A Fireside Chat with Olympic Champion Kristen Faulkner
Join Rillet, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and Stifel for a special evening with Kristen Faulkner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former venture capitalist, for an intimate fireside conversation on resilience, reinvention, and high performance.
Together with finance leaders, operators, and investors from across the Bay Area, we’ll explore the mindset behind competing at the highest level and the lessons that carry across sport, business, and leadership.
💡 Topics we’ll explore:
• Transitioning from venture capital to professional athletics
• The mindset required to compete and win at the Olympic level
• Training, discipline, and peak performance
• Lessons leaders and operators can learn from elite athletes
• The future of women’s sports and leadership
🗓 Agenda
4:00 PM — Guest arrival, drinks & networking 🍸
4:30 PM — Fireside chat with Kristen Faulkner 🎤
5:15 PM — Audience Q&A 💬
5:30 PM — Networking reception 🤝
Space is limited and attendance will be curated.
About Kristen Faulkner:
Kristen Faulkner is a professional cyclist for EF Education-Cannondale, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and a former venture capitalist. Before becoming one of the world’s top cyclists, she graduated from Harvard and worked at Bessemer Venture Partners and Threshold Ventures. Kristen is known for her unconventional path from finance to elite sport, and she speaks about performance, resilience, reinvention, and what it means to bet on yourself.
About Rillet:
Rillet is the leading AI‑native ERP that automates core financial operations for public companies and hyper growth startups like Mercor and Function Health. From general ledger and bank reconciliation to invoicing, multi‑entity consolidation and complex revenue recognition, Rillet enables accounting teams to stay lean while scaling rapidly.
About a16z
a16z is a Silicon Valley venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It's one of the most prominent VC firms in tech, known for early bets on Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, and Coinbase. a16z manages over $40B in assets and is particularly active in AI, crypto, bio, and consumer tech. They're distinctive for offering portfolio companies extensive operational support beyond just capital.
About Stifel
Stifel is a full-service investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1890 and headquartered in St. Louis. It operates across institutional and retail brokerage, investment banking, and wealth management. Stifel is well-regarded in middle-market M&A and capital markets, and has grown significantly through acquisitions. It serves a broad range of clients from individuals to corporations and institutional investors.