In an industry that reinvents itself before most people finish their breakfast scone, TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC events series has become something rare: a constant. These evenings offer a chance to step back from the blur of headlines and hype cycles, to sit with the people actually driving change, and to understand what’s really happening behind the scenes. They’ve been designed from the start as cocktail parties with killer content — we’ve always wanted these to be intimate gatherings where the conversation flows freely, and speakers can let their guard down in ways they simply can’t at larger, more formal conferences.
The full 2025 StrictlyVC recap
Looking back, 2025 was truly a blur of both insights and amazing connections. It’s almost hard to believe now how many stimulating conversations we were able to facilitate — from heads of state to startup founders, from crypto evangelists to defense tech pioneers. And each evening brought its own energy and revelations.
Where it started: San Francisco
We kicked off this past year in San Francisco’s Presidio, where Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures co-hosted an unforgettable night. Green herself — an early investor in Chime, Oura, and countless other household brands — shared her excitement about the white space emerging at the intersection of AI and consumer tech. But she was just the beginning. We heard from Ethan Thornton of Mach Industries about the wild ride of building a defense tech startup in your twenties, complete with all the missteps that come with the territory. Tarek Mansour of Kalshi captivated the room, explaining in his entertainingly blasé way why regulators don’t keep him up at night, even as CEO of the industry’s hottest prediction market. Ryan Petersen of Flexport had plenty to say about Trump’s tariff plans. Even San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie stopped by.
Next stop: Athens on AI, government, and the power of offline economies
From there, we took the series global. In Athens, we sat down with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to discuss how AI is transforming Greece — and the hidden advantages of a country still deeply rooted in offline businesses.
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London’s candid take on regulation and fintech’s future
In London, powerhouse VC Sonali De Rycker of Accel opened up about Europe’s overregulation problem, while TS Anil of the fast-growing fintech Monzo fielded questions about going public (this was before he was apparently elbowed out over disagreements about the timing of its offering).
Back home with orbital and crypto momentum
Back stateside, the momentum only built. In Menlo Park, we hosted Cognition president Russell Kaplan alongside his famous first investor Ali Partovi. We talked with Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt about his deep dive into space-based solar, and crypto’s Katie Haun made the case for why the digitization of real-world assets is inevitable.
StrictlyVC meets TechCrunch Disrupt
At our TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco — where we hosted a mini StrictlyVC event inside the event — serial entrepreneur-turned-VC Kevin Hartz reflected on the rise of teen founders, and a killer panel of LPs dissected aging portfolios.
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October 13-15, 2026
Palo Alto finale
Then we closed out the year in early December in Palo Alto, where former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger discussed government and religion, we got an inside look at one of the buzziest new companies in the AI manufacturing landscape, and Neuralink co-founder Max Hodak gave us a glimpse into the breathtaking ambition driving his current company, Science Corp.
From first conversations to future insights
Yet these are just some of the highlights from 2025. The StrictlyVC series has been home to so many incredible voices over the years — former FTC chair Lina Khan, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, Meredith Whittaker of Signal, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Alfred Lin of Sequoia Capital, famed founder Marc Lore, and many, many others.
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What makes us most excited for 2026 is knowing there are so many more movers and shakers looking for exactly this kind of space — somewhere they can speak candidly, share what’s really on their minds, and connect with a curious, sophisticated audience that genuinely wants to hear it.
Join the StrictlyVC 2026 waitlist to secure first access to the lowest ticket prices and key event updates.
Want to do more than attend StrictlyVC 2026 events?
None of this would be possible without our incredible partners, by the way. Kirsten Green opened the Presidio to us. The team at Mayfield provided a stunning glass-lined space in the heart of Sand Hill Road. And Playground Global gave us their playful, spacious home to cap off the year.
These firms don’t just host — they embrace the spirit of these evenings as much as we do.
If your firm is interested in partnering with us in next year’s StrictlyVC event series as we embark on new adventures, please get in touch with us here. We’re very excited to see where these chats take us next.
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
