tethics & chill

A discourse club exploring tech and human agency since 2022.

Off-the-record and invite-only to maintain trust, kindness, and signal.

We meet online and in-person in cities like Austin, NY, and SF.

Founded by Anastasia Uglova and growing in partnership with .

For founders, funders, policymakers, and builders working on tech × human agency.

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About

We interrogate how emerging technologies shape human agency.

We convene builders around the world working on projects and technologies that promote individual consent and control over digital privacy, data, assets, and information.

In-Person Salons

Intimate gatherings in Austin, NYC, and SF. Dinner, drinks, music, and deep conversation with an expert guest.

Online Sessions

Virtual salons via Zoom bringing together our global community.

Same depth, same trust, no geography required.

The & chill Part

We curate a fun social atmosphere because people think best when they're relaxed and among friends.

From a Slack channel to a multi-city discourse club.

Spring 2022

Slack Channel

tethics & chill begins as a Slack community of founders, investors, and builders discussing privacy and digital identity through the lens of Anastasia's emerging research on agentic tech.

Summer 2023

Agentic Tech Podcast

Née The Privacy Podcast, Anastasia and longtime Slack veteran Chad Fowler interview experts for semi-monthly episodes of what would later become .

Fall 2023

Invests in Agentic Tech

Zoe launches the first fund investing exclusively in tech for human agency and digital freedom. and team up to bring tethics & chill to a broader audience, online, and in other cities.

Forbes announcement →    Investment thesis →

Today

Expanded Cities, More Reach

Salons open in new cities as we focus more on in-person experiences, while and Substack reach broader audiences.

Products and protocols that promote human dignity by protecting individual control over privacy, data, assets, and information.

Agentic Tech is an emerging category — one that is just now defining itself. It spans cognitive security, data infrastructure, AI/ML, homomorphic encryption, decentralized tech, zero-knowledge cryptography, and other privacy-enhancing technologies.

Data Ownership & Privacy

Advancing user privacy and individual control over personal data through encryption, FHE, MPC, and other PETs.

Security & Protection

Protecting individuals and organizations from virtual and physical threats — cybersecurity, risk mitigation, OSINT, and defensive solutions.

Information Integrity

Promoting transparency and quality of public information — media forensics, algorithmic transparency, anti-censorship, and countering disinformation.


Candor and kindness.

Because we host conversations that push boundaries and interrogate dominant paradigms, we curate spaces that feel respectful and inspire curiosity. We have a few community norms to maintain the trust and integrity of the group.

Discretion

Pressure-test ideas without the panopticon of public opinion. We never record sessions and ask permission before sharing outside the group.

Maturity

Be kind. Embrace a plurality of perspectives, create space for others, disagree respectfully, and change your mind when presented with better information.

Curiosity

Come with genuine curiosity about the intersection of technology and human agency. Seek to understand rather than to prove someone wrong.

Signal

Share opportunities, job leads, and deal flow. Ask for help. But don't shill your warez without context, and keep the memes well-timed.

Want to join tethics & chill?

We're invite-only to preserve your trust and attention span. If you're a founder, funder, policymaker, or builder working on technologies that produce human agency, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply to Join