2025-05-07 22:00:00
Today, we're bringing you an episode of our sister podcast, StrictlyVC Download (https://techcrunch.com/podcast/why-eric-slesinger-a-former-cia-officer-is-now-funding-european-defense-tech/) .
StrictlyVC's Alex Gove caught up with Eric Slesinger from 201 Ventures (https://www.201.vc/) , a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage defense tech startups in Europe. They discuss Eric's journey from CIA to investor and how he recognized the untapped potential in European defense tech while others were dismissive, and how he's working to overcome the cultural taboo that once made defense investments "bad manners" in European VC circles.
Equity will be back on Friday with our weekly news roundup, so stay tuned!
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) , Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X (https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@equitypod) , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) .
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
2025-05-02 23:42:00
What if cheating was just…the future of work? That’s the pitch behind Cluely (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/21/columbia-student-suspended-over-interview-cheating-tool-raises-5-3m-to-cheat-on-everything/) , the viral AI startup that claims its stealthy browser overlay is “undetectable” and can help users bluff their way through everything from job interviews to exams. The company has raised $5.3 million and sparked a wave of backlash from startups building tools to catch cheaters (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/29/startups-launch-products-to-catch-people-using-ai-cheating-app-cluely/) . Cluely’s response? They’ll just build smart glasses or brain chips.
Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff and Anthony Ha are getting into the week’s headlines, including whether Cluely’s viral strategy is genius, gross, or both, and what it says about the future of work in the AI age.
Listen to the full episode to hear about:
•
Sam Altman’s latest World event (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/30/sam-altmans-world-unveils-a-mobile-verification-device/) in San Francisco where eyeball scans met privacy concerns
•
Why Shein’s IPO (https://www.ft.com/content/37b30f64-f9e8-4c1a-ad50-23e7c61880a7?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosprorata&stream=top) is under threat from new tariffs, and how companies like Amazon (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/29/white-house-blasts-amazon-over-tariff-cost-report-hostile-and-political-act.html) are bracing for 100%+ duty increases on Chinese goods
•
Waymo and Toyota’s agreement (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/29/waymo-and-toyota-are-dating-if-they-get-serious-a-new-autonomous-vehicle-could-be-created/) to explore autonomous tech integration
•
The messy world of AI benchmarks and which major companies are allegedly gaming the system (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/30/study-accuses-lm-arena-of-helping-top-ai-labs-game-its-benchmark/) with LM Arena
Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) , Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X (https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@equitypod) , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) .
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
2025-04-30 23:02:00
Retail investors are increasingly shaping the secondary market. In Q4 2024, platforms like EquityZen reported (https://blog.equityzen.com/equityzen-private-markets-year-in-review-2024) that 86% of total transaction volume came from retail participants—an eye-catching shift as tools like Forge and EquityZen promise broader access to private shares.
But does more access mean more opportunity, or more risk? Today on Equity (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) , Rebecca Bellan is joined by Jared Carmel (https://www.mvp.vc/team/jared-carmel) of Manhattan Venture Partners to dig into what he calls a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” in secondaries, and why he sees this market as a “pressure relief valve” that could keep startups private well past their startup years.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:
•
Why a sluggish IPO market is pushing more action into secondaries
•
How this creates a flywheel for venture capital
•
And why Jared thinks robust secondary markets will delay (or eliminate) the need for IPOs altogether
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) , Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X (https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@equitypod) , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) .
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
2025-04-25 23:08:00
Today on Equity (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) , we're digging into the week’s headlines, from browsers and search to AI and social, and why Google and Meta's antitrust cases have us wondering if they’re really breaking up monopolies or just passing the baton to the next dominant player.
