This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today?s show: 

Sean Liu gave his OpenClaw ?eyes? by hooking the AI assistant up to his Meta Ray Bans. While Jason and Alex consider the implications? guest expert Alex Finn quickly loses interest?

It?s another All-Clawdbot TWiST where we debate the most essential uses for the viral agent platform. For their part, Alex Finn and Matt Van Horn are building practical skills to help founders (esp. solo founders)? Alex has a brain trust of AI agents working round the clock to improve his organization and content, while Matt designed a skill for his agent to order sushi lunches (keeping them under $20).

PLUS find out how Producer Oliver designed his ?Model Council? based on Perplexity?s set-up, why running everything local is ?illogical? for most people in 2026, AND why Jason?s next Founder U cohort will all be building with OpenClaw.

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Why Jason is STILL Claw-pilled! We can?t get enough!

(03:17) ?Mr. Clawdbot? Alex Finn of Creator Buddy joins us! He?s Claw-Pilled too!

(04:50) Sean Liu (@_seanliu) added OpenClaw to his Meta Ray Bans? Here?s why Alex doesn?t care!

(8:33) Lost your job to AI? Maybe AI can make you a founder!

(12:35) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.

(13:34) ?Last 30 Days? skill creator Matt Van Horn (@mvanhorn) joins the show

(14:54) Why Jason wants to invest in Matt?s new project.

(15:53) Meeting Alex?s organization of AI agents who collaborate on his projects autonomously

(22:28) Is Alex planning to turn his OpenClaw set-up into a company? Maybe?

(23:10) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/

(25:16) Using OpenClaw to create a ?lights out? startup

(28:17) Deciding when to use local models vs. more powerful cloud-based models

(29:52) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(30:58) How Producer Oliver created a ?Model Council? for LAUNCH based on Perplexity?s set-up

(35:52) Why it?s so important to have an orchestrator that knows the right model for the right task

(39:12) Why running everything local is ?illogical? for most companies in 2026

(41:15) Matt walks us through the latest and greatest incarnation of his ?Last 30 Days? skill

(45:57) Why Jason thinks recursive machine learning is the solution to human laziness

(46:38) How Alex has supercharged his social media and his startup during OpenClaw Mania

(50:15) Why Founder University is going ALL OPENCLAW next cohort

(51:21) How big a jump over Opus 4.5 is Opus 4.6?

(53:35) OpenClaw?s going to start scanning skills for malware? Will this help?

(57:13) No one was SUPER impressed by the AI dot com Super Bowl ad? except JCal

(1:01:11) Matt used his ?Order Sushi? OpenClaw skill live on the show to get lunch

(1:04:08) Polymarket?s sharps are wagering on Claude 5?s hotly anticipated release

Thank you to our partners:

(12:35) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.

(23:10) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/

(29:52) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Crusoe Cloud - https://crusoe.ai/savings

Lemon IO - https://Lemon.io/twist

Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Thanks to our guests:

Alex Cheema of ExoLabs http://exolabs.net

Ryan Yanneli of NextVisit https://nextvisit.ai/

Today?s show: 

It?s the Age of Ultron at TWiST and LAUNCH. We?ve given our OpenClaw digital Replicants the keys to all of our systems and we?re seeing how much of our jobs they can really do when left to their own devices.

Producer Oliver stops by the show to give us a peek behind the curtain, at the new control panel and dashboard OpenClaw built FOR ITSELF (with a bit of human assistance).

PLUS we?re joined by Alex Cheema of ExoLabs. His company helps everyday consumers run powerful frontier LLMs on their own devices, essential to protect your data and personalize your AI experience.

ALSO congratulations to Ryan Yanneli from NextVisit on winning our Gamma Pitch Deck Competition! He walks away with $25K from LAUNCH and our friends at Gamma.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introducing Alex Cheema to the show

(3:17) Why it is so important to run AI on local hardware

(6:58) Using OpenClaw Producer to automate TWiST

(8:59) How to Train your AI

(11:58) What is a Chron Job? (Hint: chron means chronological)

(13:24) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(17:53) OpenClaw managing the LAUNCH/TWiST team

(19:54)  Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(20:58) Turning AI into Ultron, self optimization

(27:21) The Future: frontier models: running on your Iphone!

(28:37) Prompt injections: how people can hack your OpenClaw

(30:25) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(31:31) OpenClaw invites guests that join the show

(40:29) Oliver shows off OpenClaw mission control dashboard

(46:30) Stacking Apple Silicon vs. Running Kimi-K

(50:18) How Exo Labs works ? stringing together Mac Silicon

(54:29) Ryan from Nextvisit wins Gamma Pitch Competition

(59:10) Industry Season 4 reflects tech regulation

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(13:24) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(19:54)  Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(30:25) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Circle - http://Circle.so/twist

Caldera Lab - http://calderalab.com/TWIST

LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/twist

Today?s show: 

There was a time, not long ago, when offices everywhere came to a standstill, and everyone became even more fixated on their phones than usual, each time HQ Trivia went live. The app-based game show was a massive viral hit? until suddenly, around a year later, it wasn?t.

Now, HQ Trivia host Scott Rogowsky is back with a new concept: Savvy, another game show you play on your phone, this time inspired by the word puzzle hit Wordle. Is lightning about to strike twice? 

PLUS, Alex chats with Trevor Bennett of space transportation outfit Starfish Space. This comes off two major successes for the team: the Remora mission that proved Stafish?s autonomous rendezvous capabilities and the $52.5 Million dollar contract to dispose of low Earth orbit satellites.

Timestamps: 

(00:00) How Scott first got involved with HQ Trivia

(2:23) Why Scott thinks HQ Trivia struck such a chord with fans

(4:12) Scott couldn?t get a job in late night, so he made his own show

(5:31) Delving into the behind-the-scenes tensions at HQ Trivia

(11:07) Circle -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist

(13:53) The end of HQ Trivia and why Scott jumped ship

(16:35) Savvy just had its series premiere: you play the game against the host

(20:14) How to play Savvy and win cash

(20:57) Why Jason thinks a subscription model is the future of Savvy

(22:25) Whether you?re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.

(23:31) Introducing Dr. Trevor Bennet of Starfish Space

(24:04) What the Otter Spacecraft does: de-orbiting to clean up space

(26:46) Why space will need hundreds of Otters in space

(29:24) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.

(30:23) Starfish Space?s business model: operating a starfleet

(33:17) The success of the Remora mission: autonomous rendezvous in space.

(43:47) The rise of the space economy

(48:18) Starfish?s $52.5 Million dollar contract and what it means for the space ecosystem

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Thank you to our partners:

(11:07) Circle -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist

(22:25) Whether you?re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST) and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.

(29:24) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Quadratic - http://quadratic.ai/twist

Today?s show: 

Don?t get distracted! Here are the MOST CRUCIAL aspects of running a startup, where founders need to keep their full and uninterrupted focus.

- Make sure you?re saving up your cash

- Why you need to just get started and build SOMETHING

- Trust and reliability is EVERYTHING for new products

- Why distribution should be your top priority

Download all this practical and tactical startup advice from seasoned veterans Jason Calacanis, Amanda Bradford, and William P. Barnes in this Tokyo edition of TWiST.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Amanda and Will?s big takeaways from Founder U in Saudi Arabia and now Tokyo

(3:19) Why cash flow management is so important before you find PMF

(5:57) Why first-time founders get the order of operations wrong

(6:45) Just build SOMETHING, even if it?s taped together

(11:19) ?Focus is everything in the early stages?

(14:17) From a wedge to a bridge

(15:50) Quadratic - Bringing the productivity boost of AI into your spreadsheets. Visit http://quadratic.ai/twist to sign up and use the code TWIST to get one free month of their pro tier subscription.

(18:45) What to put on your ?Not Right Now? list

(19:11) Embracing simplicity

(22:00) The importance of trust and reliability (especially for Uber!)

(28:12) Why innovation needs a constraining variable

(33:40) To really drive word of mouth, you have to overdeliver

(36:32) Distribution is the primary job of a founder/CEO

(38:19) Some of the panel?s favorite distribution hacks

(45:54) Why Jason respects Japan?s commitment to excellence and competency

(49:38) Looking for ?high slope? in early employees

(53:11) Transitioning your team from early-stage startup to growth

(57:45) Whoever writes it down gets credit for the idea

(58:04) Q: Has the meaning of money changed for the panel now that they?ve had successful exits?

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Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today?s show: 

SpaceX is buying xAI, forming a mega-corp that plans to launch data centers into SPACE. Will Tesla also join up, fulfilling Elon?s destiny to become real-life Tony Stark, with his own Musk Industries? Jason and Alex break down the future of SpaceXAI in a breaking news report.

THEN, we?re still celebrating OpenClaw (née Clawdbot) Mania! Oliver and Lukas return to TWiST to share their Almost Top 10 (okay it?s just a Top 6) favorite Skills so far. 

Learn how they?re using Replicants to summarize TWiST episodes, surf Reddit, produce original Gamma decks, train agents to make themselves smarter, and take care of LAUNCH?s administrative and operations tasks.

Timestamps:

(00:00) BREAKING: SpaceX bought xAI!

 (1:56) Why it will be cheaper to generate compute in space than here on Earth

(8:19) Will Tesla eventually join the club, forming ?Musk Industries??

(11:36) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

(12:37) ALSO BREAKING: We?re still obsessing about Clawdbot/OpenClaw

(14:58) So is OpenClaw and all of its various skills secure yet? NO.

(16:42) Today we?re looking at our picks for the Top 6 OpenClaw skills

(17:13) Alex?s first pick: Reddit (read only), which makes it easier to track down what you want on the aggregator

(19:35) Reddit hates bots! But maybe they?ll change their tune?

(21:47) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(22:46) Our Replicant summarized the last few episodes of TWiST? but at what COST? (18 cents)

(26:40) Lukas taught our Replicant to make Gamma decks for us

(29:23) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(30:21) Our Replicant has ALL the Polymarket data now! The power!

(34:14) AI agents are also playing cards together on ClawPoker

(35:07) Oliver tested out our pal Matt Van Horn?s (@mvanhorn) self-improving ?Last 30 Days? skill

(38:22) Why memory is so crucial for getting models to improve themselves over time

(40:33) Yo dawg I know you like monitoring tasks so I built you a task monitor that monitors your tasks so you can task monitor your tasks

(41:40) What makes OpenClaw so powerful is also what makes it dangerous!

(49:12) If you want to really learn about OpenClaw, you need to make your own skills

(50:03) Jason?s advice for OpenClaw?s suddenly famous creator: Peter Steinberger (@steipete)

(56:31) What would be the best way(s) to monetize OpenClaw?

(57:54) Will an OpenClaw agent sue a human in court?

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(11:36) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

(21:47) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(29:23) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Deel - http://deel.com/twist

LinkedIn Jobs - http://linkedin.com/twist

Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Today?s show: 

On Today?s action packed episode of This Week in Startups, our team is going full AI!

Jason is joined by Oliver Korzen and Lukas Durand from the LAUNCH team, alongside Rahul Sood, founder/CEO of Irrevernt Labs and founder of Voodoo PC.

With the rise of Clawdbot/Moltbot, the question on everyone?s mind is how fast, how much and how safe! Lukas and Oliver show off the ways that This Week in Startups are automating the hours of research and administrative tasks that take up our days and the what this means for running a podcast and venture firm.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Why we?re so obsessed with OpenClaw (Clawdbot)

(00:47) LAUNCH?s own Lukas Durand has joined the pod for the first time? Here?s how he and Jason met?

(02:26) Oliver is also here? check out his new series, This Week in AI

(03:11)How LAUNCH has its OpenClaw bot set up (without all the details!!!)

(06:03) The first few services that LAUNCH authenticated with our OpenClaw? And why!

(6:59) How OpenClaw is helping Oliver to book the show

(11:06) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(14:08) Why OpenClaw sometimes struggles with context and memory, and how to work around it

(16:03) Understanding how to set up ?cron jobs?

(20:19) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist That?s http://linkedin.com/twist. Terms and conditions apply.

(22:23) How OpenClaw works as our virtual podcast producer, and how much time we?ll save

(24:40) Can OpenClaw also help us prep the podcast agenda (aka THE DOCKET)?

(28:32) Lon chimes in to talk about how Claude helped him prep Jason?s Davos interviews

(31:30) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(32:28) How many ?Replicants? or AI agents does one company really need?

(36:09) Why Jason asked his OpenClaw bots to self-report on what they?re learning

(37:14) What OpenClaw WON?T do? Where did these guardrails come from?

(39:44)The hardware side? How much of this can you do from a Mac Studio?

(43:29) Zombie Staffers: How OpenClaw can ?revive? long-lost employees?

(48:09) We?re putting OpenClaw in charge of the TWiST 500

(51:18) Rahul Sood joins us to talk about the dangers of OpenClaw and how to stay protected

(53:01) Why so many OpenClaw skills have major vulnerabilities

(1:00:00) Moltbook: Where bots hang out with other bots and share info

(1:06:44) Why powerful AI agents will make creative work by humans so much more important.

(1:07:22) Rahul?s final recommendations for max possible OpenClaw security

(1:14:00) Is OpenClaw going to bring hiring to a halt?

(1:21:10) Why getting comfortable with AI tools will become essential for every employee

Thank you to our partners:

(11:06) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(20:19) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist That?s http://linkedin.com/twist. Terms and conditions apply.

(31:30) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Gusto - http://Gusto.com/twist

Zite - http://zite.com/twist

Circle.so - http://circle.so/twist

Guest links: 

Andrew Duffy, Founder and CEO, http://sparkplug.app ? Retail incentives and brand partnerships platform

Ford Smith, Founder of http://Ultranative.com ? Investing in transformative startups

Socrates Rosenfeld, Founder and CEO of http://iheartjane.com ? One stop shop for cannabis products

Today?s show: 

On TWiST?s first Cannabis Roundtable, Jason is joined by three top Cannabis founders and investors: Ford Smith of Ultranative, Andrew Duffy of Sparkplug, and Socrates Rosenfeld of Jane.

How will the regulatory environment and the move to Schedule III change the industry? Are those regulations shaping consumption? How are investors thinking about cannabis startups given the difficulty with exits? Most importantly, what?s the deal with the increasing potency of cannabis?

