StrictlyVC Returns to New York City Amid Accelerating Startup Growth

For the first time since 2024, StrictlyVC is coming back to New York City — and we’re bringing the kind of access you’d expect from an under-wraps event to the whole startup, VC, and dealmaking community.

For years, StrictlyVC has run a series of some of the most interesting nights that a VC, founder, or dealmaker can spend, built around candid conversation you can’t get anywhere else.

Our newly announced NYC event takes place September 10 at Ideal Glass Studios in the West Village, with general admission tickets open now at $180.

Why NYC, why now

New York’s startup engine isn’t just moving along; it’s accelerating. In H1 2026, more than 240 NYC startups raised a combined $1.13 billion in seed funding, according to a recent Tech:NYC report. That’s up from $1.06 billion in H1 2025, with average seed rounds climbing from $5.4 million to $6.64 million. Overall, New York startups raised a whopping $16 billion in the first half this year — nearly matching the $19.1 billion that New York startups raised across all of 2025.

That capital is spread across nearly every sector, from AI and healthcare to climate, fintech, robotics, and consumer tech. It’s the kind of momentum that made a return to New York an easy call.

Our speaker lineup so far…

After you’ve had time to settle in, meet new connections, and network amid the sleek vibes of Ideal Glass Studios, we’ll kick off our programming with Craig Shapiro, founder and managing partner of Collaborative Fund, joined by TechCrunch editor-in-chief and StrictlyVC founder Connie Loizos.

Their session, “The Business of Belonging,” digs into why community has become one of the most valuable assets a company can build — and where investors are finding the biggest opportunities at the intersection of technology, fandom, and real-world connection.

From there, the conversation turns toward reinvention. Tristan Walker, founder of Heirloom Craft, will discuss what he learned building one of the last decade’s most influential consumer startups, why he’s starting over with Heirloom, and how his approach to leadership and brand-building has evolved in today’s AI-driven landscape.

Additional speakers and sessions will be announced as the agenda takes shape in the weeks ahead, because we have some exciting additions in the works!

An evening built for the room, not just the stage

As always with StrictlyVC, the stage that hosts our programming is only part of the story. Conversations that start between TechCrunch reporters and the startup community continue long afterward in a setting built for access, focus, and proximity to the people actively shaping what comes next for NYC’s venture, startup, and dealmaking scene.

It’s an environment where introductions turn into insight and insight turns into opportunity.

The company you’ll be joining

StrictlyVC’s stages have hosted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, Signal president Meredith Whittaker, Haun Ventures founder and CEO Katie Haun, Replit CEO and co-founder Amjad Masad, and famed VC Alfred Lin of Sequoia Capital, among many others. It’s the caliber of speaker that StrictlyVC NYC is bringing back — and for $180, you can be in the room with them.