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The New Rules of Early-Stage Fundraising with Charles Hudson

Raising your first round has always been hard — but in today’s market, the rules are changing fast. In this episode of Build Mode () , our host and Startup Battlefield () lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Charles Hudson, Founder and Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures () , to talk about what early-stage founders…

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4 months ago

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Raising your first round has always been hard — but in today’s market, the rules are changing fast.

In this episode of Build Mode () , our host and Startup Battlefield () lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Charles Hudson, Founder and Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures () , to talk about what early-stage founders need to know before raising their first institutional round.

Charles shares a candid look at how the venture landscape has shifted, why AI is changing what investors pay attention to, and how founders can better navigate fundraising when the old playbooks no longer apply.

They get into:

• Why raising pre-seed and seed funding feels harder right now• How AI is reshaping venture capital• What founders should know before choosing an investor• Why the highest valuation is not always the best deal• How to build momentum during a fundraise• Why storytelling and a strong blurb matter more than ever• What happens when a startup raises too much too soon• Why the biggest risk may not be a down round — but no round at all• How to think about whether venture capital is actually the right path

Whether you’re preparing to raise, currently fundraising, or just trying to understand how early-stage venture is changing, this conversation is packed with practical, honest advice for founders building in today’s market.

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 – The New Rules of Startup Fundraising

02:00 – What VCs Look for in First-Time Founders

08:50 – The Biggest Fundraising Mistakes Startup Founders Make

13:20 – Why Startup Valuations Are So Unpredictable in 2026

18:20 – Why Raising Too Much Money Can Hurt Your Startup

25:55 – Should Every Startup Raise Venture Capital?

29:20 – How to Choose the Right VC Investor

33:55 – Why Silicon Valley Still Gives Founders an Advantage

36:40 – How to Build Momentum During a Startup Fundraise

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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iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8

It’s a battle of passport foldables 👀 #galaxyzfold8 #versus #iphoneduo #allthingsmobile #foldable

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20 hours ago

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October 22, 2026

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It’s a battle of passport foldables 👀 #galaxyzfold8 #versus #iphoneduo #allthingsmobile #foldable

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Science & Technology

Meet Wabi, the AI assistant with group chats, multiple threads, and an app-builder | Equity podcast

It seems like every big AI player is building a personal agent. Meta has Muse, OpenAI launched Dots, and a startup called Instinct recently raised $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation. But Eugenia Kuyda thinks the next generation of AI assistants needs to do more than book your restaurant reservations and find you hidden…

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22 hours ago

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October 22, 2026

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It seems like every big AI player is building a personal agent. Meta has Muse, OpenAI launched Dots, and a startup called Instinct recently raised $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation. But Eugenia Kuyda thinks the next generation of AI assistants needs to do more than book your restaurant reservations and find you hidden money in your Gmail.

Kuyda, who founded AI companion app Replika, has just launched Wabi, a personal AI agent that organizes your life into separate conversations, brings other people into the mix, and builds custom apps around what you’re trying to do. The idea is to make AI less of a solo productivity tool and more of a way to spend time with the people who matter to you.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan talks with Kuyda about why she thinks AI agents should bring people together instead of keeping them glued to a single chatbot, how Wabi plans to compete in a crowded and expensive market, and what it takes to get people comfortable giving an AI access to their email.

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

1:11 Meet Wabi

5:33 From “YouTube for apps” to a proactive personal agent

7:12 Why AI should bring people together, not just save time

10:17 Multi-thread chats vs. everything in one conversation

13:33 Shared permissions: who sees what inside a chat

14:57 Phones, hardware, and the “MS-DOS era” of AI interfaces

17:39 Funding, compute costs, and the free-for-now business model

24:10 Handing over your Gmail: how Wabi earns trust

28:02 Outro

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CNET

How to Choose a Treadmill in 2026: Types, Budget and Specs Explained

Shopping for a treadmill can be overwhelming with so many choices on the market. In this video, we break down everything you need to know to find the perfect treadmill for your budget, space and fitness goals. Whether you’re looking for a heavy-duty running machine, a compact walking pad for your under-desk setup, or an…

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1 day ago

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October 22, 2026

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Shopping for a treadmill can be overwhelming with so many choices on the market. In this video, we break down everything you need to know to find the perfect treadmill for your budget, space and fitness goals. Whether you’re looking for a heavy-duty running machine, a compact walking pad for your under-desk setup, or an immersive entertainment-focused tread, we’ll go through it all. Special thanks to NordicTrack for making this content possible.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
NordicTrack Commercial Series Treadmills for Home | 1250, 1750, 2450
Aviron Summit Treadmill, 4.5 CHP Commercial
BowFlex T16 Treadmill for Home with 16″ HD Touchscreen, 3.5 HP Motor
*CNET may get a commission on these offers

Read more about treadmills on CNET.com
The 5 Best Expert-Tested and Approved Treadmills for Runners
Run Toward Your 2026 Fitness Goals With These 4 High-Impact Treadmill Workouts

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
0:33 – Types of Treadmills
2:30 – Treadmill Budgets (Budget, Mid-Tier & Luxury)
5:56 – Space & Safety Considerations
7:00 – Summary & TL;DW Recap

Video Credits:
Host & Video Editor: Wes Ott
Producer: JD Christison
Camera: Jon Gomez & Dillon Lopez
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao

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#health #fitness #nordictrack #workout

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