Each guest has their own perspective, Andrew sees it as a natural reaction from CPG brands to power users, Ford points to ?flyover? operators unconcerned with long-term health of the industry, while Socrates refers to moonshine drinking during the prohibition to say that regulations create these problems.

Speaking of moonshine, alcohol consumption is dropping dramatically among Gen-Z, with many pointing to cannabis consumption as a substitute. Some perceive cannabis as healthier and lacking caloric nature of alcohol, which could explain why there are now more daily smokers than daily drinkers!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Guest Introductions for the Cannabis Roundtable!

(2:50) Why Jason invested in Sparkplug

(6:44) How Ford Smith got into Cannabis investing ? is it Cannabis a good investment?

(11:40) Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at http://Gusto.com/twist.

(12:46) Socrates breaks down building a major cannabis marketplace

(18:13) Canadian legalization and tailwinds for cannabis.

(20:25) How Cannabis startups are pivoting to deal with high competition and regulatory pressure

(21:47) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to http://zite.com/twist to get started.

(27:07) Who benefits from legalization of cannabis? Healthcare? Retail? Banking?

(28:03) How the alcohol industry is getting crushed by cannabis usage

(31:27) Circle.so -  The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off Circle?s Professional Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.

(32:47) Is new cannabis too potent? Is high potency cannabis a result of illegal rules.

(42:05) Why heavy consumers are driving CPG startups to high doses

(44:14) Cannabis psychosis and the problem with brands selling potency items.

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(11:40) Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at http://Gusto.com/twist.

(21:47) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to http://zite.com/twist to get started.

(31:27) Circle.so -  The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off Circle?s Professional Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Quo - http://quo.com/TWiST

Lemon IO - https://lemon.io/twist

Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Today?s show: 

Jason is back from Davos and Tokyo! We are jumping right back in with a group of Clawdbot power users: Alex Finn, Matt Von Horn, and Dan Penguine.

Clawdbot is a hot open source AI project that lets users automate? everything! Dan helped his automate his aging parent?s tea shop, Matt built news sourcing bots, and Alex runs his one-man SAAS startup with Clawdbot as an AI employee!

But with all of that power comes the responsibility of making sure you are not giving your AI too many authorizations that could come under fire! Whether fisching emails, ?injections?, or bad decision making from incorrect information online.

Check out how these 3 experts, Jason and Alex are thinking about the bleeding edge of AI!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introducing today?s Clawdbot experts!

(04:09) How Matt Von Horn makes ?Skills? with Clawdbot

(10:53) Quo (formerly OpenPhone) gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at http://quo.com/TWiST.

(13:25) Dan Penguine?s ?Normy? use case: automating his parent?s tea shop

(19:50) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

(22:23) Alex Finn breaks down how Clawdbot lets him run a one man startup

(24:28) Alex Finn on Clawdbot autonomously building apps within his business

(28:33) Security concerns with Clawdbot, can your AI get hacked?

(32:46) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(35:07) Why is everyone buying Mac Minis?

(37:39) How to think about LLM Token usage

(46:02) Clawdbot will build CRMs, project management software, etc without being asked. Is this the end of SAAS?

(46:58) Matt live uploads his new Clawdbot skill on aire!

(48:22) Why was Clawdbot able to move so much quicker than Anthropic and OpenAI?

(50:17) What is Clawdbot?s business model as an open source AI?

(53:27) Matt?s recursive AI prompt loop and how AI prompts layer

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Thank you to our partners:

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(19:50) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

(32:46) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today?s show:

One day soon, you might consult an AI general practitioner about your health, and then the computer will recommend human specialists to take up your case.

On TWiST Tokyo, Jason chats with Fred Almeida ? founder and CEO of American Medical Intelligence Inc. ? and Maxwell Weiss, a partner at Pacific Bays Capital.

Together, they discuss the future of medicine, and the opportunities for individuals to take greater control over their health and preventative care strategies.

PLUS a look at how Japan has stayed at the forefront of technology despite NOT being a manufacturing hub, why so many Americans are willing to take a pay cut to move to Japan for work, and the concept of ?genten shugi,? and how it prevents some Japanese people from communicating with English speakers, despite understanding the language.

THEN we hear pitches from some of our favorite Founder University x Japan companies, and Fred, Jason, and Max pick their favorites!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introducing today?s big guests: founder Fred Almeida and investor Max Weiss!

(5:43) Why Fred thinks one day soon, an AI will be your general practitioner

(8:26) The power of getting self-directed medical diagnostics

(13:27) Max says Japan has moved into Decade 2 in its venture capital journey

(14:37) Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST

(16:05) Max and Jason had wagyu barbecue the other night

(17:10) Japan doesn?t OFFICIALLY have a standing army?

(21:37) Why the line between talking startups and politics is blurring

(23:05) Hubspot - Check out the guide ?Advanced ChatGPT Prompt Engineering: From Basic to Expert in 7 Days.? Download it for free at clickhubspot.com/twist2.

(24:59) Japan doesn?t make a lot of things, but it produces the underlying tech behind a lot of things

(25:52) Understanding Genten Shugi: Why some in Japan still have an ?English allergy?

(29:42) Why some Americans will take a pay cut to come work in Japan

(33:28) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ? Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(34:10) PITCH #1: Cascade(36:10) PITCH #2: Altsource Global(38:10) PITCH #3: GoalMochi(40:25) Jason, Max, and Fred give feedback on our first three pitches(42:45) Would GoalMochi ever consider adding personas for added expertise, like say a nutritionist?(44:30) How does Cascade plan to compete against the massive ad networks of companies like Google and Meta?(46:05) PITCH #4: RandomChat(48:10) PITCH #5: Eir(50:05) More feedback for our final two pitches of the day(52:44) Fred wants to know how Eir?s product will integrate with other systems(54:19) Why Gigi made herself available to chat in her app(57:50) Why Jason thinks RandomChat should add anonymous personas

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Thank you to our partners:

(14:37) Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST

(23:05) Hubspot - Check out the guide ?Advanced ChatGPT Prompt Engineering: From Basic to Expert in 7 Days.? Download it for free at clickhubspot.com/twist2.

(33:28) Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ? Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

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Today?s show: 

On today?s TWIST episode, Alex interviews two of the top startup co-founders: Keller Cliffton of Zipline and Anastasis Germanidis of Runway. 

Zipline announced its $600 million raise at a $7.6 BILLION valuation. Kellers breaks down the origins, economics, and future of Zipline?s contrarian bet in drone delivery. What was science fiction a decade ago is now a regular part of life for many. In fact, Zipline operates more flights than United!

Zipline is set to leapfrog the car delivery apps AND self driving cars with the superior economics of drone delivery. It is much cheaper to transport your burrito in a lightweight drone than a 6,000 pound self driving car!

Then, Alex is joined by Anastasis Germanidis, the CTO and co-founder of Runway, to explain why the next frontier of generative AI is world models! Runway  is looking to build a universal simulation, which will unlock massive gains in robotics, autonomy, and simulations. The world model would be able to simulate rare edge cases that could take years to find naturally! 

Check out how this cutting edge AI startup?s NYU Tisch School of Art?s origins

Then, See Jason?s answer to the question: ?When should founders pivot or give up??

Timestamps: 

(00:00) The Drone revolution is here!

(02:46) Inside Zipline?s factory to build 20K drones a year

(04:40) American dynamism Vs. Chinese manufacturing dominance

(09:00) How Zipline is growing 75% month on month

(9:50) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(11:15) Zipline teleports food and goods to your house

(21:54) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(23:02) Is it affordable to use a drone to deliver a burrito?

(29:18) Zipline DOUBLES United?s flight numbers

(31:11) LinkedIn Jobs - post your job for free at http://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs new AI assistant.

(32:21) Anastasis break?s down Runway?s AI modeling

(35:24) Runway?s Gen 4.5 and the world model

(40:57) Why do robotics companies need a world model?

(43:04) Using AI to simulate robot laundry folding

(52:37) Runway?s origins at NYU?s art school

(55:46) Founder Q/A: When to pivot or give up on your startup

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(9:50) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(21:54) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(31:11) LinkedIn Jobs - post your job for free at http://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs new AI assistant.

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today?s show:

Not long ago, promising young Japanese graduates wanted to go work for the largest, most established, and even oldest corporations: Sony, Mitsubishi, and the like. But now, just over the last few years, more and more Japanese people are becoming entrepreneurs and founders. 

TWiST Japan continues with a fascinating look inside the country?s growing startup ecosystem with special guest, venture capitalist Shinichi ?Shin? Takamiya. 

He?ll walk Jason through how Japan stayed ahead of the rest of the world in technology, but started falling behind when it came to founding companies, and how the Japanese are now starting to level the playing field.

PLUS why his fund, Globis, sees other VC firms as collaborators rather than the competition? How AI is helping Japanese and American founders build their companies more quickly? Why Jason prefers training younger people to become VCs rather than hiring more experienced players? Shin?s guide to eating out in Tokyo? and much more!

Timestamps: 

(00:00) We?re so excited to bring Founder University in Japan!

(04:15) Jason and our guest first met 15-25 years ago?

(06:06) How is Japan always so far ahead of the rest of the world?

(08:29) Globis is one of Japan?s largest and oldest venture capital firms!

(10:48) Circle.so -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off Circle?s Professional Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist

(12:38) Why founders need to play the long game when it comes to networking

(15:03) ?The founder is the most precious resource in the startup community?

(16:50) Shin takes us inside his Mercari (a massive Japanese marketplace site) investment

(18:20) How startups became ?cool? in Japan, just recently

(19:43) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(21:09) You don?t have to tell an investor your whole story? just get them interested

(25:28) Why Jason likes to train young folks to be VCs, rather than hiring for experience

(28:44) The differences between being candid and rude

(29:44) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

(35:40) Why Globis sees other VC firms as collaborators

(39:08) The world?s OLDEST company is 1500 years old? and it?s from Japan?

(39:54) Why a lot of great businesses aren?t right for VC investment

(43:34) Why picking the right market is so crucial

(48:37) When you know the direction of change but can?t predict the timing

(50:34) How founders are using AI to build better companies faster

(54:39) Shin?s guide to eating out in Tokyo

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(10:48) Circle.so -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off Circle?s Professional Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist

(19:43) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(29:44) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today?s show: 

Some pitches sound just like ads? and it?s a huge red flag for investors.

On our latest edition of TWiST Tokyo, Jason welcomes legendary angel investor (and long-time friend of the pod) Thomas McInerney. His list of investments reads like a Who?s Who of the tech elite, including Notion, SpaceX, Uber, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity?.

At Founder University x Tokyo, they discuss how the angel investing landscape has shifted, why it?s so important for founders to stay humble, the reasons that investors need to stay not just optimistic but aggressively so, and what angels can add to companies beyond just writing checks.

Plus we revisit some classic TWiST clips featuring Thomas from over 10 years ago AND take a look at three of our favorite pitches from our Japanese founders.

Timestamps:

(00:00) FLASHBACK: Clips from Tom?s classic TWiST appearances

(02:54) Why Jason and Tom love hanging and building in Tokyo.

(05:30) How has the angel investing landscape changed over the last decade plus?

(09:38) ?Being an investor is a commodity? You have to provide more than just money.?

(12:17) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(13:34) How Thomas evaluates very early stage startups

(14:56) Why Thomas invested in nuclear tech when it was hugely unpopular

(17:31) Why it?s so important for new founders to be both humble and smart

(18:50) The relevance and accuracy of Marc Andreessen?s ?Idea Maze? metaphor

(20:40) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(21:41) How Elon Musk brings oversized, visionary ideas to life

(26:11) Why founders using buzzwords is a huge red flag

(27:13) The little ?poker tells? Thomas and Jason look for in a founder

(28:26) ?If there?s any doubt, there?s no doubt.?

(30:47) LinkedIn Jobs - post your job for free at http://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs? new AI assistant.

(32:04) PRO TIP: Don?t run out of money!

(38:10) The importance of being an aggressive optimist for investors

(43:27) The human brain cannot comprehend 1000x growth

(45:33) PITCH #1: Sakenomist is the cross-border commerce platform, starting with sake exporters (Hiroshi Takeuchi)

(51:47) PITCH #2: HomiiWorld, the IRL social app which helps you meet new people anywhere in the world

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Thank you to our partners:

(12:17) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

(20:40) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.

(30:47) LinkedIn Jobs - post your job for free at http://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs? new AI assistant.

Great TWIST interviews: 

Will Guidara

https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ

Eoghan McCabe

https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4

Steve Huffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424

Brian Chesky

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112

Bob Moesta

https://youtu.be/y2UMzSqX94Q

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Today?s show: 

Why do 40% of Japanese students want to build a company rather than join the corporate workforce?

On TWiST, Jason considers this question along with special guest Kathy Matsui, general partner of the global VC fund MPower Partners.

Their wide-ranging discussion also features a look inside one of Jason?s favorite international companies, Japan?s own fashion retailer Uniqlo, where Kathy is a board member. (While in town, he took the opportunity to check out their flagship store in Ginza.)

They also take a look back at Japan?s economic crisis in the ?90s, and why recovery took such a very long time? MPower?s philosophy while raising their second fund, and why they?re so focused on what they call ?Japan Dynamism?? the key question of whether Japanese startups should focus on the domestic market first BEFORE chasing global customers? why an ESG (environment, social, governance) focus in Japan is so different from DEI in the US? and much more.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Kathy Matsui is on the board of one of Jason?s favorite companies, Uniqlo (and its parent, Fast Retailing)

(10:52) Why deflation in the ?90s was ?poison? for Japanese businesses and workers

(13:41) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/

(15:05) Why do American entrepreneurs keep falling in love with Japan?

(18:17) How the Japanese government is encouraging more founders to start tech companies

(20:05) LinkedIn Jobs - post your job for free at http://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs? new AI assistant.

(21:15) Why more Japanese grads are becoming entrepreneurs

(23:46) What MPower means by ?Japan Dynamism? and why they?re focused on it for Fund 2

(24:26) The various reasons so few female founders are getting funded in Japan

(27:38) The differences between MPower?s approach and corporate DEI in the US

(30:03) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to https:/zite.com/twist to get started.

