StrictlyVC returns to New York with Rabois, sports investors, and AI-focused founders
TechCrunch's StrictlyVC evening series will hold its first New York event in two years on September 10 in the West Village. The lineup includes venture capitalist Keith Rabois, Collaborative Fund's Craig Shapiro, D.C. United CEO Jason Levien, and founders Tristan Walker and Brynn Putnam, with discussions on AI investments, sports business, and community building. The event is co-hosted by Collaborative Fund and will feature networking with cocktails and food.
The September 10 gathering marks StrictlyVC's return to New York after a two-year absence, following 2025 events in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Athens. The evening pairs fireside chats with networking over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, and is co-hosted by Collaborative Fund. Attendees will include TechCrunch writers Connie Loizos and Rebecca Bellan alongside other media figures.
The speaker roster spans distinct investment and founder perspectives. Rabois has backed Ramp four times and invested repeatedly in State Affairs, an AI-driven statehouse news tracker. Khosla Ventures' early $50 million OpenAI stake from 2019 will be discussed. Putnam's Mirror sale to Lululemon fetched $500 million just three years post-launch, while Walker's Bevel went to Procter & Gamble in 2018.
This event signals how venture capital is converging with AI, sports ownership, and craft-based entrepreneurship, potentially shaping where early-stage money flows next. Founders like Walker and Putnam, who sold companies at scale, may inspire others to pursue mission-driven ventures that counter tech-driven isolation. The focus on community and reshoring could influence hiring and consumer habits, though outcomes remain uncertain. Attendees—investors, founders, and journalists—may carry these themes into broader industry conversations, affecting dealmaking and public discourse around AI's societal trade-offs.