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Bessemer Venture Partners announced it has closed $5.75 billion across two new funds aimed at investing across the AI stack, splitting the capital into $1.75 billion for seed and early-stage deals and $4 billion for growth-stage startups. The firm says it has already deployed $3 billion into more than 260 AI-native companies since 2022, spanning compute, infrastructure, foundation models, dev tools and agentic technology.
Andreessen Horowitz is funding a San Francisco academy, led by Udemy cofounder Gagan Biyani, that offers high school graduates a tuition-free, one-year program focused on building startups rather than academic coursework. The founding cohort of about 50 students will skip tests and homework, instead working on real projects with mentors from firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta, and receiving roughly $50,000 in computing credit plus a $5,000 travel and research budget. OpenAI's Sam Altman is named as a guest lecturer or instructor, and other tech figures, including Fidji Simo, are contributing funding.
TechCrunch has announced a StrictlyVC programming track at Disrupt 2026, running October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. The October 14 session includes networking and a panel discussion, with speakers such as Ryan Flanagan of ICR addressing how companies prepare for IPOs amid a changing venture funding landscape. Attendees can register with an Investor Pass, with a discount available for sign-ups by September 25.
Jotform founder Aytekin Tank describes building the online form-builder outside Silicon Valley's typical playbook, launching the product free for its first two years before introducing pricing. He says he avoided venture capital, skipped relocating to Silicon Valley, and built the company around long-term thinking and teamwork rather than rapid VC-fueled growth.
Andreessen Horowitz is opening The Horowitz Andreessen Academy, a one-year, tuition-free program in San Francisco for about 50 high school graduates who haven't attended college. The program mixes technical coursework with mentorship from tech industry figures, and is backed by $42 million in funding as a for-profit venture led by CEO Gagan Biyani.
TechCrunch is offering early registration discounts of up to $200 off passes for its Disrupt 2026 conference, plus 50% off a second ticket, with the deal expiring September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The event runs October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco and will feature over 10,000 attendees, 200+ sessions, and 250+ tech leaders across six stages.
Venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is investing $35 million into a two-year academy positioned as an alternative to traditional college education. Several other Bay Area tech companies and figures are also supporting the effort, signaling broad industry interest in reshaping how young talent is trained for tech careers.
Benchmark's entire current partnership—Jack Altman, Peter Fenton, Chetan Puttagunta, Everett Randle and Eric Vishria—will join a single main-stage panel at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco, marking the first time the full team has appeared together on the Disrupt Stage. The session, titled 'What We Believe Now,' will focus on where future startups may emerge and which founder assumptions deserve rethinking. The panel follows Benchmark's recent expansion, having raised roughly $2 billion this year across a new flagship fund and its first growth fund.
Wealthy family offices are increasingly skipping traditional venture capital fund commitments in favor of buying secondary shares or striking direct deals with AI companies, according to Atlas Capital advisor Djoann Fal. He says these investors are drawn by the prospect of tripling returns in months rather than years, and want direct exposure to top AI names rather than ceding control to fund managers for a decade.
TechCrunch is giving startups until 11:59 p.m. PT on Friday, September 18 to secure a $12,500 exhibit table at Disrupt 2026, warning that tables are limited and sold on a first-come basis. The package includes 10 event passes, Expo Hall access, lead capture through the event app, press-list inclusion and Silver Tier sponsor branding.
Exploration companies in nearly 30 countries are drilling to locate natural hydrogen gas trapped in underground rock formations, betting it could serve as a carbon-free energy source. Venture capitalists have poured almost $500 million into this search since 2023, with firms like UK-based H2Au already drilling test wells in Kansas.
Partner Keith Rabois revealed at TechCrunch's StrictlyVC event that Khosla Ventures is setting up its first-ever satellite office, located on 14th Street in New York, with an expected fall opening. The firm currently has no presence even in San Francisco, making this a significant shift for the Menlo Park-based investor.