Startups Journo Requests

Startup Founders Implementing Agentic AI - WebSummit Vancouver 2026

Are you implementing agentic AI at your company? I’m Isaac Phan Nay, a journalist at The Tyee. I’ll be at #WebSummitVancouver2026covering how startups and tech companies are implementing AI. I want to hear from you — send me a message if you’re interested in a chat this week. #sovereignAI#WebSummit#artificialintelligence

thetyee.ca

VR Basketball Developers - Immersive Sports Experiences & Access

Most people still think gaming and sports are separate worlds. They’re not. The future of sports is being built inside immersive experiences, virtual spaces, and interactive communities right now. 🏀🎮 And the people building it deserve more visibility. That’s exactly why we created Jams & Joysticks. Too many innovators are creating groundbreaking experiences that never get the spotlight they deserve, not because the ideas aren’t powerful… but because the right people never hear their story. So we’re changing that. 🎙️ Our newest episode features Christine Schwarz, co-founder of Virtual Round Ballers. And this conversation opens up a much bigger discussion about where gaming, fitness, sports, and VR are all heading next. ⸻ In this episode, we dive into: 🏀 How Christine went from fitness enthusiast to VR innovator 🚀 Building immersive basketball experiences in virtual reality 🧠 Why accessibility and engagement matter in sports tech 🌍 How VR can connect players of all ages and skill levels This isn’t just about gaming. It’s about the future of human interaction, sports training, entertainment, and community. And honestly… we’re only scratching the surface. ⸻ What makes conversations like this important is that innovation no longer lives only inside massive studios or billion-dollar companies. Some of the most creative ideas shaping the future are coming from independent creators, startups, developers, and visionaries building things people haven’t fully imagined yet. That’s who we want to highlight. That’s who we want the world to see. 🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eM2BWDBU ⸻ Jams & Joysticks is continuing to grow: 🌍 Expanding across the global gaming community 📺 Bringing conversations to Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, and connected TV platforms 🎮 Showcasing more developers, creators, founders, and innovators 🚀 Creating a space where gaming culture, technology, and storytelling collide ⸻ So if you are: 🎮 Building a game 🥽 Innovating in VR or immersive tech 🧠 Creating new experiences in sports or gaming 🚀 Building something people need to see Let’s connect. We’re actively looking to: • Feature creators and innovators • Spotlight games, startups, and technology • Collaborate with people pushing the culture forward Drop a comment below: 👉 What’s one innovation in gaming or VR that you think will change the future? And if you believe more creators and innovators deserve visibility in this industry, share this with your network and subscribe to the Jams & Joysticks channel. Let’s build something bigger together. National Basketball Association (NBA) NBA G League NBA Summer League WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) Unrivaled Basketball Athletes Unlimited Under Armour Nike Basketball Reebok AAU Boys Basketball Colin Bell The UPSHOT League #JamsAndJoysticks #VR #VirtualReality #GamingCommunity #SportsTech #GameDevelopment #Innovation #BuildInPublic #ContentCreator #IndieDev

African Creator Economy Founders - Two Major Unsolved Problems

We are sleeping on the creator economy. And we are doing it badly. I wrote this after spending a week trying to find a creator economy startup to break down for my series but what I found instead was more interesting than any single company breakdown. Two massive problems nobody is building for at scale If you are building something in this space, I want to hear from you. Full piece here 👇 #AfricanCreators #CreatorEconomy #AfricaTech #Afrobeats #MusicRoyalties #AfricanStartups #NigeriaStartups #ContentCreators #StartupEcosystem #VentureCapital #AfricanInnovation #IPRights

Rwanda Creators & Founders - Podcast on Business, Money & Growth

Over the past few years, I’ve realised that some of the most valuable insights about money, growth, business and life never make it into books or conferences. They exist in everyday conversations with people building things, taking risks and figuring life out in real time. So here’s something I want to start in Rwanda 🇷🇼 I’m looking to host conversations with people across different industries for a podcast focused on real stories and real experiences. Whether you’re in: • Trading and finance • Banking • The creator economy • Entrepreneurship • Tech and startups • Sales and marketing • Or any other industry with lessons worth sharing I want to hear your story. The goal is simple: To create honest conversations around money, business, failure, growth, risk, creativity and the realities behind the journey. Not overly scripted interviews. Just meaningful conversations people can genuinely learn from. If you’re based in Rwanda or know someone whose story deserves to be heard, feel free to comment below or send me a message. Let’s create conversations that inspire, educate and connect people across industries. 🎙️🇷🇼 #Rwanda #Kigali #Podcast #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #CreatorEconomy #Business #Finance #Innovation #PersonalBranding #AfricanCreators #Networking