(31:48) Is the ?first Japan, then the WORLD? approach a waste?

(35:34) In Japan, you don?t build trust in just one meeting?

(39:19) Kathy?s take on the complex relationship between Japan and the MENA region

(42:13) Why the UAE and Saudi Arabia aren?t ?dumb money,? as some in Silicon Valley assume

(43:49) Can Japan still rely on the United States as a strong geopolitical partner? There are question marks?

(48:16) Regarding China: ?When you move up the stack? be careful what you wish for!?

(49:06) Q: Aladdin is developing smart trash cans? Kathy and Jason?s tips on founder Yuki Kanai?s pitch

(54:31) Q: Maya Hojnacki from AltSource Capital asks about how MPower helps startups facing regulatory or policy obstacles

(57:17) Q: Hiroki from Goi wants Jason and Kathy?s take on Japan?s point-based immigration policies

(1:06:38) Why Japan desperately needs AI to start taking more jobs

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(13:41) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/

(20:05) LinkedIn Jobs - post your job for free at http://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs? new AI assistant.

(30:03) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to https://zite.com/twist to get started.

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

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Today?s show: 

Government fraud and waste has become a prominent issue in the last month.

That?s what we are looking at.

On Today?s episode of TWiST, Jason interviews Alex Shieh of the The Antifraud Company.

Under the False Claims Act, enterprising Americans, like Alex, can receive up to 30% of fraud dollars they uncover! Jason digs into the business of fraud with Alex Shieh and how a generational company could be built around it!

PLUS Alex Wilhelm and Marcus Brotman take a look at the history of BOOM, $1.5 Billion dollar startup bringing back supersonic commercial travel!

Jason first interviewed Blake Scholl almost 10 years ago in 2016. Back then, BOOM was a dream to bringing back supersonic travel. The Concorde?s failure, and why BOOM is different, is central to Blake?s thinking. What is fascinating is Blake?s mindset and vision for the early stages of this future unicorn startup.

THEN, Jason answers live Q/A at Founder University Tokyo! In partnership with JETRO, Jason and the LAUNCH team are bringing Founder University to 35 Japanese startups over the next 9 weeks!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Why the Concorde failed and how BOOM Supersonic is bringing back faster than light travel

(08:34) The 30% efficiency rule for Mach 2 flights

(11:46) Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://www.netsuite.com/twist

(17:12) Building million dollar planes on a startup budget

(20:22) Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with Ray3 Modify from Luma AI, the AI-powered post production tool. Explore it at: https://lumalabs.ai/twist

(24:11) The Checklist Manifesto: Lessons for pilots and founders!

(26:02) How to build a team that can go supersonic

(32:49) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(33:55) Private Sector Doge: The Anti Fraud Company

(38:48) The $500B in Fraud uncovered

(48:34) How Alex Shieh?s team uses AI to hunt down fraud

(52:48) How you can win 30% of exposed fraud with the false claims Act

(56:27) Founder University Tokyo Q&A

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

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Thank you to our partners:

(11:46) Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://www.netsuite.com/twist

(20:22) Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with Ray3 Modify from Luma AI, the AI-powered post production tool. Explore it at: https://lumalabs.ai/twist

(32:49) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

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Today?s show: 

TWiST is coming to you all from TOKYO as we launch Japan?s first-ever Founder University! That?s right, a full week of key insights from Japan?s top founders, investors, and tech visionaries? when we can pull ourselves away from our favorite izakaya spots, that is.

First up, Jason welcomes HyreSearch.com co-founder Sho Takei, a veteran of Uber and CloudKitchens who now helps startups recruit top talent from around the world.

Together they discuss the massive changes AI is bringing to every facet of the hiring process, Sho?s experiences working for infamously ?super-pumped? Travis Kalanick, his tips for for establishing a corporate culture when hiring your first few employees, why being a co-founder is just a bit like getting married, and LOTS MORE.

Timestamps:

(00:00) We?re in TOKYO JAPAN for Founder University with Hyre co-founder (and Uber vet) Sho Takei.

(03:13) The challenges of early Uber recruiting in Asia

(05:22) Are Japanese workers motivated by stock-based compensation? Or is cash still king?

(08:24) Why tax rates give Singapore and Dubai a competitive advantage.

(09:17) Do in-person startups have an edge against entirely remote companies?

(11:50) How Jason thinks Hyre could grab their ultimate domain name?

(13:26) Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(15:32) Just because a startup tactic works in the US? doesn?t mean it will work in Japan

(17:39) Travis Kalanick and Uber?s unique ?super pumped? approach to recruiting

(20:01) It?s hard to fire someone in Japan! The high stakes for hiring mistakes.

(23:35) Sho?s tips for establishing a culture and hiring your first few employees (?hiring is guessing, and firing is knowing?)

(25:33) Why being a co-founder is kind of like getting married

(27:46) Caldera Lab: Whether you?re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to  http://calderalab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.

(28:59) How AI is revolutionizing the hiring process, and why you still need a human in the loop

(34:02) How do you win over amazing talent that?s already happy at another company

(39:47) Pipedrive: Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at http://pipedrive.com/twist

(43:19) How Hyre operates as an agency and also an in-house recruiter

(44:57) The surprising importance of ?candidate experience? when hiring in Japan

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Thank you to our partners:

(13:26) Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity ?  Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(27:46) Caldera Lab: Whether you?re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.

(39:47) Pipedrive: Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at http://pipedrive.com/twist

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Hubspot - http://clickhubspot.com/twist1

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Today?s show: 

On the last TWiST episode before Jason goes to Japan and Alex begins on paternity leave, the hosts break down the blockbuster tech news that is kicking off 2026.

Discord AND Strava both eyeing billion dollar IPOs, two massive social media apps with millions of daily active users. Jason unpacks Discord?s the growth story, from a gaming-first product launch in 2015, to a community/work platform and social media for all. Jason explains why Strava proves that data is the MOAT for consumer apps.

PLUS Jason and Alex are joined by Producer Oliver to rank the top CES products. Jason gave his thoughts on the different robots, self driving cars, and multi-fold phones on display.

Would you buy a triple-fold phone?

Timestamps:

(00:00) Discord looks to go public at $7 Billion!

(10:05) Hubspot: Check out the guide ?How to Get Your First 100 Customers.? Download it for free at http://clickhubspot.com/twist1

(13:37) Strava going public and why data IS the moat for consumer software

(19:28) Circle.so: the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand.

(22:25) Anthropic?s $350B valuation and why it makes sense

(31:59) Sentry: New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(33:05) Why is China upset about META?s Manus acquisition ? and why Jason is hopeful for the US-China relationship

(37:24) Jason?s favorite part of CES: The rise of open source AI!

(40:59) Why Jason LOVES his self driving Tesla ? why public companies need to be safe and not push too quickly

(44:24) Producer Oliver?s Top CES Tech products

(54:46) Jason?s Major Takeway from CES

(59:43) How many times can you fold a phone?

(1:04:04) New interfaces for smartphones

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Check out the TWIST500: https://twist500.com

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

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X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/

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X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:05) Hubspot: Check out the guide ?How to Get Your First 100 Customers.? Download it for free at http://clickhubspot.com/twist1

(19:28) Circle.so: the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses ? all under your own brand.

(31:59) Sentry: New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

Great TWIST interviews: 

Will Guidara

https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ

Eoghan McCabe

https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4

Steve Huffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424

Brian Chesky

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112

Bob Moesta

https://youtu.be/y2UMzSqX94Q

Aaron Levie

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/box-ceo-aaron-levie-breaks-down-box-ai-and-generative/id315114957?i=1000612384545

Sophia Amoruso

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sophia-amoruso-on-branding-raising-a-fund-portfolio/id315114957?i=1000601352978

Reid Hoffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reid-hoffman-on-ais-crescendo-moment-regulation-and/id315114957?i=1000612548498

Frank Slootman

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/snowflake-ceo-frank-slootman-on-moving-the-needle-win/id315114957?i=1000602560622

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Gusto - https://www.gusto.com/twist

Lemon IO -  https://lemon.io/twist

Quo - http://quo.com/TWiST

Today?s show: 

We keep hearing about how AI is killing our ability to think, filling our media with slop, and ruining our kids? ability to learn. It seems the internet is filled with negative sentiment about the future AI is bringing.

Jason is joined by Grant Lee, CEO and co-founder of Gamma, as well as Steven Johnson, editorial director of NotebookLM to tackle these questions on today?s AI roundtable!

Grant and Steven break down how they are using AI to push forward their own productivity as well as their teams. Both say that AI makes you more creative! Steven points out that it helped him write his books by having AI do the ?chore work? while he got to focus on the valuable insights and higher level thinking.

One valuable tip was that AI can be used to uncover customer insights in a new medium. Steven and Grant both put customer feedback into an LLM, allowed them to have high level conversations with their whole user base about what features and products they each enjoy. If that isn?t creative, then what is?

Learn about all this and more in today?s roundtable!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introducing Steven Johnson and Grant Lee!

(10:12) Gusto: Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at https://www.gusto.com/twist

(11:28) How Jason and the TWiST team uses NotebookLM

(12:37) Will AI replace lawyers in startups and VC? Should they?

(16:08) How the Gamma team uses AI understand their consumers

(19:43) Lemon.io: Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

(22:38) How the Google team uses AI to ?talk? to their whole user base.

(24:45) Is AI replicating our brains and consciousness?

(28:18) The ways that AI is changing how companies process information.

(30:39) Quo (formerly OpenPhone) gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at http://quo.com/TWiST

(31:43) Jason thinks groupchats are the modern coffee shop for interesting ideas!

(32:48) Why Steven thinks AI makes creatives MORE ORIGINAL

(40:02) HALF of US adults think AI makes you less creative

(43:20) Grant defends using AI for doing research + making business decisions

(45:28) Superforecasting ? How to think about your thinking

(53:00) Is education going back to blue books and oral exams?

(56:30) Jevons Paradox and How AI will increase jobs for all!

(59:50) Edison put whale hunters out of business but brought in electricians and movie industry

(1:02:36) Jason coaches his employees to 10x themselves with AI tools to push value

(1:05:54) Jason?s call to join the AI revolution

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X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/

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X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:12) Gusto: Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at https://www.gusto.com/twist

(19:43) Lemon.io: Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

(30:39) Quo (formerly OpenPhone) gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at http://quo.com/TWiST

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Crusoe Cloud - https://crusoe.ai/build

Uber - http://uber.com/twist

Every.io - http://every.io/

Today?s show: 

Jason and Alex are BACK on TWiST for 2026! 

This holiday season was anything but calm, with deca-corn acquisitions, massive Polymarket bets, and major new startups breaking from stealth!

Jason talks the recent Nvidia-Groq $20B acquisition, a major exit for Chamath as the lead investor back in 2017! Jason delves into how the VC fund math shapes out for pre-seed VC funds vs. Series A VC funds.

Jason and Alex delve into drama swirling META?s AI team. Yann LeCun, META?s former Chief AI Scientist, announced that he would be leaving META to become Executive Chairman at AMI Labs. LeCun left the META team in the new year, calling the new Chief AI Scientist, Alexandr Wang, inexperienced. LeCun now looks to move AI beyond the era of LLM at AMI Labs.

PLUS Jason and Alex talk about the new social media app Tangle, from Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, and Evan Sharp, co-founder of Pinterest. Their Startup, West Co, launched tangle, which seeks to become an ?intentional living? app. The two look to improve how humans interact with modern tech. Jason points out that very few news products have worked, but is eager to see how two industry veterans build in the space. 

Timestamps:

(00:00) Why Restaurants are OVER ? Peptides and other self medications

(06:41) Nvidia Acqui-Hires Groq for $20 BILLION

(9:48) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(11:00) The VC fund math between seed vs. Series A funds

(15:00) META buys TWiST 500 Company, Manus! Why it matters.

(20:20) Uber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

(21:24) Why Yann LeCun left META, and what could be behind it

(25:27) Producer Claude on the Gondola Crash in Zurich

(29:13) Jason?s Request for Augmented human intelligence

(30:11) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/

(32:04) How one Trader made $436.8k on one bet on polymarket!

(36:05) Jason?s Predictions for 2026 IPOs

(40:01) Is news broken? How Tangle is tackling it.

(45:53) How much should startup incur in legal expenses? Should founders try to use AI to avoid costs?

(50:59) Why Google should let NotebookLM cook, make it a standalone brand! 

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Thank you to our partners:

(9:48) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(20:20) Uber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

(30:11) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

LinkedIn Ads - http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

Squarespace -https://squarespace.com/twist

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Today?s show: 

We?re saying goodbye to 2025 with our annual TWISTY Awards, looking back on our favorite pod moments from throughout the year.

Featured clips include Jason?s message to the members of Reddit?s r/AntiWork community?

Why JCal would NEVER work with Sam Altman or OpenAI?

The time that Jason got doxxed and then found the guy responsible on LinkedIn?

Why LA Mayor Karen Bass earned a *disgraziad*?

Alex saying ?Yessir!? in a weird way?

And much more classic TWiST content.

See y?all next year!

Timestamps:

(00:00) It?s the final episode of the year: The TWiSTY Awards for our favorite moments and guests of the year

(2:06) The nominees for Best Name Drop

(7:02)2025 in Trends

(9:52) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(14:28) The best Jason anecdotes and personal stories

(19:43) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(22:28) Our favorite 2025 guests, including Doug Leone, Coffeezilla, Anton Osika, and more

(29:03) The year in Jason Rants

(30:18) Hubspot: Check out the guide ?How to Get Your First 100 Customers.? Download it for free at http://clickhubspot.com/twist1

(36:11) Controversial moments and the year?s hottest takes

(44:11) DISGRAZIAD! Here are the most shameful people and companies of 2025

(50:50)Alex?s best/worst Dad Jokes

(54:32) It?s a simple word? groceries

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

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X: https://x.com/alex

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X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/

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Thank you to our partners:

(9:52) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(19:43) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(30:18) Hubspot: Check out the guide ?How to Get Your First 100 Customers.? Download it for free at http://clickhubspot.com/twist1

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Northwest Registered Agent- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Vanta - http://www.vanta.com/twist

Lemon IO - https://lemon.io/twist

Today?s show: 

Jason?s already a millionaire many times over? but what are the huge, blockbuster, dream purchases that he?s still holding off on? BESIDES the private jet we all know he wants? The Noti Gang has asked, and JCal finally answers, on a holiday TWiST where we?re taking questions from viewers and fans.

