It was an honor to speak on a panel of women innovators to kick off Techstars Startup Weekend San Diego, alongside an incredible group of founders who are building in real time.

Thank you to Julius Alejandro, M.S. and the team at Village Up San Diego for continuing to create spaces that feel both ambitious and deeply human.

Village Up partnered with Startup Weekend San Diego to host women founders and leaders at Kiln Rancho Bernardo for a full-day coworking experience. The energy built steadily throughout the day, including a hands-on Vibe Coding workshop led by Athena S., where creativity and technical curiosity collided in the best way.

That evening, the panel brought together me, Morgan Spenla, and Trang “Mia” T. for a conversation that skipped the highlight reel. Instead of polished soundbites about resilience, we talked about the real version: the kind that shows up when things are uncertain, messy, and unglamorous. The kind that keeps you building when no one is watching.

What made the night powerful wasn’t just the stories shared, but the exchange. The audience leaned in. They felt it. And they gave that energy right back.

That’s what a Village Up room feels like. People show up as they are. They leave reminded they’re not building alone.

Grateful to the Techstars Startup Weekend team: Bea Bautista, Kim Reihman, Allyson Cullen, Adrianna Lugo, Isabella Castaneda, Allie Foltz, and host Austin D. Carter for building this alongside the community. And thank you to every founder and guest who participated with honesty and openness.

If you’re considering joining future events, including Startup Weekend Women San Diego or International Women’s Day programming, now is the time to step in. These rooms matter.

We build companies. But more importantly, we build each other.