Students & Young Founders - Kojan Podcast Guests

The most interesting people I know aren't in any classroom. They're building startups at 17. Publishing research before finishing school. Running communities, breaking records, asking questions nobody around them is asking. Then again, there are the average students, students who have dreams, passions and more, whose stories are constantly overlooked. None of those conversations - the outliers and the average - had an audience. I'm changing that. The Kojan Podcast launches soon — long-form conversations with students, young researchers, founders, and occasionally just someone living an interesting life. No script, just a natural conversation between 2 human beings chilling out, unlike other interview 'podcasts'. I'm now opening applications for guests for the first few episodes. If you're doing something that matters to you — research, a startup, a sport, an idea, anything — I want to hear about it. You don't have to be famous. You just have to have something worth saying. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gZJr5FvZ Or tag someone who should be on this show. follow The Kojan Podcast on Instagram — https://lnkd.in/gGxY4gsF

Much ink has been spilled of late on the “[url=https://email.sifted.eu/e3t/Ctc/LZ+113/d2mfCN04/VWX-vP35DtxsW1QKJYm24CrB8W2x7JLQ5NQfTwN72QT-q3qgz0W7lCdLW6lZ3m8W2YqWvj5F5HrpW55LYwZ2KQ9ZKW22Mz7Z3y5cGRW12fNMS4WqYYTW6pb0rl3wTVpJW6v4DjJ6m4LLQW96m_mt1xyrRmW7z2JvR6s83HPVM4b0H1NX0LZW1rhjkB931ryNW18BHz284GS0bW8jsL8R90j7JxW25Q6N03XfM0KW2Mn3V75WWFKdN8XfY1636_qjN5P_45rWXGk9W58B0755RmsH-W2Jpr0H5jZpcTN1T5W9HvPLp7W2k9v314b-sZyW58D8TG1BL-_lW7BFF274CvhWPW7CY9v96FLYVXTF1Wy7P8YdNf306WpF04]bro renaissance[/url]” happening in European tech, exemplified by loud male VC voices on LinkedIn, popular podcasts going months without interviewing women, a surge in the 996 “grindset” and a spurt of male-dominated hackathons. But UK-based Arāya Sie Fund is raising LP money to buck the trend: the fund is dedicated to only backing women (co)-led startups. [...] Dig into my full exclusive on Arāya Sie Fund, including the types of companies the fund aims to back, [url=https://email.sifted.eu/e3t/Ctc/LZ+113/d2mfCN04/VWX-vP35DtxsW1QKJYm24CrB8W2x7JLQ5NQfTwN72QT-K3qgz0W7Y8-PT6lZ3pQW4L14Pt4CCYJmW8zgjdH5bh9KMW1nwXZ85ndr7vW4x7_dV3mJV5-W1XLmxc4txdbkW4rfzcc5jvHh0W55hMVV7X5jWhW1TmzMp6kbtZvW1RgV6r3PgvPPW4Q_5km3cB37SW6K1x765yx-84W8d934X5tYHm7W93Nt_J6hVfCJW8zgzhW5b4PcGW6mvxPG5wrqYmW8Z5Y4Z1XyTz8VfGtFG92hYpvN2ZmXqNZRZQBW79Ssrx4sVstmW77Xjfk8sxDFCW2PxBZC6LGK9ZN9h7Bc3xFBTcW32hqMP4J1RJrW8m7lDM21Dsg4W8md9fk5Kwcf4W6Ng7tf88VLGddJ5MSv04]here.[/url] I’d love to hear from you, VCs: is backing female founders a priority for you and your fund? What do you make of female founder-only funds? What is missing in these funds and initiatives? Are they necessary? [url=mailto:[email redacted]]I’m all ears.[/url]