Each week TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos, and Alex Gove, a former journalist, VC and operating exec who today runs StrictlyVC, interview a mover and shaker in the world of tech
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Flock CEO Garrett Langley on Public Backlash, Surveillance Expansion
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 ā¢ Duration 37:16
This week we're sharing a conversation from TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where host Connie Loizos sits down with Flock Safety founder and CEO Garrett Langley to discuss the growing backlash against his company's surveillance technology and the debate over privacy, policing, and public safety.
Langley explains why cities across the country are adopting Flock's license plate readers even as others cancel their contracts over privacy concerns. Connie presses him on police misuse of the technology, immigration-related searches, and whether Flock should do more to prevent abuse. T
Plus, Langley responds to reports of talks with rival Axon, discusses the death threats and personal toll of leading a controversial company, and explains why he believes Flock's crime-fighting benefits make the backlash worth enduring.
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Benchmark's Five Partners on AI, IPOs, and Silicon Valley's Comeback
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 ā¢ Duration 43:51
This week we're sharing a conversation from TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, host Connie Loizos sits down with all five partners at BenchmarkāPeter Fenton, Erik Vishria, Chetan Puttagunta, Everett Randle, and Jack Altmanāfor a rare look inside one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture capital firms.
The partners discuss why Benchmark raised $2 billion across two new funds, how its unconventional equal-partnership structure shapes investment decisions, and what they look for when betting on founders. They also revisit the firm's early investment in AI chipmaker Cerebras, debate the risks of backing competing startups, and explain why they believe the AI market remains strong despite growing volatility.
Plus, the partners share their thoughts on whether AI companies should go public sooner and why San Francisco remains the center of gravity for ambitious tech founders.
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Al Gore on the $4.5 Trillion Clean Energy Opportunity
Thursday, September 24, 2026 ā¢ Duration 32:15
In this episode, Connie and Alex are joined by former Vice President Al Gore and Lila Preston, head of growth equity at Generation Investment Management, to discuss how the AI boom is reshaping the global energy transition. Gore explains why the rapid buildout of AI data centers is a cause for concern but not panic, why renewable energy and battery storage are becoming increasingly competitive, and where he sees the biggest opportunities for climate innovation.
They also discuss the growing strain on the electrical grid, the outlook for nuclear energy, how AI could help reduce emissions, and where entrepreneurs should be building next. Plus, Gore and Preston explain why opportunities in agriculture, industrial decarbonization, buildings, and energy infrastructure could produce some of the next generation of major companies.
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Keith Rabois on Why the AI Bubble Fears Are Overblown
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ā¢ Duration 26:56
Is the AI boom a bubble, or just the biggest productivity unlock in a generation?For this episode, we're sharing a conversation from StrictlyVC New York 2026. TechCrunch's Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos sat down with Keith Rabois, Managing Director at Khosla Ventures, to talk tech optimism, AI panic, and where the smart money goes next.
They discussed:
- Why he dismisses an Anthropic researcher's alarmist take on AI's societal impact
- How AI is quietly creating high-paying jobs in trades and medicine, not just eliminating them
- What he looks for in founders: raw talent and the ability to think through hard problems
- Why he's betting Ramp beats Anthropic at its own game
- The hidden cost of NYC's commute culture on recruiting senior talent
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Grindr CEO is betting on AI to solve online dating's biggest problem
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 ā¢ Duration 42:06
In this episode of StrictlyVc Download, Connie and Alex sit down with Grindr CEO George Arison to talk about how heās transformed the company since taking over in 2022 and where he wants to take it next.
Arison discusses Grindrās rapid growth, why roughly 80% of its code is now written by AI, and how the company is using AI to rethink matchmaking and build new premium products. He also opens up about the so-called āGrindr discountā on Wall Street, the investor bias he says the company still encounters, and Grindrās ambitions to expand beyond dating into healthcare, travel, and local discovery.
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The Anti-a16z? Vijay Pandeās Bet on a Tiny, AI-Native VC Firm
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 ā¢ Duration 35:04
In this episode, Connie is joined by Vijay Pande, co-founder of VZ and former general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, to discuss why he believes AI is poised to transform healthcare and create a new generation of trillion-dollar companies. Pande explains how AI could improve drug discovery and clinical trials, why better data could move medicine beyond unreliable animal models, and how technology is giving patients more agency over their own health.
