Equity

Equity Live: From $300M seed rounds to data center builds, AI is feeling bubbly


Listen Later

The Equity crew was live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025! Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff, and Anthony Ha took over the Builders Stage on Monday morning to kick off the event with the question everyone's asking: are we in an AI bubble? 

Between valuations that have tripled in months, $300M seed rounds, and $100B commitments flying around, the money is moving fast — maybe too fast. The Equity team breaks down what peak bubble looks like, where the actual business models are (spoiler: a lot of companies are betting on AI datacenters), and why some founders are betting against the scaling race entirely. 

Listen to the full episode to hear: 

  • Why this feels like peak bubble territory, and what the wildest funding rounds of the past month tell us about where AI is headed 

    • How the AI data center boom is reshaping infrastructure investing, and which unexpected players are getting in on the action 

      • Why Cohere's former AI research lead is going against the grain and betting against the scaling race 

        • What happens when a startup's viral demo becomes its entire business model (and whether that's sustainable) 

          Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. 

          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

          ...more
          View all episodesView all episodes
          Download on the App Store

          EquityBy TechCrunch, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Max Zeff, Theresa Loconsolo

          • 4.2
          • 4.2
          • 4.2
          • 4.2
          • 4.2

          4.2

          333 ratings


          More shows like Equity

          View all
          This Week in Startups by Jason Calacanis

          This Week in Startups

          1,293 Listeners

          The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

          The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

          536 Listeners

          The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors by SaaStr

          The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors

          176 Listeners

          Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

          Acquired

          4,550 Listeners

          a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

          a16z Podcast

          1,096 Listeners

          Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

          Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

          2,321 Listeners

          Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

          Y Combinator Startup Podcast

          233 Listeners

          TechCrunch Daily Crunch by TechCrunch

          TechCrunch Daily Crunch

          41 Listeners

          Build Mode by TechCrunch

          Build Mode

          23 Listeners

          ACQ2 by Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

          ACQ2 by Acquired

          261 Listeners

          Chain Reaction by TechCrunch, Yashad Kulkarni, Maggie Stamets, Kell Keller, Jacquelyn Melinek

          Chain Reaction

          25 Listeners

          No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups by Conviction

          No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

          134 Listeners

          BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

          BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

          512 Listeners

          AI + a16z by a16z

          AI + a16z

          35 Listeners

          Lightcone Podcast by Y Combinator

          Lightcone Podcast

          22 Listeners

          Training Data by Sequoia Capital

          Training Data

          37 Listeners

          The TechCrunch Podcast by Darrell Etherington, Maggie Stamets

          The TechCrunch Podcast

          5 Listeners

          The TechCrunch Live Podcast by TechCrunch

          The TechCrunch Live Podcast

          3 Listeners

          Uncapped with Jack Altman by Alt Capital

          Uncapped with Jack Altman

          41 Listeners