapes our future.
It’s an investment in people willing to dedicate their lives to building a better world.
It’s about protecting and sustaining spaces where bold ideas can thrive.
It’s a celebration of wins and a chance to deepen bonds with fellow change makers.
It's about finding solutions and discussing what is and isn't working.
🎬 Founder Showcase
Venture Capitalist Confirmed:
Daniel Idzkowski - LVLUP Ventures / IDIT Family Office
Allison Paz - Reign VC
Jeni Chang - Founder Institute
Seraphina Ha - Founder Institute
Jenny Kyzy - partner of Blue Sky Capital
Tong (Amanda) Liu - partner of Zlead Venture Studio
Cai Chen - investor of Hat Trick Capital
Mariane is a tech executive with over a decade of experience in building high-performing engineering teams at leading startups like New Relic and Mindbody. She is currently the Managing Partner at Founders Bay, where she connects 80,000 founders and VCs with events, virtual workshops, and fundraising resources.
Also, Mariane runs Women Founders Bay, one of the largest communities of female tech entrepreneurs in the Bay Area, providing vital resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to empower women founders.
Jenny (Ensi Tszie) Jenish kyzy, venture partner of Big Sky Capital VC. Is recognized as a "Community Champion" by the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community and a "Gender Champion" by United Nations Development Program (UNDP). At UNDP Kyrgyzstan, she spearheaded innovation as the 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 at this UN global innovative “Accelerator Lab”.
Tong (Amanda) Liu is partner of Zlead Venture Studio, COO of Women in AI Club. Before, she worked in venture and family office. She expertly blends finance and technology. As a passionate community builder, Tong has guided numerous students and young entrepreneurs, fostering innovation and growth through her strategic insights and mentorship.
Cai Chen is an investor at Hat-Trick Capital and co-founder of Future Builders – 1 to 1. A former AI/ML strategist at Apple and product strategist at Uber, she backs immigrant founders from pre-seed to Series A (checks of $500K–$3 M) in vertical SaaS, consumer and robotics—and helps them navigate career pivots, visa challenges and language gaps.
Ignition App Sponsorship
Ignition transforms your sales, client onboarding, billing and payments process with seamless automation – so every proposal closes faster, every payment arrives on time, and everyone works with complete clarity.
Agenda
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Reception & Check-In
Kick off the event with coffee and tea while networking with fellow attendees. Take this time to explore our Female Founder Showroom.
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM: Allison Paz Keynote Speaker
Allison Paz, Partner at Reign Ventures, is a seasoned investor and operator with 15+ years of experience building and backing high-growth companies. She has led multiple startups from idea to growth, advised dozens of early-stage teams, and helped deploy capital across sectors ranging from SaaS to consumer tech. Previously a corporate banker in New York City, Allison now focuses on product innovation, fundraising strategy, and founder support—bridging capital and execution to help ambitious companies scale.
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM: TBD Speaker
11:00 AM - 11:40 PM Female Founder Showcase (Session 1: GossipGoblin, Efficiency, Riley, Rotate8)
Discover groundbreaking ideas as female entrepreneurs present their innovative projects that are reshaping industries.
11:40 AM - 12:00 PM Fireside Chat with Female Founders
Moderated by Cassandra McClure.
