Sound built its reputation on concentrated, high-conviction bets in category-leading AI labs, while Kutcher's new fund appears to be chasing the layer underneath those companies — the infrastructure and energy that power them.
TechCrunch spoke to investors to find the hottest startups in the Spring 2026 YC batch. Some of them commanded valuations of over $175 million, VCs said.
Instead of spending a year raising a formal venture fund, the Sabertooth VC founder used a captive network of LPs to invest in startups like Anthropic, Anduril, and SpaceX.
Anthropic has been growing at a breakneck pace. The company announced that annualized revenue crossed $47 billion in May, up dramatically from roughly $9 billion at the end of 2025. That trajectory faces a real test, though.