PRESENTED BY
SPONSORS
ABOUT THE FORUM
Following the success of our inaugural Venture Forum in March, we're bringing the event back with a decidedly Oakland flavor for Tech Week.
At the Kissel Uptown, in the heart of downtown Oakland, we'll convene 75–100 Tech Week attendees for an afternoon discussion on the latest trends in startups and AI - as well as positions on the future of venture capital and economic mobility.
Immediately after the forum, we'll keep the conversations and good vibes going with a networking reception on the rooftop.
HOSTED BY
A nonprofit dedicated to helping underrepresented founders access the connections, funding, and visibility they need to build category-defining companies. Learn more →
A $50M emerging seed fund investing in the top Black founders solving complex problems with software. Black Ops leads seed rounds and sets the operational and technical governance founders need to scale into Series A.
A G E N D A
DRAFT · SUBJECT TO CHANGE
TOKEN ECONOMICS: HOW TO BEAT THE COST CURVE
Discover how forward-thinking digital health companies are optimizing token consumption, lowering operational costs, and architecting scalable cloud foundations without sacrificing model performance.
RSVP FOR TOKEN ECONOMICSOPEN LUNCH IN UPTOWN
Attendees break into the neighborhood across three restaurant partners, each with an activation and free lunch where founders, investors, and tech operators can mix and mingle.
VENTURE FORUM
Doors open to the broader Oakland Tech Week audience for five sessions on AI, Oakland's economy, philanthropy, venture, and the leap into founding a company.
RSVP FOR VENTURE FORUMECOSYSTEM RECEPTION
The day rolls into a networking reception on the rooftop of the Kissel Hotel, co-hosted with partner communities from across the Bay, with DJ CENA spinning authentic vinyl blended live with Google's Lyria AI music technology.
DJ CENA
LIVE ON THE DECKS
VENTURE FORUM SESSIONS · 1:30 – 5:00 PM
✦INNOVATOR'S FIRESIDE
An intimate conversation with a defining builder
We open the afternoon with a fireside featuring an Oakland-rooted innovator whose work has shaped how built, invested and scaled. Enjoy a front row seat to a Vintage x Vintage podcast session, hosted by James Norman.
SPEAKERS
Erik Moore
Co-founder, Base.Ventures · Fewture.VC
James NormanMODERATOR
Managing Partner, Black Ops VC
✦A NEW ERA IN VC
How network and operational skill outperform capital
In a market where capital is increasingly commoditized, edge comes from network, operating experience, and on-the-ground know-how. We discuss what the next decade of venture leadership looks like.
SPEAKERS
Arjun AroraMODERATOR
Format One
Scott Beechuk
Partner, Norwest Venture Partners
Drew Glover
General Partner, Fiat Ventures
Saydeah Howard
General Partner, Cherryrock Capital
✦WELL & GOOD
How tech and philanthropy can drive outsized returns for Oakland
Tech, community, and philanthropy working together are the key to unlocking Oakland's future growth. We explore the models that are working, and how Oakland in particular can benefit. With ongoing investment in different pockets of the town, we'll discuss what this investment means for the community and how we thread the needle to create shared prosperity.
SPEAKERS
Thurman WhiteMODERATOR
Board Member, Advisor, Angel Investor
Daryn Dodson
General Partner, Illumen Capital
✦THE WEALTH NEXT DOOR
How Oakland takes advantage of this moment
Capital, compute, and physical AI are landing on Oakland's doorstep at the same time. With the data center and Prometheus building coming to Oakland, this panel looks at how the city can move on that moment deliberately: where physical AI, robotics, and infrastructure create real local jobs and companies, how tech wealth next door can be routed into Oakland balance sheets rather than around them, and what it takes to build here for both financial return and community impact.
SPEAKERS
DeCarlos LoveMODERATOR
CEO, Thrive AI
Erica Joy Astrella
Director of Data & Technology Transformation, City of Oakland
Fred Blackwell
CEO, San Francisco Foundation
Justin Steele
Co-Founder & CEO, Kindora
✦FROM BIG TECH TO BIG LEAP
Go from early MVP to venture scale
You started a company. Now what? This panel is about what comes after the leap: how to activate your network, leverage your geography, and put together the pieces you need to scale something bigger than a small business. We will talk fundraising, traction, and what it actually takes to build a venture-scale company.
SPEAKERS
Naji Barnes McFarlaneMODERATOR
VC Partnerships, Google Cloud
Chalmers Brown
Co-Founder & CEO, Jarmin
Shanea Leven
Co-Founder, Empromptu AI
DeCarlos Love
CEO, Thrive AI
THE VENUE
KISSEL UPTOWN
Downtown Oakland, California
Friday, October 2, 2026
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM · Rooftop reception to follow
A boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Oakland, with a rooftop made for the kind of conversations Tech Week is known for. We'll spend the afternoon together inside, then take it upstairs for drinks and connection at golden hour.
BOOK YOUR ROOM