Cassandra McClure is a renowned Strategic Business Advisor, international Speaker, and the Creative Director of Clean Living Magazine. The magazine showcases iconic founders of sustainable lifestyle brands. She is a former celebrity makeup artist and award-winning product innovator, Cassandra has pioneered numerous advancements in the clean beauty industry. She is the visionary behind the Clean Living Show (formerly the Clean Beauty Podcast) and The Clean Beauty Kit, a PR box featuring female-owned and USA-made products. She is also GLAMOUR 2024 Wellness Judge. She is also leads at Clean Living Founder Collective to grow and scale brands with organic PR & event opportunities. She is a wife & mom in Palo Alto, California. Cassandramcclure.com
Karen Behnke is a pioneering entrepreneur who launched Juice Beauty in 2005, creating the first luxury beauty brand rooted in sustainable, organic, vegan, and cruelty-free formulations. Under her leadership, the brand secured five patents, built a farm-to-beauty supply chain in Sonoma County, partnered with Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson, and maintained a "Top 15 Prestige Skincare Brand" status at ULTA Beauty for 15 years. After selling her majority stake to private equity, she stepped down as CEO in 2023, leaving a legacy of clean beauty innovation.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Lunch
Enjoy a delicious lunch while networking with fellow attendees. Don't forget to explore our Female Founder Showroom.
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Chaniah Kelley Keynote - “Leading With Soul: The Blueprint to Authentic Power & Purpose”
An inspiring look at how today’s women leaders can align purpose with performance. Chaniah Kelley explores how self-awareness, resilience, and intentional decision-making create powerful results in both life and business. Through real stories and actionable insights, she shares how to build an impactful brand, lead with clarity, and create lasting success without compromising authenticity.
1:30 PM - 2:05 PM: Female Founder Showcase (Session 2: Papaya, Percy, Eden, Woodpecker)
Another round of innovative project presentations from dynamic female entrepreneurs.
2:15 - 2:35 PM: Speaker Zoe Tjaller - Strategies in Overcoming Barriers
Zoe Tjaller is a Project Manager at TravelOperations and researcher specializing in female entrepreneurship and funding disparities. As a project manager, Zoe has led cross-functional teams to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP systems across 10+ countries, owning the full project lifecycle from kickoff to handover. A recent graduate of Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Zoe is now diving into research on female entrepreneurship, exploring how technology and strategic approaches can help women founders overcome funding barriers. By blending her practical experience in systems implementation with her advocacy for inclusive entrepreneurial environments, she's working to create meaningful opportunities for underrepresented women in the startup world.
2:35 PM - 3:25 PM: Panel Discussion – Breaking Barriers in Funding
Join an engaging panel featuring successful female founders and investors as they discuss challenges, strategies, and solutions for increasing access to funding in the startup world.
3:35 PM - 4:15 PM: Female Founder Showcase (Session 3: Madina Papel, SmartHer Ventures, U4U, Fleak)
Explore more trailblazing ideas as female founders share their journeys and innovations.
4:25PM - 4:45 Challenges in Making AI Movies
Bai Yu (Fiona) is an actress-turned-writer, director, and producer with an MFA in Producing from the California Institute of the Arts. She founded Palette Pictures, specializing in high-concept Hollywood-style films, streaming series, and social media content for Chinese audiences with international appeal. Her latest movie includes High Forces, which she co-wrote and co-produced, features Andy Lau and premiered in theaters across China, Asia, and the U.S. in November 2024. Trailer: https://youtu.be/GcwLL7BklBM?si=PpAf-6B7jnfwFEIJ
In 2024, she also launched CineAI Founders Hub, a community of founders, filmmakers, creators, and technologists, to empower positive change by democratizing creativity through AI. 🔗
5:00 - 8:00 PM: Appetizers, Networking & Music
Wrap up the event with live performance by Monica Leones, drinks and meaningful networking opportunities, fostering valuable connections and future collaborations.
8:00 PM-9:00: Time to Dance! DJ Music
Goals
With a dynamic agenda that includes networking receptions, thought-provoking presentations, and opportunities to connect with industry leaders, the conference aims to inspire actionable change and create a more equitable future for women in the venture capital landscape.
Founder Showroom
Apply for one of 25 spots available here
iFocus Health founded by Adi Diner, is an AI-powered objective measures for ADHD and brain health, driving faster decisions, better outcomes, and scalable, efficient care delivery.
WoundScan by Kathleen Reyes is a wound analysis tool designed to help frustrated home health Agency owners and skilled nursing facility directors overcome staffing shortages and documentation burden — to finally recover cash flow using computer vision and Al.