Check out the episode for lots more intriguing queries, like how to push forward and glean useful information when your first customers aren?t using your product the way you?d envisioned. Plus, is there room for both AI agents and great SaaS startups in the coming years? Hear why Jason thinks there IS.

AND we?ve got the very last Gamma Pitch Deck Competition entry before we announce our winner in the new year. Check out AskHumans, an innovative approach to improving market research.

Timestamps: 

(00:00) On a special holiday TWiST, we?re answering YOUR pressing Founder Questions!

(8:35) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(09:35) What should a founder do when a VC reaches out cold?

(13:37) The importance of maintaining ?ball control?

(15:35) A European founder asks: Should I take European investments if they?re targeting American customers?

(19:47) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(20:51) A member of the Noti gang asks for JCal?s dream mega-purchases

(24:12) Why Jason thinks there?s room for BOTH AI agents and great SaaS companies

(27:18) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

(28:23) It?s our final Gamma pitch with Zak from AskHumans!

(29:24) How AskHumans uses AI to improve on marketing surveys and research

(34:33) Management and measurement were designed before computers could understand language? why this matters.

(35:48) Why no one ever wants to give feedback in a video

(39:01) Why Zak?s pitch is ?two chapters of the same story?? and was this a pivot?

(44:14) Why founders need to assume LLMs are going to get exponentially better

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X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/

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Thank you to our partners:

(8:35) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(19:47) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(27:18) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

Great TWIST interviews: 

Will Guidara

https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ

Eoghan McCabe

https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4

Steve Huffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424

Brian Chesky

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112

Bob Moesta

https://youtu.be/y2UMzSqX94Q

Aaron Levie

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/box-ceo-aaron-levie-breaks-down-box-ai-and-generative/id315114957?i=1000612384545

Sophia Amoruso

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sophia-amoruso-on-branding-raising-a-fund-portfolio/id315114957?i=1000601352978

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Caldera + Lab - http://calderalab.com/TWIST

Crusoe Cloud - https://crusoe.ai/build

Uber - http://uber.com/twist

Today?s show: 

Why did a power outage in the Bay Area cause Waymos to pile up on city streets?

Jason was actually in San Francisco to take in the spectacle of Waymos blocking traffic. But why did this happen? And can we look forward to a day when automated cars are more graceful and coordinated than ballet dancers performing ?Swan Lake?? We?re asking the tough (and also culturally erudite) questions!

PLUS self-driving cars are coming to London, Coinbase?s buying spree continues, another entrant in our nearly-complete Gamma Pitch Deck Competition, AND why Jason predicts that Google is going to buy UBER!

You won?t want to miss this holiday TWiST!

Timestamps:

(00:00) It?s a holiday TWiST! Jason?s calling in from vacay in Lake Tahoe.

(03:11) Jason was in SF for the great Waymo power outage!

(06:06) Why Jason says one day Waymos will be better coordinated than dancers in ?Swan Lake?

(07:33) We predicted Starlink coming to every Tesla nearly 3 years ago!

(09:05) Caldera + Lab: Whether you?re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.

(11:29) Jason calls what Tesla?s Optimus team is planning ?otherworldly?

(14:39) Why Jason thinks we?re all going to live in an ?Opt-In Truman Show? someday soon

(18:52) Baidu, Lyft, and Uber bring self-driving cars to London? they don?t have them already?!

(20:49) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(24:02) When do we get to 50% of all rides being done by autonomous vehicles? and how many robotaxis will that take?

(27:50) Why Jason thinks Google is going to buy? UBER?!

(31:12) Uber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

(32:30) Will it eventually come down to which car can drive a mile for the cheapest?

(35:08) Coinbase picks up The Clearing Company, which makes frameworks for prediction markets

(39:50) How much did the biggest AI models improve this year?

(44:09) Who?s going to actually buy Warner Bros? We?re checking the Polymarket.

(47:06) GAMMA PITCH w/ Jonathan Sherman of Lumix Ads

(51:00) Why Jason says Jonathan?s pitch is a 9.5 out of 10

(52:50) What Jason looks for in a founder: ?a big audacious vision?

(54:18) How Lumix (safely) collects users? ?mobile ad ID? on the go to identify them

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/

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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

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X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/

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X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/

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Thank you to our partners:

(09:05) Caldera + Lab: Whether you?re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.

(20:49) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(31:12) Uber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Luma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twist

Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist 

Lemon IO - https://lemon.io/twist

Today?s show: 

DID YOU KNOW? most of the tried and true techniques devised by marketing gurus in the ?40s and ?50s still apply today?

On TWiST, we?re joined by online marketing expert Sam Parr, host of ?My First Million? and founder of Hampton. He?s sharing all of his top tips and tricks for making your writing more compelling, and converting your readers into new customers.

In this essential pod for any and all founders, hear Jason and Sam run down their list of the best-ever marketing books, why there?s no such this as ?too long? only ?too uninteresting,? when to use AI and when to rely on your own brain, why you?re the average of your five best friends, and lots more deep insights.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Sam Parr of The Hustle, Hampton, and My First Million is here to teach us how to become better copywriters

(03:59) How Sam got interested in the (then-shady) world of internet marketing

(06:26) Why Sam recommended THESE advertising books to Jason

(08:15) All the principles that ad execs developed in the ?50s still work!

(09:43) Glengarry had it right; the magic of A.I.D.A.

(11:19) Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with Ray3 Modify from Luma AI, the AI-powered post production tool. Explore it at: https://lumalabs.ai/twist

(14:30) There?s no such thing as ?too long,? just ?too uninteresting?

(16:15) The goal is to write at a 4th grade reading level

(18:12) Why Sam only uses AI for ?The Big Idea,? not the actual writing

(19:37) Why you?re the average of your five best friends

(21:14) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(22:15) Using AI to dig in and research, to make your writing more interesting

(23:42) CopyWork: The technique that helped Sam fine tune his writing

(28:41) Avoiding ?The Feature Death March?

(30:56) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

(32:00) Words are better than images, but videos are better than anything

(34:43) Why stories make such a huge impact

(37:36) Sam and Jason are both obsessed with the book ?How to Be Rich?

(43:02) First World Problems are still problems!!

(44:31) Why Sam launched Hampton and what it takes to get in

(47:10) Why scaling a community is so much harder than launching

(51:04) The lessons founders can take from Ted Turner

(58:36) What Jason likes best about My First Million

(1:00:28) It?s never too early to get your first $10 million

(1:04:07) How accurately did Producer Claude guess what Sam was going to teach us?

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Thank you to our partners:

(11:19) Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with Ray3 Modify from Luma AI, the AI-powered post production tool. Explore it at: https://lumalabs.ai/twist

(21:14) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(30:56) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://lemon.io/twist

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

LinkedIn Ads- http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

Squarespace - https://squarespace.com/twist

Enterpret - http://Enterpret.com/twist

Today?s show: 

How do top tech CEOs hire? AI has thrown out the playbook for getting hired ? so what are the most innovative firms looking for? Anyone can learn any skill and automate much of it, what is to be valued in the modern labor market?

On our first AI Roundtable episode of TWiST, Jason is joined by three top tech CEOs: Wade Foster (Zapier), Mikey Schulman (Suno), and Ali Ansari (Micro1). They each give their perspective on the tech talent wars and how to get hired in 2026.

The resounding answer on how to get a job? JUST START DOING THE JOB! If you want to be a designer, start sending designs to companies you want to be hired by ? don?t just sit around waiting to be hired. The biggest value you can bring is a ?high agency? mindset to your company and the role. Show you get after it!

They are also hitting on:

- How AI is getting used to make music today

- The tech industry?s communication problem

- How to raise kids in the age of AI

Timestamps:

(00:00) It?s our first ever ?This Week in AI? Roundtable, and we?ve got an amazing panel

(05:50) How Meta and OpenAI skew how everyone thinks about compensation

(09:37) The importance of looking beyond SF for talent

(10:24) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(14:39) Is AI making more people seek out developer jobs?

(18:36) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(19:36) When design becomes its own bottleneck? and some workarounds.

(22:37) It?s not how much you know, it?s how adaptable you are

(24:10) The best way to get hired: just start doing the job

(30:09) Why Ali says we?re entering the "Post-Training"

(31:34) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to http://Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

(33:32) Understanding the value of your company?s data and using it to get better outputs

(41:14) Mikey calls Suno the ?GLP-1s of the music industry?: everyone uses it but no one admits it

(46:39) Mikey Talks break out AI artists like Xania Monet

(49:32) Questions raised about how AI will effect job markets

(54:43) How AI and robotics will unlock new jobs and opportunities

(58:48) Possible solutions to the AI and automation question.

(01:04:03) Technology's communication problem and how to fix it.

(01:05:24) Are people replacing their friends with AI?

(01:08:11) How CEOs are thinking about raising young kids in the world of AI.

(01:12:21) Lightning round on AI agents, workflows vs. agents

(01:16:49) Trapped value in sales calls, questions, company meetings that are unlocked by AI

(01:22:10) How Ali pitched the LAUNCH team outside of a Jeni's Ice Cream store

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/

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Thank you to our partners:

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(18:36) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(31:34) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to http://Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Vanta - https://www.vanta.com/twist

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Today?s show: 

Domestic robots have never been hotter? so why is iRobot in so much trouble?!

On TWiST, we?re investigating the recent troubles facing the automated vacuum robot, Roomba. We?ve all seen these little discs sweeping up our friends? floors? but now the company behind them is running out of cash.

What happened to iRobot, and would things have turned out differently if they had been sold to Amazon back in 2022?

PLUS why Jason thinks you should spend your disposable income on investing? Is Alex still a journalist, and what does that actually mean for his portfolio?? Are founders and investors too cautious when it comes to signaling risk?? Why did all those internal Pipe documents leak online?? And MUCH MORE!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Why Jason loves Incentivizing New Ventures and Economic Strength Through Capital Formation!

(09:48) Jason warns ?no one is coming to help you with your job loss?; you?re on your own!

(10:21) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(13:05) Why Jason thinks laid-off HR folks should be starting their own ?micro-funds"

(14:13) Does Alex consider himself a journalist? Is it unethical for him to invest in companies? (Let?s get INTO IT.)

(16:02) You can?t become complacent when you?re in the lead!

(20:03) Why you should use disposable ?entertainment? income on investing

(22:32) Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://www.netsuite.com/twist

(23:36) $9B in new funds?! What is Lightspeed up to?

(26:10) Is everyone too cautious about ?signaling risk??

(28:39) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(31:21) How does Jason think those Pipe documents leaked? And WHY?

(38:15) The critical importance of diversification

(39:35) iRobot went BANKRUPT! Who killed the Roomba?

(44:47) Are there ANY potential deals that would bother Jason? It?s all about market share.

(48:18) HuggingFace is moving major Reachy Minis! How open source turns everything upside down.

(53:22) How Polymarket will decide when/if the AI bubble ?bursts.?

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:21) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(22:32)  Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://www.netsuite.com/twist

(28:39) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

Great TWIST interviews: 

Will Guidara

https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ

Eoghan McCabe

https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4

Steve Huffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424

Brian Chesky

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112

Bob Moesta

https://youtu.be/y2UMzSqX94Q

Aaron Levie

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/box-ceo-aaron-levie-breaks-down-box-ai-and-generative/id315114957?i=1000612384545

Sophia Amoruso

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sophia-amoruso-on-branding-raising-a-fund-portfolio/id315114957?i=1000601352978

Reid Hoffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reid-hoffman-on-ais-crescendo-moment-regulation-and/id315114957?i=1000612548498

Frank Slootman

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/snowflake-ceo-frank-slootman-on-moving-the-needle-win/id315114957?i=1000602560622

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Today?s show: 

FINALLY, you can hang out with Kylo Ren and Olaf the Snowman? thanks to the magic of AI.

On TWiST, we?re digging into the mega OpenAI-Disney deal. Mickey is giving Sam Altman a $1 billion investment AND will allow is copyrighted characters to appear in Sora and ChatGPT images.

Of course, Jason predicted this would happen WAY BACK during the summer months and even showed off his ?Darth Calacanis? creation on the ?All-In Podcast.?

PLUS Amazon has been launching and pulling AI features from Prime Video? what gives? Jason?s predictions on the coming AI blowback and who?s on what side. Why he?s so focused on Education, Health Care, and Housing as issues. AND why founders should always take calls from Big Companies, even if it might just be a fishing expedition.

It?s a new Friday TWiST! Check it out!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Lon joins Alex and Jason to talk about the big Disney-OpenAI deal bringing Disney characters to Sora

(03:10) Jason totally called the Disney-OpenAI stuff on All-In

(9:42) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(18:59) DevStats - DevStats integrates your dev work and your business goals into a shared language that everyone can understand. Get 20% off, plus access to their dedicated Slack channel. Just go to https://www.devstats.com/twist.

(20:15) Why Amazon Prime Video pulled its AI recaps and anime dubs

(24:44) Who gets to set the rules around AI: The Debate Continues

(26:13) Jason?s predictions on the AI blowback coming in 2026? with clips!

(30:11) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(31:21) Is AI here to help people or replace them?

(35:55) It?s all about EHH: Education, Health Care, Housing

(40:47) How all of this and MORE will be impacted directly by AI automation

(45:35) Why Alex wants to lower the temperature around AI Doomerism

(51:19) JUST FOR FOUNDERS: When should you take a call from a BigCo?

(53:45) Why Jason thinks just about everyone in media will lose to TikTok and YouTube

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/

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Thank you to our partners:

(9:42) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(18:59) DevStats - DevStats integrates your dev work and your business goals into a shared language that everyone can understand. Get 20% off, plus access to their dedicated Slack channel. Just go to https://www.devstats.com/twist.

(30:11) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today?s show: 

Boom is still making supersonic jets but ALSO plans to start selling their turbines as power sources for AI data centers. It?s a perfect example of problem-solving on the go and how ?the best founders? MAKE IT HAPPEN.?

