Last week, I had the chance to join an international founder meetup in San Francisco, organized by Kyosuke Togami. The event took place in a cozy, inspiring coworking space right in the heart of the Financial District: Werqwise. As soon as I walked in, I could feel the energy—people from Greece, Czech Republic, Turkey, India, Japan, the US, and Latin America, all coming together to build, learn, and connect.
What surprise me the most was the diversity of stories and ambition in the room. Some were veteran founders launching new AI ventures, others were just beginning their journey or exploring the Bay Area’s tech scene for the first time. A few were there simply to network and soak in the atmosphere. The conversations were open, curious, and genuinely supportive—something I think the SF ecosystem does better than anywhere else.
One connection that resonated with me was meeting Roco Casillas, a founder from Mexico City. As someone who travels often to CDMX and values Latin American tech, it was inspiring to see another Latino founder making connections in SF. We swapped stories in Spanish, shared challenges and lessons from building companies back home, and talked about what it means to bring fresh ideas into established industries like education.
Throughout the evening, I had great conversations with founders and builders including:
- Alejandro Cuauhtemoc-Mejia – CRO @ Silicon Valley Certification Hub
- Bo Wu – Founder & CEO at Nuwton.ai
- Reza Yadollahpour – Researcher in Applied Linguistics
- Kevin Tang – A serial entrepreneur with some exits.
Everyone brought a unique angle—from deep tech to global scaling to community-building—and I walked away with new ideas and motivation for my own journey.
If you’re coming to SF to grow your network, you can’t afford to miss Kyosuke’s weekly curated event list. His Substack newsletter is hands-down the best way to discover relevant, high-quality gatherings and meetups in the Bay Area. I highly recommend subscribing—whether you’re a founder, investor, or just curious about the Bay Area scene.
If you’ve got your own networking tips, or stories about building community in new cities, drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your perspective. And don’t forget to follow Kyosuke’s Substack if you want to make the most of your time in SF!
