This week on StrictlyVC Download, we’re revisiting Connie Loizos’ conversation with Aileen Lee, the founder of Cowboy Ventures. They discuss what’s on the horizon for Cowboy Ventures and how she’s thinking about AI’s impact on job creation, automation, and new business models—while also giving listeners a glimpse into Cowboy’s own recent team changes. Source
For Aileen Lee, mundane tech is still has the most promise Read More »
New York City-based Betaworks has closed its $66 million Fund III, which will focus on investing in early-stage AI companies. Betaworks has been investing in AI since at least 2016 and, through its investment program Camp, has backed companies such as Huggingface and Granola. Jordan Crook, a partner at the firm (and former TechCrunch employee),
Betaworks’ third fund closes at $66M to invest in early-stage AI startups Read More »
“My whole life has been preparing me for this moment,” Ben Sanders said when asked about why he launched his emergency response startup Hyper. The company announced Monday a $6.3 million seed round led by Eniac Ventures, as well as an official emergence from stealth. As a child, he so wanted to become a police
AI voice company Hyper raises $6.3M to help automate 911 calls Read More »
More than 10,000 founders, investors, and tech insiders will convene at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27-29 for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — one of the year’s most anticipated tech conferences. Of the 250+ tech leaders taking the stage, don’t miss this standout panel on the Builders Stage featuring two of the most respected
Charles Hudson and Navin Chaddha join the Builders Stage at Disrupt 2025 Read More »
When Vultron announced its $22 million funding round earlier this week, the AI startup made sure to highlight a key investor: Craft Ventures, the firm “co-founded by White House AI adviser David Sacks.” The announcement has raised questions about conflicts of interest in the Trump administration, where Sacks serves as both AI and crypto czar
David Sacks and the blurred lines of government service Read More »
Most founders eventually have to pitch venture firms in hopes of raising capital. Tiffany Luck, a partner at NEA, took the stage at TechCrunch’s All Stage event in Boston to answer how to craft the perfect one. “I like to think of a VC pitch as your initial way for assessing founder-investor fit,” she told
The perfect pitch: This NEA partner says every founder should answer these 5 questions Read More »
Christine Hunsicker, founder of the fashion startup CaaStle, turned herself in to authorities Friday to face fraud charges, authorities confirmed to Bloomberg. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment against her, charging her with wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, and lying to financial institutions. She
CaaStle founder charged with fraud, turns herself in Read More »
Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, one of the first among the small number of Black women to raise more than $1 million in venture capital, announced on Thursday the closure of her award-winning beauty startup Ami Colé. Ami Colé creates makeup for those with darker skin colors, as those consumers often struggle to find makeup that matches their
After raising over $3M, popular VC-backed beauty brand Ami Colé is shuttering Read More »
Mantis Ventures, the venture capital firm co-founded by Alex Pall and Drew Taggart of the electronic DJ group The Chainsmokers, has raised $100 million in commitments for its third fund. At $100 million, the firm’s newest fund is 20% larger than Mantis’s previous $80 million fund, a notable achievement at a time when many venture
The Chainsmokers’ Mantis Ventures closes $100M third fund Read More »
When Betsy Fore was five, her grandmother got her a gift she has never forgotten: A Velveteen Rabbit from Goodwill that Fore believed, with enough love, could spring alive. Decades later, that rabbit has lent its name to Fore’s venture firm, Velveteen Ventures, which came to life on Tuesday. “I realized after building companies for
Venture gets a rare Native American-led fund in Betsy Fore’s Velveteen Ventures Read More »
