Why this year’s best tech talks took place over cocktails at StrictlyVC

In a self-service industry, before most people finish breakfast, TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC event it has become a rare commodity: stable. This evening provides an opportunity to step back from the vague topic and the hype, to be with the people who are driving change, and to understand what is happening behind the scenes. They were designed from the ground up as parties with killer content – we’ve always wanted these to be intimate gatherings where conversations flow freely, and speakers can let loose in ways they can’t at larger, formal meetings.

Full review of 2025 StrictlyVC

In retrospect, 2025 was actually a bit of a blur and a weird connection. It’s hard to believe now how many inspiring conversations we were able to start – from world leaders to startup founders, from crypto evangelists to technology pioneers. And every evening he brought his powers and revelations.

Where it all began: San Francisco

We started last year at San Francisco’s Presidio, where Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures hosted an unforgettable night. Green himself – the first entrepreneur in Chime, Oura, and many other household brands – shared his excitement holy place exposure at the intersection of AI and consumer technology. But he was just the beginning. We heard from Ethan Thornton of Mach Industries about the gradual rise in building the first two decades of defense technology, finals and all. errors that comes with the part. Tarek Mansour from Kalshi captivated the room, explaining in his own interesting way why the directors do not keep him at nighteven as the CEO of the hottest prediction market in the world. Flexport’s Ryan Petersen had a lot to say Trump’s tariff plans. Even San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie he stood nearby.

Next stop: Athens on AI, government, and the power of the internet economy

From there, we took the world list. In Athens, we sat down with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to discuss how AI is changing Greece – and hidden goodness of a country that is still focused on online businesses.

London’s leading take on law and the future of fintech

In London, VC Sonali De Rycker of Accel opened up about Europe the problem of overregulationwhen TS Anil of the fast-growing fintech Monzo asked questions about to go public (this was before he ever existed he has knocked in case of disagreement on the time of its delivery).

Returning home is an orbital and crypto configuration

Behind the state, only the tracks were built. In Menlo Park, we hosted the President of Cognition Russell Kaplan along with his first famous investor Ali Partovi. We spoke with the co-founder of Robinhood Baiju Bhatt about his deep dive into space-based solar, and crypto’s Katie Haun made a case therefore the digitalization of real things is inevitable.

StrictlyVC meets TechCrunch Disrupt

At our TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco – where we hosted a small StrictlyVC event within the event – ​​entrepreneur-turned-VC Kevin Hartz highlighted the rise of young foundersand the killer group of LPs split up old history.

Palo Alto final

Then we closed the year in early December in Palo Alto, where former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger spoke government and religionwe looked inside one of them new companies in the AI ​​development space, and Neuralink co-founder Max Hodak gave us a preview of the urge to breathe runs his current company, Science Corp.

From initial discussions to future insights

However these are some of the best from 2025. The Pictures of StrictlyVC has been home to many amazing voices over the years – former chairman of the FTC Lina KhanWaymo Co-CEO Tekedra refused, Meredith Whittaker of Signal, Sam Altman OpenAI software, Alfred Lin of Sequoia Capital, famous founder Marc Lore, and maand, more others.

Which makes us very happy 2026 I know there are many other movers and shakers who are looking for exactly this kind of place – somewhere they can speak freely, share what’s on their mind, and connect with an interested, progressive audience who really want to hear it.

Join them StrictlyVC 2026 waiting list to get first-hand access to the lowest ticket prices and major event updates.

Want to do more than attend StrictlyVC 2026 events?

None of this would be possible without our amazing friends, by the way. Kirsten Green opened the Presidio for us. Team at Mayfield offered a spectacular glass-enclosed space on Sand Hill Road. And Playground Global they gave us their lovely and spacious house to spend the year.

These companies don’t just host – they embrace the spirit of the evening just like we do.

If your company wants to partner with us in Next year’s StrictlyVC event series as we begin a new journey, please contact us here. We are very excited to see where this conversation takes us.