Science & Technology

Equity, incentives, and early-stage tradeoffs with Yuri Sagalov, GeneralCatalyst

Build Mode is back. This season we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class founding team starting with your cap table, equity structures, and startup compensation strategy. We kick off with Yuri Sagalov, managing director at General Catalyst and former founder, YC partner, and seed investor at Wayfinder Ventures. Yuri has worked…

Published

8 months ago

February 19, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Build Mode is back. This season we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class founding team starting with your cap table, equity structures, and startup compensation strategy.

We kick off with Yuri Sagalov, managing director at General Catalyst and former founder, YC partner, and seed investor at Wayfinder Ventures. Yuri has worked with hundreds of pre-seed and seed-stage startups, and he shares practical advice on how early-stage founders should think about startup equity, cap table design, investor selection, and compensation structures from day one.

He breaks down:

• The 3 types of investors (and which one to avoid)
• Why your cap table is part of your team
• The 20–25% seed dilution rule
• How to split equity with a co-founder
• How to talk to early employees about risk and compensation

No matter where you are in your startup journey, this episode will help you get the incentive structure right from the beginning.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why your first hires deserve more equity
00:31 – Meet Yuri Sagalov (YC → General Catalyst)
02:12 – Your cap table is part of your team
02:50 – The 3 types of investors (avoid this one)
05:02 – How to split equity with a co-founder
07:55 – How much equity to give early employees
09:37 – How to talk compensation and risk
12:31 – Red flags in formation docs and vesting
18:27 – Advisors for equity? Usually a mistake
20:05 – The 20–25% seed dilution rule
26:03 – The shift to 10-year stock options
34:11 – Don’t scale before product-market fit
39:23 – Final advice: Just start and choose your co-founder carefully

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. 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

This Removable Brain-Computer Implant Feels ‘Like Telekinesis’

We visited the headquarters of Precision Neuroscience in New York to check out its removable, upgradable brain-computer interface. You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below *CNET may get a commission on these offers Read more about it on CNET.com Timecode Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:41 The Implant 2:07 The Surgery 2:22 Purpose…

Published

15 hours ago

October 11, 2026

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We visited the headquarters of Precision Neuroscience in New York to check out its removable, upgradable brain-computer interface.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
*CNET may get a commission on these offers

Science & Technology

Amazon and others are done keeping their data center deals secret | Equity Podcast

Amazon says it will stop using NDAs when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following a similar move from Microsoft earlier this year. Secrecy has fueled community backlash against AI infrastructure, with opposition leading to hundreds of proposed and enacted moratoriums from New York to San Francisco. Meanwhile, a wave of startups is betting…

Published

2 days ago

October 9, 2026

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On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Anthony Ha, Sean O’Kane, and Rebecca Bellan dig into whether ditching NDAs will change how data center deals get done, why trust may be the real product for personal AI startups, plus a couple of deals of the week.

We’ll see you next week at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026! Get 25% off your tickets with code Equity25, and we’ll see you on the Builders Stage Tuesday at 9 am.

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

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

0:55 Trump’s “superintelligence force” and the great AI rebranding

3:19 Amazon drops NDAs on data center deals

9:17 Why the AI industry has a communication problem

12:51 Personal AI agents: finding money in your inbox

15:27 Ghost’s $3,500 computer built for personal AI

19:16 Trust is the product: privacy-first agent startups

27:36 Lambda’s $4B raise and the neo cloud backlog problem

31:22 Uber’s $2.3B move into catering

35:10 Outro

CNET

Apple’s Welcome Home Event: Everything Leaked! Apple TV 4K, HomePods and a New Hub | One More Thing

Apple has a ‘Welcome Home’ event on Tuesday, and we’re expecting big changes coming to smart home products, including a new countertop Hub, HomePod mini speakers and Apple TV 4K box. Bridget Carey breaks down the rumors and what has her excited. You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below Apple 2022…

Published

3 days ago

October 9, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Apple 2022 Apple TV 4K Wi‑Fi + Ethernet with 128GB Storage (3rd Generation)
Apple HomePod mini – Orange (Refurbished)
*CNET may get a commission on these offers

Read more about Apple’s Welcome Home event on CNET.com
I’m Way Too Excited for Apple’s Home Event and How It Will Level Up My Siri Experience
Apple Announces Next ‘Welcome Home’ Special Event on Oct. 13

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 A new HomePod is coming
1:05 Hidden Apple code shows new HomePod Mini 2 colors
1:36 HomePod Mini 2 chip upgrades
1:49 Living in a world with 2 Siris
2:02 Smarter Siri for new Apple HomePods
2:25 Apple brings HomePod Mini surround sound into the home theater
2:36 Could a new Apple TV 4K box be on the way?
2:48 New Apple TV 4K box details
2:54 Apple TV 4K hardware upgrades
3:26 Are we getting a new Apple TV remote?
3:42 Here comes the HomeHub speaker with a screen
3:53 Apple HomeHub details from Bloomberg’s reporting
4:11 HomeHub screen could minic iPhone Duo
4:24 How will a HomeHub contribute to the smart home?
4:36 Possible HomeHub versions
4:52 Countertop HomeHub design
5:05 More smart home devices expected from Apple
5:23 Snoopy and the HomeHub
5:54 Are you ready for Apple’s new smart home products?

Video Credits:
Host: Bridget Carey
Scripted by: Bridget Carey
Producer: Carly Marsh
Camera: Carly Marsh, Celso Bulgatti, Bridget Carey, CNET Archive
Video Editor: Carly Marsh
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao