Science & Technology

StrictlyVC Download: Why Eric Slesinger, a former CIA officer, is now funding European defense tech

Today, we’re bringing you an episode of our sister podcast, StrictlyVC Download () . StrictlyVC’s Alex Gove caught up with Eric Slesinger from 201 Ventures () , a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage defense tech startups in Europe. They discuss Eric’s journey from CIA to investor and how he recognized the untapped potential in…

Published

1 year ago

May 7, 2025

CYBER TECH TV

Today, we’re bringing you an episode of our sister podcast, StrictlyVC Download () .

StrictlyVC’s Alex Gove caught up with Eric Slesinger from 201 Ventures () , a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage defense tech startups in Europe. They discuss Eric’s journey from CIA to investor and how he recognized the untapped potential in European defense tech while others were dismissive, and how he’s working to overcome the cultural taboo that once made defense investments “bad manners” in European VC circles.

Equity will be back on Friday with our weekly news roundup, so stay tuned!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts () , Overcast () , Spotify () and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X () and Threads () , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here () .

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ()

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Is the $1.7B a Bet on Atoms Itself, or Just on Travis Kalanick’s Name?

A startup hitting unicorn status used to be a sign of its legitimacy as an actual business. But with $1.7B raised for Travis Kalanick’s nascent Atoms, the Equity podcast crew asks whether this is proof of a great idea or just proof that his name sells:

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A startup hitting unicorn status used to be a sign of its legitimacy as an actual business.

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This video is a paid partnership with GFiber. Upload vs download speed: which one is actually making your home internet feel slow? If your video calls freeze, your files take forever to sync, or your livestream stutters, the problem is usually your upload speed — and most providers don’t advertise it. In this video, we…

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This video is a paid partnership with GFiber.

Upload vs download speed: which one is actually making your home internet feel slow? If your video calls freeze, your files take forever to sync, or your livestream stutters, the problem is usually your upload speed — and most providers don’t advertise it. In this video, we break down the difference between upload and download speed, what symmetrical internet speed means, and how GFiber (formerly Google Fiber) delivers 100% fiber internet with upload speeds that match your download speeds on every plan.
GFiber has kept the same monthly price for gigabit internet since 2012 — no annual contracts, no forced bundles, free installation, and month-to-month flexibility. See what real customers say on the GFiber channel: youtube.com/@GFiber

#UploadSpeed #FiberInternet #GFiber

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Science & Technology

Did Investors Pay a $1.7B Pemium to Declare “Travis Is Back?”

Travis Kalanick’s robotics startup just raised $1.7B with Uber, and Andreessen Horowitz among its big investors. Equity digs into whether all this excitement is actually about the business…or about its backers paying a premium to be first to declare “Travis is back.”

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Travis Kalanick’s robotics startup just raised $1.7B with Uber, and Andreessen Horowitz among its big investors.

Equity digs into whether all this excitement is actually about the business…or about its backers paying a premium to be first to declare “Travis is back.”