The StrictlyVC series returns to New York on September 10 with a bill of materials that reads like a snapshot of where venture capital's attention has moved: artificial intelligence, professional sports and the investors trying to bridge the two. Headlining the event is Keith Rabois, the Khosla Ventures managing partner whose contrarian takes on AI, payments and startup strategy have made him one of the industry's most closely watched voices on and off the stage.
StrictlyVC has become TechCrunch's flagship live franchise for the venture audience, and the New York edition carries particular weight because the city's deal ecosystem has exploded. Fintech, applied AI, media and sports technology companies are raising at a record pace on the East Coast, and the September event is timed to gather the operators and funders shaping that boom in one room.
The guest list signals the evening's dual focus. Alongside Rabois, the stage will feature athletes and team owners whose involvement in venture capital has shifted from novelty to strategy — a trend Thrive Capital and a new wave of sports-linked funds have normalized. Conversations are expected to cover where AI capital is actually flowing, which use cases are overhyped and how founders should raise in a market that oscillates between euphoria and caution within a single quarter.
Registration is open through TechCrunch's event page, with passes limited and demand from the city's startup community running high after a banner year for New York venture. The takeaway from past editions is that StrictlyVC evenings function less as conferences and more as deal-flow networking with a microphone attached — and this one should be no different.
