Equity podcast

From Air Force officer to space defense CEO: Why Even Rogers left to build weapons for orbit

Startups /

Even Rodgers spent a decade as an Air Force weapons officer watching China and Russia build space weapons while the U.S. had “nothing in our arsenal.” So he left the military to solve the problem himself.  Now, as co-founder and CEO of True Anomaly, he’s building the first exclusively defense-focused space superiority company, developing autonomous spacecraft, sensors, and software designed specifically for military engagements […]

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Equity Live: From $300M seed rounds to data center builds, AI is feeling bubbly

AI /

The Equity crew was live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025! Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff, and Anthony Ha took over the Builders Stage on Monday morning to kick off the event with the question everyone’s asking: are we in an AI bubble?  Between valuations that have tripled in months, $300M seed rounds, and $100B commitments flying

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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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OpenAI wants to power your browser, and that might be a security nightmare

AI /

The browser wars are heating up again, this time with AI in the driver’s seat.  OpenAI just launched Atlas, a ChatGPT-powered browser that lets users surf the web using natural language and even includes an “agent mode” that can complete tasks autonomously. It’s one of the biggest browser launches in recent memory, but it’s debuting

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Sam Altman’s eye-scanning orb promises to prove humanity in the age of AI bots 

Hardware /

Ever wonder if you’re talking to a real person online or just another bot? As bots increasingly outnumber humans online, leading to an explosion of deepfakes and AI-driven fraud, one company has a solution straight out of sci-fi: scanning your iris to verify your identity.  Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan spoke with Adrian

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From SB 243 to ChatGPT: Why it’s ‘not cool’ to be cautious about AI

AI /

Silicon Valley’s rule? It’s not cool to be cautious. As OpenAI removes guardrails and VCs criticize companies like Anthropic for supporting AI safety regulations, it’s becoming clearer who the industry thinks should shape AI development.  On this episode of Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff discuss how the line between innovation and responsibility

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Enhanced Games founder on the controversial ‘future of sports’

Fundraising /

Can performance-enhancing drugs push the limits of human potential? The creators of the Enhanced Games say yes — and they’re building a new sporting event to prove it.   Backed by Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, the Enhanced Games aims to disrupt the Olympics with a competition that allows athletes to dope. Launching

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Why the new H-1B policy helps outsourcers, not startups

Startups /

The Trump administration recently announced a massive change to the H-1B visa program, raising the application fee from $2,000-$5,000 to $100,000 per visa. The change has sent shockwaves through the startup world, with founders warning it could price them out of hiring international talent and undermine U.S. innovation.  Today on TechCrunch’s ⁠Equity⁠ podcast, Dominic-Madori Davis

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Startups and the U.S. government: It’s getting complicated

Startups /

The tie between startups and the U.S. government have strengthened in recent years, a shift buoyed by an interest in using AI, automation, space, robotics, and climate tech for defense. And while that has provided another welcome path to capital, the relationship is getting complicated. A growing share of startups have the U.S. government as

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