The two also discuss Pandeās decision to leave a16z and build a small, AI-native venture firm, why VZ plans to make only a handful of highly concentrated investments, and how AI is changing what early traction means for startups. Plus, Pande shares what he learned from more than a decade investing at the intersection of technology and biology, why go-to-market matters as much as groundbreaking science, and where he thinks the hype around AI curing disease gets ahead of reality.
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Equity Replay: Menlo Venturesā Matt Murphy says the lesson for founders now is that a great model isn't enough
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 ā¢ Duration 32:05
This week we'r sharing a conversation from our colleagues at TechCrunch's Equity.
AnthropicĀ leaped toĀ ā aĀ $47 billionĀ revenue run rateĀ by May,ā Ā compared toĀ $9 billionĀ in 2025.Ā ItāsĀ the kind of growth thatĀ Menlo Ventures'Ā ā Matt Murphyā Ā saysĀ he'sĀ never seen in 25 years of investing, not in the internet wave, not in mobile, not in the first cloud boom. Menlo led Anthropic's $500M Series D, and Murphy has had a front-row seat as the company went from a pre-revenue, pre-launch bet to one of the most valuable startups out there.Ā
Ā
On this episode of TechCrunch'sĀ ā Equityā Ā podcast, Julie Bort talks with Murphy about backing Anthropic before anyone else would, why a great model was never the point, andĀ what'sĀ driving the fastest-growing startupsĀ he'sĀ ever seen.Ā
Ā
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:Ā
Why Menlo bet on Anthropic at aĀ $4 billionĀ pre-revenue valuation when the dealĀ didn'tĀ fit cleanly into any of the firm's funds, and why Google and Amazon signing on as investors was an early āgreen shoot.āĀ
Why Murphy says the model was never the real moat, and how Claude Code, MCP, and Claude Skills turned Anthropic from a strong model into a full platform.Ā
Murphy's take on the backlash toĀ Anthropic'sĀ Mythos rollout, and why he pushes back on the idea that it was more marketing than safety.Ā
Why companies likeĀ ā Lovableā Ā andĀ ā Legoraā Ā are growing faster than anyĀ startupsĀ Murphy has seen in 25 years, and what that speed means for founders trying to compete.Ā
Subscribe to Equity onĀ ā YouTubeā ,ā Ā Apple Podcastsā ,ā Ā Overcastā ,ā Ā Spotifyā Ā and all the casts. YouĀ also canĀ follow Equity onā Ā Xā Ā andā Ā Threadsā , at @EquityPod.Ā
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Why Founders Fund Backed a Fish Robotics Startup
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 ā¢ Duration 22:36
Much of American-caught fish is processed overseas, and often in China, before it comes back to the U.S. Shinkei wants to change that with robotics, computer vision, and a vertically integrated supply chain built from scratch.
This episode of StrictlyVC Download was recorded at StrictlyVC Los Angeles 2026. TechCrunch Editor in Chief Connie Loizos sat down with Saif Khawaja, founder and CEO of Shinkei, and Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund to talk about one of the most unexpected bets in venture capital right now.
They cover everything from the Japanese fish-killing technique that became a startup thesis, why American fish is now being imported into Japanese fish markets for the first time ever, and how Founders Fund thinks about contrarian bets in food and agriculture.
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Reed Jobs Is Betting Cancer Doesnāt Have to Be Fatal
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 ā¢ Duration 48:34
In this episode, Connie and Alex are joined by Reed Jobs, founder and managing partner of Yosemite, to discuss the firmās ambitious mission to make cancer nonlethal by building biotech companies from the ground up. Jobs explains why Yosemite pairs venture capital with no-strings-attached research grants, how AI is accelerating drug discovery and clinical trials, and why he believes weāre entering one of the most important eras in the history of medicine.The three also discuss the current state of biotech fundraising, the importance of federal research funding, how Yosemite evaluates breakthrough science, the growing role of AI in healthcare, and why Jobs believes the biggest opportunities in medicine are still ahead of us.
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Uberās Chief Product Officer on Travel, AI Agents, and Playing Both Sides of the Robotaxi Race
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 ā¢ Duration 39:38
In this episode, Connie Loizos sits down with Uber Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal to discuss the company's expanding vision beyond ride-hailing, from hotels and travel planning to AI-powered shopping and autonomous vehicles. Sachin explains how Uber decides which new products to build, why the company believes a hybrid network of human drivers and robotaxis is the future, and how AI is reshaping the experience for riders, drivers, and merchants alike.They also discuss Uber's growing travel ecosystem, the strategy behind Uber One, the company's partnerships with autonomous vehicle developers, and why Uber sees itself as the platform connecting consumers, drivers, and AI in the years ahead.
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