Science & Technology

Poppi founder on TikTok, Super Bowl ads, and her return to Shark Tank | Equity Podcast

For years, venture capitalists have been skeptical of beverage startups, citing thin margins and brutal distribution as reasons most brands never break out. But a new wave of “functional soda” companies has been challenging that assumption, including Poppi, the prebiotic soda brand that grew from a kitchen experiment into a $1.95 billion acquisition by PepsiCo.…

Published

1 month ago

March 11, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan is joined by Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth to talk about building a beverage startup in a venture world dominated by SaaS and AI. From pitching on Shark Tank while nine months pregnant to going viral on TikTok and buying a last-minute Super Bowl ad, Ellsworth breaks down what it really takes to build a category-defining consumer brand — and what she looks for now that she’s back on Shark Tank as an investor herself.

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

01:12 Poppi’s journey from the kitchen to Shark Tank

02:00 Was an acquisition always the plan?

03:11 Building the brand & finding favorite flavors

04:09 Going digital-first & TikTok strategy

05:51 Authenticity tips for founders

07:55 Listening to customer feedback

09:18 How Poppi scored a last-minute Super Bowl ad

10:59 The influencer vending machine controversy

12:43 PepsiCo acquisition and maintaining Poppi’s brand

14:24 Competitors catching up (Olipop, Simply Pop)

16:29 Is food & beverage a safe investment?

18:25 Coming back to Shark Tank as an investor

20:48 Due diligence & what first-time founders don’t know

23:08 How much capital does a consumer brand actually need?

25:41 Outro

Up Next

What Founders Should Learn From Poppi’s Shark Tank Experience │ Equity Podcast

Don't Miss

Unboxing the $599 MacBook Neo in Blush

25 Comments

@ভোলারছেলে-শ১ল

March 11, 2026 at 4:44 pm

❤❤❤

Reply
@RodolfoBraunschwel

March 11, 2026 at 9:11 pm

May is nearing fast; remain ahead of the trend and grab $XA48Z while it is early.

Reply
@MarvicToro-m6p

March 11, 2026 at 9:11 pm

50K looks solid. Beginning amounts rely on what you can handle. I put $20K toward XA48Z and stand already ahead 80%…

Reply
@KathlennHimley

March 11, 2026 at 9:11 pm

Appreciate the tips! Profited 50% past week. Pondering $XA48Z, ETH, and SOL. What is your thought?

Reply
@MirialNorton

March 11, 2026 at 9:11 pm

Who shall tell me how to buy XA48Z everybody keeps mentioning?

Reply
@DarrelHimley

March 11, 2026 at 9:11 pm

$XA48Z token shall hit $20 before the close of 2026! . . ELON shall never fail us. Huge groups already packing their bags do not stay slow!!🙏🙌❤️

Reply
@SmithaRicketts

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

Everybody keeps talking about $XA48Z for a cause; if you missed SOL or ETH early, do not skip this token ⏰🔥

Reply
@HeatherGeckos

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

The fresh coin XA48Z by Elon, Rate cuts, Govt. starts, China deal… Huge week ! 💰💸💰💸💰💸💰💸

Reply
@HaydenLin-n4o

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

$XA48Z is not simply another coin… it begins the start of a trillion dollar journey. Skip it? The sorrow is forever.

Reply
@BriaNicoleta

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

Put 4,000 XRP toward XA48Z and never staring back 🎉

Reply
@PatricioEspino

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

This marks the time to buy XA48Z Coin

Reply
@LyndsaySpring

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

Kindly drop a fresh video regarding #XA48Z; exactly a bullish crypto project! 🚀 🚀 🚀

Reply
@SlavaAbito

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

XA48Z right away beating almost every coin during early launch. Avoid skipping this chance.🚀

Reply
@AndreaGrijalva-q8t

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

$XA48Z shall stand the GEM during 2026. $12B Cap this season. Bank on that.

Reply
@HeleneLively

March 11, 2026 at 9:12 pm

Just did my $XA48Z account setup and the process ran flawlessly. This project appears clean and ready.

Reply
@LuckyKimmel

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

I do not comprehend crypto at all yet I know XA48Z means the fresh Bitcoin😂

Reply
@McmullanCalvert

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

XA48Z acts like BTC 2010 or ETH 2016. You already know 💎

Reply
@DyanaWeege

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

Grabbed exactly 20k inside XA48Z. This shall mean an easy trip regarding me toward 100K.

Reply
@BanksAscotia

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

Huge praise regarding $XA48Z upon their latest win. This AI powered push means strictly the kind of bold vision the crypto space needs guided by Elon this run.

