Why Eric Slesinger, a former CIA officer, is now funding European defense tech
This week on StrictlyVC Download, Alex Gove speaks with Eric Slesinger from 201 Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage defense tech startups in Europe. They discuss Eric's journey from CIA to investor and how he recognized the untapped potential in European defense tech while others were dismissive, and how he's working to overcome the cultural taboo that once made defense investments "bad manners" in European VC circles.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction and Eric's CIA background
04:17 - Why Europe for defense tech investments
06:32 - Changing European attitudes toward defense technology
09:00 - Ukraine as a testing ground for new technologies
11:24 - Launching 201 Ventures with NATO Innovation Fund
14:30 - Investment partnerships and sourcing strategies
18:07 - The Polar Mist story and maritime defense
20:15 - Gray zone dislocations and technology focus areas
22:59 - Evaluating government demand for new technologies
25:50 - Mission goals and the future of 201 Ventures
28:03 - Conclusion
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28:40
Ali Partovi is using these indicators to spot future tech billionaires
In this episode of StrictlyVC Download, hosts Connie Loizos and Alex Gove are joined by, Ali Partovi, co-founder and CEO of Neo. They talk about Neo's evolution from a scholar program that provides grants to talented technical young people to a venture fund that recently raised $320 million in committed capital. Partovi discusses Neo's investment philosophy, which focuses on identifying future tech leaders while they're still in college. He explains his three key criteria for selecting founders and emphasizes the importance of charisma, leadership potential and the ability to attract other talented individuals.
Chapters:
00:00 - ntroduction
02:05 - Neo's fundraising journey
03:30 - Investment strategy and LP base
05:32 - Discovering tech talent early
07:18 - The three key founder qualities
10:00 - Embracing risk and ambition
11:35 - Portfolio success stories
14:32 - The value of computer science thinking
16:43 - Maintaining selectivity as Neo grows
19:49 - Aligning incentives through partner investments
20:57 - Discussing fund performance
22:54 - Guiding young entrepreneurs
24:35 - Location considerations for startups
26:18 - Creating value in a changing landscape
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28:43
The RealReal founder Julie Wainwright has written a memoir–and an entrepreneurial survival guide
This week on Strictly VC Download, TechCrunch Editor in Chief, Connie Loizos, sits down with Julie Wainwright, the founder of The RealReal who faced one of tech's most public failures with Pets.com. They discuss Julie's recent memoir, Time to Get Real. They get into board dynamics, leadership challenges, and how she rebuilt her career when Silicon Valley tried to write her off.
Chapter:
00:00 - Introduction
03:08 - Breaking barriers in tech leadership
06:08 - Leading pets.com through the dot-com boom and bust
09:10 - Personal fallout: Divorce, media pressure, and retreat from Silicon Valley
12:27 - Rebuilding after failure and exploring new business ideas
15:35 - The founding of The RealReal and insights on launching in luxury resale
18:08 - Leadership challenges, difficult personalities, and board dynamics
21:34 - Reflecting on stepping down from The RealReal and its impact
24:28 - Launching Ahara and the mission behind personalized nutrition
27:03 - Nutrition trends, combating misinformation, and final reflections
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29:16
Hans Swildens of Industry Ventures on the ways VCs are "manufacturing" liquidity in 2025
This week Connie Loizos and Alex Gove are joined by return guest Hans Swildens. Hans is the founder and CEO of Industry Ventures, a firm known for its pioneering role in the venture secondary market. With stakes in over 700 venture funds and years of experience in the secondaries market, we wanted to have him on to discuss how VCs are thinking about venture’s current liquidity problem.
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25:36
AI has opened a new era in Venture Capital with Forerunner's Kirsten Green
Forerunner has seen a number of high-profile successes in their investments, showing an ability to get ahead of consumer trends with investments in Oura, Chime, the Farmer's Dog and beyond in non-B2C companies. And to get a sense of how that happened, and what's next for Forerunner in the AI era, TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos spoke with their Founder and Managing Partner Kirsten Green during a StrictlyVC event in San Francisco.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction and Kirsten’s Investing Philosophy
01:42 - Founding Forerunner and the Early Vision
03:28 - Identifying Consumer Behavior Shifts
05:10 - Building Trust with Founders
06:47 - Evaluating Consumer Brands Today
08:15 - Challenges and Lessons in Venture
10:03 - Forerunner’s Collaborative Approach
11:50 - What Makes a Standout Founder
13:30 - Advice for Entrepreneurs and Wrap-Up
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Each week, StrictlyVC Editor-in Chief Connie Loizos and Alex Gove, a former journalist, VC, and operating exec, review the top stories in StrictlyVC and interview a mover and shaker in the world of tech.
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