Home
Loading

aVenture is in Alpha: During this preview period, you should expect the research data to be limited and may not yet meet our exacting standards. We've made the decision to provide early access to our data to showcase the product as we build, but you should not yet rely upon it alone for your investment decisions.

aVenture is in Alpha: During this preview period, you should expect the research data to be limited and may not yet meet our exacting standards. We've made the decision to provide early access to our data to showcase the product as we build, but you should not yet rely upon it alone for your investment decisions.

Get in touch

  • Contact

  • Request a demo

  • Request data updates

  • Add a company

Research

  • Companies

  • Investors

  • People

aVenture

  • Sitemap

  • Feature requests

Member

Backed by

© aVenture Investment Company, 2026. All rights reserved.

San Francisco, CA, USA

Privacy Policy

aVenture Investment Company ("aVenture") is an independent research platform providing detailed analysis and data on startups, venture capital investments, and key industry individuals. It is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, or investment advisor and does not provide investment advice or recommendations. The data provided by aVenture does not constitute recommendations or advice, whether by methodology, analysis, AI-generated content, or a statement written by a staff member of aVenture.

aVenture is not affiliated with any of the people, companies, organizations, government agencies, regulatory bodies, or investment funds we provide coverage for on this site unless explicitly stated otherwise. Users assume full responsibility for decisions made based on information obtained from this platform. Links to external websites do not imply endorsement or affiliation with aVenture. Any links that provide the ability to invest in a primary or secondary transaction in a company are for convenience only and do not constitute solicitations or offers to buy or sell an investment. Investors should exercise heightened precaution and due diligence when investing in private companies, especially those not independently audited.

While we strive to provide valuable insights with objectivity and professional diligence, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided on our platform. Before making any investment decisions, you should verify the accuracy of all pertinent details for your decision. To the fullest extent permitted by law, aVenture shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or financial damages arising from use of this site, whether by consumers of its contents directly or by persons or organizations covered by our research, even if we are advised of the possibility. Our best-efforts processes and correction request forms do not create a warranty or duty of care.

Profiles on this platform may include content generated in part by large language models (LLMs, artificial intelligence) that aggregate publicly available sources (e.g., SEC EDGAR, public filings, press releases). Source attribution is provided where known; always verify statements and claims here against original sources before relying on any data. Content on our site may contain inaccuracies, omissions, or what are commonly called 'hallucinations' if generated in part or in full by AI / LLMs. The risk can also exist even when content is written by a human, as internal and third-party sources may also have inaccuracies for the same or different reasons. While we randomly audit a proportion of content, this is not exhaustive.

We recommend that an independent auditor be hired to verify the accuracy of the information before relying on it for any sensitive decisions. By accessing this platform, you agree not to rely solely on any information generated by AI, aggregated, or sourced or written otherwise on this site, for investment, financial, or other decisions. aVenture assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies, omissions, or hallucinations. You must independently verify all data from primary sources. Use of this platform constitutes your waiver of claims for reliance-based damages, including negligent misrepresentation. To report an error, request a correction, or dispute information about a company or individual, contact us via our request data updates form.

Loading
Loading
Home
News
Meta’s speeding up the ‘Mad Men to Math Men’ pipeline

From TechCrunch

By Theresa Loconsolo, Anthony Ha, Kirsten Korosec, Maxwell Zeff

May 9, 2025

Meta’s speeding up the ‘Mad Men to Math Men’ pipeline

Meta’s speeding up the ‘Mad Men to Math Men’ pipeline

At Stripe’s Sessions conference this week, Mark Zuckerberg pitched what he calls the “ultimate business machine”: a fully automated, end-to-end AI ad engine promising to replace agencies, creatives, and media buyers with a single black box. You just need to connect your bank account first. 

Zuckerberg claims this could be one of the most valuable AI systems ever built, generating thousands of image ads and testing them in real time, but it raises a bigger question: Is this the future of advertising, or just another wave of AI slop flooding your feed?

Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff, and Anthony Ha are unpacking why Zuckerberg’s vision could be a marketer’s dream or creative agency’s worst nightmare, and what else caught our eye in tech this week.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

  • How Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro managed to beat Pokémon Blue. Max was unimpressed, but the Equity crew thinks gamifying AI benchmarks might be the way to go.
  • The countertop robot that handles some parts of cooking for you, with emphasis on some.
  • Uber’s continued push into autonomous vehicles and what Waymo’s doing in the mix.
  • A new venture from Brian Armstrong that just raised $130 million to develop cutting-edge age-reversing treatments, and who else is using AI to help us live forever.

Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. 

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here.

View original article on techcrunch.com

Most Recent

Arcee, a US open source AI lab, says Chinese models are not inherently dangerous

Arcee, a US open source AI lab, says Chinese models are not inherently dangerous

As Chinese AI models grow in capability and popularity among U.S. companies, the arguing over what should be done about them has reached a fever pitch.

Jul 22, 2026

Cascade raises $3.5M to help construction firms find and win projects

Cascade raises $3.5M to help construction firms find and win projects

a16z Speedrun, Ada Ventures, and Snowball VC have invested in Cascade's $3.5 million seed round.

Jul 22, 2026

The browser wars aren’t about search anymore — here are the best alternatives to Chrome and Safari

The browser wars aren’t about search anymore — here are the best alternatives to Chrome and Safari

We’ve compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today aiming to challenge Chrome and Safari.

