Science & Technology

The legal mistakes that can sink your startup before series A with Kristina Subbotina, Lexsy

Setting up a sound legal foundation could be what saves a startup down the line. A missing founder vesting agreement, an unclear IP agreement, or a messy cap table can derail fundraising, spark co-founder disputes, or even kill an otherwise promising company before it has a chance to scale. In this episode of Build Mode,…

Published

1 month ago

August 6, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Kristina Subbotinai, founder and CEO of Lesxy and former startup attorney at Cooley, to break down the legal fundamentals every founder needs to get right.

They get into:

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The four legal mistakes that can make a startup unfundable

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How founder vesting, IP assignment, Delaware incorporation, and 83(b) elections protect your company

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What VCs actually look for during due diligence and how to avoid common red flags

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How founders should negotiate valuation, board control, and investor rights

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Why leverage comes from building a great business—not signing better term sheets

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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: The Legal Mistakes That Kill Startups01:37 – Why Kristina built Lexsy03:58 – The Legal Foundations Every Startup Needs08:22 – How to Find the Right Startup Lawyer10:21 – The Four Non-Negotiable Legal Decisions17:33 – What Investors Look for During Due Diligence20:04 – SAFE Notes vs. Priced Rounds22:18 – Negotiating Valuation Without Losing Control25:25 – Board Seats, Investor Rights, and Hidden Term Sheet Traps30:51 – Should Founders Use AI for Legal Advice?31:04 – How Founders Build Leverage in Fundraising35:48 – The Terms That Can Destroy Founder Wealth37:01 – The Craziest Startup Legal Story Kristina Has Ever Seen

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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Science & Technology

This Startup Aims to Put Nuclear Reactors on Floating Barges

Just two months after it emerged from stealth, Bluecore Energy raised another $50M for its mission to put small nuclear reactors on floating barges. The company says the portable plants could deliver clean power to ports, data centers and communities, pending review by the NRC and Coast Guard.

Published

15 hours ago

September 18, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Just two months after it emerged from stealth, Bluecore Energy raised another $50M for its mission to put small nuclear reactors on floating barges.

The company says the portable plants could deliver clean power to ports, data centers and communities, pending review by the NRC and Coast Guard.

Science & Technology

How will Anthropic’s CEO “pace the frontier” of AI? It’s still a mystery

AI leaders are suddenly talking about “pacing the frontier,” but the specifics are still pretty fuzzy. Equity breaks down why we’re skeptical that the AI industry is actually headed for a slowdown, even as leaders at Anthropic and OpenAI say they want to put the brakes on.

Published

15 hours ago

September 18, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

AI leaders are suddenly talking about “pacing the frontier,” but the specifics are still pretty fuzzy.

Equity breaks down why we’re skeptical that the AI industry is actually headed for a slowdown, even as leaders at Anthropic and OpenAI say they want to put the brakes on.

Science & Technology

Dario Amodei and other AI leaders want to ‘Pace the Frontier’ but…how? | Equity Podcast

A week after an Anthropic researcher’s doomsday warning rattled the AI world, the company’s CEO Dario Amodei has outlined his plan to “pace the frontier” of AI development. The proposal leans on independent safety evaluators and coordination between AI labs in democratic countries, and it’s already picked up some industry support, along with some pointed…

Published

19 hours ago

September 18, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into whether companies can agree on what slowing down means and who gets to police it. Plus, WordPress parent Automattic’s boardroom coup, and a couple of the week’s biggest deals.

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

1:00 Dario Amodei’s plan to “pace the frontier”

5:03 Jensen Huang pushes back

9:08 Can market forces alone keep AI safe?

12:30 Third-party evaluators: how would they actually work?

15:27 Automattic’s board tries to oust Matt Mullenweg

19:31 Comparing it to OpenAI’s “the blip”

22:54 What’s at stake in who controls WordPress

24:04 May Mobility’s SPAC deal

28:42 Are SPACs back?