Science & Technology

How Startups Get Noticed by Nvidia, Google, and Other Tech Giants l Build Mode

Building a great product is one thing. Getting a company like Nvidia to put its name behind it is something else entirely. In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Sydney Sykes, who leads global venture capital alliances and partnerships at Nvidia, to unpack how startups break…

Published

3 months ago

July 23, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Building a great product is one thing. Getting a company like Nvidia to put its name behind it is something else entirely.

In this episode of Build Mode, host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Sydney Sykes, who leads global venture capital alliances and partnerships at Nvidia, to unpack how startups break into the Nvidia ecosystem and what a corporate venture capital partnership actually looks like once they’re in.

Sydney explains how founders can get on Nvidia’s radar through programs like Nvidia Inception, why strategic alignment matters more than a slick pitch deck, and how corporate venture capital differs from traditional venture capital when it comes to fundraising, diligence, and deal terms. Drawing on her experience as an investor at NEA and Lightspeed Venture Partners, and as co-founder of BLCK VC, she also discusses access and representation in venture capital and how the AI boom is reshaping who gets funded. She closes with practical fundraising advice for founders hoping to build lasting relationships with corporate VCs like Nvidia.

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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2 Comments

@donaldpierce6877

July 25, 2026 at 10:56 am

Wrong life priorities. Focus on building something great that truly means something to you. Don’t spend your life trying to get into orbits and vying for stamps of approval. Build something from your soul. If it’s good, they will try to get into your orbit. If it’s not good, at least you built something from your soul.

Reply
- @TruthWisdom123
  
  July 26, 2026 at 3:11 am
  
  i built something good, something i’m passionate about…. i’m trying to figure out if i should apply or not.
  
  Reply

CNET

America’s Plan to 2x Its Most Powerful X-Ray Laser

Get an inside look at the world’s most powerful X-ray laser at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Stanford, which scientists use to film movies of molecules. Read more about the SLAC National Accelerator Labratory on CNET.com See SLAC, a two-mile particle accelerator next to Stanford Timecode Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction to SLAC & LCLS 0:48…

Published

16 hours ago

November 1, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Get an inside look at the world’s most powerful X-ray laser at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Stanford, which scientists use to film movies of molecules.

Read more about the SLAC National Accelerator Labratory on CNET.com
See SLAC, a two-mile particle accelerator next to Stanford

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 – Introduction to SLAC & LCLS
0:48 – Upgrading the Particle Accelerator
1:45 – How Cryomodules Work
2:23 – Cooling Below Outer Space Temperatures
3:11 – Generating Hard X-Rays
4:15 – Filming “Molecular Movies” of Atoms
5:03 – Real-World Applications & Future Experiments

Video Credits:
Host: Andy Altman
Scripted by: Andy Altman
Producer: Andy Altman
Camera: Celso Bulgatti
Video Editor: Jon Gomez
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao

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#science #laser #accelerator #particleaccelerator #laserbeam

CNET

How to Download and Use Google Gemini for MacOS

Google’s Gemini multimodal AI is available for MacOS and Windows. CNET’s Stephen Beacham demonstrates how to download and install it on a Mac, and walks you through every button and feature in the app. Read more about the Gemini App for MacOS on CNET.com MacOS Now Has a Native Gemini AI App Gemini for MacOS…

Published

2 days ago

October 31, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Read more about the Gemini App for MacOS on CNET.com
MacOS Now Has a Native Gemini AI App

Gemini for MacOS Gets New Voice and ‘Screen Awareness’ Features

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 Introduction to Google’s Gemini App for macOS
0:23 How to Download and Install Gemini for Mac
1:03 Testing the “Speak to Window” and FN Key Dictation Features
2:08 Testing Gemini’s Reasoning Feature to Summarize Highlighted Text
2:41 Overview of the Gemini App Interface for macOS
3:07 Choosing Flash Models and Managing Chat Preferences
4:22 Using the Camera, Attachments, and Exploring Multimodal AI
5:13 Sharing App Windows with Gemini for Real-Time Assistance
6:05 Using the Lasso Tool for Screen Analysis
6:33 Exploring Deep Research, Image/Video Generation, and Personal Intelligence
7:33 Gemini App walkthrough outro

Video Credits:
Producer Editor: Stephen Beacham
Thumbnail Designer: Zain bin Awais

#google #googlegemini #gemini #geminiapp #mac #macos #ai #artificialintelligence

CNET

Unboxing Apple’s $149 HomePod Mini 2 in Green

Apple’s new HomePod Mini 2 is equipped with a full-range driver and dual passive radiators, made for 360-degree sound. It measures about 4 inches across, and will come equipped with the S10 chip, which Apple says analyzes music in real time to optimize it. Unbox it with us in their new green color. #unboxing #onemorething…

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2 days ago

October 30, 2026

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