Venture

a16z pauses its famed TxO Fund for underserved founders, lays off staff

Venture /

Andreessen Horowitz is pausing its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund and program, according to four sources familiar with the matter, including more than one founder in the program.  The firm announced TxO in 2020 to support founders who do not have access to traditional venture networks. Many of TxO’s participants were women and minorities who, overall, receive very slim amounts of venture […]

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Elad Gil on which AI markets have winners — and which are still wide open

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Solo VC investor extraordinaire Elad Gil said on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt that AI has been one of the least predictable tech booms he’s ever seen. Gil is on the cap table of virtually every hit company of the past decade, including many of today’s leading AI companies. Still, he thinks that over the last

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Alphabet is increasingly launching “moonshot” projects as independent companies — here’s why

Venture /

Alphabet’s X moonshot factory is shifting how it brings ambitious technology projects to market, increasingly spinning them out as independent companies rather than keeping them within the Alphabet corporate structure, X’s head honcho, Astro Teller, revealed at TechCrunch Disrupt this past week. The strategy hinges on a dedicated venture fund that exists solely to invest

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What is Bending Spoons? Everything to know about AOL’s acquirer

Venture /

Bending Spoons’ four cofounders this week joined the billionaire ranks. CEO Luca Ferrari’s stake in the Milan-based tech conglomerate is now reportedly worth $1.4 billion, while cofounders Matteo Danieli, Luca Querella, and Francesco Patarnello each hold stakes worth $1.3 billion, according to Forbes estimates based on shareholder data published by the Italian Business Register. The

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Startups should rethink how they pursue sales and traction, according to VC Tim Chen

Venture /

After a small startup exit and being turned down by every VC firm he applied to, Tim Chen began angel investing and eventually stumbled into raising his own fund.   Now, as the solo investor behind Essence VC, he just closed his fourth fund at $41 million “without even trying.” Chen’s secret weapon? Being technical enough

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TechCrunch Disrupt 2025: How to watch Vinod Khosla, Netflix, Slate Auto, and Startup Battlefield

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TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is here! If you’re still on the fence about attending in person, dive into the extensive schedule of speakers, networking opportunities, workshops, after-parties, and more that’s available here. There’s still plenty of time to get a ticket, and with two days left, we’re offering a 50% discount on tickets. But if you’re

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Venture capital is not an asset class, says Sequoia’s Roelof Botha

Venture /

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Sequoia managing partner Roelof Botha argued that the venture industry isn’t an asset class, and that throwing more money into Silicon Valley doesn’t lead to better companies. “Investing in venture is a return-free risk,” Botha said during an interview on TechCrunch’s Disrupt’s main stage on Monday. “Anybody who’s studied the capital

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CEO of Alphabet’s X, Astro Teller, on what makes a moonshot

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Astro Teller, CEO of X, Alphabet’s “moonshot factory,” where the company incubates the nearly impossible, shared a look into what makes a moonshot and detailed the company’s “fail fast” mantra at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference on Monday. Notable companies that started out as moonshots from X’s moonshot factory include Waymo and Wing. Teller noted

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Roelof Botha explains why Sequoia supports Shaun Maguire after COO quit

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During an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 on Monday, Sequoia Capital managing partner Roelof Botha defended his colleague, Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire, over the controversial comments Maguire made earlier this year, calling the firm a believer in his partner’s right to “free speech.” In a July 4 post on X, Maguire attacked New York City

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