Why European founders are winning (and it’s not about working less)

Europe's startup scene is having a moment, with European unicorns multiplying and American VCs setting up shop across the pond. But while European funding dominates the early stages, late-stage capital still flows primarily from the U.S. So what does this mean for European founders, and how is the continent carving out its own identity in an increasingly AI-driven world? Today on Equity, we were joined by Shamillah Bankiya, newly appointed Partner at Dawn Capital, to talk through it all. She and Dominic-Madori Davis discuss AI's impact on European startups, the regulatory landscape, and her journey from Uganda to venture capital. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why European companies still IPO in the U.S. and what needs to change Bankiya’s marketplace startup and lessons for founders Whether businesses actually need venture funding (spoiler: not all do) Why American investors are suddenly flocking to Europe The EU AI Act and its real impact on startups Talent retention challenges and which founders are choosing to stay in Europe versus relocating to Silicon Valley Equity will be back Friday with our weekly news roundup, so stay tuned. Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leading AI labs like OpenAI and Google DeepMind cut ties with Scale AI after Meta invested $14 billion in the data vendor and hired its CEO. But AI labs still need data — leaving an opening for other startups that can supply it. The key players and factors in the AI data market are changing. Lately, it seems like Mercor — an AI hiring platform that sells data services to AI labs — may be one of the biggest benefactors of this shift. Today on Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Max Zeff dive deeper into how the AI data market is changing, check in on startups that recently went public and share their takes on the divisive orange iPhone. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Bending Spoons’ ⁠acquisition of Vimeo for $1.38 billion⁠, and what it means for the video industry. Why SpaceX is making a $17 billion bet on the direct-to-cell market, and what it all has to do with Apple. The long awaited IPO of Klarna, why it popped, and how other newly public companies like Figma and Coreweave are doing. Mercor’s new fundraising talks, and what’s going on the AI data space more broadly. Equity will be back next week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As AI evolves at breakneck speed, attackers are evolving right alongside it. Vibe coding, AI agents, and prompt-based attacks are opening enterprises up to new vulnerabilities daily. The pressure is on for cybersecurity tools to keep pace, and startups are seizing the moment. Few have grown as rapidly as Wiz, which Google is acquiring for $32 billion in its largest-ever purchase. On today's episode of Equity, Wiz co-founder and chief technologist Ami Luttwak joined Rebecca Bellan to discuss how AI is fundamentally reshaping cybersecurity threats, from supply chain attacks that leverage vibe coding to hackers targeting the AI agents that developers rely on daily. His message is clear: while AI tools help developers build faster, they're also creating more vulnerable code by default, and attackers are already exploiting these weaknesses at scale. Listen to the full episode to hear: Why recent attacks affecting thousands of companies show AI security threats are here now How vibe coding creates less secure applications and what developers can do about it Why even a five-person AI startup needs a CISO from day one to win enterprise customers How AI startups can access customer data without compromising security Where Luttwak sees the biggest opportunities for innovation across the cybersecurity landscape Equity will be back Friday, with our weekly news roundup. Talk then! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google just dodged a Chrome breakup bullet, but the biggest twist? The federal judge bought the idea that AI rivals could keep the tech giant in check, even as new competitors gain ground. From Atlassian’s $610 million bet on The Browser Company to OpenAI’s latest maneuvers, the competition for how we navigate the web is just getting started. Today on Equity, Max Zeff and Anthony Ha break down the week’s biggest moves and how AI is fracturing the search monopoly while reshaping how we browse the web and invest in its future. Listen to the full episode to hear about: What Atlassian's $610M Browser Company deal signals about the shift from consumer to enterprise AI browsers OpenAI's $1.1B StatSig acquisition and ex-Facebook executive hiring spree The return of Klarna's $1.2B IPO plans, and whether the fintech market is finally heating back up The new online safety laws raising privacy concerns and hurting companies that comply The mystery customers making up nearly 40% of Nvidia’s revenue Equity will be back next week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karen Hao, the bestselling author of "Empire of AI," has watched OpenAI go from a nonprofit “laughingstock” into a $90 billion powerhouse chasing artificial general intelligence at breakneck speeds. Hao, who first profiled the company back in 2020, says early visions of building AI “for humanity’s benefit” were quickly overtaken by a familiar Silicon Valley mindset: Move fast, break things, and let scale be the measure of success. This week, Hao joined TechCrunch’s Equity podcast to unpack the direction the AI boom is going and who’s paying the price. Hao argues that, like historical empires, today’s AI giants rely on resource-hoarding and exploitative labor to amass political and economic power, and they’re doing so at the expense of the environment. For investors and founders, it’s a clear signal that AI’s current path carries real risks, and that there’s room to build a better model. Listen to the full episode to hear: How OpenAI's three internal "clans" warred to shape the company's trajectory The hidden human costs of data labeling in developing countries How the "China competition" narrative serves Silicon Valley's interests Where founders might find different opportunities beyond the pursuit of AGI Equity will be back Friday with our weekly news roundup, so stay tuned. Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia reported another massive quarter this week with $46.7 billion in revenue, a 56% year-over-year increase driven almost entirely by AI demand. But despite CEO Jensen Huang's bold prediction of $3 to 4 trillion in global AI infrastructure spending in the next five years, the stock slid as investors questioned how long this kind of growth can last. Today on Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff, and Anthony Ha dive into Nvidia's earnings and what the market's response reveals about investor confidence in the AI boom's longevity. Listen to the full episode to hear: Who made the cut for the 2025 Startup Battlefield 200, and how Equity’s hitting the stage at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt OpenAI and Anthropic's rare AI safety testing collaboration, despite recent moves to cut each other off from their APIs RoboMart's new autonomous delivery robot, which could challenge Uber Eats with $3 flat fees Why the US government's potential 10% stake in Intel might not be the salvation the chipmaker needs How venture capital firms like a16z are flooding Washington, D.C. with lobbying dollars, outspending entire industry groups As always, Equity will be back for you next week, so don't miss it! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Jobs once said, “Everything’s a remix.” And that’s a philosophy that Mark Cuban has taken to heart, building an entire entrepreneurial and investment career on that simple belief. The real opportunity, Cuban says, lies in spotting patterns others miss and turning them into billion-dollar disruptions. On today's episode of Equity, Cuban joined Rebecca Bellan to discuss his decades-long strategy of betting on technologies before they go mainstream, from his early investments in local area networks and streaming services to his current healthcare and AI ventures. But Cuban's real insight isn't just about picking winners. It's about understanding why most people building in AI today are missing the point entirely. Cuban delivered a stark warning about the current AI gold rush: while everyone's using ChatGPT, almost no one (including Fortune 500 CEOs) knows how to integrate AI into their actual businesses. His take? Forget the hype. The real money is in helping small- and medium-sized businesses figure out how to use the AI tools that already exist. Listen to the full episode to hear: How Cuban identified disruptive opportunities in LANs, streaming, and HD television before they became obvious. Why he thinks current AI "isn't smart," and why that limitation could be its strength as a business tool. The upcoming regulatory battles that will determine AI's future around IP protection, training data access, and the U.S.-China competition. Inside Cuban's latest venture, Cost Plus Drugs, expanding from transparent pricing to manufacturing. Cuban's prediction that AI-savvy graduates will become the most in-demand employees across every industry. As always, Equity will be back Friday. Don’t miss it! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of the Equity podcast, your hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff, and Anthony Ha try to understand why Labubu has become so popular and what it says about the collapsing divide between the internet and the real world. Are Labubus more than just the latest iteration of ‘90s Beanie Babies? And listen to the full episode to hear more about: Google’s cringey, celebrity-filled Pixel event Self-driving startup Nuro’s $203 million Series A, with Nvidia joining as an investor OpenAI’s attempt to woo the media after a rocky launch for GPT-5 A fresh $1 billion funding for AI startup Databricks Why VCs are excited about robotic startups like FieldAI As always, Equity will be back for you next week, so don’t miss it! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.  Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the SaaS crash of 2022, SecurityPal founder Pukar Hamal was just 14 months from running out of money. Rather than raise another round, he chose to restructure and focus on profitability — and he hasn't raised since his $21M Series A in 2021. On today's episode of Equity, Hamal chatted with Julie Bort about what he calls "nuanced capital," a strategy focused on achieving cash flow positivity and sustainable growth rather than chasing the next big round. His approach challenges the conventional wisdom that AI companies need constant capital injections to compete, proving that even in competitive markets, there's an alternative path.  Listen to the full episode to hear: Why Hamal chose restructuring over raising more capital during the 2022 downturn How SecurityPal achieved cash flow positivity while competitors burned through funding The "Silicon Peaks" vision: building a startup ecosystem in Kathmandu, Nepal Whether AI founders get trapped thinking they need constant VC funding Why "nuanced capital" might be a better long-term strategy than traditional fundraising Equity will be back Friday, so don’t miss it! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perplexity, the AI search startup that hasn't even cracked 100 million monthly users, just made a $34.5 billion cash offer to buy Chrome from Google. The unsolicited bid comes as the DOJ prepares its remedy decision after ruling Google illegally maintained a search monopoly. The timing makes sense, but questions remain. Perplexity won't name its backers for the massive deal, and the offer is worth far more than the company has raised. On ⁠Equity⁠, we're revisiting a conversation with ⁠Neil Chilson⁠, a lawyer, computer scientist and head of AI Policy at the Abundance Institute, to unpack what’s at stake for Google in its search and ad tech battles, and how generative AI could reshape competition in the space. As always, Equity will be back for you next week, so don’t miss it! Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices