Why Eric Slesinger, a former CIA officer, is now funding European defense tech

This week on StrictlyVC Download, Alex Gove speaks with Eric Slesinger from 201 Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage defense tech startups in Europe. They discuss Eric's journey from CIA to investor and how he recognized the untapped potential in European defense tech while others were dismissive, and how he's working to overcome the cultural taboo that once made defense investments "bad manners" in European VC circles. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and Eric's CIA background 04:17 - Why Europe for defense tech investments 06:32 - Changing European attitudes toward defense technology 09:00 - Ukraine as a testing ground for new technologies 11:24 - Launching 201 Ventures with NATO Innovation Fund 14:30 - Investment partnerships and sourcing strategies 18:07 - The Polar Mist story and maritime defense 20:15 - Gray zone dislocations and technology focus areas 22:59 - Evaluating government demand for new technologies 25:50 - Mission goals and the future of 201 Ventures 28:03 - Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of StrictlyVC Download, hosts Connie Loizos and Alex Gove are joined by, Ali Partovi, co-founder and CEO of Neo. They talk about Neo's evolution from a scholar program that provides grants to talented technical young people to a venture fund that recently raised $320 million in committed capital. Partovi discusses Neo's investment philosophy, which focuses on identifying future tech leaders while they're still in college. He explains his three key criteria for selecting founders and emphasizes the importance of charisma, leadership potential and the ability to attract other talented individuals. Chapters: 00:00 - ntroduction 02:05 - Neo's fundraising journey 03:30 - Investment strategy and LP base 05:32 - Discovering tech talent early 07:18 - The three key founder qualities 10:00 - Embracing risk and ambition 11:35 - Portfolio success stories 14:32 - The value of computer science thinking 16:43 - Maintaining selectivity as Neo grows 19:49 - Aligning incentives through partner investments 20:57 - Discussing fund performance 22:54 - Guiding young entrepreneurs 24:35 - Location considerations for startups 26:18 - Creating value in a changing landscape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Strictly VC Download, TechCrunch Editor in Chief, Connie Loizos, sits down with Julie Wainwright, the founder of The RealReal who faced one of tech's most public failures with Pets.com. They discuss Julie's recent memoir, Time to Get Real. They get into board dynamics, leadership challenges, and how she rebuilt her career when Silicon Valley tried to write her off. Chapter: 00:00 - Introduction 03:08 - Breaking barriers in tech leadership 06:08 - Leading pets.com through the dot-com boom and bust 09:10 - Personal fallout: Divorce, media pressure, and retreat from Silicon Valley 12:27 - Rebuilding after failure and exploring new business ideas 15:35 - The founding of The RealReal and insights on launching in luxury resale 18:08 - Leadership challenges, difficult personalities, and board dynamics 21:34 - Reflecting on stepping down from The RealReal and its impact 24:28 - Launching Ahara and the mission behind personalized nutrition 27:03 - Nutrition trends, combating misinformation, and final reflections Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Connie Loizos and Alex Gove are joined by return guest Hans Swildens. Hans is the founder and CEO of Industry Ventures, a firm known  for its pioneering role in the venture secondary market. With stakes in over 700 venture funds and years of experience in the secondaries market, we wanted to have him on to discuss how VCs are thinking about venture’s current liquidity problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forerunner has seen a number of high-profile successes in their investments, showing an ability to get ahead of consumer trends with investments in Oura, Chime, the Farmer's Dog and beyond in non-B2C companies. And to get a sense of how that happened, and what's next for Forerunner in the AI era, TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos spoke with their Founder and Managing Partner Kirsten Green during a StrictlyVC event in San Francisco. