Out in Tech SF Bay Area | Women, TGX, Non-Binary VCs + Founders

Join us for a powerful panel discussion to celebrate Women, Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Nonbinary founders/VCs. Hear from professionals in tech who will share their journeys, insights and advice about diversifying entrepreneurship. This is a great opportunity to hear from folx who have broken the glass ceiling and mingle with like-minded folx who want to invest in you!

Whether you're exploring the field, looking to start up or already working in tech, this is your chance to network, learn, and connect with community. We’re creating a welcoming space for all who are passionate about tech and inclusion.

Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your career and build meaningful connections! We open the doors at 5.30 pm and the panel discussion starts at 6 pm. After the panel discussion, we will have a mixer, where you will get a chance to mingle, meet, grab a drink and chill!

What to expect:

• Doors open: 5.30 pm

• Panel Discussion: 6- 7 pm

• Mixer: 7 pm onwards

• Panelists and Moderator: See below!

Buzzworks is located at 365 11th St, San Francisco. See you on 4/17!

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MUST RSVP before April 17, 2025. NO WALK INS.

Come early as we have limited seating capacity.
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Who are we?

Out in Tech is a global nonprofit uniting LGBTQ+ individuals in tech through community, visibility, and opportunity. With a mission to create spaces where LGBTQ+ voices thrive, Out in Tech offers mentorship programs, networking events, and career resources to empower members at all stages of their professional journey. By fostering inclusion and innovation, Out in Tech connects and uplifts LGBTQ+ professionals, making technology a force for good.

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Event Details - Come Prepared!

RSVP is not a guarantee of entry. Come early as we have limited capacity. Bring ID and must be 21 or older to attend.

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* San Francisco weather is not guaranteed. Dress weather appropriately and preference.

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COVID-19 Notice: This event in indoors. Guests would need to pass through indoors for check-in. We are operating under good faith that attendees are vaccinated & have tested negative for COVID-19 day of the event. If you have tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you please not attend the event for the sake of all other attendees.

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Out in Tech SF Bay Area Chapter - support us! Interested in building community in the San Francisco Bay Area?

• Apply to the Out in Tech SF Bay Area Leadership to organize events.

• Join our SF Bay Area Ambassadors Program to help at events day-of.

• Organize an event as host / partner / sponsor. Get more info about our chapter here.

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Out in Tech is the world’s largest non-profit community of LGBTQ+ tech leaders. We create opportunities for our 50,000 members to advance their careers, grow their networks, and leverage tech for social change. Connect with 35k LGBTQ+ tech professionals in our Slack channel. Each local chapter (and many virtual ones) provide opportunities for folks to engage with us and each other. Our events educate and inspire with panels, career events, and more. If you have felt inspired and supported by these events, please consider supporting our work by making a donation to Out in Tech.

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Note: Out in Tech's Code of Conduct applies to all our spaces, online and IRL. Photographs may be taken at this event. Please notify someone at check-in if you prefer not to be photographed. Need to reach out to OIT staff? Email [email protected] (we promise we check it)

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Abbie Strabala (she/her)

Partner, Early-stage investor

Abbie is an early stage generalist investor at Outlander backing founders from the beginning. After starting her career in philanthropy, working within the LGBTQ+ community, she began impact investing, supporting women's health innovation and subsequently investing in female founders. Additionally Abbie runs Queer VC, a network of investors across the US who identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abbie-strabala/

Jenny Kwan (she/her)

Co-Founder and CTO of AprioriDB

Jenny Kwan has 20+ years of experience as a data and backend engineer, and has led and built out data teams at a series of tech startups, specializing in early and growth stage. She co-founded (and failed at) Woodlamp Technologies, where she was searching for product-market-fit for Luminol, a next generation computing platform based on the reactive programming paradigm. Currently, she is full-time as a founding software engineer at bem, which eliminates the data entry and EDI currently necessary to power operational workflows. She is in the process of co-founding AprioriDB, and spends most of her free time building the technical proof-of-concept. As a formerly failed co-founder, she is moving much more slowly and deliberately this time around in the search for traction and fit. In her spare time, she has a robust meditation practice and is deeply committed to spiritual and somatic psychotherapeutic healing.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennyckwan/

Lee Davidson (they/them)

Spiritual Life Coach and business consultant

Davidson Lee is a Transgender Non-Binary, masculine-of-center coach, consultant, chef, and cultural explorer. With a decade of community-building in Oakland and a global journey through Johannesburg, Tel Aviv, London, and the Bay Area, they blend diverse wisdom into transformational coaching. A visionary life coach and spiritual intelligence guide, Lee helps individuals and teams navigate change and unlock potential. As a Chopped finalist, they earned praise from Martha Stewart for their culinary skills. Rooted in Buddhist Jewish values and radical critical thinking, Lee challenges injustice, inspires conscious leadership, and cultivates a more equitable world.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidsonleecoach

Instagram: instagram.com/coachdavidsonlee

Website: davidsonlee.com

Tessa Brown (she/her)

CEO and Co-Founder, Germ Network

Tessa Brown (she/her), PhD, is the cofounder and CEO of Germ Network, the secure DMs of the social internet. She was previously a Lecturer in Stanford's Program in Writing and Rhetoric where she taught and researched social media, hiphop, and multilingualism. She lives in San Francisco with her girlfriend and grew up in Chicago. Find Germ online at germnetwork.com.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tessa-r-brown

Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/tessa.germnetwork.com

Lexi Yan (she/her)

Product Designer & Design Strategist

Lexi is a product designer and design strategist who loves working at mission-driven startups. Though her time as a startup founder was short, she’s passionate about helping other people from marginalized, working-class communities see opportunities to build amazing products and companies. In her free time, she’s one of the co-leads for Out in Tech’s virtual UX community, organizes OIT East Bay events, and manages operations for OIT University (a mentorship program for 17-24 year olds). She’s also involved with the Oakland improv community and leads the Service Design Network Bay Area bookclub.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lexi-yan/

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

BuzzWorks, 365 11th Street, San Francisco, United States