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6 DAYS AGO

Hardware's brutal week: iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power go bankrupt

The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filing for bankruptcy. Each company faces its own mix of tariff pressures, supply chain issues, and shifting markets, but together they tell a larger story about the challenges of building physical products in an era of global trade tensions and cheap overseas competition. From the Roomba maker that almost got acquired by Amazon to the e-bike company that couldn't escape its Chinese supply chain, this week's bankruptcies are a warning sign for hardware startups everywhere. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O'Kane discuss what went wrong for three once-promising hardware companies, plus Amazon's massive OpenAI bet and Trump's new approach to AI regulation. Listen to the full episode to hear more news from the week, including: How "slop" became Merriam-Webster's word of the year — and why it's become bigger than just AI-generated content Why Databricks raised $10 billion at a $134 billion valuation (in a Series L!) instead of just going public already The Coursera-Udemy merger and whether online course platforms can survive the AI era Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 00:24 - AI slop is Merriam-Webster's word of the year 06:07 - Amazon's $10 billion OpenAI investment 10:43 - Databricks raises $10 billion in a Series L 14:14 - Coursera acquires Udemy 19:17 - Hardware bankruptcies: iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes 26:21 - Trump's AI executive order targets state regulation Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 days ago

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33 min
17 DEC

Eclipse's Jiten Behl thinks the next unicorns won't be built in software

Jiten Behl, partner at Eclipse Ventures and former chief growth officer at Rivian, thinks we're entering an era of major re-industrialization in the US — one where factories run on AI-powered robots, not cheap overseas labor. Behl, who helped scale Rivian from a conference room idea in 2015 to a publicly traded EV maker, is now investing in the next wave of industrial and mobility startups, including two Rivian spinouts: Also and Mind Robotics. It's part of Eclipse's larger bet that the physical world is finally ready for the kind of disruption software saw a decade ago. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec sat down with Behl to talk about why Rivian keeps spinning out companies, what founders in the "physical world" need that software founders don't, and why automation is becoming necessary if the US wants to compete without Chinese supply chains. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why Behl looks for founders who are both "hyper-optimistic" and grounded in reality, and why that combination is surprisingly rare, even in Silicon Valley. How vertical integration worked for Rivian but won't work for most startups today. Behl's prediction that autonomy will become "real and something we can touch and feel" in the next five years. Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Dec

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30 min
10 DEC

ElevenLabs just hit $6.6B, but its CEO says the real money isn't in voice anymore

ElevenLabs has made a name for itself building realistic AI voices. What started as two Polish engineers annoyed by terrible movie dubbing has grown into a profitable company now valued at $6.6 billion, doubling its valuation from just nine months ago. The company recently announced a $100 million tender offer led by Sequoia and ICONIQ, with participation from a16z and others, as its tech powers everything from Fortnite characters to customer service bots and goes toe-to-toe with OpenAI to become the default voice of AI. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, we’re bringing you a conversation with CEO Mati Staniszewski from this year's Disrupt, where he made a surprising admission: he thinks voice models will be commoditized in just a couple of years. So what's ElevenLabs' plan when everyone else catches up? Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why ElevenLabs is pivoting from just voice models to building a conversational AI agent platform How the company is tackling deepfakes with watermarking, AI detection, and device authentication Why Staniszewski believes there will soon be more AI-generated content than human content ElevenLabs' push into music generation and partnerships to fuse audio with video models Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Dec

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24 min
18 DEC

Making life (and death) better despite regulatory barriers

Founders Gabriel Sanchez (Enspectra Health) and Tom Harries (Earth Funeral) share what it takes to build in heavily regulated industries where "move fast and break things" simply won't work. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal the realities of navigating FDA approval processes, state-by-state regulations, and cultural taboos while building products that are literally matters of life and death. Gabriel walks through Enspectra's nearly decade-long journey to FDA clearance for their skin imaging device, while Tom discusses building a human composting service as an alternative to cremation and burial. They offer tactical advice on iterating while waiting for regulatory approval, planning your runway when success is largely out of your hands, and raising venture capital in spaces that many investors consider too taboo to touch. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:30 Meet Gabriel Sanchez - Enspectra Health 02:34 The First FDA-Approved Skin Imaging Physics in 28 Years 04:24 From Stanford Lab to Clinical Device 06:43 Navigating FDA Clearance and Reimbursement Strategy 43:33 Scaling While Managing Regulatory Barriers 46:55 Where Earth is Today and Future Growth 48:00 Outro New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

18 Dec

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50 min
12 DEC

AI dating, data center jet engines, and the circular economy

A baby was born in a Waymo this week, and it wasn't even the first one. What started as a novelty story quickly became a reminder of how autonomous vehicles have quietly become part of everyday life, complete with all the messiness that entails. The real coming-of-age story this week, however, wasn't happening in San Francisco's robotaxis. It was playing out in Hollywood, where Netflix made an $82 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming and studio business. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec and Anthony Ha discuss what happens when the startup that used to mail you DVDs grows up and tries to buy a legacy entertainment empire as well as the other headlines that caught their eye. Listen to the full episode to hear about: How Boom Supersonic is selling jet engines to data centers to fund its supersonic flight dreams Why Hinge's CEO is leaving to start an AI dating app, and whether AI can actually fix dating The rise of AI circular deals and what CoreWeave's CEO says about companies investing in their own customers A fertility startup using AI-designed antibodies to expand beyond ovulation tracking Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Dec

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28 min
11 DEC

Capital is a commodity (but your investor relationships aren’t)

