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You don’t need to be an AI startup to raise. Lucra has $20M to prove it. | Equity Podcast

Slapping “AI” on your startup’s pitch deck is basically table stakes right now. When a founder raised $20 million from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest for an eSports gamification loyalty startup without those two letters in the spotlight, it got us wondering how the conversation even started — especially when ARK had already been burned by…

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Slapping “AI” on your startup’s pitch deck is basically table stakes right now. When a founder raised $20 million from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest for an eSports gamification loyalty startup without those two letters in the spotlight, it got us wondering how the conversation even started — especially when ARK had already been burned by a company operating in the same space.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Julie Bort sits down with Dylan Robbins, founder and CEO of Lucra, the white-label platform turning friendly competitions into loyalty programs for brands like golf courses, arcades, and pickleball clubs.

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

1:43 How Lucra works

4:10 Meeting ARK Invest over darts and landing the Series B

7:24 Pitching a non-AI startup during peak AI mania

10:41 The growth metrics that won investors over

13:02 Overcoming ARK’s bad experience with Skillz and the B2B pivot

20:43 What’s next: the mini games vertical

29:25 Outro

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. @jeffcraymore

    May 20, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    Series B, you are not a startup. You have serious customers and active growth. And he said that. Over years. That’s not a startup.

    Reply

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CNET

A Foldable iPhone? Siri AI in a HomePod? What to Expect at the iPhone Event | All Things Mobile

Apple’s September iPhone Event will be led by a new CEO, loaded with hardware, and full of surprises. We could finally get a foldable iPhone, new smart speakers, powerful smartwatches and more. Here’s what to expect and what we really want to see once Apple pulls back the curtain on September 9th. Read more about…

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August 31, 2026

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Apple’s September iPhone Event will be led by a new CEO, loaded with hardware, and full of surprises. We could finally get a foldable iPhone, new smart speakers, powerful smartwatches and more. Here’s what to expect and what we really want to see once Apple pulls back the curtain on September 9th.

Read more about Apple’s rumored new foldable phone on CNET.com
A Folding iPhone at Last? What to Expect From Apple’s Surprise and Shine Fall Event

0:00 Introduction & Apple Event Rumors
0:34 What to Expect: iPhone 18 Pro & Pro Max
1:22 What to Expect: Apple Watch Series 12 & Ultra 4
2:01 What to Expect: CEO Transition to John Ternus
2:41 Wishlist: Foldable iPhone Ultra
4:00 Wishlist: Smart Home & HomePod Displays
4:57 Wishlist: Siri AI Fitness Coach
6:09 Outro & World Record Result

Video Credits:
Host: Andrew Gebhart
Scripted by: Andrew Gebhart
Producer: Iyaz Akhtar, Bridget Carey
Camera: JD Christison
Video Editor: Chris Monroe
Thumbnail Designer: Tharon Green

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#iphone #apple #applewatch #technews #foldable

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The Day Tim Cook Replaced Steve Jobs: The iPhone 4S Launch | CNET Archives

Watch the moment Tim Cook takes the stage for his first product launch as Apple CEO in 2011. Stepping into Steve Jobs’ shoes, Cook welcomes the crowd to Apple’s Town Hall auditorium, reflects on his 14-year journey and teases the future of tech. Read more about it on CNET.com Tim Cook’s Legacy: Turning Apple’s Tech…

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August 31, 2026

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Watch the moment Tim Cook takes the stage for his first product launch as Apple CEO in 2011. Stepping into Steve Jobs’ shoes, Cook welcomes the crowd to Apple’s Town Hall auditorium, reflects on his 14-year journey and teases the future of tech.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Tim Cook’s Legacy: Turning Apple’s Tech Chic Gadgets Into Status Symbols

Timecode Chapters:
0:20 Welcome & CEO Introduction
0:58 The History of Apple’s Town Hall
1:43 Unveiling Apple’s Integrated Vision
2:12 Introducing the iPhone 4S
2:54 Summary of Announcements (iOS 5, iCloud, & Siri)
3:36 Closing Remarks & Thanks

Video Credits:
Producer/Editor: Vatsal Upadhyay
Thumbnail Designer: Tharon Green

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NASA Launches The Roman Space Telescope: Earth’s New Orbiting Observatory

NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orbiting Observatory was named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, Nancy Grace Roman and can produce images from deep space 100 times larger than NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Read more about…

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August 30, 2026

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NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orbiting Observatory was named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, Nancy Grace Roman and can produce images from deep space 100 times larger than NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Read more about NASA’s Roman Space Telescope on CNET.com:
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Is About to Start Its Cosmic Survey

0:00 Liftoff & Ascent
1:03 Max Q
1:54 Side Booster Cutoff & Separation
2:07 Boostback Burn
2:40 Main Core Separation & Second Stage Ignition
2:57 Fairing Separation
3:34 Side Booster Entry Burn
4:09 Side Booster Landing Burn & Touchdown
4:47 Second Stage Cutoff (SECO-1)
5:14 Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Deployment
5:43 Post-Deployment Wrap-Up

Video Credits:
Producer: Stephen Beacham

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#nasa #spacex #space #spaceexploration #romanspacetelescope #astronomy #spacenews #hubble #observation

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