StrictlyVC returns to New York on September 10 with Keith Rabois and other guests

TechCrunch's boutique evening event series StrictlyVC will return to New York on the evening of September 10, holding its first New York event in two years. The gathering will take place in the West Village and follows a run of events earlier this year in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Athens. The evening is co-hosted by venture firm Collaborative Fund, whose founder Craig Shapiro will also take part as a speaker.

Investors and founders on stage

The night opens with investor Keith Rabois, who recently relocated from Silicon Valley to the East Coast. Rabois has backed Ramp four separate times and has invested just as often in State Affairs, a company that uses AI and local journalists to track statehouse-level news across all 50 U.S. states. The conversation will also touch on Khosla Ventures' early $50 million bet on OpenAI back in 2019, as well as views on whether OpenAI is currently facing more challenges than its rivals.

Shapiro will then sit down with D.C. United CEO Jason Levien to discuss sports organizations as investment vehicles and the growing overlap between sports, fandom, and commerce.

Another conversation will focus on community in the age of AI. Tristan Walker, who sold his company Walker & Company Brands to Procter & Gamble in 2018, now leads Heirloom Craft, a venture aimed at reviving American craftsmanship. He'll be joined by Brynn Putnam, who previously sold connected-fitness startup Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million. Her new venture, Board, combines physical play with AI-powered creation tools.

Closing out the evening, Insight Partners co-leader Deven Parekh will discuss how the investment firm competes in a landscape where capital has become commoditized, even as potential returns on large investments continue to grow.