Join us for another insightful VC roundtable episode, featuring special guests Bryan Kim (a16z) and David Clark (Ven Cap).

They?re discussing why Boom?s turbine announcement is about necessity AND opportunity PLUS?

- Why we might NOT be in an AI bubble after all

- Promoting your startup without spending your entire runway on marketing

- Why founders need to be RELENTLESS

- Bill Gurley?s classic response about Uber?s Total Addressable Market

- AND LOTS MORE

Bill Gurley?s iconic ?Miss By a Mile? post: https://abovethecrowd.com/2014/07/11/how-to-miss-by-a-mile-an-alternative-look-at-ubers-potential-market-size/

Link to David?s LinkedIn (including the AI Bubble chart): https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7404139606398443520/

Timestamps:

(02:11) It?s a VC Roundtable with special guests Bryan Kim (a16z) and David Clark (Ven Cap)

(03:07) Why Bryan is leading a Series A into learning app Oboe

(06:20) Calculating a startup?s value to make everyone ?somewhat unhappy?

(09:19) How Oboe hits a lot of the same metrics that LAUNCH looks for in startups

(11:58) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/ai-solutions

(12:57) How funds decide when to cash out and lock in some DPI

(18:12) When some LPs want to sell and others want to buy?

(19:57) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year. 

(24:07) Is the threat of AI job displacement boosting self-improvement apps?

(27:37) Why Jason says we?re all standing on the shoulders of Bill Gurley

(29:46) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(31:28) Boom?s turbine pivot, and why it?s about necessity AND opportunity (in that order)

(34:14) THE BEST FOUNDERS find a way to make it happen!

(39:10) So? are we in an AI bubble? David says NOT NECESSARILY! Checking out the actual metrics.

(44:36) We?re still SO EARLY in AI? We?re still seeing mostly skeuomorphic uses! (It?s a real word!)

(48:06) William Gibson was right: ?The Street finds its own uses for things?

(51:11) How AI startups should think about margins

(55:58) Why LAUNCH tells founders to ?start at the high end?

(57:33) Should founders spend a lot of $$$ on marketing in 2025? The panel disagrees!

(1:00:05) Momentum vs. Product Release Velocity

(1:03:26) It all comes back to the ?relentlessness of the founder?

(1:05:17) Our panel?s hopes and dreams for the coming year

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(19:57) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year. 

(29:46) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Goldbelly - Goldbelly.com

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Zite - zite.com/twist

Today?s show:

Today, Zapier?s a multi-billion company helping enterprises integrate AI agents and other time-saving shortcuts into their workflows? but we had the founder on TWiST when they were just getting started!

In a 2016 chat, founder Wade Foster walked JCal through their 2012 seed round, running a small entirely remote team with no HQ, the complexities of building a tool that relies on third-party APIs, and why Microsoft Office was the ?Holy Grail? for his integration software.

PLUS we?ve got a new entrant in your Gamma Pitch Deck competition! Tour CEO/CTO Amulya Parmer tells us how his app is saving property managers time and grief, while eliminating ?looky-loos? and increasing their ?hit rate.?

FINALLY, Alex chats with Tomas Puig of TWiST 500 marketing analysis startup Alembic. It turns out, LLMs aren?t ideal for scrutinizing marketing campaigns because they lack the requisite historical data. Find out how they?re using Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) to dig deeper than GPT and Claude can go.

Timestamps:

(02:40) Amulya from Tour opens the show with praise for Jason

(03:34) Tour?s 2-minute Gamma pitch: automated property tours for managers

(06:47) Why Jason thinks Tour is an ideal tool for Gen Z

(10:01) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America?s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.

(13:32) How Tour can eliminate ?looky-loos? and increase the ?hit rate?

(14:38) Why Tour prices based on individual properties and apartments

(19:13) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.

(20:23) Jason wants to sprinkle some AI into Tour

(24:29) Welcoming Tomas Puig from Alembic

(25:12) Does epic-scale brand marketing actually pay off for these brands?

(27:27) The hardest thing about being a marketer?

(28:31) Alembic?s origins: organizing huge unstructured data sets

(30:18) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.

(31:27) Case Study: making sense of Delta?s Olympics data

(33:37) Applying simulation models and supercomputers to marketing data

(35:48) How Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) help Alembic spot trends and link causal relationships

(41:13) The key advantage of training models on private data

(43:16) Building their own clusters vs. renting

(44:41) ?You don?t ask if you have Product Market Fit? You hold on for dear life.?

(46:28) Flashback with Alex and Lon to Jason?s 2016 chat with Wade Foster of Zapier

(54:48) The dangers of building atop other platform?s APIs

(01:03:00) What Zapier learned pre-pandemic about leading remote teams

(01:13:12) Why MS Office was the ?Holy Grail? for early Zapier

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:01) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America?s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.

(19:13) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.

(30:18) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.

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Today?s show: 

A screenshot showing a ?Target Ad? in ChatGPT results went viral? over the weekend, but the OpenAI chatbot has NOT actually opened the advertising floodgates just yet.

As ChatGPT staffers were quick to explain on social media, this was actually an invitation for a user to integrate their Target account into ChatGPT, for an easier agentic browsing and shopping experience.

But it does prompt Jason and Alex to ask some intriguing questions? Is OpenAI just waiting for Google or someone else to launch AI ads first, and face the inevitable flood of backlash they?ll presumably receive? Is there someone at OpenAI already thinking DEEPLY about how these in-feed ads should work? And what does this mean for their wager on when ChatGPT is going to actually get ads? Is that already decided?

These answers and more are coming your way on today?s action-packed TWiST? PLUS the latest on the Warner Bros Discovery-Netflix deal, PR guru Lulu Cheng Meservey?s new venture fund, and why Jason and Lon are obsessing about Apple TV?s ?Pluribius.?

Timestamps:

(01:59) They put Target ads in ChatGPT? Or was it just an integration? Is there a difference?

(5:24) Is someone at OpenAI really thinking deeply about how in-feed ads should work?

(07:36) Is OpenAI just waiting for Google to start running ads to post their own? Jason has suspicions?

(10:01) Why Jason thinks startup people have so much trouble communicating with normies

(10:32) Superhuman - Get AI that works where you work. Unlock your Superhuman potential at http://superhuman.com/podcast

(13:22) The insane competition now facing down OpenAI and Sam Altman

(18:40) Why Jason will no longer use data from SaaS companies looking for a marketing win

(19:52) Does this mean ChatGPT TECHNICALLY has ads? Does Alex win the bet?! What does Polymarket think?

(20:36) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(25:17) Why Jason is already tired of the Netflix-Paramount-WBD story

(30:06) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to http://Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

(34:03) President Jason?s new proposal: A 60-day ?pre-approval? antitrust window

(47:29) Why Jason?s not interested in news commentary? just the facts.

(51:40) Jason and Lon take a few moments to praise ?Pluribus?

(54:45) PR guru Lulu Cheng Meservey is starting a venture firm? here?s why she wants to start a ?movement?

(58:05) Why PR people hate but also respect Jason

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:32) Superhuman - Get AI that works where you work. Unlock your Superhuman potential at http://superhuman.com/podcast

(20:36) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(30:06) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to http://Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today?s show:

Netflix wants to gobble up Warner Bros. Do they just want to own Batman and Harry Potter, or is this secretly about destroying movie theaters?

Sure, this is usually a startup show, but news THIS BIG warrants attention! So Lon stops by to tell Jason and Alex about the big Netflix acquisition news, why so many theatrical movie fans are terrified for the future, and why this might face particular regulatory scrutiny both at home and abroad.

PLUS? are Googlers gaming Polymarket? This is one scenario in which prediction markets are NOT exactly like stocks.

THEN we?re looking at some of our favorite startups from the Fall ?25 Y Combinator cohort (and asking Producer Claude for his picks)? Considering why Perplexity keeps getting sued and how they can stop it? and doing a victory lap for Jason?s early investment in breakout AI training project Micro1.

Timestamps:

(02:05) Netflix buying Warner Bros! Jason, Lon and Alex react.

(05:04) Jaytrade Update: J kind of missed the boat on this one

(05:36) What does this mean for theatrical cinema?

(08:42) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(09:52) Jason?s pitch to Disney CEO Bob Iger (please send this to him!)

(19:36) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(23:29) Is this deal going to get approval, at home and abroad?

(25:52) Are Googlers gaming Polymarket?

(28:02) Can you do ?insider trading? on a prediction market?

(29:23) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist

(37:00) How accelerators like Y Combinator serve as ?finishing schools? for startups

(37:52) A Quick Look at some of our fav companies from YC?s Fall ?25 cohort

(39:01) Why startups need to ?skate to where the puck is going?

(40:08) Why sometimes old ideas (like solar-powered aircraft) are often worth revisiting

(45:29) Jason?s advice for founders (and investors) in the ?feel good? or activist space

(50:48) Why Lon, Alex, and Claude ALL thought Hyperspell sounds like a hot startup

(52:58) Perplexity getting sued again! Why can?t they make friends!

(57:51) Meanwhile, Meta?s signing AI deals with news publications.

(59:21) Micro1, which Jason helped to fund, has hit $100M ARR! Why do AI companies need so many experts?

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

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Thank you to our partners:

(8:42) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(19:36) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(29:23) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Crusoe - http://crusoe.ai/build

Gusto - https://www.gusto.com/twist

Today?s show:

Delegating is its own unique skill, requiring training and a real investment of time and attention.

On TWiST, Jason chats for a full hour with the founder of one of his favorite startups, Athena, which trains online assistants and pairs them with busy founders and executives. (Jason has 2!)

But getting the MOST out of your executive assistants is less obvious than it looks. Jonathan unpacks some of the secrets to ?Black Diamond Delegating,? and how he manages to keep 6 different high-level helpers operating at once.

Plus, Jason and Jonathan look back at the Open Angel Forum days, where Jason invested in Jonathan?s previous company, Thumbtack, praise the ?Checklist Manifesto,? discuss the telltale signs you?ve achieved market pull, and lots more insights.

Timestamps:

(01:53) We?re joined by Jonathan Swanson from one of JCal?s fav startups, Athena!(02:02) Jason and Jonathan first met during the Open Angel Forum, when Jonathan was working on Thumbtack(06:44) Finding the ?little touches? that can help make an app more delightful(9:47) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(12:05) The shift from Thumbtack to Athena was all about time(12:52) How Jonathan delegates to 6 exec assistants at once(14:22) Pricing Athena?s EAs: Jason runs the numbers(15:09) Why Athena made Jason believe in hiring assistants again(18:15) Getting past the ?Cardinal Sins of Delegation?(19:38) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(20:48) Will AI ever be able to replace Athena assistants?(23:41) Inside how Athena finds and trains assistants from around the world(27:01) How JCal became an Athena Ambassador? and almost crashed the system!(30:55) Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at https://www.gusto.com/twist(32:11) The magic of having assistants work on ?backstop projects? and creative tasks(37:14) How to know when you have achieved market pull(40:05) Why getting the most out of delegating takes real investment and training(44:36) More praise for the Checklist Manifesto(46:26) Jonathan gives us a peek at what ?Black Diamond Delegation? looks like(52:14) Jason?s early experiences hiring overseas assistants, from the Mahalo days*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Follow Lon:X: https://x.com/lons*Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/*Thank you to our partners:(9:47) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(19:38) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(30:55) Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at https://www.gusto.com/twist

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Today?s show: 

Did you know there?s actually a shortage of US bricklayers? It?s TRUE! So feel free to marvel at Monumental?s brick-laying robots. They?re not putting anyone out of work, but filling a much-needed gap.

Join Alex and Monumental founder/CEO Salar al Khafaji for a deep-dive on how the startup is making construction robots play nice together by maintaining separate ?zones? of operation, why Salar thinks startups need to focus on truly complex, real-world problems to truly blossom, and the secrets of fundraising in Europe.

PLUS Alex chats with Seasats CEO Mike Flanigan about designing the next generation of autonomous marine crafts. (That is to say, ocean drones.) From their home base in San Diego, the company is trying to get completely independent of all Chinese parts. Find out how it?s going, how they?re overcoming the ?wildly negative? ROI on maritime tech, and why we have so few defenses against tiny, agile drones.

All that AND Jason takes some of YOUR Founder Questions.

Timestamps:

(03:23) How Monumental determined what kinds of robots construction sites need the most

(06:49) How maintaining ?zones? ensure that the robots all play nice with one another

(07:52) There?s a shortage of bricklayers, so Monumental?s NOT taking anyone?s job

(9:16) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(13:21) Why startups need to tackle large-scale, complex, real-world problems to really grow

(15:44) Why Monumental is building in The Netherlands, and running pilots in the UK

(19:07) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(20:44) Why construction is unique among applications for automation and robots

(26:01) Salar argues that fundraising in Europe is not as hard as you may have heard

(27:55) We don?t just need housing, we need BEAUTIFUL housing

(31:11) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year. 

(33:25) How the Scout autonomous boat challenge inspired Seasats

(35:28) Trying to make drones into an ?iPhone Style? project

(37:39) Why Seasats is focused on endurance and staying power more than launches

(39:15) The complexities of working with fuel cells

(42:27) The importance of beautiful design even when working on government technology

(45:51) Why they?re building Seasats in beautiful San Diego, CA

(47:29) The challenge of getting entirely free from Chinese components

(53:52) ?The Power of Small Things Has Changed?

(55:18) The ?wildly negative? ROI on most humanoid robotics companies also applies to maritime tech

(59:09) Why there are so few defense nets against people with tiny but agile drones

(01:02:32) FOUNDER Q?s: Is a founder working 24/7 a red flag?

(01:10:11) How bad is it to use VC money to pay off credit cards?

(01:12:49) A look at Cursor?s unique recruitment strategy.

(01:19:57) Should young VCs go to startup conferences?

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Today?s show: 

Michael Saylor?s Strategy play is struggling with the price of Bitcoin on a steep decline? Is his new ?dollar reserve? the answer?

On TWiST, we?re looking into the state of $MSTR and why Jason remains SO skeptical about this increasingly convoluted financial scheme.

