StrictlyVC San Francisco event set for April 30 with new speaker

In short: TechCrunch announced details for its StrictlyVC San Francisco event on April 30, including an updated speaker lineup and a reminder that tickets are limited.

What happened

TechCrunch said the first StrictlyVC event of 2026 in San Francisco will be held on April 30 at the Sentro Filipino Cultural Center. The company is encouraging people to register soon, saying tickets are close to selling out.

TechCrunch also added a new speaker to the lineup, Lior Susan, founder and CEO of Eclipse. TechCrunch said Susan has recently raised $1.3 billion to invest in “physical AI” startups, meaning companies trying to use AI software to control things in the real world, like machines, robots, or industrial equipment (think of it like giving a factory a digital “brain” that can make decisions).

Other listed speakers include Amjad Masad, CEO of Replit, who will discuss how AI is changing software development. Nicolas Sauvage, president of TDK Ventures, will talk about corporate venture capital, which is when big companies invest in startups. Campbell Brown, CEO of Forum AI, will speak about building AI systems people can trust, and she will be interviewed by TechCrunch senior reporter Tim Fernholz.

Why it matters

Events like StrictlyVC are where investors and startup founders compare notes and make connections that can affect which products and companies get funded next. For anyone watching AI, the topics on stage can be a quick way to understand where money and attention are moving, especially around AI that connects software to real-world equipment.

Source: TechCrunch AI