This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Vanta - Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at http://www.vanta.com/twist

Oracle - Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. Take a free test drive of OCI at https://www.oracle.com/twist.

Mercury - With Mercury, you can simplify your financial operations with banking and software that power your critical financial workflows, all within the one thing every business needs, a bank account. And with new bill pay and accounting integrations, you can pay bills faster and stay in control of company spend. Apply in minutes at ⁠https://www.Mercury.com

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Todays show:

Kirsten Green joins guest host Mark Suster to discuss Forerunner’s framework on making investments (8:33), how AI will change how consumer companies and applications are built (16:28), cultural shifts that are investable (33:38), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Kirsten Green joins guest host Mark Suster.

(2:49) Kirsten’s advice to stand out in consumer venture with only seven percent of VC dollars being allocated to consumer.

(8:33) Forerunner’s framework on making investments.

(11:16) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(12:09) The value of searching for where businesses are missing the mark, and the “wow” factor of the Oura Ring.

(16:28) How AI will change how consumer companies and applications are built

(19:46) Oracle - Take a free test drive of OCI at https://www.oracle.com/twist.

(20:50) The current state of the consumer search experience and the power of personalization that AI can bring.

(24:16) The disruptive lesson from mobile and the next level of being context aware.

(28:24) Mercury - Join 200K startups who use Mercury to operate at their best at http://www.mercury.com

(31:57) Forerunner Ventures lives within the intersection of invention and culture.

(33:38) Cultural shifts that are investable.

(36:36) The consumer shift from large to small screen.

(40:42) The importance of the mix between direct and indirect revenue.

(42:32) Discussing the relevance of “freemium”.

(55:48) What the exit environment is like going forward.

(1:02:55) What will it take to bring back the small and mid-cap market?

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

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Check out Forerunner Ventures: https://www.forerunnerventures.com/

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Follow Kirsten:

X: https://x.com/kirstenagreen

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

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Follow Mark:

X: https://twitter.com/msuster

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

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Thank you to our partners:

(11:16) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(19:46) Oracle - Take a free test drive of OCI at https://www.oracle.com/twist.

(28:24) Mercury - Join 200K startups who use Mercury to operate at their best at http://www.mercury.com

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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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