Is CNBC giving Michael Saylor a pass? Is that why he won?t go on ?All-In?? And do investors realize that loans go BEFORE equity? We?re asking the TOUGH questions?

PLUS Jason?s Four Red Flags for companies with convoluted tactics? Why S&P Global downgraded Tether, and why Jason thinks the US government waited TOO LONG to pass stablecoin regulations? Jason reacts to the NYT ?hit piece? on Bestie David Sacks? we?re checking out the new Matic robot vacuum and Sunday Robotics? Memo bot? PLUS much more of the day?s biggest tech news and stories.

Timestamps:

(03:04) Why Jason broke his ?No Demo Day? rule for the LAUNCH 35 Accelerator

(07:08) What we can learn from BitcoinTreasuries.net about the marketplace

(07:42) Why Jason remains SO skeptical on $MSTR? and any sufficiently convoluted financial scheme?

(7:56) Jason?s Four Red Flags for rogue companies and financial schemes

(9:49) Quo (formerly OpenPhone) gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at http://quo.com/TWiST

(14:31) When loans go before equity, and how this can dilute your investment!

(18:05) Is CNBC giving Michael Saylor a pass? Why Jason thinks he won?t go on ?All-In.?

(19:30) Checking in with Polymarket?s thoughts on potential MicroStrategy Bitcoin sales

(20:21) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist

(22:58) Speaking of complex schemes? why S&P Global downgraded Tether

(29:26) Is Tether too good to be true, as an investment?

(25:17) Why Jason thinks the US waited too long to pass stablecoin regulations.

(30:24) Miro - Help your teams get great done with Miro. Check out http://miro.com to find out how!

(36:15) Jason?s reaction to the NYT piece about Bestie David Sacks

(43:14) Is there a growing divide within the GOP about how to engage with tech companies?

(44:04) What are ?Glue Employees? and why are they important?

(45:03) How to tell your ?Glue Employees? apart from the ?union reps? and other rabble rousers?

(51:50) Sunday Robotics: another human-ish robot but with WHEELS (and a baseball cap)

(56:05) We?re checking out the Matic robot vacuum as well? Should these products be combined?

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Great TWIST interviews: 

Will Guidara

https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ

Eoghan McCabe

https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4

Steve Huffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424

Brian Chesky

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112

Register here to join Founder University Japan?s kickoff! ?? https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday?s show: On TWiST, Alex is chatting with Neubird CEO Gou Rao about the intricate complexity of IT Ops, and the vast amount of layers and components that have to be delivered very quickly to your phone in order to stream a simple video clip.Neubird has developed Hawkeye, an AI ?engineer? that uses ?context engineering? to isolate and troubleshoot problems, while still keeping costs down. Loading up a video to show your friends may SOUND straightforward, but it?s actually, as Alex notes, a miracle anything on the internet works at all.PLUS we?ve got Subject AI CEO Michael Vilardo stopping by to tell us how the app uses gamification to keep kids learning and engaged. NOTE TO FOUNDERS: Mike got invited on the show because he sends email updates to his ?dream investors,? including Jason. It?s a solid best practice!Finally, we?re flashing back to a remarkably prescient 2019 interview with then-Scale AI chief Alexandr Wang, who tells us why he thinks the AI Doomsday scenarios ? AND the elaborate AGI promises ? are both way overblown.Timestamps:(3:19) Neubird asks: What if we took AI tools and applied them to IT ops?(5:17) Why does IT ops seem to get so much more complicated over time?(6:14) Gou walks us through all the various components that need to be delivered when you post a simple TikTok video(8:41) Why agentic systems (like Hawkeye) are the ideal tool for monitoring metrics, logs, traces and alerts(10:05) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech(11:17) How is IT Ops different from Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)?(12:36) Is Hawkeye an AI Agent or an ?Engineer?? How we decide what to call our ?co-pilot.?(16:07) How ?context engineering? helps Hawkeye isolate problems, and keeps inference costs down(17:27) Is Hawkeye plug and play? Or does it need to be trained on a specific system?(18:59) How Neubird measures Hawkeye?s overall effectiveness(19:59) Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to http://getperspective.ai/twist(21:47) Hawkeye can diagnose and make recommendations, or go in and fix the problem itself, if you like!(24:27) What Gou thinks about the pace of AI innovation: Has it slowed? Are we in a lull?(25:41) LLMs already have a lot of knowledge, but how do we enhance their EQ?(28:58) TIP FOR FOUNDERS: Send updates to your ?dream? investors! That?s how Mike got on the show!(30:20) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at https://Uber.com/twist?(31:21) The importance of branding? Why Mike pivoted to Subject.ai(33:43) How Subject helps bring teachers and students together for more 1-on-1 interaction(35:48) Mike walks us through how Subject works, and how gamification keeps kids engaged(39:56) Is anything lost when an AI grades a student?s test, rather than a human?(42:09) Subject can serve as a ?teacher of record? in classrooms(46:28) Why Mike and Subject AI are back in the office(47:40) TWIST FLASHBACK with Alexandr Wang of Scale AI from November 2019(53:10) Alexandr explains AI to Jason (back when it was still called ?Machine Learning?)(1:01:08) How AI will help people focus on ?higher-value work?(1:04:48) Why Alexandr thinks apocalyptic AI scenarios are unrealistic(1:13:28) Are the big promises around AGI overblown?*Thank you to our partners:(10:05) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech(19:59) Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to http://getperspective.ai/twist(30:20) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at https://Uber.com/twist

Register here for Founder University Japan?s Kickoff ?? https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

The team from Familify had released a well-reviewed storytelling app for kids and parents? but it just wasn?t growing!

Then they noticed that Bible stories and faith-based content was particularly popular. So they decided released a brand new app, Theo, just for these sorts of lessons and stories. And the new product overtook Storybook in just a few weeks!

It?s a vital lesson for founders? Even if you succeed, you may be able to succeed EVEN MORE. Remain flexible and open to strong new ideas (especially if, like Francisco, your wife suggests them!)

PLUS we?re chatting with Collin from En Vérité about how AI can make do diligence much less painful for investors AND checking out our latest Gamma Pitch Deck competitor. Find out why Jason says Jake Triton from Pitch Prfct might just be closing in on Product Market Fit.

Timestamps:

(5:20) How Storybook, then Theo was motivated by a children?s mental health crisis

(5:46) Despite great reviews, Storybook wasn?t growing! Here?s what they did.

(7:13) The Power of Experiments: Theo overtook Storybook in popularity in JUST WEEKS

(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(11:04) Digging in to the decision to flip from all stories to Bible stories

(12:34) The difference in how users perceive prayer vs. meditation

(14:06) Will they make different Theos for different denominations of Christianity? Other faiths?

(14:55) Jason makes the case for the Theo app and its team

(19:59) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(21:50) Key lessons for founders from Francisco?s pitch today

(26:51) Collin Sebastian from En Vérité joins the show to tell us how En Vérité helps prepare founders for the due diligence process

(30:00) Enterpret: Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

(31:03) Jason recalls some diligence horror stories from his past

(32:14) Where En Vérité gets their data and how they use it

(36:39) What Collin learned from his time at SoftBank

(39:44) The Gamma Pitch Deck Competition returns with Jake Triton from PitchPrfct [https://x.com/JakeTriton] @pitchprfctsms

(42:29) Why Jason thinks Jake is closing in on Product Market Fit

(45:51)How PitchPrfct plans to have AI help build your campaign and workflow

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(19:59) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(30:00) Enterpret: Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Register here to join Founder University Japan?s kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

Google and Meta had their cases dismissed (or received a slap on the wrist)? Despite all the backlash and cynicism, AI companies continue making bank and releasing hot new products? What does it all mean?

For Jason Calacanis, the signs are pointing to a ?major M&A moment,? with huge opportunities for increased efficiency and consolidation among America?s favorite brands and largest companies?

Who will it be? Join Jason and Alex for a round of hot speculation.

PLUS why Jason thinks Michael Burry is both right and wrong about GPU depreciation, why NOTHING is certain about these OpenAI mega-deals, Google?s Nano Banana Pro can make infographics and they?re VERY impressive? and much more.

Timestamps:

(1:54) Jason?s calling in from Vegas? He?s doing a hot lap at F1!

(3:18) How restaurants are becoming the new Hot IP

(6:50) Founder University is heading to TOKYO!

(9:27) Why Jason thinks the future of startups is truly global

(10:06) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist

(11:39) Nvidia killed it on the numbers? but what are the vibes around AI? Jason sounds off.

(13:05) Why nothing is certain when it comes to the Nvidia/OpenAI deal

(19:40) Is Google now WINNING consumer adoption of AI? How did it get this close?

(19:57) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(26:07) Meanwhile, AI apps are still dominating the iOS Store

(27:09) Why Jason and Alex think Michael Burry?s both right and wrong about GPU depreciation

(30:13) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(37:46) We?re testing out Nano Banana Pro on a BBQ infographic challenge

(43:42) What a week for AI models! It doesn?t seem like things are slowing down?

(46:12) Kalshi is growing fast, but can it catch Polymarket?

(47:50) Is a rate cut coming? Jason and Alex read the tea leaves.

(50:13) Why Jason predicts a ?major M&A moment? in the next six months

(52:09) VIEWER QUESTION: What should a software engineer be working on RIGHT NOW.

(54:02) Founder Friday is now? STARTUP SUPPER CLUB

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:06) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist

(19:57) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(30:13) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Today?s show:

The race for more compute gets all the headlines, but Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch tells us the REAL danger is running out of data!

On TWiST, Jason and Alex are chatting with the head of France?s largest foundation AI company, Mistral AI, about how enterprises can get more out of their AI pilots, whether the West is lacking leadership on open-source, why Mistral AI isn?t pursuing every possible kind of AI application, and optimizing your models for performance rather than benchmarks (aka benchmaxxing). Find out what it?s like to run a huge AI company in today?s intense environment!

PLUS? why everyone made the wrong call on OpenAI vs. Google? Kraken?s fresh $20 billion valuation? Jason?s urgent message to every company thinking about M&A? and much more!

Timestamps:

(3:35) Why did everyone get it wrong on Google vs. OpenAI?

(10:51) Why Jason thinks drone delivery will make everyone safer

(9:52) SQUARESPACE: Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(11:26) Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch joins us! What?s it like to run a foundation model AI company in this intense environment?

(14:50) Why enterprises aren?t getting enough value out of AI and how Mistral AI aims to correct this

(18:45) Why Mistral AI?s goal is, ultimately, to disappear?

(20:19) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(22:49) Are Europe and the US lacking leadership on open source AI?

(24:53) Mistral AI doesn?t need to compete in every category... how big of an advantage is focus?

(27:05) The ?two bottlenecks? in Machine Learning: Compute and Data

(29:01) How Mistral AI works with human experts to annotate their models, and where they source them from

(30:06) Nexos.ai: Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.

(34:24) Is optimizing your model for benchmark tests (aka benchmaxxing) like cheating?

(40:08) Will we ever be able to run smaller AI models on our phones?

(44:21) When does Arthur think we?ll have truly helpful humanoid robots in our lives?

(49:42) Suno lawsuits and why Jason says you should NEVER break the rules, ESPECIALLY with the music industry

(54:28) Release the Kraken! They?re now worth $20 billion.

(56:48) Jason is going to F1? should he take up the offer and do a dry run?

(58:30) How Meta beat the FTC and why Jason is so excited about it

(1:01:37) Who should buy Crunchbase?

AI Model Showdown: Grok 4.1 vs. Gemini 3 | E2211

Register for Founder University Japan?s Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

*Will the arrival of two hotly-anticipated, intensely powerful AI models snap the Doomer cycle?

On a new TWiST, Jason and Alex consider the current AI landscape, one where cynicism about insider mega-deals, fear of job displacement, and concerns about bubble bursts seem to rule the day. Will the arrival of two powerful new models ? xAI?s Grok 4.1 and Google?s Gemini 3 ? help the industry to course-correct? And how do we decide how much these models have improved anyway?

PLUS we?re investigating Cloudflare?s recent downtime and their acquisition of Replicate. Are we heading toward a future in which everyone runs their own models, locally? And how worried should founders get if their products or sites go down for a few hours?

Finally, if you?re an investor, and want to come to Jason?s Dim Sum Demo Day in San Francisco, here?s the link: http://launch.co/dimsum

Timestamps:

(2:01) Why the internet got broadly degraded when Cloudflare went down

(5:00) How worried should founders become when their sites go offline?

(6:44) Downtime aside, what did Cloudflare want with Replicate?

(8:12) Why Jason predicts one day we?ll run our own local language models

(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America?s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.

(15:25) How to turn off ?Learn From This App? on your iPhone

(17:29) Will the arrival of hotly-anticipated new models stop the spread of Doomerism and AI cynicism

(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.

(23:53) Checking back in with the ?Best AI Model? Polymarket? why has ChatGPT dropped so low?

(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.

(31:14) ANOTHER AI mega-deal? Nvidia and Microsoft are investing in? ANTHROPIC

(33:06) Why so many AI deals now include ?up to?? language around investments

(35:04) What Jason thinks of Dario Amodei?s warning about white collar job displacement

(39:39) If we all agree AI job displacement is coming? what can be done?

(45:16) All about Jason?s Dim Sum Investor Demo Day in San Francisco!

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America?s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.

(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.

(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

*Are we finally reaching Peak eVTOL? Jason and Alex on Joby?s big Abu Dhabi moves and Archer?s purchase of LA?s Hawthorne Airport.

On a PACKED Monday TWiST, Jason is BACK from MENA and Tokyo. Hear tales from his whirlwind trips launching new Founder University satellite programs? and find out why construction and fintech are BOOMING across the Middle East.

PLUS Ramp raised $300M? here?s why Alex calls the round ?pretty baller.? We question why AI companies are growing SO MUCH FOUNDER than their SaaS counterparts. We?re digging into the Problem with Dropbox.

AND we?re saying goodbye to KitKat, the beloved SF bodega cat who was reportedly run over by a Waymo. Here?s why Jason?s not too broken up about it (but he?s JUST JOKING!)

