This episode of Equity had so many themes. Karaoke in VC, the SpaceX economy, moatless AI, OpenAI vs. open source, and more. When a conversation between host Kirsten Kolosek and fellow TCs Devin Caldwee and Margaux McCall begins with an evergreen question, you know it's going to work. “Is it ever okay to use a shirtless photo of myself in my Slack profile at work?” Answer: Yes and no.
AI is again a hot topic in equity. But it just didn't stay the same old. Admittedly, the totally crazy valuations coming out of the AI sector have been a bit of a drag. But we also participated in YC Demo Day. This included references to non-AI and AI startups that caught our attention.
We also created a space in Equity (see what we did there). Specifically, I'd like to talk about an interesting startup called Reflect Orbital. The company is developing satellites that deploy large mirrors to precisely reflect sunlight to specific points on the ground. The startup envisions a future where you can turn the sun on and off like a flashlight. Devin was skeptical and much of the conversation focused on Sean Maguire. Sean Maguire is a prominent investor who backed Reflect and led Sequoia's investment in SpaceX in 2019.
Regarding venture capital and Silicon Valley trends, Margaux points to two trends: the continued popularity of defense technology and dual-use startups, and the continued interest (obsession?) among some investors in longevity technology. Opinions on hot topics. On the longevity front, colleagues discussed Synex, a startup that is developing a portable MRI that can test for glucose and other important molecules without drawing blood.
Meanwhile, in the defense technology space, we discussed how startups like Pyka are gaining backers and potential government customers by expanding the applications of their technology. Pyka is an electric aviation startup that started out focused on crop dusting and a line of cargo planes, but is also seeing growing interest from the defense sector.
Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo and posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and all casts. You can also follow stocks × and threads (@EquityPod). For full episode transcripts, if you prefer reading to listening, check out the full episode archive on Simplecast.