Tech resilience, breakout startups, and banking reinvented: The big conversations at StrictlyVC London in May

StrictlyVC is heading to London on May 13, uniting top investors and entrepreneurs to spark meaningful connections and drive forward innovation. We're thrilled to welcome industry leaders like Nazo Moosa, general partner at Paladin Capital Group; Sonali De Rycker, partner at Accel; and TS Anil,

Famed AI researcher launches controversial startup to replace all human workers everywhere

Every now and then, a Silicon Valley startup launches with such an “absurdly” described mission that it's difficult to discern if the startup is for real or just satire. Such is the case with Mechanize, a startup whose founder — and the non-profit AI research organization he founded call

Former Y Combinator president Geoff Ralston launches new AI 'safety' fund

Geoff Ralston, well-known in the startup community for his years at Y Combinator, is back in the formal investing ring, he announced Thursday. His new fund is called Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund, or SAIF, which is both an explanation of its thesis and a play on words. Ralston

38 consumer startup founders lobby over Trump tariffs: One faces a surprise $200K bill

Small businesses could be crushed under President Trump's increased tariffs, according to an open letter by 38 female consumer product founders. While Trump paused his tariff increases for 90 days for various countries — setting the rate at 10% for now — China’s was raised t

Blue Water Autonomy comes out of stealth promising autonomous naval ships

A new shipbuilding startup called Blue Water Autonomy has emerged from stealth with the promise of developing captain-less naval ships. The Boston, Massachusetts-based company has raised a $14 million seed round from Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures. The startup was founded in 2024 by former

Leaders from Accel and Paladin Capital Group join the stage at StrictlyVC London in May

Mark your calendar — StrictlyVC London is just around the corner on May 13. Designed for founders, entrepreneurs, and investors, this exclusive gathering promises deep VC insight and high-value connections. We're thrilled to welcome our first pair of confirmed speakers: Nazo Moosa, managing

Bluesky’s latest update adds chat reactions and an Explore page, similar to X

Social network Bluesky is rolling out a new version of its software, which adopts some of the features former X users have missed. Nope, it’s not an edit button! Instead, the open social network is adding support for chat reactions in its direct messages feature and is revamping its search pa

Kalshi CEO: ‘State law doesn’t really apply’ to us

Last week, prediction market startup Kalshi sued New Jersey and Nevada after they tried to shut down its recently launched sports trading operation. In the lawsuit, Kalshi claimed that, since they’re a federally regulated platform, state gaming commissions don’t have the authority to se

Want to stay young? Peter Diamandis says survive the next 10 years

Peter Diamandis, a futurist with degrees from both MIT and Harvard, has spent much of the past two decades evangelizing a vision of an abundant future driven by exponential technologies that will lengthen our lives. The serial entrepreneur and founder of organizations like the XPRIZE Foundation and

Microsoft releases AI-generated Quake II demo, but admits 'limitations'

Microsoft has released a browser-based playable level of the classic video game Quake II. This functions as a tech demo for the gaming capabilities of Microsoft's Copilot AI platform — though by the company's own admission, the experience isn't quite the same as playing a well-made ga

SF mayor Daniel Lurie to tech CEOs: ‘How can we get you back?’

San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie wants to bring his city back to its glory days. And he’s convinced tech leaders — who often pitch utopian ideals of their own — can help him deliver. “I’m a mayor that is picking up the phone and calling CEOs,” said Lurie during TechCrun

StrictlyVC is heading to London this May

StrictlyVC is crossing the Atlantic! On May 13, London will play host to an exclusive StrictlyVC evening, delivering the same high-caliber VC insider content that has made these events a must-attend for investors and startup leaders alike. If you're a venture capitalist or founder looking to e

China Miéville says we shouldn’t blame science fiction for its bad readers

It's been 25 years since China Miéville stepped into the literary spotlight with his novel “Perdido Street Station.” Combining elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, the novel introduced readers to the fantastically complex city of New Crobuzon, filled with insect-headed khepri

CoreWeave co-founder explains how a closet of crypto-mining GPUs led to a $1.5B IPO

CoreWeave began trading on Friday with more of a shrug than a war cry. The company priced at $40 on Thursday, below the $47 to $50 price range announced. It also trimmed the number of shares offered. All told, CoreWeave raised $1.5 billion and nabbed a $14 billion market cap on Day 1, instead of a