The VC middleman is getting cut out faster than anyone expected. Family offices and private wealth firms are going direct: writing checks, taking board seats, even incubating companies from scratch. And more founders are starting to notice. In February alone, family offices made 41 direct investments, including one Midwest-based firm that led a $230 million Series B into an AI chip startup.

On this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan caught up with Mitch Stein and Ari Schottenstein, founder and head of alternatives at ARENA Private Wealth, to find out what this shift means for founders, cap tables, and the future of AI investment.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

How Arena landed the lead on Positron's $230 million Series B, and why the CEO specifically wanted them on his cap table

How Arena does due diligence on technical companies

What "tourist capital" actually looks like, and the red flags founders should watch for as family offices flood into AI deals

Why some VCs are quietly unhappy about this trend (and why Arena thinks that's their problem)

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

03:13 Why family offices are going direct now

06:03 The gen 2 & gen 3 family office shift

07:22 Is this strategic or just AI FOMO?

10:17 How Arena got into the Positron deal

14:30 Why founders want private wealth on their cap table

18:31 Due diligence on technical companies

21:56 Red flags founders should watch for

25:04 Are VCs threatened by this trend?

27:47 Taking board seats & level of involvement

34:17 Outro

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why private wealth is cutting out the VC middleman