Meta’s AI Tamagotchi bet is...working? | Equity PodcastIt’s turned into a model drop week as Anthropic rolled out Opus 5.5, followed by OpenAI’s GPT-6 model updates just 90 minutes later. But the company that stole the spotlight was Meta, whose personal AI agent Muse is reportedly outpacing ChatGPT’s early numbers and is headed for smart glasses and a tiny Tamagotchi-style device next. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’K...
AI Hacking is Forcing Humans to Use AI to Combat ItIs the next era of cybersecurity machine vs. machine? Shardul Shah of Index Ventures tells Equity that as AI-powered attacks get faster and cheaper, human-in-the-loop defense won’t be enough. The result could be an entirely new security stack.
Bootstrapping Gets BrutalBootstrapping forces founders to get creative. FarmboxRx founder Ashley Tyrner-Dolce shares how she managed cash flow, made payroll, and kept building without venture funding. Watch the full episode of Build Mode: https://youtu.be/rtuizA324b8
How a first-time founder bootstrapped her way to a $47.5 Million Exit with Ashley Tyrner-Dolce, F...Ashley Tyrner-Dolce spent more than a decade building FarmboxRx without taking a single dollar of venture capital and ultimately exited the company while still owning the majority of it. In this episode of Build Mode (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/build-mode/) , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Ashley to talk about what bootstrapping actually looks like when you don’t have mo...
This Founder Bootstrapped Her Way to a $47.5 Million Exit l Build ModeAshley Tyrner-Dolce spent more than a decade building FarmboxRx without taking a single dollar of venture capital and ultimately exited the company while still owning the majority of it. Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt October 13-15 in San Francisco. Use promo code: buildmode25 for 25% off your ticket. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Ashley to talk about what bootstrapping actuall...
Why Index Ventures’ Shardul Shah thinks the old cybersecurity model is breaking | Equity PodcastAs concern over AI safety and rogue agents continue to make headlines, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity stocks are rising, or that investors are pouring massive amounts of capital into startups trying to build the next generation of security for an AI-native world. We’re even seeing companies like Instinct and Simile bring in nine-figure checks and valuations that wouldn't have made s...
Going public 3 years inArcher has raised nearly $4 billion, and CEO Adam Goldstein says taking the company public early was an “amazing decision” he’d make again every single time. The catch? Public companies have to prove their progress every 90 days. Watch the full conversation on Build Mode: http://spr.ly/6051BGVmnW
This Startup Aims to Put Nuclear Reactors on Floating BargesJust two months after it emerged from stealth, Bluecore Energy raised another $50M for its mission to put small nuclear reactors on floating barges. The company says the portable plants could deliver clean power to ports, data centers and communities, pending review by the NRC and Coast Guard.
How will Anthropic's CEO "pace the frontier" of AI? It's still a mysteryAI leaders are suddenly talking about "pacing the frontier," but the specifics are still pretty fuzzy. Equity breaks down why we're skeptical that the AI industry is actually headed for a slowdown, even as leaders at Anthropic and OpenAI say they want to put the brakes on.
Dario Amodei and other AI leaders want to 'Pace the Frontier' but…how? | Equity PodcastA week after an Anthropic researcher's doomsday warning rattled the AI world, the company's CEO Dario Amodei has outlined his plan to “pace the frontier” of AI development. The proposal leans on independent safety evaluators and coordination between AI labs in democratic countries, and it's already picked up some industry support, along with some pointed pushback from Nvidia's Jensen Huang. On...
The Startup Bringing Air Taxis to the LA Olympics with Adam Goldstein l Build ModeBuilding flying taxis takes billions of dollars. So instead of relying on traditional venture rounds, Archer Aviation went public just a few years after it was founded. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer Aviation, to talk about the unconventional fundraising strategy behind building one of the most capital-intensive startups arou...
Flying taxis are coming to the 2028 LA Olympics.Could flying taxis be one of the technologies people remember from the 2028 LA Olympics? Archer CEO Adam Goldstein explains why he believes the Games could become a major showcase for the emerging air taxi industry. Watch the full conversation on Build Mode: http://spr.ly/6057BGViVD
Archer Went Public Just 3 Years After Launching and It Paid Off with Adam Goldstein l Build ModeBuilding flying taxis takes billions of dollars. So instead of relying on traditional venture rounds, Archer Aviation went public (https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/10/archer-lands-1-1b-order-from-united-airlines-and-a-spac-deal/) just a few years after it was founded. In this episode of Build Mode (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/build-mode/) , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Adam Go...
