San Francisco — Strolling into the Four Seasons Hotel, wearing a suit on a recent Wednesday, artificial intelligence start-up founder Nikolas Huebecker resembled a conventional business executive.

Making an effort with his appearance felt like “counterculture” in Silicon Valley, he said, an industry known for slobby tech bros, not sharp tailoring. The 23-year-old was heading to an etiquette workshop for techies led by investors who would guide about 40 young founders on how to dress, make small talk and lick caviar off their bare hands — with the goal of boosting their chances of becoming the next tech billionaire.

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