Biography
Darrell Etherington is SVP of Growth, Strategy & Innovation at SBS Comms, and founder of The Angle, an independent newsletter exploring technology, startups, and the innovation economy. Previously, Darrell spent over a decade at TechCrunch, rising from Writer to Managing Editor, covering space, science, health tech, automotive, mobility, and AI. His TechCrunch tenure was punctuated by two industry stints: as PR Manager at Apple, and as Head of Communications at Shopify, directing global strategic communications campaigns. Darrell's journalism career began at GigaOM and BetaKit, establishing him as a trusted voice on consumer tech, enterprise AI, and developer tools. Darrell applies a storyteller's lens to technology, speaking internationally on AI implementation, communications strategy, and venture ecosystems—including at ITU's AI for Good Summit. Now based in Toronto, he offers communications services to startups, venture funds, and advises tech companies on AI tooling, narrative development, media training, product/UX, and fundraising.
Session
- AI For GrowthModerator
Panel 5 - Strategic Money: How Corporates Really Invest in AI Startups
Tuesday 22 September, 13:00 – 13:40Panel StageCorporate venture money isn't chasing the same thing as a fund. A strategic investor wants synergy, access, and an eventual seat at the table, not just a return. This panel brings together the people who sit between corporates and startups to unpack how strategic AI investments and partnerships actually get picked, structured and managed: what a corporate is really underwriting beyond the cap table, where that clashes with how independent VCs think, and what founders get wrong pitching a corporate as if it were a fund. Built for founders courting strategic capital and for anyone trying to understand how big companies actually move on AI.