Sequoia does to itself what the Biden administration wants to do with Google

Equity
877 Episodes • Last Episode: July 15, 2024

Mary Ann and Alex are back, and once again this week they tapped the TechCrunch roster for expert input. This week the Equity crew were thrilled to welcome Jacquie back to the show!


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It was a hectic week, with little in the way of the traditional Summer Slowdown making itself known. So, here’s the show rundown!

  • WWDC in a nutshell: In case you missed it, Apple had a big event this week. On tap were the usual run of software updates, and improved computers in both laptop and desktop format. And, you know, that other thing.
  • Affirm partners with Amazon (again): This is not Affirm’s first tie-up with Amazon, but investors are pretty excited that the pair of companies are once again linking arms. As we continue to wait for mega-unicorn Klarna’s IPO — more notes here — we are keeping our ears close the BNPL ground.
  • Cava’s IPO continues to delight AlexWhat has an IPO coming up and has this little podcast in a tizzy? Yep, it’s Cava, the fast-casual chain that, thanks to a dollop or two of venture capital money, we get to cover!
  • All things SEC and CryptoThe SEC broke into its hammer closet so that it could go play whack-a-mole this week with crypto exchanges both foreign and domestic.
  • Sequoia does to itself what regulators want to do to Google: What has three parts and is now competing with itself? Sequoia. Think of it like an inverse Google, if you will.
  • How real estate will affect the climate crisis: It turns out that construction is not so good for the planet. And with a commercial real estate crisis brewing, can we add one to one and get five?

Next week, Equity is on vacation! We’re taking a breather before launching into another massive run of shows, but we’ll be back before you know it.

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Equity Hosts

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Alex Wilhelm

Senior Reporter

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Mary Ann Azevedo

Sr. Reporter

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Jacquelyn Melinek

Senior Reporter, Crypto

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Google’s talks to buy Wiz, and the gap between AI spending and AI revenue

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Floodgate’s Mike Maples explains how startups that most people ‘don’t like’ are the best ones to back

On today’s episode of Equity, we’re taking a look at news you might’ve missed over the holiday weekend here in the U.S., starting with the…

A new trend for seed VCs and the scariest part about OpenAI’s data breach

What’s the common thread between Tesla, building startups, General Motors venture capital and Lyft?  Jon McNeill, co-founder and partner of DVx Ventures, joins TechCrunch editor…

Jon McNeill on VC 2.0 and creating startups in house

Welcome back to another recap of Equity, TechCrunch’s flagship podcast about the business of startups. This episode is jam-packed with deals, hot topics and the…

AI-powered drug development, VW teams up with Rivian and DEI is ‘bad’

Apple has been named the first of tech’s so-called “gatekeepers” to be charged for violating the EU’s Digital Markets Act. In a press release this…

The EU’s DMA is coming for Apple, and X bots are on the loose

Get ready for a jam-packed episode of Equity, TechCrunch’s flagship podcast about the business of startups! This week, co-hosts Mary Ann Azevedo and Haje Kamps…

Ilya Sutskever’s new AI venture, and time to BeReal about bankruptcy
Startups

Do co-CEOs make sense?

In this week’s episode of Equity, Haje Kamps and Mary Ann Azevedo delve into the recent decision by fintech company Brex to abandon its co-CEO…

Do co-CEOs make sense?

This week on Equity, we discussed some big news that really matters: How Black founders are addressing the diversity gap in AI chatbots. We’ve all…

Black founders are customizing ChatGPT as crypto makes a comeback

In today’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Mary Ann Azevedo, Becca Szkutak and Haje Kamps dug into three very different but all interesting deals of the week. Haje…

Raspberry Pi goes public, Musk drops his OpenAI lawsuit and startups compete with Apple Intelligence

Vanessa Larco, a partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), believes that generative AI’s impact on the world of SaaS could be huge. The investor joined…

NEA’s Vanessa Larco says generative AI will change the SaaS pricing model – and that’s a good thing

Apple’s WWDC is just hours away, and we’re gearing up for big announcements on — you guessed it — AI. TechCrunch’s Brian Heater tells us…

Byju’s valuation shakeup and what’s ahead for WWDC

As always, there was a lot happening in startup land this week, and the Equity team had so much fun breaking it down for you.…

Robinhood’s crypto bet, AI-powered healthcare, and Fisker’s fall 

Consumer startups have taken a hit when it comes to venture funding. But according to Eurie Kim, partner at Forerunner Ventures and founding member of…

Every startup has AI in its pitch deck and it should

We’re kicking off the week with a deep dive from this weekend into the demise of electric vehicle startup Fisker at the hands of its…

Inside the demise of EV startup Fisker, and X’s new rules allow adult content

Welcome back to Friday Equity! We kick things off with the Deal of the Week. First up, xAI. Elon Musk has once again proven that…

Who’s (not) IPO-ing, and what’s going on with BaaS?

It’s no secret that the bar for startups to land a Series A has risen, but has it risen too high? According to Jenny Fielding,…

Peering into the ‘Series A chasm’ with Everywhere Ventures’ Jenny Fielding

We’re kicking off the short week with news about Elon Musk, and no, it’s not about X or Tesla. Instead, we’re talking about Musk’s other…

Musk’s xAI raises fresh capital while Synapse’s bankruptcy could impact millions

It was an event-filled week in startup land, and the Equity crew had a blast breaking it down for you. On today’s episode of TechCrunch’s…

The proposed AI ‘kill switch,’ and why it’s rough out there for emerging fund managers

For this episode of Equity, we spoke to two Aussie VCs: Dan Krasnostein of Square Peg and Gabrielle Munzer of Main Sequence.

How Australian startups can crack the US market

Last week was a big one for AI news, and one thing that stood out to us was OpenAI’s deal with Reddit. Per the terms of…

Maven takes the clout-chasing out of social media as Reddit teams up with OpenAI

If there was one thing we heard about this week, it was AI. As a matter of fact, there were so many AI updates to…

AI’s busy week, and why the heck are so many VCs leaving their firms?

When Newchip, an online accelerator promising to help startups, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023, it was revealed that the company had just…

Newchip’s bankruptcy serves as a cautionary tale to founders

OpenAI gears up for a big announcement, and Apple Store workers authorize a strike

Last week was a busy one for some Apple Store employees. Over the weekend, workers at Apple’s Towson, Maryland, store — the first Apple retail store to have a formally recognized union — voted to authorize a strike. While the date of the strike is still being determined, the union has been negotiating with Apple…

OpenAI gears up for a big announcement, and Apple Store workers authorize a strike

Finally, some good news! This week, we were pleasantly surprised to see that FTX’s fraud victims would be getting some money back — even if…

Acquisitions are heating up, and Mercury eyes the fintech crown

Good news, crypto founders! Venture capital activity is picking up in the sector, recovering from the multiyear lows investments fell to in late 2023. Put…

$450M for Noname, two billion-dollar rounds, and good news for crypto startups

News that Jack Dorsey is out at Bluesky caused a stir this weekend. After all, Dorsey is a former Twitter co-founder and CEO, so his investment of…

Dorsey leaves Bluesky, tech giants do more with less, and the next IPO

The downturn in venture capital funding has impacted startups, VC firms, and accelerators alike. One company in the final category, Techstars, has been shaking up…

Inside TC’s Techstars investigation and how AI is accelerating disability tech

A new venture capital supergroup is forming

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A new venture capital supergroup is forming