1:15 Jason intros Kristen
2:56 Differences between casual, mid-core and hardcore mobile games
10:40 Mobile gaming’s monetary scale
12:30 Demanding excellence at MZ
14:00 How Kristen handles work/life balance
18:00 Mobile games going international, licensing v. building organic brands
27:44 Getting Arnold Schwarzenegger & other celebs in MZ ads
41:55 Kristen’s path to MZ
43:10 Handling layoffs with direct honesty
45:25 Crypto resembling the early days of the Dot-com Era
53:30 Jason and Kristen go back and forth on WeWork problems
1:02:10 Being a female CEO in the gaming industry

E975: Machine Zone CEO Kristen Dumont on growing her mobile gaming unicorn, journey from advisor to COO to CEO, iterating to the best business model, creating exciting content for a global market, att

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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Timestamps:
(0:00) Sunny joins Jason to dive into this week's AI news and demos.
(1:39) AI, LLMs, and Groq infrastructure discussion.
(9:32) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist
(11:00 ) Meta's AI landing page, new search engine, and investment strategies
(20:06 ) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit  https://www.geteppo.com/twist
(23:19) Zuckerberg's approach towards Google's dominance and the impact of Meta's search engine
(30:19) HiddenLayer. HiddenLayer’s AI Detection & Response Solution secures your Generative AI & LLMs from malicious attack. Visit https://www.HiddenLayer.com/TWiST to learn more.
(32:11) Importance of a dedicated domain name and Google's commitment to Google Plus
(34:36) Meta's progress in AI and the strategy of open sourcing
(45:34) The industrial revolution in technology, AI development, and rights issues
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Check out Groq: https://groq.com/
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Follow Sunny:
X: ⁠https://twitter.com/sundeep⁠
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Thank you to our partners:
(9:32) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist
(20:06 ) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit  https://www.geteppo.com/twist
(30:19) HiddenLayer. HiddenLayer’s AI Detection & Response Solution secures your Generative AI & LLMs from malicious attack. Visit https://www.HiddenLayer.com/TWiST to learn more.
*
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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AI Demos: Meta AI Ups it’s Game with Llama 3 | E1935

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Todays show:
David Weisburd hosts Logan Bartlett, Hunter Somerville, and Jason Calacanis to discuss the fundraising market (3:07), M&A; (26:45), Google’s huge investment in generative AI (58:15), and much more!
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Timestamps:
(0:00) David Weisburd intros Logan Bartlett, Hunter Somerville, and Jason Calacanis
(3:07) Tiger's recent fund and fundraising indicators
(11:55) HubSpot’s Chatbot Builder - https://clickhubspot.com/s0u https://clickhubspot.com/mfx
(13:26) The challenges and realities of venture capital
(25:14) DevSquad - Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at https://www.devsquad.com/twist
(26:45) Startup acquisitions, due diligence, and unethical behaviors in the industry
(31:27) Selling partial positions in startups and structuring the selling of shares
(37:18) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://www.mercury.com⁠
(38:20) Cendana and Kline Hill’s $105M fund to buy stakes in seed VC funds
(46:59) The correlation between capital consumption and equity value, and the dangers of excess capital
(54:28) The role of private equity in tech M&A; and the future of tech IPOs
(58:15) Google's $100 billion investment in AI and competition in the AI ecosystem
(1:06:30) The challenge of capacity in seed stage investing and the value of a strong community in portfolio management
*
Follow Logan:
X: https://twitter.com/loganbartlett
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loganbartlett
Check out: https://www.redpoint.com
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunter-somerville-2a24117
Check out: https://www.stepstonegroup.com/
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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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Thank you to our partners:
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(25:14) DevSquad - Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at https://www.devsquad.com/twist
(37:18) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://www.mercury.com⁠
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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

Redpoint Ventures and Stepstone Group on VC Deployment, M&A, and Google's AI Strategy | E1934

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Todays show:
Sohail Prasad joins Jason to discuss Destiny Tech 100 and why it was created (3:46), comparing the market cap to the actual holdings and the pent-up demand (11:35), how Destiny acquires the shares and how they manage both positive and negative reactions (26:49), and more!
*
Timestamps:
(0:00) Sohail Prasad of Destiny (D/XYZ) joins Jason.
(3:46) Breaking down Destiny Tech 100 and why it was created.
(5:20) What is a closed-end fund and how does it fit into the ecosystem?
(8:37) The DIY approach used to bring this to the market.
(9:33) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(10:54) How Destiny Tech 100 works as a direct listing.
(11:35) Comparing the market cap to the actual holdings and the pent-up demand.
(14:46) Looking at how Sohail and the company make their profits and why he does this instead of gathering higher carry.
(18:52) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist
(22:05) The concerns of the swinging nature of the stock price and the long-term view.
(26:49) How Destiny acquires the shares and how they manage both positive and negative reactions.
(30:26) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://deploy.equinix.com/startups
(34:10) Destiny’s access to financials for companies in their portfolio.
(35:51) Strategy behind exits for the fund and companies that then go public.
(43:13) The size of the team needed to run Dest
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Check out Destiny (D/XYZ): https://destiny.xyz/
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Follow Sohail:
X: https://twitter.com/sohailprasad
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohailprasad/
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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:
(9:33) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(18:52) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist
(30:26) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://deploy.equinix.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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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Destiny (D/XYZ) and the Buzz Around Public Access to Private Companies | E1933

