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
22 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 28min
How Poppi went from a Shark Tank pitch to a $1.95B exit
Allison Ellsworth, co-founder of Poppi and former Shark Tank pitcher turned Shark, built a prebiotic soda from a kitchen fix to a $1.95B PepsiCo sale. She talks about launching during COVID, scaling with digital-first and TikTok-driven marketing, a last-minute Super Bowl play, preserving brand identity in an acquisition, and what she looks for when evaluating founders.
30 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 35min
Anthropic vs. the Pentagon, the SaaSpocalypse, and why competition is good, actually
They dig into the Pentagon’s split with Anthropic and what it means for military access to AI models. Streaming consolidation and Paramount’s Warner deal get a lively breakdown. They cover MyFitnessPal’s buy of Cal AI and Pinterest’s billion-dollar AI-driven shakeup. Big defense raises and the looming SaaSpocalypse round out the conversation.
6 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 29min
How PopSockets broke the VC-backed consumer hardware mold
David Barnett, founder and former CEO of PopSockets and a former philosophy professor, built a global phone-grip brand without institutional VC. He talks about funding the company from unexpected sources, surviving manufacturing crises, standing up to Amazon at huge cost, beating counterfeits through brand power, and choosing a successor who fit the company culture.
40 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 23min
Who's really running AI? Inside the billion-dollar battle over regulation, with Alex Bores
Alex Bores, a New York Assembly member with a computer science background who sponsored the RAISE Act and runs for Congress, discusses the clash over who controls AI and the flood of political money aimed at shaping rules. He outlines the RAISE Act's basic demands, fights over state versus federal power, super PAC influence, and upcoming bills on training data, provenance, and a national AI framework.
34 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 33min
Is crypto growing up? Tether risk, Stripe’s stablecoin play, and the GENIUS Act explained
Jacquelyn Melanick, CEO of Token Relations and former TechCrunch crypto reporter, breaks down crypto’s latest shifts. She talks ETH Denver’s cooling scene. She covers policy noise around the GENIUS and Clarity bills. She explains Stripe’s quiet stablecoin moves and Tether’s reserve risks. She maps where startups and venture dollars are actually headed.
96 snips
Feb 21, 2026 • 43min
Build Mode: Compensation, culture, and cap tables with Yuri Sagalov, GeneralCatalyst
Yuri Sagalov, Managing Director at General Catalyst and former YC partner, shares startup playbook wisdom. He breaks down cap table design, the three investor types to watch, how much seed dilution is healthy, and why early hires deserve bigger equity. Short, practical conversations on co-founder splits, compensation conversations, and when to scale.
18 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 33min
Why creators are ditching ad revenue for chocolate bars and fintech acquisitions
Creators are moving beyond ad dollars into product lines, acquisitions, and fintech deals. The conversation covers one-startup dating apps aiming to scale from campus and new transformer hardware fueling AI data centers. They also dig into India's big AI infrastructure push and whether AI video tools will flood creativity or lift everyone.
23 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 32min
Google Cloud's VP for startups on reading your "check engine light" before it's too late
Darren Mowry, VP of global startups at Google Cloud, helps founders build on Google Cloud and AI platforms. He talks about TPU vs GPU tradeoffs, surprising cloud cost spikes and how to spot “check engine” warning signs for scaling. He also explores which AI verticals are heating up like biotech, climate tech, developer tools and world models.
53 snips
Feb 13, 2026 • 39min
AI burnout, billion-dollar bets, and Silicon Valley's Epstein problem
Conversation covers the AI talent exodus at major labs and what high turnover means for the competition. They unpack massive raises for humanoid robotics and who might actually deploy them. Fusion startups' billion-dollar bets and audacious timelines get scrutiny. Reporting on Epstein-linked players in Silicon Valley dealmaking and its effects on EV-era investments rounds out the discussion.
53 snips
Feb 11, 2026 • 30min
Glean’s fight to own the AI layer inside every company
Arvind Jain, founder and CEO of Glean and former Google search engineer, explains how his company moved from enterprise search to an AI work assistant and platform. He discusses owning the AI layer inside companies. Short takes cover integrations, permissions-aware governance, competition with big tech, realistic agent use cases, and how AI reshapes org design.
