Patrick Burke

Always learning. Always building. My biggest takeaways from recent conversations with Eric and Hoala — two founders with deep experience building tech companies in SF — as I soak up their wisdom: 💡 1. The density of ideas here is unmatched. In San Francisco, the unplanned collisions — in lobbies, coffee shops, parks — with like-minded builders and AI talent happen constantly. And the quality of those conversations? Genuinely insightful. 💡 2. Academia is running ahead of what we see online. The AI research coming out of local universities is years ahead of what most of us read in blog posts or see on LinkedIn. There’s a gap between what’s being published and what’s being commercialized. 💡 3. Building outside the Valley is possible — but it’s hard mode. You can absolutely run an AI company elsewhere. But without the network density, social climate, and constant access to high-caliber technical minds, you’re playing the game on a higher difficulty setting. ⸻ Coming here has flipped a few assumptions for me: 🚫 Myth: SF is full of “AI experts” talking out of their ass. ✅ Reality: Because there’s so much true talent, most people don’t call themselves experts — they know someone nearby probably knows more. There’s humility in that. 🚫 Myth: Everyone here is out for themselves. ✅ Reality: Couldn’t be more wrong. In the past week alone, multiple people have gone out of their way to offer advice, intros, and perspective. The generosity of time and thought is real — and it’s its own currency here. Invest in relationships. Be useful. Good karma compounds

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Intel has begun newest round of layoffs, cutting jobs at its California HQ and planning to eliminate more than 500 positions at facilities in Oregon by July 15, according to a state regulatory filing. CEO Lip-Bu Tan is to cut 20% of workers in the chipmaker's manufacturing division, per Bloomberg. Intel aspires to compete one day in the future against Nvidia and TSMC.

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🔥 These are the hottest early-stage startups in #California that recently raised funding. And yes, they’re #hiring. If you’re looking to join breakout companies early, this list is for you. #startups 🤝 Findem AI-driven talent acquisition platform for identifying & engaging candidates 💰$36M 💳 Monnai Global consumer insight infrastructure for fintech 💰$12M 🧠 TrueFoundry Unified AI platform with enterprise-grade LLM, MCP & Agent Gateway 💰$19M 💻 Kilo Code Open-source AI coding assistant for generation, debugging & documentation 💰$8M ⚛️ General Matter Nuclear energy company producing enriched uranium fuel 💰$50M 📦 Coverbase AI-native procurement platform automating vendor intake & contracts 💰$16.5M 🤖 Simbe Automation solutions for shelf auditing & analytics 💰$50M 📊 Chalk AI inference data platform to operationalize machine learning 💰$50M 📈 Hyperbound AI sales coaching & role-play platform for revenue teams 💰$15M 🧑‍💼 Censia AI AI talent intelligence platform providing skills data & insights 💰$48M 🚀 Iterate.ai Enterprise AI platform for fast development & innovation 💰$6.4M 🌿 VERSES Cognitive computing company building nature-inspired intelligent systems 💰$2.65M CAD 🏭 Kargo Industrial AI optimizing warehouse logistics 💰$42M 🩺 Sully.ai Autonomous AI agent operating teams for health systems & platforms 💰$21.83M 📊 Larridin, Inc. Independent AI measurement platform for usage & impact 💰$17M 💻 Simple AI AI assistant development platform 💰$14M 🔐 Virtue AI AI security & compliance platform for applications 💰$30M 🛡️ AiStrike AI-powered automation for security investigation & response 💰$7M 🎬 Rembrand In-scene media & virtual product placement platform using AI 💰$37.5M 🤖 HappyRobot Operating system for managing AI workforce & business automation 💰$44M 🗄️ Firecrawl API service for designing structured data integration 💰$14.5M 📊 Nixtla Forecasting & anomaly detection platform for time series data 💰$16M 🔗 Arcade.dev MCP runtime connecting AI Agents securely to APIs & enterprise systems 💰$12M 🏥 Plenful No-code workflow automation & AI platform for healthcare 💰$50M 📄 PandaDoc Top-rated solution for document creation, management & eSigning 💰€5M 📣 Tofu Multichannel B2B marketing campaign generation platform 💰$12M 💡 Like & repost to help your network discover amazing opportunities. 🔍 At Refery.io, we connect these startups with 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗿𝘀 — 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 — who refer the best talent from their own networks. 🚀 Hiring? → Join Refery.io to access 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝟴𝟬%+ 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 than traditional hiring methods. #hiringalert #jobalert #hiringnow #engineeringjob

