Equity
TechCrunch, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Sean O'Kane, Theresa Loconsolo
The intersection of technology, startups, and venture capital touches everything now. That’s why Equity, TechCrunch's flagship podcast, digs into the business of startups for entrepreneurs and enthusiasts alike. Every Wednesday and Friday, TechCrunch reporters keep you up-to-date on the world of business, technology, and venture capital. Equity is ranked the No.2 podcast in the Top 100 Venture Capital All time leaderboard on Goodpods—As well as No.17 for the Top 100 Finance All time chart and No.32 for the Top 100 Business News All time chart.
Episodes
Mentioned books
11 snips
Apr 15, 2026 • 29min
The musician-turned-biotech-founder waiting to fundraise
Aloe Blacc, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter turned biotech entrepreneur, is bootstrapping a cancer drug platform while learning the rules of science funding. He discusses shifting from writing checks to building, using a molecule-discovery platform to speed drug development, and watching AI reshape both biotech and music — plus why artists still matter in the age of AI.
67 snips
Apr 10, 2026 • 22min
Luma AI's Amit Jain on why most world model companies are getting it completely wrong
Amit Jain, co-founder and CEO of Luma AI — a Bay Area lab building multimodal generation and world models — discusses why text-only models are hitting a ceiling. He argues video, audio, and images are the real training frontier. He describes what a true world model needs, critiques common approaches, and outlines Luma’s roadmap from generation to agentic systems and robotics.
44 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 27min
Snowflake’s transition from storing data to shipping with it
Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake and former Google ads exec, describes a shift from chatbots to agentic AI that acts on governed enterprise data. He discusses new products like Cortex-Code and Project Snowwork. Short takes cover who benefits, governance and reliability, why many pilots fail, and how Snowflake is reorganizing to ship with data.
64 snips
Apr 3, 2026 • 34min
Space: the final frontier of AI infrastructure
They debate OpenAI’s enormous $122B raise and what that valuation frenzy signals for AI growth expectations. They cover Whoop’s $575M bet on wearables and the privacy stakes of health data. They unpack Bluesky’s AI feed tool and the user backlash it provoked. They examine the push to build data centers in orbit and whether space-based compute is realistic.
76 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 32min
Why private wealth is cutting out the VC middleman
Ari Schottenstein, head of alternatives at Arena Private Wealth who sources direct deals; Mitch Stein, Arena founder modernizing private wealth and leading tech investments. They discuss family offices writing direct checks, taking board seats and incubating startups. They explain how Arena led a $230M Series B, how due diligence on technical AI firms works, and what red flags founders should watch for.
61 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 37min
VCs are betting billions on AI's next wave, so why is OpenAI killing Sora?
A landowner turns down a $26M AI data center offer, sparking local fights over water, zoning and real-world infrastructure. Big VCs are raising massive AI funds and debating whether the frenzy is sustainable. Drone startups are finding niche traction while acquisition and regulatory questions loom. OpenAI shuttering a consumer video app highlights rapid iteration and shifting priorities. Courts are rethinking platform accountability.
57 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 37min
ReelShort made $1.2 billion on werewolf romances. Watch Club wants to do it better.
Henry Soong, founder of Watch Club and builder of mobile-first teen micro dramas, discusses bringing grounded, social-native short shows to young audiences. He contrasts Chinese micro drama success with Quibi, explains Watch Club’s interactive but non-branching social features, and debates monetization, intentional design versus addictive feeds, and AI’s role in formulaic scripts.
96 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 38min
Nvidia has an OpenClaw strategy. Do you?
A deep dive into Nvidia's GTC playbook and its push to be foundational across AI, autonomous vehicles, and theme parks. A look at Travis Kalanick's robot ambitions and the risks tied to his comeback. Coverage of Uber and Rivian's $1.25B RoboTaxi pact and the production hurdles behind it. News on Frore’s AI chip cooling unicorn jump and xAI’s ongoing reboot drama.
12 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 26min
The PhD students who became the judges of the AI industry
Wei-Lin Chiang, Arena co-founder and CTO who built evaluation systems for LLMs and agents, and Anastasios Angelopoulos, Arena co-founder and former UC Berkeley PhD who created benchmarking platforms. They discuss how Arena measures real-world intelligence, preserves reproducibility and neutrality despite big lab funding, and expands from chat to agents, coding, and expert leaderboards.
35 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 41min
Wiz's first investor breaks down Google's $32B acquisition
Shardul Shah, Partner at Index Ventures who led early investment in Wiz. He explains why Wiz landed a $32B takeover and its spot at the intersection of AI, cloud, and security. Short, sharp conversations cover founders rejecting an earlier offer, how Wiz will operate post-deal, and what this means for cyber M&A and future startups.