LE VERE by Susan Grella and Marisa Erven helps you know gaps in coverage BEFORE a loss. Add your items, photos and organize them for proof of ownership.
Founder Showcase
If you're a female founder and want to present your startup on stage please book time here to apply. 12 companies across industries will be selected to represent the talent present. You must have traction to apply (5min pitch + 3min Q&A).
Agriculture, Katie Bradford, CEO of Rotate8
Rotate8 is designing farmer-first robotics for a healthier world. Our low cost, modular, repairable solutions empower farmers, reduce labor costs, and promote sustainability in the fields.
Consumer Health, Shagun Maheshwari, Founder of Papaya
Papaya creates fully compostable, plastic-free menstrual pads tested with real blood and powered by a natural bio-coagulant that locks in flow and breaks down in any environment—even backyard soil or landfill.
Consumer Data, Claudia Natasia, Founder of Riley
Riley helps you become a true tastemaker, spotting what customers want before anyone else. By instantly connecting feedback from calls, chats, research, and analytics, Riley uncovers the trends, pain points, and opportunities that matter most, so you can confidently lead the market and build products your customers will love.
Entertainment & Technology, Samah Damanhoori, Founder of Madina Papel
Madina Papel creates inclusive animated films, immersive video games, and AI-powered storytelling experiences that help people connect with their true selves. Their mission is to redefine ‘happily ever after’ for the modern world by building magical worlds where everyone belongs.
Sleep, Conner (Wyatt) Herman, BCBA, MBA, Founder of Percy
Percy is bringing science-backed behavior change, innovative technology & deep category experience to the world of sleep.
Enterprise Data, Yichen Jin, Founder of Fleak
Fleak is transforming the future of data infrastructure with adaptive intelligence designed to standardize, enrich, and optimize data in real time. It reduces engineering effort by up to 90% and eliminates maintenance overhead, enabling businesses to accelerate innovation and unlock new opportunities within days.
Capital Markets, Carol Nguyen, CEO of Efficiency
Carol Nguyen spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker leading the Capital Markets team, where she helped hundreds of the top technology companies go public and facilitated billions of dollars' worth of share sales for funds and founders. She left in 2022 to take VinFast ($10bn Vietnamese EV company) public in the US through a deSPAC. Frustrated with the status quo, Efficiency. is focused on modernizing capital markets and investor relations. Beginning in the transfer agent industry, she has built a better, cheaper, and more reliable platform, automating security ownership and transactions for companies and shareholders.
Naomi Rajput is the Co-founder & COO of Eden, a healthcare startup automating administrative tasks in clinical settings to free providers from operational burdens and refocus care on the human experience. At the intersection of medicine and entrepreneurship, Naomi is driven by a mission to build systems that restore dignity, efficiency, and empathy in healthcare.
Currently completing her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience (Pre-Med), Naomi is also an internationally published researcher, with work spanning pediatric health, cognition, and digital health innovation. Her multidisciplinary background bridges clinical insight with startup execution, enabling her to lead with both vision and operational precision.
Amy Meadows has spent 20+ years in corporate environments directing companies and leading teams to success. Her focus on uplifting women founders through increased education, equity, and visibility has lead her to her newest enterprise, SmartHer Ventures, a reality tv show following women founders through the accelerator process.
AI in Healthcare, Gladys Chiang, Cofounder of Woodpecker Copilot, is reimagining AI in healthcare—freeing clinicians to focus on their patients while the platform handles the rest.
Ila Panik Marchetta is an accomplished entrepreneur and product strategist who has built solutions for some of the world’s most influential companies, including Microsoft, Visa and Unilever. With a sharp focus on innovation, systems design, and user impact, she brings a rare blend of creative vision and operational rigor to every venture she leads. Today, she’s the founder of U4U, building a scalable platform that empowers the next generation with tools for emotional wellness and authentic connection.
