It’s no secret that AI has eaten the lion’s share of funding over the past couple of years, with investments into the sector surging 62% to $110 billion in 2024 alone, while startup funding overall declined 12%.
Startups may think that just adding “AI” to their company’s name might help them secure that funding. But as the frenzy around foundation models has given way to a focus on real-world applications, AI agents, and long-term profitability, investors are seeking startups that can turn technical ingenuity into sustained traction.
At TechCrunch Sessions: AI, happening on June 5 in Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley, top VCs Zeya Yang (IVP), Jill Chase (CapitalG), and Kanu Gulati (Khosla Ventures) will break down exactly what they look for at each stage of investment, from seed rounds to Series C. And they’ve got the investment history and on-the-ground expertise to back it up.
Meet our speakers
Zeya Yang has invested in winners such as Grammarly and Figma and has a track record of working directly with founders to refine product-market fit and drive growth.
Jill Chase leads CapitalG’s investments in Magic, /dev/agents, Motif, and Abridge, and has spent the last several years focusing on emerging use cases for AI and ML, data infrastructure, and enterprise technology.
Kanu Gulati has backed AI leaders PolyAI, Kognitos, and Moonhub and brings over 10 years of experience as a research scientist at Intel and Cadence and as an early engineer at Heavy.ai, Spyglass, and Nascentric.
Join the AI conversation at TC Sessions: AI
Buy your tickets now to lean in on the conversation at TC Sessions: AI on June 5 in Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley to get an inside look at what VCs really want to see in AI startups. Take advantage of Early Bird deals now to save up to $210 — register here.
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
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