Jason gives his take on the letter from a group of employees to Tim Cook about Apple's return to work (1:00), then Fatima Dicko the CEO and Founder of Sugar discusses pivoting in the pandemic (25:54), what amenities apartments will offer in the future (45:39), and more. Then Jason wraps with a "button" on investing when valuations are high, where there is value to be found, and more (58:44). http://bit.ly/e1227tnotes

Apple’s WFH blowback, navigating current startup valuations PLUS Sugar’s Fatima Dicko | 1227

Jason Calacanis covers startups, tech, markets, media, and all the hottest topics in business and technology. He also interviews the world’s greatest founders, operators, investors, and innovators.

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This Week in Startups is brought to you by…
OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠
NetSuite. The number one cloud financial system, bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR, into ONE platform. Giving you ONE source of truth. By popular demand, NetSuite has extended its one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks! Head to https://www.netsuite.com/liquidity
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Todays show:
David Weisburd hosts Joshua Berkowitz, Donald Stalter and Jason Calacanis to discuss xAI closed on $6B (5:02), PitchBook's report on Emerging Managers (17:32), SVB’s venture portfolio situation (44:18), and much more!
*
Liquidity Timestamps:
(0:00) David Weisburd intros Joshua Berkowitz, Donald Stalter and Jason Calacanis
(5:02) xAI raises $6B in funding
(9:49) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠
(13:16) Sequoia leading a $6B round for AI
(17:32) PitchBook's report on Emerging Managers
(20:38) NetSuite - By popular demand, NetSuite has extended its one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks! Head to https://www.netsuite.com/liquidity
(28:18) The impact of the surge of venture capital in 2021 and its implications for the ecosystem
(30:41) Attio - Head to https://attio.com/twist⁠ to get 15% off for your first year.
(34:42) The impact of a positive investor attitude on founders
(44:18) The Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) venture portfolio situation
(49:33) Lightning round of last 3 investments
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Thank you to our partners:
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(30:41) Attio - Head to https://attio.com/twist⁠ to get 15% off for your first year.
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Mentioned on show:
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/03/svb-venture-capital-arm
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Follow Donald:
X: https://twitter.com/donnystalter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldstalter
Check out:
https://www.fieldguide.io
https://www.permitflow.com
https://slopepay.com
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Follow Joshua:
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-berkowitz-86005b23/
Check out:
https://dexa.ai
https://powerset.co
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Follow David:
X: ⁠https://twitter.com/DWeisburd⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd⁠
Check out: ⁠https://10xcapital.com
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Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

LIQUIDITY: Major challenger to OpenAI, xAI, closing on $6B in funding | E1944

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Todays show:
Bob Moesta joins Jason to discuss important customer interview methods, such as the concept and importance of deep listening (7:21), quantitative vs. qualitative and hypothesis-building research (13:08), “The jeweller effect” and building trust (37:47), and more!
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Timestamps:
(0:00) Bob Moesta of the Re-Wired Group joins Jason.
(2:33) Jumping into Bob's origin stories and the early lessons that shaped his career.
(4:59) Unpacking the concepts of “the customer is not always right” and that they don’t actually know what they want.
(7:21) The concept and importance of deep listening.
(8:52) Bob’s use of “the death day” and learning the value of time.
(10:57) Hubspot for Podcast Networks - Marketing Against the Grain: https://lnk.to/h3vKHnTW. “The Best AI Tools For Marketers In 2024” episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeeVKUuEv6Y
(13:08) Quantitative vs qualitative and hypothesis-building research.
(16:51) Bob’s four amazing mentors and how they turned him from an illiterate eighteen-year-old into an innovation machine.
(20:16) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist
(21:40) The dangers of identifying personas and “the secret sauce”.
(26:08) Drawing importance from the “irrational decision”, as context drives the rationale.
(28:28) Bob explains his approach to interviews.
(31:00) Zendesk - Get six months free at http://www.zendesk.com/twist
(32:32) Applying these concepts to a customer buying a diamond or health care.
(37:47) “The jeweller effect” and how do you cause trust?
(40:48) Making people problem aware.
(47:45) Applying the fact that people learn out of routine to the electric car customer.
(54:18) The concept of nostalgia.
(1:03:08) Bob’s current book he is writing about what causes someone to leave one company and go to another.
(1:15:57) At what stage is a company that hires the Re-Wired Group?
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Check out The Re-Wired Group: https://www.anomalo.com/
Check out Bob’s website and publications: https://www.bobmoesta.com/
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Follow Bob:
X: https://twitter.com/bmoesta?lang=en
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Thank you to our partners:
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(20:16) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist
(31:00) Zendesk - Get six months free at http://www.zendesk.com/twist
*
Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, 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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Decoding Customer Insights, Trust, and the Jobs-to-be-Done Framework with Bob Moesta | E1943

