Tomorrow evening, at PlayGround Global in Palo Alto, some very smart people who are building things you don\u2019t understand yet will explain what\u2019s coming. This is the final StrictlyVC event of 2025<\/a><\/strong>, and truly, the lineup is ridiculous.<\/p>\n The series has traveled around the globe under the auspices<\/a> of TechCrunch. Steve Case rented a theater in Washington, D.C.; we talked to Greece\u2019s prime minister in Athens; and Kirsten Green hosted us at the Presidio in San Francisco. The concept is always the same, though: bring together people who are working on genuinely important developments in a smaller setting, before everyone else figures out they\u2019re important.<\/p>\n One of our favorite moments was when, in 2019, Sam Altman told a StrictlyVC crowd that OpenAI\u2019s monetization strategy was basically \u201cbuild AGI, then ask it how to make money.\u201d Everyone laughed. He wasn\u2019t joking<\/a>.<\/p>\n This time, we\u2019ve got Nicholas Kelez<\/a>, a particle accelerator physicist who spent 20 years at the Department of Energy building things that shouldn\u2019t be possible. Now he\u2019s tackling semiconductor manufacturing\u2019s biggest problem: Every advanced chip depends on $400 million machines that use lasers, only one Dutch company knows how to make. (More galling to some: Americans invented the technology, then sold it to Europe.) Kelez is building the next generation in America using particle accelerator tech. It\u2019s as nerdy as it sounds but also exceedingly important in this moment. There is also growing competition chasing after the same prize<\/a>.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Mina Fahmi<\/a>, who\u2019s made a ring that captures your whispered thoughts and turns them into text<\/a>. Before you roll your eyes, know that he and co-founder Kirak Hong spent years at Meta working on this stuff after their company was acquired. The Stream Ring isn\u2019t trying to be your friend \u2014 it\u2019s trying to extend your brain. Backed by Toni Schneider, an operator who scaled WordPress in its earlier days, Sandbar just emerged from stealth and might well be onto something. (Schneider is a partner at True Ventures, whose other hardware bets have included Peloton, Ring, and Fitbit; he\u2019s also coming to Palo Alto next week.)<\/p>\n We have Max Hodak<\/a> \u2014 Science Corp founder, Time magazine cover subject<\/a>, and, earlier, Neuralink co-founder (along with Elon Musk) \u2014 who has already restored vision to dozens of blind people with retinal implants. Now he\u2019s working on \u201cbiohybrid\u201d brain-computer interfaces where chips seeded with stem cells grow into your brain tissue so paralyzed people can control devices with their thoughts. And that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg, as Hodak views it. In fact, he thinks 2035 is going to look wildly different from today, and he\u2019s happy to share how.<\/p>\n Finally, we\u2019re thrilled to welcome Chi-Hua Chien<\/a> of Goodwater Capital and Elizabeth Weil<\/a> of Scribble Ventures, two VCs who\u2019ve backed Twitter, Spotify, TikTok, Slack, SpaceX, Figma, and Coinbase before they were household names. Chien runs Goodwater Capital; Weil founded Scribble Ventures after stints at Andreessen Horowitz and Twitter, made 100+ angel investments, and has a first fund showing 4x returns. (Her network<\/a> is so good that it\u2019s annoying.) Both think Silicon Valley is completely misreading the moment while everyone pours capital into enterprise AI, and they\u2019ll explain why.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> PlayGround Global is hosting, along with general partner Pat Gelsinger<\/a>, the former CEO of Intel. There will be drinks, delicious food, and merriment; seating is limited, so if you want to get candid insights directly from these VC and tech heavyhitters, and make meaningful connections, then register for your seat before it\u2019s gone<\/a><\/strong>. StrictlyVC events have limited seating.<\/p>\n If you want to partner with the series in 2026, get in touch here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Open](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2197366846.jpg)
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Pat](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/GettyImages-871704844.jpg)