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SeatGeek Beat the Odds: Raising $400M, Surviving COVID & Competing with Ticketmaster l Build Mode

SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could be…

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SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could be disrupted.

In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Jack Groetzinger, co-founder and CEO of SeatGeek, to unpack the company’s 17-year journey from startup to industry leader. Jack shares how SeatGeek raised nearly $400 million in venture capital, why he believes founders should think about expanding rather than pivoting, what it was like fundraising during the COVID-19 shutdown of live events, and why the company ultimately walked away from its planned SPAC. He also explains how founders can convince investors to back them against an entrenched incumbent, why your first hires define your company’s future, and how AI is reshaping the future of live entertainment and ticketing.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: How SeatGeek Took on Ticketmaster
01:09 – From Startup Battlefield to Building SeatGeek
04:03 – Finding Product-Market Fit in a Broken Ticketing Industry
05:54 – Why SeatGeek Expanded Instead of Pivoting
07:14 – Raising Nearly $400M and Surviving the Hardest Fundraise During COVID
10:46 – Why SeatGeek Walked Away from Its SPAC IPO
13:57 – How to Raise Money Against a Monopoly Like Ticketmaster
17:02 – The Hiring Mistakes That Nearly Hurt SeatGeek’s Culture
19:08 – How AI Will Transform Live Entertainment and Ticketing
22:19 – Regulation, Competition, and Jack Groetzinger’s Advice for Founders

Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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CNET

Google DeepMind Demos Gemini Robotics 2 Doing Household Chores, and We Can’t Wait for the Future!

Google DeepMind released a series of videos demonstrating Gemini Robotics 2 utilizing the Apptronik Apollo 2 Humanoid Robot working alongside the Franka F3 Duo Dual-Arm System robot, and it looks like I won’t be doing too many household chores in the near future. You can read more about Google DeepMind on CNET.com Google DeepMind Will…

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Google DeepMind released a series of videos demonstrating Gemini Robotics 2 utilizing the Apptronik Apollo 2 Humanoid Robot working alongside the Franka F3 Duo Dual-Arm System robot, and it looks like I won’t be doing too many household chores in the near future.

You can read more about Google DeepMind on CNET.com
Google DeepMind Will Train AI Models on the MMORPG Eve Online

0:00 Apollo Intro
0:07 Apollo putting away items in specific places
0:56 Gemini Robotics 2 Multi-Robot Collaboration
1:07 Duo’s Dual-Arm System putting away tools
2:04 Apollo’s Intelligent Whole Body Control
3:34 Apollo’s Advanced Dexterity

Video Credits
Producer/Editor: Stephen Beacham
Source:

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#google #ai #googledeepmind #robot #robotics #machinelearning

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Science & Technology

Why SeatGeek walked away from going public with Jack Groetzinger

SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage () (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could…

Published

on

SeatGeek didn’t become one of the biggest names in ticketing by following the playbook. It started as a simple ticket search engine on the TechCrunch 50 stage () (now known as TechCrunch Battlefield) and took on the industry’s massive incumbents by expanding its vision, surviving industry-defining challenges, and convincing investors that even a monopoly could be disrupted.

In this episode of Build Mode () , host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Jack Groetzinger, co-founder and CEO of SeatGeek, to unpack the company’s 17-year journey from startup to industry leader. Jack shares how SeatGeek raised nearly $400 million in venture capital, why he believes founders should think about expanding rather than pivoting, what it was like fundraising during the COVID-19 shutdown of live events, and why the company ultimately walked away from its planned SPAC. () He also explains how founders can convince investors to back them against an entrenched incumbent, why your first hires define your company’s future, and how AI is reshaping the future of live entertainment and ticketing.

They get into:

Why SeatGeek chose to compete with Ticketmaster and how investors evaluated that opportunity

How SeatGeek survived COVID and closed its hardest fundraising round during the pandemic

Why passionate customers can become your best fundraising asset

The hiring mistakes Jack wishes he could undo and why your first employees shape company culture

How AI is transforming ticketing, live entertainment, and the fan experience

Jack Groetzinger’s advice for founders building companies that challenge established incumbents

Subscribe to Build Mode on⁠ () Apple Podcasts⁠ () , ⁠Spotify⁠ () , or⁠ () wherever you like to listen⁠ () . And watch the full videos on⁠ () YouTube⁠ () . New episodes of ⁠Build Mode⁠ () drop every Thursday. 

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: How Startups Enter Nvidia’s Orbit

01:20 – Meet Sydney Sykes: From NEA to Lightspeed to Nvidia

03:18 – What Sydney Does as Nvidia’s VC Alliances Lead

04:20 – The AI Trends Nvidia Is Watching Across Verticals

07:47 – How Startups Can Enter the Nvidia Orbit

10:34 – What Nvidia’s “Stamp of Approval” Actually Looks Like

12:56 – How Startups Get Noticed by Corporates (Beyond Nvidia)

15:18 – Does a Corporate Stamp Move VCs to Write Checks?

19:41 – Access, Black VC, and Gatekeeping in Venture Capital

30:20 – Procurement vs. Corporate VC vs. Traditional VC, Explained

38:28 – Final Advice for Founders Chasing Corporate Partnerships

Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams. 

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Science & Technology

How to Escape the Smartphone Doom Loop | Larz May, Elise Hu | TED

Larissa May has spent a decade building digital wellness programs for young people, and she’s discovered something quietly radical: the smartphone doom loop of screen dependence and anxiety isn’t inevitable, and joy (not restriction) is the way out. She makes the case for a different relationship with technology — starting with swapping screens for some…

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Larissa May has spent a decade building digital wellness programs for young people, and she’s discovered something quietly radical: the smartphone doom loop of screen dependence and anxiety isn’t inevitable, and joy (not restriction) is the way out. She makes the case for a different relationship with technology — starting with swapping screens for some analog fun. (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on November 10, 2025)

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