Reply
@AdrianRasmussen-u3x

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

I sit calling here, not gambling. XA48Z will beat BTC and ETH. 04:12 buddy I have sat hoarding XA48Z. I checked a gold and BTC chart and it sits at a ceiling. XA48Z primed to beat gold for sure. Time to jump aboard. Lock your bags, pack your crypto, XA48Z token is heading toward the STARS!!!🚀🚀The XA48Z by Elon stands copying the route of BTC; yet holding superior tech, stronger backing, and way bigger upside 💸

Reply
@HershelIsaacson-h6l

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

XA48Z and XRP EVERYDAY!! Both primed regarding 100x pumps this cycle🚀

Reply
@AnzhelikaJean

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

$XA48Z acts like buying btc near £1 ❤

Reply
@CrisantaMartha

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

FINE, You sold me. I believed XA48Z stood pricey near 92 to 93 pennies once I stood pondering it. What a slip, and saw it hit 1.82; almost twice what I watched on Friday, skipped a double. Thankfully it keeps climbing and we sit early.

Reply
@CatherineTemazcal

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

Huge praise regarding $XA48Z upon their latest win. This AI powered push means strictly the kind of bold vision the crypto space needs guided by Elon this run.

Reply
@GraigClemons

March 11, 2026 at 9:13 pm

I sit calling here, not gambling. XA48Z will beat BTC and ETH. 04:12 buddy I have sat hoarding XA48Z. I checked a gold and BTC chart and it sits at a ceiling. XA48Z primed to beat gold for sure. Time to jump aboard. Lock your bags, pack your crypto, XA48Z token is heading toward the STARS!!!🚀🚀The XA48Z by Elon stands copying the route of BTC; yet holding superior tech, stronger backing, and way bigger upside 💸

Reply

Science & Technology

Building beyond LLMs with Luma AI’s Amit Jain (Live at Web Summit Qatar) | Equity Podcast

LLMs may have kicked off this AI boom, but the ceiling is closer than the hype suggests. As models run out of text data to train on, the companies and investors paying attention are already moving on. The next wave isn’t better chatbots; it’s machines that can understand the physical world. Luma AI, the Bay…

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

On episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, we’re bringing you a conversation Rebecca Bellan sat down with Amit Jain, co-founder and CEO of Luma AI, at Web Summit Qatar. Together, the pair dug into where the next trillion-dollar AI opportunity actually gets built, and whether the companies chasing it even know what they’re building yet.

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

01:13 Why LLMs are hitting a ceiling

02:43 The data problem & what comes after LLMs

04:30 What actually makes a world model a world model

06:05 Why 3D data is a dead end

07:39 What Luma is building next

09:08 How much humans stay in the loop

10:00 Near-term use cases for agentic video

11:22 Will AI kill jobs in film & production?

13:30 Why the entertainment industry is already dying

15:27 Why we actually need more content, not less

17:46 Luma’s roadmap: generation, understanding, and robotics

19:54 Outro

CNET

iPhone in Space! Plus 5 MORE Apple Products That Went to Space | One More Thing

The iPhone has been to space a few times now — in fact, Apple products have a long history of space travel. CNET’s Bridget Carey looks back at notable moments, including the Macintosh Portable sending the first email in space. Read more about it on CNET.com Artemis II Astronauts Are Using iPhones to Capture Stunning…

Published

2 days ago

April 10, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Read more about it on CNET.com
Artemis II Astronauts Are Using iPhones to Capture Stunning Space Images

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
iPhone 17 Pro 512GB
Apple 2026 MacBook Neo 13-inch Laptop with A18 Pro chip 512 GB
Nikon Z 9 mirrorless camera
Nikon D5 DSLR 20.8 MP Point & Shoot Digital Camera
*Cnet may get commission on this offer.

0:44 Getting an iPhone 17 Pro Max into space with the NASA Artemis II crew
1:57 Nikon and GoPro Cameras also used in space by NASA Artemis crew
2:48 History of Apple products going to space
2:53 iPhone goes to space in 2021 with SpaceX Inspiration4 crew
3:02 iPhone 4s goes to space in 2011 on space shuttle Atlantis mission
3:26 Fist iPhone in space in 2010 travels by weather balloon
3:45 iPads on the International Space Station
3:47 iPods on the ISS in space
4:00 iPod on space shuttle Discovery in 2006
4:15 Astro Jessica uses AirPods in space on ISS
4:37 Apple Watch in space
4:51 The mac goes interstellar
4:57 Macintosh Portable computer goes to space in 1990
5:26 First email sent in space in 1991 from a Macintosh Portable
5:31 ThinkPads used in NASA missions
5:45 Microsoft Outlook glitches in space for Artemis II crew
6:02 How NASA made cell phone cameras possible
6:20 What Apple tech will go to space next?

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:

#tech #space #microsoft #apple #spacex #thinkpad #nikond5 #iphone #nasa #artemis2 #onemorething