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Some great thoughts from my friend Neal Bloom🎩 about the critical importance of Founders in the starting and building of companies, and a startup ecosystem in a community. Sometimes we lose sight of this important fact. Service providers, non-profits, Angel investor, and venture capitalists are here to service the startup companies, and they are anchored by founders. He references a great book written by Brad Feld, “Startup Communities”. For those that don’t know, Brad is an entrepreneur, author, blogger, and venture capitalist at Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado, a firm he started with partners Seth Levine, Ryan McIntyre, and Jason Mendelson. #sandiego #startups #venturecapital

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The first hires after the founders will make or break your company. When we started hiring at Popl, I thought experience was everything. I looked for polished resumes, big titles, and startup backgrounds. I thought that meant they’d plug in and run. I was wrong. Those early hires don’t just do the work. They become the culture. A players don’t need direction. They create it. B players wait for structure. Then they slow everything down. The mistake most founders make is thinking they can fix a B player with feedback or process. You can’t. They might be nice, capable, and hardworking, but they don’t multiply momentum. They absorb it. I learned this the hard way. One wrong hire early can burn six months of progress. One right hire can replace five average ones. At that stage, you don’t need people who want a job. You need people who want the mission. Hire missionaries, not mercenaries. Hire only A players, or you’ll spend your time managing B players instead of building your company. *video from 2019 when Popl had 3 employees... all founders lol.

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The 2026 Ins & Outs of Hiring Recruiting is evolving, and so are the expectations. In 2026, it’s less about flashy resumes and more about clarity, credibility, and connection. OUT: Bloated resumes, AI-sounding fluff, em-dash overload IN: Real humans, clear impact, thoughtful context At HirexHire, we’re here for candidates who show up prepared, transparent, and human, and for companies that want hiring to feel less chaotic and more intentional. If you’re building this year and want a process that actually respects your time (and your candidates), we’re always happy to connect. This is what hiring should look like, and what we’re leaning into at HirexHire! #HiringTrends #Recruiting2026 #ModernHiring #TalentStrategy #HireByHire

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3 Practical Tips to Work Smarter and Cheaper When On-The-Move in the SF Bay Area 🏃🏼‍♀️💲🧠 1. The Car Conference Room Hack Have a private or important call? Don't hope the coworking space phone booth is free. Paying to park in SF is cheaper than a WeWork and guarantees a quiet space for a call between IRL meetings and free open space work (see below). Add a lap desk, lighting, and a zoom background and you're set. 155 Stevenson is my favorite SF garage. Safe, no early bird nonsense, just $24/day. Plus on the right side of market to easily get back to 101. This also works for taking meetings anywhere around the Bay Area. Catch me here 2.5 hrs every Monday outside my kiddo's German program in El Cerrito. 😁 2. The Cheap and Fast SFO Airport Parking Hack You know what takes less time to go car > security than SFO long term parking, and costs a fraction? Park at San Bruno or Millbrae for $8 or $10/day. (Millbrae is cheaper for trips under 4 days, San Bruno for longer trips!) Take BART one 5 min stop to SFO. Beats the 15 min bus shuttle every time. Also enter/exit the station at International Terminal G not Garage G/BART. IYKYK! Saves *tons* of time. 3. The Free Meeting and Meetup Space Hack Hosting a small gathering and sick of borrowing space and asking for sponsors? Capital One Cafes are great in SF and Walnut Creek. Huge fan of the SF Privately Owned Public Spaces. These courtyards, lobbies and more are free to use and are located all over downtown. In Palo Alto? The main library has large meeting rooms you can book for free on liquidspace. Hope these tips provide at least one💡that comes in handy this month! --- 👋🏼 Hi! I'm Kate Kruizenga, recovering extreme couponer, and Fractional Chief People Officer and founder of Phero Collective. We help founders Seed to Series C build and scale your People and Talent foundation to unlock engagement, growth, and revenue. Learn more at withphero.co.

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