Watch North Bay NEXT 2026

Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures hosted the 5th annual North Bay NEXT conference on May 6, 2026 at the College of Marin’s Jonas Center.

The conference theme, “Build What Lasts,” was showcased in the agenda, which featured an all-North Bay-based speaker lineup of tenured and highly accomplished founders sharing their stories alongside presentations from the next generation of local startup founders.

The conversations and presentations from the North Bay NEXT stage are below - enjoy!

Keynotes & Fireside Chats

Fireside Chat: Tim Brown, Chair Emeritus & Former CEO, IDEO

Fireside Chat: Chris Hulls, Co-Founder & Former CEO, Life360

Fireside Chat: Eric Ries, Author, Incorruptible and The Lean Startup

Fireside Chat: Katlin Smith, Founder & Former CEO, Simple Mills

Fireside Chat: Chris Slowe, Founding Engineer & Former CTO, Reddit

Keynote: Zachary Kushel, Founder & Managing Partner, MSIV

Keynote: Ted Paff, Founder, Bootstrap Thinking

North Bay Startup Showcase

Casey Lynch, Lighthouse Pharma

Rachel Curran, Locktivity

Larissa May, Ginko

Tree Masihi, TriangleAI

Alex Abelin, Kiki Milk

Stephen Hood, Telepath

Corey Rawdon, PineconeAI

Eric Rachmel, OLarry

Sara Margulis, Honeyfund

Michelle Masek, HoneyJar

Sol Kennedy, BestInterest

Ryan Neely, Skribe Medical

Beth Ann Lopez, Outfox Health

Liza Levin, Gable