Observed Signal · Jun 4, 2026 · Conference · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
StrictlyVC LA Spotlights Defense Tech, AI, Fundraising
StrictlyVC Los Angeles, a TechCrunch event, will take place on June 18 at The Aerospace Corporation Campus in El Segundo. The evening will bring together investors, founders and tech leaders for panels and conversations on venture capital, defense technology, artificial intelligence and advanced industry. Confirmed speakers include Ethan Thornton (founder of Mach Industries) discussing building hard‑tech defense firms; Delian Asparouhov (Founders Fund) and Saif Khawaja (Shinkei Systems) on the rise of physical AI and robotics; and Carter Reum (co‑founder and partner at M13) on AI’s impact on investing. The event emphasizes curated, candid discussion and networking; additional speakers will be announced and tickets are available through TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC event page.
Regional industry event that gathers VCs, founders and technologists to discuss defense tech, robotics/physical AI and investment trends — useful for networking and signaling but not industry‑shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- StrictlyVC Los Angeles is scheduled for June 18, 2026 at The Aerospace Corporation Campus in El Segundo.
- Event is organized by TechCrunch under the StrictlyVC brand.
- Confirmed speakers include Ethan Thornton (founder, Mach Industries), Delian Asparouhov (Founders Fund), Saif Khawaja (Shinkei Systems) and Carter Reum (co‑founder and partner, M13).
- Session topics announced include defense technology, ‘physical AI’ (robotics and automation), and venture investing in AI and hard tech.
- Additional speakers and agenda updates will be announced and tickets are available on the StrictlyVC event page.
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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VCs Discuss Investing Amid Breakneck AI Growth
At TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC event in Los Angeles, investors Carter Reum (co‑founder, M13) and Chang Xu (partner, Basis Set Ventures) discussed how venture capitalists are pricing and selecting AI investments in a market moving unusually fast. They described the cycle as paradoxical — unprecedented revenue growth (e.g., ChatGPT, OpenArt) coexisting with the risk of overpricing — and outlined frameworks for defensibility: investing ‘below the AI’ (infrastructure for agents) versus ‘above the AI’ (applications with long-term differentiation), and distinguishing velocity markets (fast followers win) from depth markets (hard technical moats). They also discussed sector-specific moats (regulated industries, friction) and the local impact of major liquidity events such as the SpaceX IPO on the Los Angeles startup ecosystem.
StrictlyVC San Francisco Event on April 30, 2026
TechCrunch Events and StrictlyVC will host the first StrictlyVC San Francisco meetup of 2026 on April 30 at the Sentro Filipino Cultural Center. The evening-format event offers fireside chats and networking for founders and VCs. New speaker additions include Lior Susan, founder and CEO of Eclipse, who recently raised $1.3 billion to invest in "physical AI" startups; Replit co-founder and CEO Amjad Masad; and Forum AI co-founder and CEO Campbell Brown. Conversations will be conducted by TechCrunch staff including editor-in-chief and StrictlyVC founder Connie Loizos, venture reporter Marina Temkin, and senior reporter Tim Fernholz. TDK Ventures is named as a sponsor and tickets are available but limited.
StrictlyVC Returns to New York September 10
TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC evening series will return to New York’s West Village on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The event, co-hosted by Collaborative Fund, features a lineup of founders and investors including Keith Rabois, Craig Shapiro, Jason Levien (CEO of D.C. United), Tristan Walker, Brynn Putnam, and Deven Parekh. Sessions will cover topics such as AI, sports organizations as business investments, community-driven startups, and Insight Partners’ perspective on large-scale investing. The evening will include networking, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres; ticketing and event details are available on TechCrunch’s events page.
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