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Connie Loizos & Alex Gove
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Each week, StrictlyVC Editor-in Chief Connie Loizos and Alex Gove, a former journalist, VC, and operating exec, review the top stories in StrictlyVC and interview a mover and shaker in the world of tech. 

  1. -3 J

    How Replit went from $2.8M to $150M ARR by pivoting away from professional developers

    This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos and StrictlyVC's Alex Gove spoke with with Amjad Masad, founder and CEO of Replit, fresh off the company's $250 million Series C at a $3 billion valuation. They discussed Replit's remarkable journey from hovering around $2.8 million in ARR for years to hitting $150 million—and how a controversial pivot away from professional developers made it all possible. Masad explained why targeting non-technical users actually requires more compute power than serving experienced coders, and how his company survived a viral production database disaster that briefly threatened to derail everything. They also dove into the challenges of AI agent "reward hacking," why Replit pits multiple LLMs against each other, and what it means to build autonomous coding agents that can work for hours without human intervention. Plus, Masad shared his vision for creating a billion software developers and why he believes solving hard problems around safety and security will become Replit's competitive moat—much like privacy became Apple's Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 02:27 - From $2.8M to $150M: The Explosive Growth Story 05:00 - Eight Years of Struggle and Pivoting Business Models 06:41 - The Agent Revolution: Building Beyond Code 10:29 - Enterprise vs Consumer Pricing Strategy 11:59 - AI Inference Costs and the Token Economy 15:00 - The Jason Lemkin Database Incident 20:00 - Surviving Crisis and Building Trust 25:00 - From Palestinian Refugee Son to Silicon Valley Founder 27:32 - Reaching the Next Billion Users 30:00 - Why Replit Beats ChatGPT for Non-Coders 32:07 - The Future: Acquisitions, Agents, and Enterprise Expansion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min

  2. 23 SEPT.

    Google Cloud's COO isn't stressed about landing the AI giants with Francis deSouza

    This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos is joined by Francis deSouza, the renowned entrepreneur, operator and, since January of this year, COO of Google Cloud. They discuss his goals for Google Cloud and how the company maintains its competitive position by focusing on startups while giants like AWS and Oracle snap up major deals with leading AI companies — namely, OpenAI and Anthropic. The conversation also covers the tangled web of relationships in the AI ecosystem, where companies like Google Cloud provide infrastructure services while their parent companies compete fiercely in generative AI, even as those same parents hold investment stakes in their supposed rivals. They also discuss how Google Cloud approaches the GPU shortage as part of its strategy to attract customers — and keep them coming back for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    26 min

  3. 16 SEPT.

    How the world's energy economics flipped with Al Gore and Lila Preston

    his week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch EIC Connie Loizos sits down with former Vice President Al Gore and Lila Preston to explore their ninth annual Sustainability Trends Report and how the global climate transition is accelerating despite political headwinds. In fact, while traditional media focuses on Trump administration rollbacks, the three discuss why renewable energy economics have fundamentally shifted—with 65% of energy investment now flowing to renewables versus just 35% to fossil fuels, a complete reversal from a decade ago. They dive into how China has become the world's first "electro-state" with EVs representing 60% of new car sales, how AI's massive energy demands could either derail or accelerate climate progress through a $500 billion data center buildout, and Mr. Gore's theory that the fossil fuel industry's political capture is weakening as communities fight back against environmental injustice. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and EPA correction 02:23 - The big wheel turning: Global energy investment shift 08:18 - China becomes the world's first "electro-state" 11:55 - Climate data tracking and the EPA rollback 14:47 - AI data centers and the $500 billion Stargate Project 19:54 - Environmental justice and Elon Musk's Memphis facility 22:42 - Precious metals mining and sustainability 25:01 - Space launches, waste, and carbon emissions 26:28 - Most surprising takeaways and climate tipping points Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 min

  4. 9 SEPT.

    General Catalyst's plan to eat the $16 trillion services market

    This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch EIC Connie Loizos and StrictlyVC's Alex Gove sit down with Marc Bhargava, partner at General Catalyst, to explore his ambitious $1.5 billion Creation Fund strategy that's targeting the $16 trillion global services economy through AI-powered rollups. They dive into how Bhargava's team proves AI automation works and why outcome-based pricing models are disrupting everything from legal services with Eudia to call centers with Crescendo. Plus, they discuss the mechanics of incubating AI-native companies with proven second-time founders, why relationship-driven and regulated businesses make the best targets, and Bhargava's theory that 95% of corporate AI pilots fail because applying AI technology effectively requires deep expertise that consulting firms simply can't provide. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and Marc's background 02:00 - From crypto to Coinbase Prime acquisition 05:00 - General Catalyst's Creation Fund strategy explained 10:00 - Fund administration vs. Carta comparison 15:00 - Titan MSP deep dive and $74M investment 20:00 - Udia's approach to disrupting legal services 25:00 - Why 95% of AI pilots fail and market opportunities 29:35 - Closing thoughts and General Catalyst's future initiatives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 min

  5. 3 SEPT.

