AI, athletes, and Keith Rabois: StrictlyVC is back in New York on September 10

Mark your calendars: connected Thursday night, September 10, StrictlyVC — TechCrunch’s boutique evening bid — is heading to New York’s West Village (the existent 1 — brownstones, cobblestones, and each — not the Mission Bay agelong of San Francisco that’s earned the nickname “Vest Village” for each the Patagonia-clad VCs roaming around).

It’s our archetypal New York lawsuit successful 2 years, and aft a tally of large nights this twelvemonth successful San Francisco, L.A., and Athens, we couldn’t beryllium much excited to beryllium backmost — with a stacked lineup to match. What’s successful store:

Keith Rabois. We’re kicking disconnected the nighttime with the inimitable Keith Rabois, who precocious relocated East from Silicon Valley and, existent to form, seems intent connected shaking things up wherever helium lands. Rabois has ne'er been shy astir what helium thinks is moving successful task and what isn’t — he’s backed Ramp 4 times and invested arsenic often successful State Affairs, a institution utilizing AI and section journalists to way statehouse-level quality and argumentation information crossed each 50 states. He’ll stock his beardown opinions connected founders who rise much superior than they really need, conscionable due to the fact that they can. And we’ll get him talking astir Khosla Ventures’ boldest AI stake yet: its aboriginal $50 cardinal cheque into OpenAI backmost successful 2019 erstwhile the outfit had nary wide concern exemplary — positive what helium makes of the communicative that OpenAI is facing much headwinds close present than its rivals.

Craig Shapiro and Jason Levien. After our sit-down with Keith, instrumentality astir for a speech you won’t find anyplace else. Craig Shapiro’s task firm, Collaborative Fund, is generously co-hosting the evening with us, and we’ll beryllium down with Shapiro and Jason Levien, CEO of D.C. United, to speech sports organizations arsenic concern investments — and the progressively tangled intersection of sports, fandom, commerce, and community.

Image Credits:StrictlyVC/TechCrunch /

Tristan Walker. Staying connected the taxable of community, we’ll excavation into a speech with 2 founders gathering for a satellite wherever AI does much — but besides takes thing away. Tristan Walker, who sold his past company, Walker & Company Brands (maker of Bevel), to Procter & Gamble successful 2018, is backmost with Heirloom Craft, a startup focused connected reshoring American good craftsmanship — grooming a caller procreation of artisans and rebuilding the proviso chains down them.

Brynn Putnam. Walker volition beryllium joined by Brynn Putnam, who sold her past company, connected-fitness startup Mirror, to Lululemon for $500 million, conscionable 3 years aft it was launched. Putnam’s newest task is Board, a crippled institution blending carnal play with AI-powered instauration tools — built arsenic thing of an antidote to the isolation tech has fueled, bringing radical backmost unneurotic around, literally, a board.

Deven Parekh. Last but not least, we’re thrilled to drawback up with Deven Parekh, who has co-run Insight Partners — the New York powerhouse concern steadfast — for much than 25 years. Insight doesn’t bash a batch of press, but Parekh has agreed to propulsion backmost the curtain connected however the steadfast is reasoning astir a scenery wherever it’s gotten harder to archer plus classes apart, arsenic immoderate of the biggest funds person grown exponentially larger. What we privation to know: however does Insight vie successful a satellite wherever superior itself is simply a commodity, but the imaginable returns connected monolithic investments person besides ne'er been bigger?

Expect a amusive nighttime each around, with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and plentifulness of networking earlier and aft the fireside chats, including with Connie Loizos, Rebecca Bellan, and different TechCrunch writers (as good arsenic our friends from different outlets).

Giant acknowledgment again to the squad astatine Collaborative Fund for making the nighttime possible. More details and ticketing info right here. See you successful the (real) West Village.