How Fortell is using AI (and $163M) to crack a hearing aid monopoly | Equity Podcast“Why do I have to beg my grandparents to put on their hearing aids, but no one has ever needed to ask me to put on my glasses?” That’s the question that drove Matthew de Jonge to spend six years building Fortell, an AI hearing aid startup that recently raised $163 million from the likes of Founders Fund, Thrive Capital, and Valor Equity Partners CEO Antonio Gracias. The buzzy startup aims to build...
This Robot Hit a 99.6% Success RateThis robot achieved a 99.6% success rate over an eight-hour test. But when a single failure can stop an entire production line, how reliable do robots actually need to be? Mbodi co-founder Xavier Chi explains why reliability is one of robotics’ biggest real-world challenges on Build Mode. Watch the full episode: http://spr.ly/6053BGzuJ1
AI researchers go full doomer while Apple puts AI front-and-center | Equity PodcastAn Anthropic researcher resigned this week, warning in a post on X that the company is “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives”. The company's own alignment lead even co-signed the message rather than walking it back. It's the kind of doomer warning the AI industry has flirted with before, but the timing, with Anthropic reportedly preparing for an IPO, makes it ...
Robotics Won’t Have a “ChatGPT Moment”Mbodi co-founder Xavier Chi says there’s a fundamental difference between the two technologies: robotics doesn’t have an internet of data to learn from. Instead, he expects the robotics revolution to happen one real-world deployment at a time. Watch the full episode: http://spr.ly/6056BGzOhq
The Robotics Revolution Won’t Be Humanoid l Build ModeRobotics is having an AI boom, but don’t expect it to have a ChatGPT moment. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Xavier Chi, co-founder of Mbodi, a startup building AI software that lets people teach industrial robots new skills using natural language. Xavier first joined Isabelle on the Startup Battlefield stage, where Mbodi became a crowd favorite with a live robot demo. Now, he’s back to t...
How Mbodi Is Solving Robotics’ Scaling Problem with Xavier ChiRobotics is having an AI boom, but don’t expect it to have a ChatGPT moment. In this episode of Build Mode (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/build-mode/) , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Xavier Chi, co-founder of Mbodi, a startup building AI software that lets people teach industrial robots new skills using natural language. Xavier first joined Isabelle on the Startup Battlefield stage, where Mbodi (https://...
One more thing...One more thing... Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, is here.
The Ternus era is hereTim Cook hands it off to John Ternus saying, "that's your guy," to kick off the new CEO's first keynote, officially launching the Ternus-era.
Apple's first foldableApple has entered the foldable arena with the iPhone Duo, which the company said was inspired by “the versatility of the iPad.” The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 with 256GB of storage and is available in two colors. Pre-orders for Apple’s new foldable open October 16, with the device hitting stores on October 23. Catch up on everything that was announced on http://spr.ly/6051BGJFzv.
How to Turn Pitch Nerves Into ExcitementBefore becoming a scientist and startup founder, Demetri Maxim was a competitive skier. He says pitching on stage can feel surprisingly similar to standing at the top of a downhill race: your brain tells you to be scared, and you have to turn that fear into excitement. Hear more from Demetri and Dr. Eike Gerhardt on Build Mode.
Superintelligence is coming. Should we let it? | Equity PodcastAI companies have been talking about superintelligent AI like it's inevitable, but recent safety incidents like OpenAI's Hugging Face breach are demonstrating the potential dangers of deploying AI systems that are more capable than humans. So what happens when we can't reliably control what these systems do? On this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan is joined by Connor Leahy, an AI researcher, entrepren...
How Do You Make Investors Take Your Startup Seriously?Early-stage startups face something called the “liability of newness” so they have to signal credibility to investors. Dr. Eike Gerhardt breaks down how Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim used his Startup Battlefield pitch to overcome it. Watch the full episode of Build Mode for more startup pitching advice. http://spr.ly/6052BGBkmk
Your Q&A Can’t Save a Bad PitchDemetri Maxim thought the Q&A was where he could really win investors over. Then he realized: if you lose them during the pitch, they may never ask the questions that let you shine. Hear what Demetri learned from pitching Nephrogen at Startup Battlefield on the latest Build Mode with Dr. Eike Gerhardt.
John Ternus Takes Over AppleTim Cook had the unenviable job of following Steve Jobs. Now John Ternus has to follow Cook, and he’s taking over an Apple that looks very different from the one Cook inherited. Equity asks what Ternus’ product background could mean for Apple, and how he’ll balance hardware, services, and the company’s push into AI.
Why Everyone Wants to Sidle Up to NvidiaNvidia has the chips, the cash, and now a growing collection of bets across the AI stack from Hugging Face to MediaTek. So why does everyone keep sidling up to Nvidia? The Equity podcast team digs into what the company understands that its competitors don't.
What will Apple's John Ternus era look like? | Equity PodcastIt's officially the Ternus era at Apple. Tim Cook stepped down as CEO this week, handing the company to former hardware chief John Ternus, whose first memo promised a “huge launch next week” — timing that puts Apple's next iPhone event on his desk before he's even settled in. Cook isn't going far, though: he's staying on as executive chairman, focused on the kind of policy relationships that recently turned something a...
Investors Are Asking AI About Your StartupWhat does ChatGPT say about your startup? Dr. Eike Gerhardt explains why founders should think about what LLMs will find when investors use AI to research their companies. Watch the full episode of Build Mode with Eike and Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim for more advice on building a stronger investor pitch. http://spr.ly/6057BG6RtV
Mistakes That Make Investors Nervous, According to a PhD in PitchingThere is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of Build Mode (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/build-mode/) , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/eike-gerhardt/) who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of startup pitch...
A PhD in Pitching Breaks Down a Startup Battlefield Pitch l Build ModeThere is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of startup pitching before starting Autopoiesis Sciences. And he’s joined by Demetri Maxim, co-founder and ...
Pangram's Max Spero on why AI detection is harder than 'Real or Fake' | Equity PodcastThe internet has a trust problem, and it’s not just because social media feeds are filling up with AI slop. AI-generated text and images are now making their way into job applications, product reviews, and even insurance claims, leaving platforms and users alike scrambling to figure out what’s real. A handful of startups have cropped up in the past couple of years to become the “trust layer” t...
Could Liquid Death's Pee Campaign Actually Cool Data Centers?Liquid Death’s new ad proposes urine as a solution for the data center water resourcing problem. But could it actually help cool the data centers powering AI? On the latest episode of Equity, the team also digs into skyrocketing robotics valuations, why robots still struggle with useful real-world work, injuries among Waymo and Zoox test drivers, Gatik’s $200 million raise, and what a potential Nvidia acquisition of Huggin...
What Meta's Settlements Means for TikTok and YoutubeMeta’s $18 billion settlement could have consequences far beyond Meta. Equity’s Kirsten Korosec and Sean O'Kane break down how the deal could put pressure on YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms to play by similar rules and whether they’ll actually follow Meta’s lead. Listen to the latest episode of Equity wherever you get your podcasts.
Why Nvidia is Ready to Pay $13B for Hugging Face l EquityEarlier this week, Meta agreed to pay $18 billion and make sweeping changes to how minors access its social networks to settle a lawsuit brought by 29 states. But the eye-popping settlement figure wasn't what caught the attention of the Equity podcast team. Instead, it was what Meta did next. The social media giant sent an open letter to TikTok and YouTube asking the companies to join it in setting industry-wide standards for teens...
No One Feels Ready to Be CEOBecoming CEO doesn’t mean you suddenly have all the answers. When Julia Hartz stepped into the CEO role at Eventbrite, she didn’t feel ready. In fact, the first word she uses to describe the transition is “terrifying.” On this episode of Build Mode, Julia talks about learning to lead in real time, the uncertainty that comes with taking the top job, and why even experienced CEOs are sometimes making it up as they go. Watch the full episode: http://sp...
How a Crisis Turned Julia Hartz Into the CEO Eventbrite NeededEventbrite has survived nearly every kind of challenge a startup can face: launching into a financial crisis, raising venture capital after 27 rejections, going public, watching its core business disappear during COVID, and eventually leaving the public markets after nearly two decades of building. In this episode of Build Mode (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/build-mode/) , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Julia Har...
How a Crisis Turned Julia Hartz Into the CEO Eventbrite NeededEventbrite has survived nearly every kind of challenge a startup can face: launching into a financial crisis, raising venture capital after 27 rejections, going public, watching its core business disappear during COVID, and eventually leaving the public markets after nearly two decades of building. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Julia Hartz, co-founder and former CEO of Eventbrite, to u...
CRONOLOGICO
AUTORI POST