    Adeo Ressi and Sarah Lacy call B.S. on the shrinking emerging manager narrative

    This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch EIC Connie Loizos and StrictlyVC's Alex Gove sit down with Adeo Ressi, founder of Decile Group, and Sarah Lacy, the former TechCrunch journalist turned entrepreneur to explore how one of Ressi's newest projects --  VC Lab -- has quietly launched over 800 venture funds worldwide, averaging $12 million each. In fact, while traditional media focuses on emerging manager struggles, the four talk about why, according to Ressi and Lacy, small checks are becoming strategically advantageous in over-subscribed rounds, how accomplished professionals are locked out of traditional VC despite having unicorn angel track records, and Lacy's theory that diverse manager networks are unlocking untapped LP pools. Plus, they talk about Lacy's path from Palm Springs bookstore owner back to Silicon Valley ecosystem building, whether this micro-fund renaissance can actually achieve 50/50 gender parity in venture capital, and what Ressi, a former roommate of Elon Musk, thinks about Musk's time this year in federal government. 00:00 - Introduction 03:17 - From tech journalism to Palm Springs bookstore owner 05:05 - Scaling Founder Institute and the birth of VC Lab 06:39 - The disconnect between media narratives and ground reality 07:46 - The economics of Decile Group's free model 09:54 - Fund performance: 2x returns in 24 months 12:14 - The strategic advantage of small checks 14:24 - Breaking the VC paper doll cutout 17:19 - Finding capital: From network activation to fund of funds 18:57 - Success stories: From blockchain to African women managers 23:43 - Fighting misogyny and building gender equality in VC 26:18 - From tearing down to building up 29:52 - Fixing problems at scale through democratized venture 31:45 - The Elon factor: Politics, neurodiversity, and friendship Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min

  6. 26 AOÛT

    Uncork Capital on 21 years of venture cycles—and what's different about this one

    This week on StrictlyVC Download, Techcrunch EIC Connie Loizos talks with Uncork Capital honchos Jeff Clavier and Andy McLoughlin. They discuss how their seed-stage firm is positioning itself in this environment, from a recent investment in AI chip maker Groq to bets on AI-native companies attacking unsexy industries like material sciences and robotics. Plus, the three dig into Uncork's philosophy of finding companies with unique datasets before they become obvious to the market, how Uncork is advising its established portfolio companies to reinvent themselves in an AI-first world, and whether San Francisco's comeback -- driven by AI moolah -- is sustainable. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:48 - Market dynamics and late-stage firms entering seed stage 04:36 - Groq investment and AI chip industry insights 08:37 - Dave Agents investment and round economics 09:20 - Current AI investment themes and portfolio evolution 10:49 - Helping established portfolio companies adopt AI 13:58 - AI's impact on workforce and productivity 17:26 - Investing in unsexy industries with unique datasets 20:52 - Robotics investments and AI-driven automation 21:42 - Competitive positioning and value proposition 25:54 - Secondary market strategy and exit timing 27:37 - Private market democratization policy discussion 31:37 - San Francisco's resurgence as AI innovation center 35:02 - Closing remarks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min

  7. 19 AOÛT

    Seven Seven Six bets on moonshots that are mining on the actual moon

    This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos speaks with Katelin Holloway, co-founder of Seven Seven Six, the generalist firm that's raised over $1 billion across three funds. They discuss Seven Seven Six's unconventional investment thesis spanning AI-powered stone carving robots to commercial lunar mining, including her bet on Interlune—the first company to sell an off-planet resource back to Earth. Holloway explains why she believes helium-3 harvested from moon dust will generate returns within a decade, how climate tech and space tech are converging in unexpected ways, and why maintaining human connection remains critical as AI transforms the workforce. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:32 - Generalist investment approach 04:00 - Monumental labs: AI-powered stone carving revolution 07:00 - Space tech investment journey and philosophy 10:00 - Interlune: mining helium-3 from the moon 15:00 - The future of space commerce and exit strategies 22:00 - Human connection in an automated world 25:00 - The changing workforce and AI platform shift 30:00 - Closing thoughts and future outlook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min

  8. 12 AOÛT

    The $20B LP View: AI Valuations, Solo GPs, and What's Really Happening in Venture

    This week on StrictlyVC Download, TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos and Alex Gove of StrictlyVC speak with Lara Banks, who leads venture investing at Makena Capital Management. They discuss her firm's $3 billion venture allocation across 30 manager relationships, how she evaluates everything from solo GPs to the AI rollup trend sweeping traditional service businesses, and why she thinks AI companies' "astronomical" revenue growth justifies their sky-high valuations despite massive infrastructure costs. Banks also shares what LPs really learned from 2021's boom-bust cycle and how the secondary market is creating new liquidity opportunities as companies stay private longer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    23 min
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Notes et avis

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À propos

Each week, StrictlyVC Editor-in Chief Connie Loizos and Alex Gove, a former journalist, VC, and operating exec, review the top stories in StrictlyVC and interview a mover and shaker in the world of tech. 

Informations

  • Création
    Connie Loizos & Alex Gove
  • Années d’activité
    2020 - 2025
  • Épisodes
    197
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © 2024 StrictlyVC, LLC
  • Site web de l’émission
    StrictlyVC Download

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