StrictlyVC New York 2026 Brings Keith Rabois, AI Founders and Sports Investors to West Village
StrictlyVC returns to New York on September 10 with Keith Rabois, Deven Parekh and founders debating AI, sports, craft and venture capital in the West Village.
Summary
StrictlyVC returns to New York’s West Village on Thursday night, September 10, 2026, its first New York event in two years after stops in San Francisco, L.A. and Athens. Craig Shapiro’s Collaborative Fund is co-hosting; drinks, hors d’oeuvres and networking with Connie Loizos, Rebecca Bellan and other writers will surround the talks, with tickets available online.
Keith Rabois, recently relocated east from Silicon Valley, will discuss investing four times each in Ramp and State Affairs, which combines AI with local journalists to track policy across all 50 states. He will also address excessive founder fundraising, Khosla Ventures’ early $50 million OpenAI investment in 2019 before it had a clear business model, and claims that OpenAI faces stronger headwinds than rivals. Shapiro and D.C. United CEO Jason Levien will examine sports organizations as investments and the convergence of fandom, commerce and community.
Tristan Walker, who sold Bevel maker Walker & Company Brands to Procter & Gamble in 2018, will present Heirloom Craft, which aims to reshore American craftsmanship, train artisans and rebuild supply chains. Brynn Putnam, who sold three-year-old connected-fitness company Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million, will discuss Board, which combines physical games with AI creation tools to counter technology-driven isolation. Deven Parekh, co-leader of Insight Partners for more than 25 years, will explain how the firm competes as asset classes blur, major funds expand, capital becomes commoditized and potential returns on massive investments grow.
Positives
- Khosla Ventures invested $50 million in OpenAI in 2019, before the company had a clear business model.
- State Affairs uses AI and local journalists to monitor statehouse news and policy across all 50 states.
- Heirloom Craft plans to reshore American craftsmanship, train new artisans and rebuild supporting supply chains.
- Board combines physical games with AI creation tools to bring people together rather than deepen technology-driven isolation.
- Craig Shapiro and Jason Levien will examine sports organizations as investments spanning fandom, commerce and community.
Risks & concerns
- Keith Rabois will challenge founders who raise more capital than their businesses require simply because funding is available.
- OpenAI faces a narrative that its current headwinds are stronger than those confronting rival AI companies.
- Board is positioned against the social isolation that Brynn Putnam believes technology has helped create.
- Insight Partners must compete as asset classes become harder to distinguish and capital increasingly behaves like a commodity.
- The growth of major funds raises questions about how investors can differentiate themselves while pursuing increasingly large potential returns.