Venture capitalists Ross Fubini (XYZ Ventures) and Leslie Feinzaig (Graham & Walker Ventures) pull back the curtain on how VCs build their own go-to-market strategies — not just how they evaluate startups, but also how they win over LPs and founders alike. In this episode of Build Mode, they share hard-won lessons from raising their first funds and how that experience allows them to empathize with founders. They discuss why "founder-market fit" applies to VCs too, how authentic thought leadership beats manufactured content, and why the best investor relationships start years before you need the money. Plus, the importance of building trust over transactions and why your network truly is your competitive advantage in venture. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:01 Meet the VCs: From Netscape to Costa Rica 03:06 The Horror Show of Raising a First Fund 05:29 Building a Fund as Proof of Concept 08:52 The Schtick: Why VCs Need a Unique Thesis 11:44 Thought Leadership That Actually Works 15:34 The Qualification Process: Knowing in Two Minutes 19:06 Authentic vs. Manufactured Content 27:59 Building Relationships Before You Need Money 30:00 Founder-Market Fit for VCs 32:52 Key Takeaways: Person, Firm, Terms—In That Order 36:45 Field Notes: Creative Ways VCs Court Founders New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

11 Dec

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45 min
5 DEC

Nothing wants your money, AWS wants your trust, and Spotify wants your data

AWS announced a wave of new AI agent tools at re:Invent 2025, but can Amazon actually catch up to the AI leaders? While the cloud giant is betting big on enterprise AI with its third-gen chip and database discounts that got developers cheering, it's still fighting to prove it can compete beyond infrastructure. This week on Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O'Kane dig into the ROI on AI agents, plus the collision course between Hollywood and generative AI, and why everyone wants their own version of Spotify Wrapped. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why Hollywood filmmakers are drawing hard lines between performance capture and AI, and another spiked attempt at AI regulation Nothing's $5 million community funding round and whether letting consumers invest is genuine community-building or just IPO hype Autolane's $7.4 million raise to build "air traffic control for robotaxis" Wrapped battles from Spotify, YouTube, and others chasing their viral moment Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Dec

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30 min
4 DEC

Your network is your first go-to-market strategy

Alltroo co-founders Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg share how they transformed their pro-athlete star power into a fundraising platform that allows their community the ability to donate to a variety of organization and win high-value prizes. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal how they leveraged their networks to disrupt the charitable giving industry, from raising half a million dollars for the NFL in their first year to learning hard lessons about scaling too fast. They discuss the pivot from $10,000 golf tournaments to $10 sweepstakes entries, building trust with both celebrities and fans, and why your network is your greatest competitive advantage. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:58 Meet the Founders: From NFL to Tech Startup 03:53 The $10,000 Golf Tournament That Sparked Everything 06:14 Navigating the Nonprofit-Tech Startup Hybrid Model 11:44 Leveraging Star Power: The NFL Partnership Win 15:34 Getting Athletes to Say Yes: The Trust Factor 19:06 When Identity Crisis Hits: Scaling Too Fast 27:59 The Mistake of Outsourcing Your Vision 30:00 Founder Market Fit: Your Network Is Your Net Worth 32:52 Key Takeaways: Building Thought Leadership Without Celebrity Status New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

4 Dec

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36 min
3 DEC

This VC charges $0 for PR, and has 12 unicorns to show for it

Tech is racing ahead while society struggles to keep up. Masha Bucher, founder and GP of Day One Ventures, built her firm around closing that gap by combining venture capital with hands-on PR to help portfolio companies not just raise money, but actually break through the noise. Day One's been an early backer of companies like World, Superhuman, and Remote.com, with 12 of its portfolio companies hitting multibillion-dollar valuations. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan sat down with Bucher to talk about why traditional PR is broken, how she picks founders, and why every startup founder now needs to be chronically online. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why Bucher thinks being a VC first makes her better at PR, and why the traditional PR model is "misaligned" for startups. How she vets building teams and finds the “most exceptional founders.” Why founders can't just pick one platform anymore, along with Bucher’s simple – and potentially contentious -- advice for getting started on social media. Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Dec

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32 min
3 OCT

AI slop, government stops, and startup uncertainty

The U.S. government shutdown that began this week is the first in seven years. While it might not feel immediately disruptive, for startups waiting on permits, visas, or regulatory approvals, even a few weeks can become an existential problem. On this episode of Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff talk through how uncertainty is affecting startups in ways people might not realize, plus the messy reality of AI companies still trying to figure out sustainable business models. Listen to the full episode to hear about: OpenAI’s launch of the Sora app, its TikTok-style feed of AI-generated content, and whether people actually want to pay for an endless stream of synthetic videos How AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood is proving that even fake performers can cause real industry drama Periodic Labs’ $300 million seed round from Andreessen Horowitz, Jeff Bezos, and Nvidia to build AI scientists and discover new physics The US government taking equity stakes in companies like Lithium Americas, MP Materials, and Intel, is raising questions about what happens when Washington steps in as a shareholder Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Oct

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32 min

TechCrunch podcasts cover the business of technology, startups, venture capital funding, crypto, and the humans behind it all.

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Hardware's brutal week: iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power go bankrupt

Eclipse's Jiten Behl thinks the next unicorns won't be built in software

ElevenLabs just hit $6.6B, but its CEO says the real money isn't in voice anymore

Making life (and death) better despite regulatory barriers

AI dating, data center jet engines, and the circular economy

Capital is a commodity (but your investor relationships aren’t)

Nothing wants your money, AWS wants your trust, and Spotify wants your data

Your network is your first go-to-market strategy

This VC charges $0 for PR, and has 12 unicorns to show for it

AI slop, government stops, and startup uncertainty

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