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Todays show:
Jason and Presh kick off the Founder University pitch competition (00:00), then we hear from Peter on Props AI (10:17), Alan on 2ndHandGeek (21:15), and Alex on Zweelie (37:18). Finally, Jason awards a $25K investment (), and details how to apply!
*
Timestamps:
(00:00) Jason kicks off the show!
(1:16) Jason brings on Presh to introduce today's pitches!
(9:17) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit  https://www.geteppo.com/twist
(10:17) Peter Kirkham pitches Props AI
(19:45) Eight Sleep - Go to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist for $200 off the Pod plus free shipping
(21:15) Alan Blakeborough Pitches 2ndHandGeek
(36:16) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://www.mercury.com⁠
(37:18) Alex Hanna pitches Zweelie
(41:44) Jason picks the startup he will invest in!
(43:26) Advice for founders and Q&A;
*
Founder University: Cohort 8 begins May 9th! Apply here: ⁠https://www.founder.university⁠
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Follow Peter:
X: https://twitter.com/k11kirky
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-kirkham
Props AI: www.getprops.ai
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2ndHandGeek: https://exchange.2ndhandgeek.com
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Follow Alex:
X: http://x.com/_alexhanna
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hanna-founder
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(36:16) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://www.mercury.com⁠
*
Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Startup pitch competition! Jason invests $25K into one of three founders | E1942

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Timestamps:
(0:00) Sunny joins Jason to dive into this week’s AI news and demos.
(1:52) Various user-driven enhancements to Llama 3
(8:28) Abacus runs Llama-3 locally on your iPhone.
(10:31) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(11:54) ChatGPT's new memory feature
(18:43) Deep dive into the advancements in self-driving car technology and Tesla’s FSD
(21:43) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist
(24:30) Sunny breaks down how far we are away to different degrees of self-driving cars.
(29:22) Wistia - Try Wistia for free at https://wistia.com/startups
(33:48) Sunny weighs the possibility of a Robotaxi death in the next couple of years.
(37:11) Sunny’s theory that the leader in autonomous cars will be the one to use the Uber model.
(46:02) Jason has producer Cort jump on the pod to try out an “AI Death Calculator”.
(51:10) Sunny demos Vibecheck.
(59:49) Sunny demos Wisdolia.
(1:02:25) Sunny demos Globe Engineer
*
Check out Groq: https://groq.com/
Check out the tweet about Llama-3: https://twitter.com/minchoi/status/1784907752659161432?s=42&t;=79J_alIF_jrz1wn1s5pboQ
Check out vibecheck: https://vibecheck.market/
Check out Globe Engineer: https://explorer.globe.engineer/
Check out qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/ca-en/discover
Check out Waymo: https://waymo.com/
Check out Wisdolia: https://app.wisdolia.com/
Check out Monic.AI: https://monic.ai/
Check out the Ai Death Calculator: https://life2vec.io/
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Follow Sunny:
X: ⁠https://twitter.com/sundeep⁠
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Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Thank you to our partners:
(10:31) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(21:43) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist
(29:22) Wistia -  Try Wistia for free at https://wistia.com/startups
*
Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, 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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Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

AI Demos: Llama 3 Innovations, vibecheck, Globe Engineer, Wisdolia and Tesla’s FSD | E1941

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…
NetSuite. The number one cloud financial system, bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR, into ONE platform. Giving you ONE source of truth. By popular demand, NetSuite has extended its one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks! Head to https://www.netsuite.com/liquidity
OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist
HiddenLayer. Generative AI is revolutionizing industries. HiddenLayer’s AI Detection & Response Solution secures your Generative AI & LLMs from malicious attack. Helping you generate more – by enabling seamless & secure Generative AI. Visit https://www.HiddenLayer.com/TWiST to learn more.
*
Todays show:
David Weisburd hosts Jeff Richards, Ryan Denehy, and Jason Calacanis to discuss down rounds in startups (5:26), changing operations in response to market shifts (23:07), and impact of AI & remote work on job availability (1:02:17).
*
Timestamps:
(0:00) David Weisburd intros Jeff Richards, Ryan Denehy, and Jason Calacanis
(5:26) Down rounds and cram down rounds in VC deals
(13:06) NetSuite - By popular demand, NetSuite has extended its one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks! Head to https://www.netsuite.com/liquidity
(14:22) The terms of investment and the importance of good business fundamentals
(21:67) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠
(23:24) Changing operations in response to market shifts
(30:20) Increasing deal flow and setting ambitious goals
(35:32) HiddenLayer. HiddenLayer’s AI Detection & Response Solution secures your Generative AI & LLMs from malicious attack. Visit https://www.HiddenLayer.com/TWiST to learn more
(37:26) AI adoption in startups and businesses
(1:02:33) The role of remote work in shaping the global economy and the potential of offshore hiring
(1:09:34) Comparing the fundraising process pre and post COVID
(1:14:30) Wrap up: Jeff's latest 3 investments and Ryan's company, https://www.Electric.ai
*
Follow Jeff:
X: https://twitter.com/jrichlive
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrichards
Check out: https://notablecap.com/
*
Follow Ryan:
X: https://twitter.com/denehyxxl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandenehy
Check out: https://www.electric.ai/
*
Follow David:
X: ⁠https://twitter.com/DWeisburd⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd⁠
Check out: ⁠https://10xcapital.com
*
Follow Jason:
X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
*
Thank you to our partners:
(13:06) NetSuite - By popular demand, NetSuite has extended its one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks! Head to https://www.netsuite.com/liquidity
(21:67) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠
(35:32) HiddenLayer. HiddenLayer’s AI Detection & Response Solution secures your Generative AI & LLMs from malicious attack. Visit https://www.HiddenLayer.com/TWiST to learn more
*
Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co
*
Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university
*
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
*
Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
*
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
*
Follow TWiST:
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
*
Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Apple’s WFH blowback, navigating current startup valuations PLUS Sugar’s Fatima Dicko | 1227

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