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and Kirsten’s Investing Philosophy 01:42 - Founding Forerunner and the Early Vision 03:28 - Identifying Consumer Behavior Shifts 05:10 - Building Trust with Founders 06:47 - Evaluating Consumer Brands Today 08:15 - Challenges and Lessons in Venture 10:03 - Forerunner’s Collaborative Approach 11:50 - What Makes a Standout Founder 13:30 - Advice for Entrepreneurs and Wrap-Up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus episode, Connie Loizos is joined by Flexport's CEO Ryan Petersen to discuss the ins and outs of the tariffs' impact, the industry's reaction and why Petersen still sees long-term opportunity in global trade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Connie Loizos and Alex Gove are joined by entrepreneur, futurist, and best-selling author Peter Diamandis. He's founder of XPRIZE Foundation and the co-founder of SIngularity University. In this conversation he laid out his vision for how tech will transform our lives and make longevity advances in the near future. The question is, will these advances just be for the unlta-wealthy? Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:26 - Peter Diamandis on Longevity Escape Velocity 00:08:14 - Epigenetic Reprograming and the Future of Gene Therapy 00:10:59 - Diamandis's Investments in Longevity Startups 00:11:28 - The XPrize Foundation and the Healthspan XPrize 00:14:19 - Comparing Approaches to Longevity: Brian Johnson and XPrize 00:15:18 - Fountain Life: Diagnostics and Therapeutics 00:18:28 - The Mechanics of the Healthspan XPrize 00:24:13 - Peter Diamandis and Elon Musk 00:27:13 - AI, Purpose, and the Future of Work 00:30:48 - Wealth Concentration and the Idea of Abundance 00:34:19 - The Post-Capitalist Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Connie and Alex are joined by Jonah Peretti who has been working in digital media for the past two decades as the founder and CEO of BuzzFeed—a brand that has seen a ton of evolution. Last month, Jonah announced the next phase of Buzzfeed, a social media platform that will use AI to ensure a positive environment. They’re investing $10 million into BuzzFeed island which is an AI-native social media platform. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 03:19 - Previewing BF Island: A New AI-Native Social Platform 09:40 - Reimagining the Internet: From Crack Cocaine to Beer and Wine 11:16 - AI Models, Guard Rails, and Creative Hallucinations 15:26 - BuzzFeed's Business Model and Financial Strategy 18:30 - Divesting Complex Networks and First We Feast 22:03 - AI's Role in Content Creation and Media Efficiency 25:48 - The Closure of BuzzFeed News and Digital Journalism Challenges 28:24 - Balancing Financial Pressures with Creative Innovation 32:33 - Future of Media and Launching New Platforms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on StrictlyVC Download TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos and StrictlyVC’s Alex Gove are joined by Michael Kim, the long-time VC and founder of Cendana Capital where he has built a $2.6 billion portfolio focused exclusively on seed and pre-seed funds, backing some of the most successful emerging managers in the industry. In this episode they discuss Cendana’s latest $600 million fundraise, the rise of secondaries and how they’re affecting returns, how Cendana’s team sniffs out the winners in a competitive market, and of course we got into how AI is changing the startup ecosystem. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 03:49 - The Fundraising Journey and Institutional Investors 05:20 - Key Partnerships and Early Support 07:48 - Growth and Investment Strategy Adjustments 11:20 - The Rise of Secondaries in Venture Capital 14:32 - Identifying and Backing Emerging Fund Managers 17:24 - The Impact of AI on Venture Capital and Startups 18:19 - Changing Venture Investment Structures and Trends 20:26 - Spotlight on New Fund Managers 21:41 - Co-Investments, SPVs, and Strategic Adjustments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode TechCrunch Editor in Chief, Connie Loizos, is joined by Aileen Lee the founder of Cowboy Ventures. Aileen coined the term "unicorn" in a TechCrunch article all the way back in late 2013. In this conversation, they discuss what’s on the horizon for Cowboy Ventures and how she’s thinking about AI’s impact on job creation, automation, and new business models—while also giving listeners a glimpse into Cowboy’s own recent team changes. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 04:30 - The Startup Liquidity Crisis and Venture Capital Overload 06:59 - The Secondary Market and Startup Exits 12:00 - Investing in "Unsexy Tech" 19:46 - Changes at Cowboy Ventures and Team Transitions 21:30 - The Workforce of the Future and AI’s Role 31:25 - AI’s Role in Reviving Consumer Tech 34:21 - AI’s Potential to Reinvent Everyday Processes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices