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

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

2 days ago

October 11, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

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

3 days ago

October 9, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

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

4 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