?  Register here for Founder University Japan?s kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

Timestamps:

(2:17) Big takeaways from Jason?s MENA Founder University trip

(6:54) Why construction and fintech are booming across the Middle East(9:56) Netsuite. The business landscape is very chaotic right now. That?s why you need NetSuite, by Oracle. Download the CFO?s Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist

(12:35) Everything was very different at Founder University Japan! It?s coming in January.

(15:59) Ramp raised $300M at a $32B valuation? why Alex says it?s ?pretty baller?

(17:15) Ramp says AI agents are making money more intelligent? the heck does that mean?

(19:26) We?re building more space for machines than humans now? and why Jason?s not sure this will last

(19:48) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(23:41) Why AI is growing SO MUCH faster than even top SaaS companies

(25:32) The Problem with Dropbox?

(30:21) DevStats - DevStats integrates your dev work and your business goals into a shared language that everyone can understand. Get 20% off, plus access to their dedicated Slack channel. Just go to https://www.DevStats.com/twist.

(32:39) Jason ate his way across Tokyo? here?s all the deets

(33:16) RIP KitKat, beloved SF bodega cat killed by a Waymo

(39:03) So who SHOULD get to make decisions about local roads?

(44:15) Dario Amodei from Anthropic shares Jason?s concerns about AI job displacement

(52:02) What?s going on with crypto prices? Is this vibe-based? Just based on the wider economy?

(58:14) Viewer questions: What strategies should founders employ in the current fundraising landscape?

(1:02:42) Bezos RETURNS to the C-Suite. What IS ?Project Prometheus??

(1:10:24) Jason thinks Bezos still returns to Amazon at some point? or runs for President.

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ?https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

(9:56) Netsuite. The business landscape is very chaotic right now. That?s why you need NetSuite, by Oracle. Download the CFO?s Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist

(19:48) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(30:21) DevStats - DevStats integrates your dev work and your business goals into a shared language that everyone can understand. Get 20% off, plus access to their dedicated Slack channel. Just go to https://www.DevStats.com/twist.

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

? Register here to join Founder University Japan?s kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

Nox?s new app RPLY reminds you to text your friends back, getting you to iMessage inbox zero.

On today?s TWiST, we?ve got Molly Cantillon of Nox, telling us how she plans to make lackadaisical texters (like our co-host Alex) more effective, even if it means breaking into Apple?s walled garden. Hear about how RPLY maps your relationships so that it can understand your messages contextually, and help you stay organized.

Then, Gregg Mojica of Alloy Automation swings by the show to dispel some common myths about AI agents. For the most part, these little machine learning helps aren?t truly autonomous? Hear how Alloy?s agents decide when it?s time to bring in a human for help. PLUS is AI in a ?lull? right now? Hear why Gregg thinks there?s still a LOT of room for these apps to improve.

Finally, it?s another TWiST Flashback. We?re jumping back to 2013 for an eye-opening chat between Jason and Shopify founder/CEO Tobi Lutke. Hear some fascinatingly prescient takes on the rise of SaaS, how early Shopify differentiated itself from other ecommerce and website building solutions, AND why Tobi dreamed of making Ottawa a true tech hub.

Timestamps:

(02:57) Molly Cantillon of Nox is trying to help you get better at texting

(04:01) How RPLY gets even chaotic texters like Alex more organized

(05:10) The complexities of entering into Apple?s ?walled garden?

(07:20) Keeping RPLY safe, in case you?re using it for work!(09:24) Miro - Help your teams get great done with Miro. Check out miro.com to find out how!

(11:59) How RPLY uses relationship mapping to understand and prioritize your messages(19:23) Perspective AI - Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.

(21:08) Why Nox wants its AI to become ?the Invisible OS.?(29:30) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.

(30:40) We?ve got Gregg Mojica of AI agent makers Alloy Automation

(31:42) How the rise of AI agents changed the core of Gregg?s business

(34:03) Why most AI agents still aren?t truly autonomous

(35:00) How Alloy?s agents decide when to bring in a human for help

(37:02) Why the rapid acceleration of AI development has made some enterprises pump the brakes

(39:00) Is AI in a ?lull? right now? Why Gregg thinks there?s still room to improve.

(40:31) How close are we to AI apps going truly mainstream?

(43:41) Why Alloy Automation didn?t raise a massive round like so many of its AI peers? (Or are they?!)

(46:48) The difficulty of hiring in today?s AI landscape

(50:21) In today?s TWiST Flashback, we?re revisiting Tobi Lutke of Shopify?s appearance from way back in 2013!

(52:11) Why Shopify switched from selling snowboards to storefronts

(59:37) Turning Ottawa into a tech hub, and the ?secondary market? theory

(1:05:32)The constant tension between growing your global footprint and expanding your features

(1:08:52)Who were Shopify?s actual rivals?

? Register here to join the kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

Just getting our stuff into orbit isn?t enough? Orbital Operations wants to help companies take things HIGHER.

In today?s TWiST 500 interview, Alex chats with Ben Schleuniger, whose startup Orbital Operations is solving the complexity of space logistics. The advent of reusable rockets has made it easier and cheaper than ever for us to place objects in Low Earth Orbit (or LEO).

But what if we want to reach higher orbits? That?s a much more challenging issue: space is already kind of CROWDED, and not all of our vehicles can carry enough fuel to power them that far out into the cosmos.

Orbital?s fix? Cryogenic orbital maneuvering vehicles (or OMVs) like the Astraeus, which uses hyper-efficient propulsion systems, allowing them to travel further and faster speeds, and even potentially get refueled in orbit.

Learn more about this fascinating tech PLUS we?re looking back at classic Jason interviews with Greg Brockman of OpenAI and Vlad Tenev of Robinhood, AND checking in with Oliver?s latest This Week in AI demo for Character AI?s blockbuster conversational chatbots.

Timestamps:

(02:56) Alex opens the show with Ben Schleuniger, co-founder of space tech startup Orbital Operations

(03:47) Why is movement within orbit such a challenging problem?

(4:28) The key importance of launch vehicle reusability

(07:05) How Orbital?s Astreaus vehicle utilizes cryogenic propellants? and why

(08:49) The secret to keeping those propellants cool

(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(13:57) How Orbital is preparing for their Series A, and how they plan to spend the cash(20:37) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(28:09) TWiST FLASHBACK: Revisiting OpenAI Greg Brockman?s visit from 2018

(31:31) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(37:57) How GPUs unlocked the AI revolution

(35:02) Tackling early concerns about deepfakes

(41:17) Looking ahead to the dawn of AGI

(50:05) AI DEMO: Oliver stops by to walk us through Character AI?s key features

(50:51) Watch as Oliver simulates a chat with former President Barack Obama

(53:30) How to use ChatGPT to enhance your Character AI prompts

(56:57) TWIST FLASHBACK with Robinhood?s Vlad Tenev from May 2017

(57:14) Back then, Robinhood was valued at a mere $1.3 billion!

(59:21) How Robinhood made financial transactions SO MUCH FASTER than they used to be

(1:00:57) When Robinhood realized they had Product Market Fit? via Hacker News!

(1:06:44) The magic of being better, faster, and cheaper

(1:08:12) This segment was filmed BEFORE Robinhood offered crypto

(1:11: 08) Jason?s Eagle Computer Speech and how to avoid ?Taj Mahal Syndrome?

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ?https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Thank you to our partners:

Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

Register for Founder University Japan?s Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

Find out why AI is perfectly suited to legal tasks? despite being too fast for ?billable hours?

On today?s TWiST, Alex takes a deep dive into LLM Law with Harvey AI co-founder/president Gabe Pereyra. It turns out, much like software development, doing legal work relies on learning specialized language and sifting through a dense and expansive corpus of information? making it an IDEAL use case for LLMs.

Buuuuut AI works so fast? the current structure of legal payments (billable hours) no longer applies. Find out how Harvey is working around these challenges ? and what they plan to do if OpenAI decides to get into the legal game ? in this fascinating interview.

THEN, Alex chats with another AI visionary ? OpenRouter co-founder and CEO Alex Atallah ? who allows developers to plug and play all the major models into their applications. Find out why specialized LLMs trained for ?resourcefulness? are coming into fashion? why benchmarks and evals have become so crucial to the industry? AND whether we?ll end up spending as much on AI inference as the human workers it?s replacing? in this essential discussion.

PLUS Jason stops by for some more Founder Q?s!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Welcome back to TWiST!

(1:32) Alex kicks off the show with Harvey AI co-founder and President Gabe Pereyra to talk about applying AI to the legal profession

(4:52) How major international law firms (and their enterprise clients) fueled Harvey?s mega-growth

(6:54) Why LLMs are perfectly suited for legal work

(9:24) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.x and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

(17:22) Looking ahead: expanding beyond the law.

(20:42) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist

(21:44) The problem: AI can?t charge ?billable hours?? it?s too fast!

(23:44) Will the major AI players like Google and OpenAI build their own version of this?

(29:53) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(30:41) Alex welcomes OpenRouter co-founder and CEO Alex Atallah, whose rankings he loves and uses all the time

(33:10) Why Alex says we?re seeing more specialized LLMs trained for more ?resourcefulness?

(36:05) How increased competition and diversification makes things tougher for developers

(41:09) Alex suggests that new models are exciting for users, like product launches used to be

(42:29) OK, let?s get into it? How does OpenRouter make money?

(45:38) Understanding what kinds of training data the AI companies want the MOST

(47:47) The important currency of evals and benchmarks

(49:13) Why OpenRouter is ramping up its LLM recommendation engine

(53:44) Will AI inference spend end up costing as much as the humans it?s replacing?

(56:49) Time for a Founder Q! What should founders do about quick vibe-coded competitors?

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ?https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Thank you to our partners:

(9:24) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.x and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

(20:42) Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist

(29:53) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

? Register here for Founder University Japan?s Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

*Three of our favorite TWiST 500 startups ? Ledger, 1Password, AND Mercury ? are circling IPOs. Find out why the cybersecurity space remains so hot? AND why Jason says you really need to have multiple banks.

PLUS Marc Andreessen called The Pope an AI Doomer on X, then thought better of it. We?re tracking the entire viral controversy?

SPEAKING OF viral feuds, allegations are FLYING around about recently-funded AI agent makers Giga. Does the startup pose some genuine red flags, or was it just a questionable launch video?

AND why Alex and Jason remain optimistic the AI vibes could turn around, presentation maker Gamma is growing FAST, plus an update on Jason and Alex?s Polymarket IPO wager?

Timestamps:

(02:17) Jason is hosting the big show from Tokyo today (tonight for him)? Where is Founder U headed next?

(04:03) Jason?s eating his way across Japan? what are his top ?bang bangs? so far?

(07:47) Is The Pope a Doomer? Why Andreessen called out His Holiness (then deleted it)

(9:22) Quo - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get started free, plus get 20% off your first 6 months, at http://quo.com/TWiST

(12:08)Why Jason still thinks mass AI job displacement is coming

(17:48) Will AI-related job loss lead to an explosion in startups and small businesses?

(19:24) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda?s Team plan for free?get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist

(20:39) Have lots of Americans suddenly turned on AI Why?

(25:30) Why Alex and Jason remain optimistic that the AI vibes could turn around

(29:44) Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.

(31:01) Alex?s new favorite definition of Product Market Fit, or ?Market Pull,? as Jason clarifies

(33:31) Delving into the Giga controversy? ?ugly? talk, wild X allegations, etc.

(46:11) THREE TWiST 500 are readying IPOs? Catching up with Ledger, 1Password, and Mercury

(53:42) Why Jason and Alex think you need multiple banks

(57:40) Why presentation maker Gamma is growing even faster than we thought!

(1:00:37) Checking in with Jason and Alex?s Polymarket IPO bet?

(1:03:44) Could startups become so richly valued that they become ?uninvestable? without an IPO?

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ?https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

(9:22) Quo - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get started free, plus get 20% off your first 6 months, at http://quo.com/TWiST

(19:24) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda?s Team plan for free?get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist

(29:44) Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Register for Founder University Japan?s Kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

*The key to avoiding long airport delays? Low-altitude sea planes! Why didn?t you think of that?

We?ve got an awesome line-up of TWiST 500 founders giving us an inside glimpse inside their startups on this Friday special edition.

FIRST: Billy Thalheimer of REGENT introduces us to their aircraft/boat hybrid The Seaglider, and walk us through how it all works, AND why they?re operating in BOTH the commercial and defense sectors from their Rhode Island HQ.

THEN, we?ve got Convexia co-founder Ayaan Parekh showcasing how they?re using a collective of specialist AI agents to exploit other pharma labs? leftovers and turn them into new drugs and treatments for rare diseases.

FINALLY, Hunter Leath of Archil joins the show to tell us why efficient utilization of cloud data remains a surprisingly complex, and unsolved problem. His solution? Caching-as-a-Service! Find out how it all works, and why pre-caching is SO difficult to do, in this TWiST exclusive chat.

Timestamps:

(03:01) Billy Thalheimer of REGENT introduces us to the Seaglider(05:06) Inside the EV aircraft/boat hybrid?s three modes of operation(08:22) How REGENT uses low altitude flight to avoid airport-related hassles

(9:42) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to ?http://sentry.io/twist? and use code TWIST

(13:57) The converging tech that makes Seaglider possible(18:20) How REGENT is operating in BOTH the commercial and defense sectors(19:39) LinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to ?http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups? to claim your credit.(25:05) Why Rhode Island?!(29:23) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at ?https://pipedrive.com/twist?(31:04) Convexia co-founder Ayan Parekh joins Alex to discuss ?the world?s first AI-maximalist pharmaceutical company?(33:02) Using AI agents to revisit leftover bio IP and unused data(33:22) Why so many drugs fail to reach market(35:46) Applying different agents to different kinds of tasks(44:26) The unique opportunities posed by rare diseases(46:58) On the road toward vertical integration(50:48) Hunter Leath of Archil tells us why utilizing cloud data effectively remains a complex, unsolved problem(51:56) What is ?Caching as a Service??(55:53) Why pre-caching is NOT obvious and ?tremendously difficult to do?(57:00) Why the major cloud players didn?t built this themselves(01:00:37) Deliberately keeping the focus narrow? for now?

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ?https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

LinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at https://pipedrive.com/twist

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Register for Founder University Japan?s kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

*On TWiST, Jason welcomes an all-star VC panel ? Deedy Das of Menlo Partners and Jay Eum of GFT Ventures ? for a deep dive into the shocking scale of early-stage AI raises, a transitional moment for investors, the growing importance of the ?prosumer? market, ChatGPT?s insane smile curves, and much much more.

IN THIS EPISODE

What the panelists make of Roelof Botha?s exit from Sequoia? and is he really going anywhere?Why Jason says VC is no longer the best way to get rich?Why so many private companies are growing SO HUGE before going public?

And much more!

Timestamps:

(00:03:37) Jason is fresh from surviving Riyadh traffic but he?s here and introducing our all star panel

(00:04:03) Why Jason compares Riyadh to Silicon Valley in the 1960s

(00:05:21) Friend of the Pod Roelof Botha is stepping down at Sequoia? our insiders try to guess what might have happened?

(10:00) Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(00:13:11) Deedy moved up at Menlo without being a venture native? he shares the secrets behind his rise.

(00:19:09) Was Roelof wrong about ?return-free risk?? Does more capital always = more great companies?

(20:00) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(00:26:54) With so many private companies growing SO HUGE? when is the right time to go public? Considering the case of Glean and Stripe?

(30:00) AWS Marketplace - If you?re ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.

(00:30:07) Why Jason says venture capital is no longer the best way to get rich

(00:32:34) Why AI apps are so appealing to enterprises after years of paying for SaaS

(00:36:32) The growing importance of ?prosumers?

(00:37:31) Why Deedy says a smile curve is the most beautiful depiction of ?Product Market Fit?

(00:44:36) Why it?s still tough to raise pre-seed money, even during an AI ?boom?!

(00:46:08) Why Jason says the hardest job in the tech ecosystem is being an investor

(00:55:52) ?Time is one of the primary drivers of venture capital return.? - Jay Eun

(00:57:42) Deedy on the shocking amounts being raised by early-stage AI companies

(01:00:21) Just how much DO VCs work compared to founders? The panel compares notes.

(01:02:53) Are some investors not doing diligence? Deedy on the speed of some AI deals.

(01:16:51) The panel picks their fav portfolio company of the moment (or one of their faves)

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ?https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit

AWS Marketplace - If you?re ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

? Register here to join the Founder University Japan kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

*Starcloud has started sending AI chips into orbit. So is this where the datacenters the power AI will one day live? And does wifi work in the vacuum of space? We?re asking the TOUGH questions.

PLUS Jason and Alex are doing a deep dive on all this week?s OpenAI news. Will they ever be able to pay back all these GPU purchases? What happens to the wider economy on the off chance they don?t thrive? And what?s with these rumors that ChatGPT has stopped giving medical or legal advice?

All that and a look at TrustMRR (and why Jason advises you not to publicly share your Stripe), why Jason thinks Netflix should buy CNN, our hosts favorite Nazi hunter movies, and MORE.

Timestamps:

(0:00) Would you trust an LLM with your health?

(2:08) Jason is bringing Founder U to The Kingdom AND Japan, so he?s streaming in today live from Riyadh

(4:20) Jason?s guide to mastering international travel. (Shoutout to Whoop)

(5:05) Are the big AI companies going TOO HARD on GPUs? And does this matter?

(11:30) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(14:53) What happens to the wider economy if ChatGPT FAILS? Who gets hit by the ?contagion??

(18:22) Jason?s more likely scenario: What if ChatGPT becomes just one player in a larger market?

(21:22) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.

(23:57) ChatGPT can still give you general health and legal advice? just not a full diagnosis

(31:57) Nexos.ai Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.

(33:09) TrustMRR and startups sharing their Stripe data? Why Jason says total transparency might be too much

(38:35) We?re really sending datacenters to space! Starcloud made it happen.

(41:02) Does wifi work in space? A TWiST investigation?

(47:01) Checking in with Polymarkets on the NYC mayoral election and the government shutdown

(53:09) Legal AI startup Legora (from Sweden) is now a unicorn? why this niche is growing so fast

(58:14) Netflix wants to buy WBD? Here?s why our hosts think they should keep CNN.

(1:07:58) BUT WE DIGRESS: Lon and Jason?s favorite Nazi hunter movies

(1:10:25) Founder Q?s! The best way to track runway and burn rate for early stage companies.

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Thank you to our partners:

Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.

Nexos.ai Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.

What will be OpenAI?s IPO price? Place ya bets! | EXXX

*Polymarket?s sharps are already placing bets on when ChatGPT maker OpenAI will go public? and Jason and Alex want in on this action. They?re placing side wagers on how the House that Sam Altman built will be valued once it finally goes public.

PLUS find out why Amazon is Jason?s stock pick for the next five years? Why startups are starting to release their own foundation models, and what this means for major players like OpenAI and Anthropic? AND Producer Oliver stops by with an in-depth look at the music-generating Suno app.

Friday shows don?t get any bigger than this.

Register for Founder University's Japan Kickoff!

https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today?s show:

*Timestamps:

(0:00): Jason doesn't trust Sam Altman... Stay tuned!

(2:24) Jason?s been using Tesla FSD?s ?Mad Max? Mode and it?s a SPICY ride!

(8:54) Jason and Alex checked out Higgsfield?s new Face Swap tool? Jason thinks this will revolutionize the movie casting process

(10:39) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.

(14:03) Here?s what Jason thinks: there are acceptable uses of Higgsfield?s tech but some are OVER THE LINE

(17:23) Here?s why Jason says the music industry deals with startups like the Mafia

(19:59) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done?visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(21:02) Producer Oliver has been playing around with AI music app Suno? here?s a live demo

(22:47) We?re using Suno to make a Dire Straits song about JCal!

(30:11) PaperOS - Whether you?re raising a round, launching a fund, or managing a venture portfolio, PaperOS can unlock simplicity and scale across your empire of capital, contracts, and companies. Claim your $10,000 credit at https://paperos.com/twist

(39:42) IT?S EARNINGS WEEK! What Jason and Alex make of the fresh numbers from Amazon, MSFT, and Alphabet

(40:58) Jason?s checking out his Grokipedia page? could this be the internet?s new go-to resource?

(45:15) Why Amazon is Jason?s pick of THE stock for the next 5 years

(46:42) Three startups made their own AI models! Is the era of paying big co?s for their LLMs coming to an end?

(50:09) Jason?s warning for anyone ?dumb enough? to use OpenAI?s API? they are studying you!

(57:16) It?s a new Jason-Alex bet? What will OpenAI?s IPO price be?

(59:35) What happened with Navan?s IPO? Jason and Alex dig into the numbers.

(1:07:37) Why Jason compares some later investors to Wormtongue from ?Lord of the Rings?

Today?s show:

*Why rebrand an app with 40 million daily active users?

On TWiST, Grammarly CEO Shishir Mehrotra swings by to explain why he?s renaming his company after the mail app he just purchased, Superhuman.

Plus he?s giving us a first look at the startup?s new AI assistant, Superhuman Go, digging into their new agent-centered strategy, looking ahead at the potential for AI job displacement, and more.

Jason and Alex also talk about our new nuclear deal with Westinghouse and Japan, OpenAI?s conversion and what it means for Microsoft, 1x?s tele-operated Neo-bot for chores, and much more!

Timestamps:

(00:07:56) Jason is headed to Tokyo, and NOT just for skiing this time!

(10:00) Uber AI Solutions**:** Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist

(00:12:21) Untangling this US government-Japan-Westinghouse deal for nuclear power? and why nuclear power is SO important

(20:00)DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twist

(00:20:04) Why Jason says sabbaticals and 4 day work weeks are for established brands, not startups

(30:00) Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.

(00:33:01) Will income inequality become a concern, even for the wealthy? Jason says YES.

(00:37:29) Shishir Mehrotra from Gram? NO WAIT, Superhuman! joins us to talk name changes

(00:38:16) Using Grammarly as a model for the new AI assistant, Superhuman Go.

(01:08:39) Nvidia shot past $5 TRILLION in value? How is no one freaked out about this?!

(01:14:52) OpenAI executed their conversion? but Jason says ?public benefit corporation? status is pretty meaningless

(01:25:02) Checking out the Neo robot from 1x? he wants to help you with chores and he?s for sale!

(01:32:09) Uber?s speeding up its self-driving plans

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Thank you to our partners:

Perspective AI - Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.

DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twist

Uber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Today?s show:

Jason?s been skeptical on Apple lately, but he?s BLOWN AWAY by his new iPhone Air.Hear why JCal thinks Cupertino?s latest release is ?completely inspiring,? and why he?s sure it?s the next step on the road to Apple Glasses.

We?re chatting with LAUNCH founder Zach Handshoe of spacial video startup SpatialGen about designing products for Cupertino AND the intense pressure of performing a Steve Jobs-level keynote.

PLUS Raiza Martin of Huxe stops by to tell us why they?re using audio to make AI assistants more personalized AND proactive, and how they?re already getting noticed in an increasingly crowded App Store.

AND we?ve got another Gamma Pitch Competition entrant! Chess Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli presents his expert-focused app, ChessEver.

Timestamps:

(2:05) Friend of the pod @ZacharyHandshoe stops by to talk about supporting Apple Immersive Video (and staying up during the AWS outage)

(9:37) Enterpret - Turn feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

(15:55) The iPhone Air can already shoot spatial video! Just part of why Jason calls it a ?completely inspiring? product.

(21:25) Crusoe Cloud - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(24:30) Jason offers viewers a peek inside LAUNCH?s Whisper Network

(32:09) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(33:10) Huxe co-founder (and NotebookLM vet) Raiza Martin wants to make your AI assistant more personalized and proactive.

(37:14) Why Raiza and her team went with an audio-forward interface instead of a chatbot.

(43:25) How Huxe is getting noticed in the App Store as a brand new arrival.

(50:25) The big LLMs still aren?t great at writing engaging content for humans, so Huxe is doing it themselves.

(52:41) Chess Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli from ChessEver joins us for his Gamma pitch!

(54:26) Why Vasif is focusing on very serious players FIRST before appealing to more casual chess fans

(1:05:28) Jason thinks ChessEver is at the moment of ?triangulation? in their journey to finding Product Market Fit? what do Grandmasters really want?

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Thank you to our partners:

Enterpret - Turn feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

Crusoe Cloud - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Today?s show:

Australia has accused Microsoft of employing a dark pattern? Hear why Jason says these kinds of sneaky tactics aren?t usually worth it.

It?s a brand-new Monday TWiST and it?s PACKED with news. In addition to Australia?s allegations against MSFT, we?re looking at Chinese drone fails and wondering how live experiences will change in the age of AI.

PLUS has Tesla finally ?solved? FSD after years of promises? Does it matter that so much of Mercor?s revenue goes back out to contractors? Do Chinese LLMs have a major advantage when it comes to the stock market over Western counterparts? Why Jason avoids overseas deals when he doesn?t speak the language or know the culture. And much more!

Timestamps:

(00:03:44) Fall is here! And Jason is already looking ahead to ?BFCM? and the holiday season.

(00:07:13) We?re bringing back the TWiSTies and a Prediction 2026 show

(00:07:33) People are using AI to create fake receipts for fraudulent invoices!

(10:00) Pipedrive - Bring clarity and control to your sales process with Pipedrive, the #1 CRM for small and medium sized businesses. Supercharge your sales today. Start with a 30-day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist.

(00:14:23) It?s earnings week for Meta AND Alphabet AND Microsoft AND AMAZON!

(00:19:55) What happened with the disastrous Chinese drone and fireworks show?

(20:00) Monarch - Thanks to our partner, Monarch! Try the app and get 50% off your first year by visiting monarchmoney.com/twist.

(00:27:37) Why Jason thinks live experiences are going to get much bigger and more impressive in the age of AI

(00:29:34) Why Tesla is training FSD on synthetic data now? Has FSD finally been ?solved??

(30:00) AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

(00:45:10) What?s going on with these new Sequoia funds? Jason unpacks the strategy?

(00:50:50) Jason doesn?t like to invest overseas unless he speaks the language and knows the culture

(00:51:11) Jason?s thoughts on the controversy surrounding Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire?s comments

(00:58:34) Mercor pays out 60-70% of its toppling revenue to contractors? does this MATTER?

(01:06:14) Do Chinese LLMs have a major advantage when it comes to investing? (Humans are now betting on all this on PolyMarket)

(01:09:45) Australia alleges that Microsoft is employing a dark pattern? why Jason says that?s a problem.

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Follow Lon:

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Thank you to our partners:

AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/credits

Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWIST

Pipedrive - Bring clarity and control to your sales process with Pipedrive, the #1 CRM for small and medium sized businesses. Supercharge your sales today. Start with a 30-day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist.

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Today?s show:

*Working from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week, might seem like TOO INTENSE a commitment for some, but Jason argues that elite performance ? and the mega-compensation that goes along with it ? sometimes requires personal sacrifice. While 72-hour weeks might lead to burnout for some, it really comes down to individual choice.

PLUS Jason and Alex deep dive the NBA gambling scandal and the sketchy reality behind high-stakes home games of poker. PLUS Presh Kumar takes us behind the scenes, to see how AI apps helped him develop and workshop the video for his new wellness startup, Tempo, and what?s with Anthropic buying chips from their AI rivals, Google? It?s a can?t miss This Week in Startups.

Timestamps:

(00:06:49) Jason and Alex are poker fans? what do they think about this insane NBA gambling scandal?

(10:00) LinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.

(20:00) Nexos.ai - Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.

(00:25:09) Is working ?9-9-6? a reasonable goal? A guarantee of success? Why Jason compares it to being an Olympian.

(30:00) Every.io - Running a startup is hard enough. Every takes care of incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes and more so that you focus on building, not back-office admin. Visit every.io.

(00:38:00) Our old buddy Presh walks us through the process of making his Tempo launch video

(00:42:28) Jason and Alex check out some of Ridley Scott?s famous storyboards

(00:48:03) Anthropic is buying TPUs from Google? Are these companies in LIKE with each other?

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Thank you to our partners:

LinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.

Nexos.ai - Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.

**Every.io -** Running a startup is hard enough. Every takes care of incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes and more so that you focus on building, not back-office admin. Visit every.io.

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason?s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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