Science & Technology

Celebrity Co-Founders Not Required: Building Influence from Scratch

Published

6 months ago

December 4, 2025

Alltroo co-founders Kyle Rudolph and Jon Walburg share how they transformed their pro-athlete star power into a fundraising platform that allows their community the ability to donate to a variety of organization and win high-value prizes. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal how they leveraged their networks to disrupt the charitable giving industry, from raising half a million dollars for the NFL in their first year to learning hard lessons about scaling too fast. They discuss the pivot from $10,000 golf tournaments to $10 sweepstakes entries, building trust with both celebrities and fans, and why your network is your greatest competitive advantage.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:58 Meet the Founders: From NFL to Tech Startup
03:53 The $10,000 Golf Tournament That Sparked Everything
06:14 Navigating the Nonprofit-Tech Startup Hybrid Model
11:44 Leveraging Star Power: The NFL Partnership Win
15:34 Getting Athletes to Say Yes: The Trust Factor
19:06 When Identity Crisis Hits: Scaling Too Fast
27:59 The Mistake of Outsourcing Your Vision
30:00 Founder Market Fit: Your Network Is Your Net Worth
32:52 Key Takeaways: Building Thought Leadership Without Celebrity Status

Don’t miss an episode:
Subscribe to Build Mode:
Read More from TechCrunch:

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

Up Next

X-Light’s Nicholas Kelez and Pat Gelsinger on government-backed chips l StrictlyVC Palo Alto

Don't Miss

Unboxing YuMe’s 24-Day $100 Netflix Advent Calendar: Everything You Get

Click to comment

Science & Technology

Defense tech is flooded with money, but who’s built to last? | Equity Podcast

Defense tech is red hot right now. Anduril and Mach Industries just doubled and quadrupled their valuations, respectively, and the U.S. government is proposing a 40% increase in defense budget. A wave of new startups is chasing those government contracts, but according to Ross Fubini, the venture investor who wrote Anduril’s first check, most of…

Published

14 hours ago

June 3, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan asks Fubini — the founder and managing partner of XYZ Venture Capital, built on the Palantir alumni network and now approaching $2B AUM — what separates the survivors from the rest.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:11 XYZ VC’s Palantir roots, Anduril investment, and the defense investing thesis

09:25 Ukraine, Iran, and real-time battlefield testing of startups

17:59 The global shift: sovereign defense tech & decoupling from the US

23:29 The dual-use dilemma & how startups should structure GTM

34:35 Manufacturing, govtech, and beyond weapons systems

36:25 Outro

CNET

Razr Fold Review: A Thin Foldable Done Right

Motorola’s first book-style foldable makes a strong debut, with long battery life, impressive cameras and a sleek build. But there are some caveats, including the hefty $1,900 price. 00:00 – Build Quality and Design 01:09 – Inner and Outer Displays 01:36 – Multitasking and App Continuity 02:02 – Camera System and Features 02:40 – Battery…

Published

15 hours ago

June 3, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Motorola’s first book-style foldable makes a strong debut, with long battery life, impressive cameras and a sleek build. But there are some caveats, including the hefty $1,900 price.

00:00 – Build Quality and Design
01:09 – Inner and Outer Displays
01:36 – Multitasking and App Continuity
02:02 – Camera System and Features
02:40 – Battery Life and Charging Performance
03:32 – Processor, Software, and AI Features
04:03 – Pricing and Final Verdict

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

CNET

AI, AI, AI: How It All Fits Into Apple’s Future Wearables

Glasses, pendants, AirPods, watches and what else? Apple may not reveal everything at WWDC, but it should start discussing the changes to AI that are coming. 0:00 Apple’s Wearable and AI Aspirations 0:19 Rumored AI Pendants and Smart Glasses 1:33 Bringing Generative AI to the Apple Watch 2:21 The Future of AirPods: Cameras and Gestures…

Published

22 hours ago

June 3, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Glasses, pendants, AirPods, watches and what else? Apple may not reveal everything at WWDC, but it should start discussing the changes to AI that are coming.

0:00 Apple’s Wearable and AI Aspirations
0:19 Rumored AI Pendants and Smart Glasses
1:33 Bringing Generative AI to the Apple Watch
2:21 The Future of AirPods: Cameras and Gestures
3:18 Apple’s AI Roadmap and Multimodal Inputs
4:00 Leadership Transition and Final Thoughts

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:

Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

#allthingsmobile