U4U (u4u.app & u4uteen.com), is a fast-growing digital space offering girls an empowering alternative to toxic social media—one that’s engaging, yet leaves them feeling confident, connected, and in control. A high-impact, financially scalable business at the intersection of health tech, wellness, and social media. With a clear mission and a sharp execution model, U4U is the kind of future-forward solutions today’s teens—and our society—urgently need.
Panelists
Jenny (Ensi Tszie) Jenish kyzy, venture partner of Big Sky Capital VC. Is recognized as a "Community Champion" by the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community and a "Gender Champion" by United Nations Development Program (UNDP). At UNDP Kyrgyzstan, she spearheaded innovation as the 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 at this UN global innovative “Accelerator Lab”.
Monica Khan, Partner and Head of Digital at Strand Entertainment, is a creator economy multi-hyphenate with 15+ years of experience leading digital strategy, creator partnerships, and platform innovation. She has helped top creators and companies unlock growth across YouTube, Meta, Spotter, and IGN Entertainment. At Strand, she bridges Hollywood and digital to help creators and talent build sustainable, multi-platform businesses. Monica also co-founded the Bay Area Creator Economy and advises companies on creator-led growth strategies.
Jenny Kay Pollock is a dynamic force in Silicon Valley working with female founders as an investor, advisor and fractional CMO. She has extensive expertise in achieving scalable growth and driving monetization for high-tech B2C software companies.
She is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusivity. Jenny co-founded WOMEN x AI — a community dedicated to shining the light on women working with AI. Jenny serves on the How Women Lead Silicon Valley Executive Board.
Mariane is a tech executive with over a decade of experience in building high-performing engineering teams at leading startups like New Relic and Mindbody. She is currently the Managing Partner at Founders Bay, where she connects 80,000 founders and VCs with events, virtual workshops, and fundraising resources.
Also, Mariane runs Women Founders Bay, one of the largest communities of female tech entrepreneurs in the Bay Area, providing vital resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to empower women founders.
Venues
We're pushing physical tech barriers by expanding out into Oakland's new tech center.
We'll be starting the event at 1900 Broadway Tower the newest tech hub of Oakland. Right outside of 19th street bart.
1900 Broadway
9am-1:00pm
From 1:00pm on we'll be at 1716 Broadway Street, Oakland, CA
2 blocks from 19th Street Bart
This beautiful venue was founded by female founder and artist Binta Ayofemi
Women's Organization / Non Profit Showcase
If your organization supports women and you would like to be showcased apply here
Sponsors
If you are interested in sponsoring the event please reach out to Dwayne Campbell at guerrilla.venture@gmail.com
Palace is a female-founded (Diana Panich) adaptogenic drink mixer, proudly bottled in the Bay Area. Born from the belief that fun shouldn’t require alcohol, Palace delivers a vibrant, social buzz — without the hangover. It’s crafted with natural and safe compounds found in everyday foods that we eat, offering a gentle boost whether you’re skipping liquor for the night or pacing between shots. Since its launch last year at venues like 1015 Folsom and f8, Palace has become a crowd pleaser for drinkers and non-drinkers alike.
Donations
Please support the creation of these spaces by donating to https://givebutter.com/beyond2
Hosts
Funding Breakthrough Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission of creating a supportive community to build a better tomorrow. We empower founders with education, networks, and resources to unlock their potential while championing diversity, inclusion, and authenticity. Founded by Natalie Pan, an engineer, community builder and coach (Not Too Crazy). Join our community here. Book a subconscious coaching consult here
EchoHer is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and non-binary founders and funders by increasing their representation and success in entrepreneurship. We foster a supportive ecosystem to drive meaningful change and create impactful opportunities through monthly events, co-working opportunities, curated networking sessions, pitch nights, and insightful panel discussions.
Clean Living Magazine by Cassandra McClure