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Todays show:
Jason and Presh kick off the Founder University pitch competition (00:00), then we hear from Jared on Umbrella Sports (6:40), Linda on Mastertech (14:47), and Aleksandr on Ellis (24:20). Finally, Jason awards a $25K investment (44:17), and Presh details how to apply!
*
Timestamps:
(00:00) Jason kicks off the show!
(2:49) Jason brings on Presh to explain the fundamentals of Founder University and introduces today's pitches!
(6:40) Jared Lewandowski pitches Umbrella Sports
(13:20) Wistia - Try Wistia for free at https://wistia.com/startups
(14:47) Linda Gray pitches Mastertech
(22:51) Eight Sleep - Go to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist for $200 off the Pod plus free shipping
(24:20) Aleksandr Diamond pitches Ellis
(29:39) Jason and Presh assess the startups and their pitches
(39:43) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at http://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist
(44:12) Jason picks the startup he will invest in!
(44:51) Feedback on the Founder University experience
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Founder University: Cohort 8 begins May 9th! Apply here: https://www.founder.university
*
We are doing Founder Fridays! Go check out https://founderfridays.tech
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Follow Jared:
X: https://twitter.com/_playumbrella
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredlewandowski
Check out Umbrella Sports: https://www.playumbrella.com
*
Follow Linda:
X: https://twitter.com/mastertechai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-gray-6433b251/
Check out Mastertech: https://www.mastertech.ai/
*
Follow Aleksandr:
X: https://twitter.com/heyaleksandr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asdiamond
Check out Ellis: https://ellis.so
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Thank you to our partners:
(13:20) Wistia - Try Wistia for free at https://wistia.com/startups
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*
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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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast
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Founder University: Cohort 8 begins May 9th. Apply here: https://www.founder.university

Startup pitch competition! Jason invests $25K into one of three founders | E1932

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Todays show:
Sunny joins Jason to dive into AI news and demos including, Adam Schiff and the new bill to force AI companies to reveal use of copyrighted art (9:03), Udio the recent AI music creator catching a lot of hype (17:48), the AI dictation power of Aqua (39:10), and more!
*
Timestamps:
(0:00) Sunny joins Jason to dive into this weeks AI news and demos.
(4:02) AI News: Meta, Google and Intel all launched chips this week.
(9:03) Adam Schiff and the new bill to force AI companies to reveal use of copyrighted art
(9:51) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://www.gusto.com/twist
(17:48) Sunny demos Udio - the recent AI music creator catching a lot of hype.
(19:36) Mantle - Get your first 12 months free at https://www.withmantle.com/TWIST
(20:56) Sunny and Jason further explore Udio and discuss the copyright issues around AI models.
(31:45) Hubspot for Startups - Learn more and get extra benefits for being a TWiST listener now at  https://www.hubspot.com/startups. Check out their report “How AI is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy” here: https://bit.ly/hubspot-ai-report
(36:31) Sunny creates a song with Udio about Jason’s passion for copyright laws.
(39:10) Sunny demos Aqua.
(45:36) Sunny demos SWE-Agent
*
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LINKS:
Check out Udio: https://www.udio.com/
Rolling Stone article on Udio: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/udio-ai-music-chatgpt-suno-1235001675/
Check out Aqua: https://withaqua.com/
Check out SWE-Agent: https://swe-agent.com/demo
Meta’s new chip news: https://twitter.com/Techmeme/status/1778078194345955765
Google’s new chip news: https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1777654095601348775
Intel’s new chip news: https://twitter.com/Techmeme/status/1777725152102699026
Article on Adam Schiff introducing new bill: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/09/artificial-intelligence-bill-copyright-art
Check out statmuse: https://www.statmuse.com/
*
Follow Sunny:
X: https://twitter.com/sundeep
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundeepm
*
Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
*
Thank you to our partners:
(9:51) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://www.gusto.com/twist
(19:36) Mantle - Get your first 12 months free at https://www.withmantle.com/TWIST
(31:45) Hubspot for Startups - Learn more and get extra benefits for being a TWiST listener now at  https://www.hubspot.com/startups. Check out their report “How AI is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy” here: https://bit.ly/hubspot-ai-report
*
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

E975: Machine Zone CEO Kristen Dumont on growing her mobile gaming unicorn, journey from advisor to COO to CEO, iterating to the best business model, creating exciting content for a global market, att

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