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Startups & Venture·June 4, 2026·1 min read

Defense tech, AI, and fundraising take center stage at StrictlyVC Los Angeles on June 18

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Defense, AI, and capital on one stage in El Segundo is a tell—dual-use is becoming the default pitch, not a niche. If you’re building anything remotely adjacent to autonomy, sensing, or infra, assume your next investor conversation will include a defense-use slide whether you planned it or not.

Startups & Venture

Sources: Brian Chesky is starting a new AI lab and considering a focus on user interaction and design; he will remain Airbnb CEO and will not be the lab's CEO (Bloomberg)

Brian Chesky spinning up an AI lab focused on interaction and design says the next competitive frontier isn’t just smarter models, it’s how they feel and behave in product. If your AI strategy lives in infra and data teams only—and not in design and UX leadership—you’re building commodity plumbing for someone else’s experience layer.