Jul 22, 2026

Glow emerges from stealth at $1.2B valuation to challenge endpoint security in the AI era

Glow emerges from stealth at $1.2B valuation to challenge endpoint security in the AI era

Glow is targeting a new class of endpoint risks created by the rapid adoption of AI agents and developer tools inside enterprises.

Jul 22, 2026

Similar Posts

$5B livestream shopping apps, Nvidia reveals, and the weirdest tech at CES

$5B livestream shopping apps, Nvidia reveals, and the weirdest tech at CES

“We put AI in this thing. Does it work? We’ll see.” That seemed to be the theme for some companies attending CES 2025, but looking beyond the experimental hype, there were also some significant (we think) developments and cool new products. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff are back on the mic to discuss the week’s top news and the tech that caught their eye. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen to the full ep

Jan 10, 2025

The AI industry’s ‘next big bet,’ and should we just buy Chrome?

The AI industry’s ‘next big bet,’ and should we just buy Chrome?

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify The AI race is taking a detour as developers consider a new path to super-intelligent systems: test-time compute. Not sure what that means? Don’t worry, the Equity pod team breaks it down. Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl dig into the week’s tech and startup news, including what the new scaling method could mean for AI startups if it works and for chip providers if it fails. Listen to

Nov 22, 2024

AI’s tween years, who’s taking over climate tech, and the latest for Fearless Fund

AI’s tween years, who’s taking over climate tech, and the latest for Fearless Fund

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify What could be more frightening than Friday the 13th? How about a realization that AI is in its awkward tween stage? At least, it was for the TC Equity pod crew, which this week included hosts Devin Coldewey and Kirsten Korosec, along with TC reporters Tim De Chant and Dominic-Madori Davis. AI is often a topic here at Equity, and this week was no different. It seems to be everywhere — and nowhere — all at once. Take Apple, for instance. As Coldewey

Sep 13, 2024

‘Super weird’ is the best way to describe this startup’s pivot

‘Super weird’ is the best way to describe this startup’s pivot

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Rebecca Bellan got back on the mic for the latest episode of Equity to discuss several weird things and at least one cool thing. First, the crew talked about the least weird thing of the week: how nice it is that Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst has a band that people really like. Then we got weirder. First the good weird: a helmet that squeezes your head, but for a really good reason. It prevents hair loss from ch

Sep 20, 2024

Most Recent

Arcee, a US open source AI lab, says Chinese models are not inherently dangerous

Arcee, a US open source AI lab, says Chinese models are not inherently dangerous

As Chinese AI models grow in capability and popularity among U.S. companies, the arguing over what should be done about them has reached a fever pitch.

Jul 22, 2026

Cascade raises $3.5M to help construction firms find and win projects

Cascade raises $3.5M to help construction firms find and win projects

a16z Speedrun, Ada Ventures, and Snowball VC have invested in Cascade's $3.5 million seed round.

Jul 22, 2026

The browser wars aren’t about search anymore — here are the best alternatives to Chrome and Safari

The browser wars aren’t about search anymore — here are the best alternatives to Chrome and Safari

We’ve compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today aiming to challenge Chrome and Safari.

Jul 22, 2026

Glow emerges from stealth at $1.2B valuation to challenge endpoint security in the AI era

Glow emerges from stealth at $1.2B valuation to challenge endpoint security in the AI era

Glow is targeting a new class of endpoint risks created by the rapid adoption of AI agents and developer tools inside enterprises.

Jul 22, 2026

Similar Posts

$5B livestream shopping apps, Nvidia reveals, and the weirdest tech at CES

$5B livestream shopping apps, Nvidia reveals, and the weirdest tech at CES

“We put AI in this thing. Does it work? We’ll see.” That seemed to be the theme for some companies attending CES 2025, but looking beyond the experimental hype, there were also some significant (we think) developments and cool new products. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff are back on the mic to discuss the week’s top news and the tech that caught their eye. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen to the full ep

Jan 10, 2025

The AI industry’s ‘next big bet,’ and should we just buy Chrome?

The AI industry’s ‘next big bet,’ and should we just buy Chrome?

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify The AI race is taking a detour as developers consider a new path to super-intelligent systems: test-time compute. Not sure what that means? Don’t worry, the Equity pod team breaks it down. Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl dig into the week’s tech and startup news, including what the new scaling method could mean for AI startups if it works and for chip providers if it fails. Listen to

Nov 22, 2024

AI’s tween years, who’s taking over climate tech, and the latest for Fearless Fund

AI’s tween years, who’s taking over climate tech, and the latest for Fearless Fund

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify What could be more frightening than Friday the 13th? How about a realization that AI is in its awkward tween stage? At least, it was for the TC Equity pod crew, which this week included hosts Devin Coldewey and Kirsten Korosec, along with TC reporters Tim De Chant and Dominic-Madori Davis. AI is often a topic here at Equity, and this week was no different. It seems to be everywhere — and nowhere — all at once. Take Apple, for instance. As Coldewey

Sep 13, 2024

‘Super weird’ is the best way to describe this startup’s pivot

‘Super weird’ is the best way to describe this startup’s pivot

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Rebecca Bellan got back on the mic for the latest episode of Equity to discuss several weird things and at least one cool thing. First, the crew talked about the least weird thing of the week: how nice it is that Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst has a band that people really like. Then we got weirder. First the good weird: a helmet that squeezes your head, but for a really good reason. It prevents hair loss from ch

Sep 20, 2024