Listen to the full episode to hear about:
•
Tesla’s massive 71% profit drop (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/22/tesla-profits-drop-71-on-weak-sales-and-anti-elon-musk-sentiment/) and how Elon Musk is doubling down on Tesla and AI
• How Mati Carbon (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/23/xprize-carbon-awarded-to-a-dirt-simple-carbon-removal-technology/) took home the grand prize from this year’s Xprize Carbon Removal competition
• Vibe coding, Cursor, and which AI-powered coding tool OpenAI has its sights on acquiring next (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/22/why-openai-wanted-to-buy-cursor-but-opted-for-the-fast-growing-windsurf/)
•
The $91.5 billion raised by U.S. startups in Q1 (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/16/startup-funding-hit-records-in-q1-but-the-outlook-for-2025-is-still-awful/) —and why more than half of it went to just 10 companies
Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) , Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X (https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@equitypod) , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) .
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
2025-04-23 22:49:00
Trump’s tariffs have upended global trade and created an environment of uncertainty. But this situation wasn’t created in a vacuum. The rules of business have been shifting for years as technology moves quicker than regulation, geopolitics descend into turmoil, and the law erodes and becomes weaponized.
Businesses might be asking themselves, how are they meant to keep their heads above water? And what can they do to fight back?
Hence AI (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/17/as-the-trade-war-escalates-hence-launches-an-ai-advisor-to-help-companies-manage-risk/) co-founder Sean West (https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpwest1/) has some answers. With a team spread across the U.K., Rwanda, the U.S., and the Netherlands, the London-based startup has raised $5.2 million to date with a mission to democratize access to high-level business intelligence—something traditionally reserved for the biggest companies with the biggest budgets.
Today on (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) Equity (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) , Rebecca Bellan sat down with West, who recently published the book Unruly: Fighting Back When Politics, AI, and Law Upend the Rules of Business (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1394318456?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_SCADVGVHWAPQR9KD87A0_1&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_SCADVGVHWAPQR9KD87A0_1&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_SCADVGVHWAPQR9KD87A0_1&peakEvent=5&dealEvent=0&skipTwisterOG=1&bestFormat=true) , to dig into how companies should respond to rising geopolitical risk, the macro cost of keeping your head down, and why AI-powered tools like Hence Global, built on Palantir’s Foundry platform, are quietly redefining what it means to be “advised.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:
• What businesses are getting wrong about tariffs and political risk.
• How companies can go on the offensive to thrive in the chaos.
• Why patriotism can shield companies, but comes with a cost.
• Why law firms and consultants are some of Hence’s earliest adopters.
• The broader implications of “democratizing access” to geopolitical risk intel.
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) , Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X (https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@equitypod) , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) .
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
2025-04-18 22:30:00
Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff and Anthony Ha are unpacking the week’s news, including the possible return of the SPAC in an uncertain IPO market. It’s a curious moment for a public debut, as Kirsten points out, especially after so much chatter that 2025 would be the big comeback year for blockbuster IPOs, but some major players like Klarna and StubHub have already hit pause. And as investor Mark Goldberg (https://techcrunch.com/podcast/weve-entered-an-era-of-fintech-maximalism-according-to-mark-goldberg/) put it on this week’s show, folks holding their breath for a fintech IPO wave this year “are going to be blue in the face.”
Listen to the full episode to hear about:
• How Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’s AI voices could be taking over a crosswalk near you (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/14/silicon-valley-crosswalk-buttons-hacked-to-imitate-musk-zuckerberg-voices/)
•
Figma’s IPO plans (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/15/figma-ignores-the-fear-files-paperwork-for-an-ipo/) , and questions on the Equity crew’s mind ahead of the S-1.
• How Hugging Face’s latest acquisition (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/14/hugging-face-buys-a-humanoid-robotics-startup/) confirms its push into humanoid robotics
• The latest wave of OpenAI models (https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/16/openais-latest-ai-models-have-a-new-safeguard-to-prevent-biorisks/) , updates to its o3 and o4-mini reasoning models, and why all eyes are on the bigger launch still to come: GPT-5.
Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) , Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X (https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@equitypod) , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) .
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices)
