On Wednesday evening at PlayGround Global in Palo Alto, some incredibly talented individuals will share insights about innovations you might not be familiar with yet. This is the last StrictlyVC event of 2025, and the lineup is truly impressive.
The series has traveled the world with TechCrunch. Steve Case rented a theater in D.C.; we interviewed Greece’s prime minister in Athens; and Kirsten Green hosted us at the Presidio in San Francisco. The idea has always been the same: gather people who are working on genuinely groundbreaking advancements before everyone else recognizes their importance.
Our favorite moment? Back in 2019, Sam Altman told a StrictlyVC crowd that OpenAI’s monetization strategy was essentially “build AGI and then ask it how to make money.” Everyone laughed, but he wasn’t joking.
This time, we have Nicholas Kelez, a particle accelerator physicist who spent 20 years at the Department of Energy creating things that seem impossible. Now he’s taking on one of semiconductor manufacturing’s biggest challenges: every advanced chip relies on $400 million machines that only one Dutch company knows how to produce. (What’s more frustrating? Americans invented this technology, then sold it to Europe.) Kelez is working on the next generation in the U.S. using particle accelerator technology. It may sound nerdy, but it’s far more crucial than you’d think.
Next up is Mina Fahmi, who has developed a ring that captures your whispered thoughts and turns them into text. Before you dismiss it, know that he and co-founder Kirak Hong spent years at Meta refining this concept after their startup was acquired. The Stream Ring doesn’t aim to be your buddy; its goal is to enhance your cognitive abilities. Backed by Toni Schneider, who scaled WordPress to a billion visitors, Sandbar has just emerged from stealth mode and could be on to something significant. (Schneider, a partner at True Ventures with other hardware success stories like Peloton, Ring, and Fitbit, will also be in Palo Alto next week.)
We also have Max Hodak—founder of Science Corp, Time magazine cover feature, and former Neuralink co-founder—who has already restored sight to dozens of blind individuals using retinal implants. He’s now working on “biohybrid” brain-computer interfaces, where chips embedded with stem cells integrate into brain tissue, allowing paralyzed individuals to control devices using their thoughts. And that’s just the beginning, according to Hodak, who believes 2035 will look drastically different and is eager to share his vision.
Finally, we’re excited to welcome Chi-Hua Chien and Elizabeth Weil, two venture capitalists who’ve supported Twitter, Spotify, TikTok, Slack, SpaceX, Figma, and Coinbase long before they became household names. Chien, from Goodwater Capital, feels Silicon Valley is misjudging the current AI landscape while everyone rushes into enterprise AI. Weil, who founded Scribble Ventures after roles at Andreessen Horowitz and Twitter, has made over 100 angel investments and her first fund has seen 4x returns. Her network is notably impressive. Both believe the most promising consumer tech opportunities are the ones being overlooked, and they’ll explain why.
PlayGround Global is hosting the event, alongside general partner Pat Gelsinger, the former CEO of Intel. There will be drinks, delicious food, and fun; seating is limited, so if you’re interested in attending, act quickly.
If you’re interested in partnering with the series in 2026, feel free to reach out.
