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Breakthrough T1D, a major diabetes nonprofit, dismissed three board members of its affiliated venture-capital arm, the T1D Fund. The nonprofit says the move was meant to safeguard donor interests, while the ousted members contend it undermined the fund's independence.
BAG Ventures, founded by former Google VP Bontia Stewart and ex-CapitalG partner Jackson Georges Jr., has closed an $11.3 million fund after roughly two years of investing. The firm has already backed 10 startups, including SXD, BizTrip, and Nomadic, with checks ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, and plans to deploy the remainder over the next two years.
An Entrepreneur contributor writes that founders earn investment less through pitch polish than through operating discipline: a recurring weekly execution meeting with a fixed agenda, a one-page plan, and a named owner for every key metric. The writer also says monthly investor updates that candidly report wins, misses and asks build credibility over time.
Lightspeed is raising $250 million for its fifth India fund, Lightspeed India Partners V, aimed at early-stage AI startups, according to a letter sent to investors. The fund has already secured 80% of its target and is half the size of the firm's 2022 predecessor, with investments expected to begin within two months.
An Entrepreneur opinion piece cites a 2025 retention study finding that AI-native software companies priced under $50 a month retain far fewer customers than established B2B SaaS firms, while those priced above $250 a month—offering more specialized functionality—retain customers at rates comparable to traditional software. The piece points to Jasper, which raised $125 million at a $1.5 billion valuation as an AI copywriting tool before facing cutbacks, as an example of a horizontal, easily replicated AI product losing pricing power.
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.