After a brief hiatus, the Newcomer podcast is back!

Madeline Renbarger has rejoined me as my co-host to help break down all of the news across venture capital and startups.

This week, we’re kicking off with a massive $693 million chip deal and Google’s huge quantum computing breakthroughs, in news that feels like flashes of Silicon Valley returning to its “silicon” roots. Still, some of this tech feels a bit too early to be exciting for a venture-backable model.

We also dig into the personnel shake-ups across the major multi-stage funds, including Brian Singerman’s step back from Founders Fund last week. Lightspeed also saw partners exit as part of a consumer investing reshuffle. And just this morning after recording, Lux Capital’s Bilal Zuberi announced on X that he was leaving to “embark on a new chapter.”

We’re excited for you to listen.

Episode produced by Christopher Gates

Brought to you by Brex

Brex knows runway is everything for venture-backed startups, so they built a banking solution that helps them take every dollar further. Unlike traditional banking solutions, Brex has no minimums and gives startups access to 20x the standard FDIC protection via program banks.

Plus, startups can earn industry-leading yield from their first dollar — while being able to access their funds anytime. If you want to make sure your portfolio companies have a place to save, spend, and grow their capital, check out Brex here.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:06 - Tenstorrent’s $693 million Series D

04:44 - Google’s Quantum Computing Breakthrough

06:42 - Lightspeed’s Consumer Investing Re-org

09:24 - Brian Singerman Steps Back and Founders Fund’s Roster

14:08 - Mega-funds in Transition and Tech’s Trump Positioning

20:19 - Conclusion and Future Discussions