With Elon Musk playing such a high-profile role in Donald Trump’s transition team, Musk’s buddies, many of them Silicon Valley venture capitalists, are reportedly being tapped to help out. For instance, VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, and in particular co-founder Marc Andreessen, is repeatedly being mentioned. He, along with Antonio Gracias and Joe Lonsdale, are reportedly being asked to help with Musk’s advisory panel, the Department of Government Efficiency, which is examining ways to overcome the technical challenges of collecting data about federal programs, reported the Washington Post on Sunday. They are among a handful of other Silicon Valley moguls being tapped. Read about all the VCs reportedly in the running for new Trump committees at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Julie Bort and Maxwell Zeff Image Credits: Taylor Hill / Contributor / Getty Images #TechCrunch #technews #SiliconValley #venturecapitalists #venture #government

We're back 👏 For all the chatter about the decline of San Francisco, data repeatedly shows that the Bay Area, including the city itself, is still the best place for venture-backed startups. Startups located in the Bay Area vacuumed up $90 billion of VC investment in 2024, which was 57% of the $178 billion of global venture funding spent last year, new stats released on Tuesday by Crunchbase show. As we previously reported, this isn’t just happenstance. It’s a result of the area’s dominance in AI, the biggest tech of 2024, as well as being home to Big Tech (Google, Nvidia, Salesforce, etc.), and a longstanding startup infrastructure there — from Y Combinator to the VC-land of Sand Hill Road. Read more on Crunchbase's findings at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Julie Bort Image Credits: Ron Albers / Getty Images #TechCrunch #technews #startups #founders #venturecapitalists #fundraising

Getting ghosted is never fun. Especially if you’re a founder seeking capital from investors. It’s similar to dating. You might be left wondering, “Why is this person not getting back to me? Did I do something wrong?” Did the investor hate the product? Did they not care for me personally?” It’s enough to drive anyone crazy. Ghosting is an undeniable signal of a lack of interest. If a VC wanted to invest, they would definitely respond to your cold call, or get back to you after the pitch. There are a variety of reasons why a VC might vanish after a founder thought they would agree to a meeting, or worse, after one, according to several VCs who talked to TechCrunch. Read more on why VCs ghost founders at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Mary Ann Azevedo Image Credits: leolintang / Getty Images #TechCrunch #technews #founders #startups #venturecapitalists #VCs