0:51 Jason intros Upgrade CEO Renaud Laplanche
2:07 Renaud goes over the idea of his previous startup, LendingClub, and taking it public
9:57 What happened at LendingClub after the IPO?
11:18 What is Upgrade? How did it grow out of LendingClub?
12:40 Are credit scores an outdated metric?
14:11 What is the Upgrade Card?
15:30 Are modern credit card companies sinister in their approach?
24:54 Renaud's thoughts on Crypto
27:40 Where does Upgrade's lending capital come from?
31:22 Are we approaching a downturn after an unprecedented period of growth?
37:28 What goes into a great credit score
42:50 What has changed in startups since Renaud started his first company in 2000?
51:25 What keeps Renaud going after two successful exits as a founder?

E987: The Next Unicorns: Upgrade CEO & Co-founder Renaud Laplanche is empowering users to better understand credit through his consumer credit platform, announces the Upgrade Card, shares insights on 

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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Todays show:
Jason kicks off Ask Jason live! 5 live guests ask questions on key topics, including finding job opportunities (1:43), the “likely winner” and “definitive winner” framework (26:19), how a non-AI startup with traction can stand out to potential investors (1:04:05), and more!
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Timestamps
(0:00) Jason kicks off another Ask Jason with 5 live guests!
(1:43) Dustin asks about how to find job opportunities and market his generalist skills
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(10:42) Dustin asks about how to find job opportunities and market his generalist skills
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(26:19) Francis asks about defining the terms "likely winner" and "definitive winner" in a strategic framework using specific metrics
(39:15) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://www.mercury.com⁠
(40:17) Mathew asks about choosing between mission-aligned sponsors and more lucrative, unrelated advertising opportunities for his podcast
(52:23) Jason asks whether to continue low-cost growth strategies or seek seed funding to boost growth through advertising, as their product is the advertising itself
(1:04:05) Douglas asks about how a non-AI startup with traction can stand out to potential investors
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Ask Jason LIVE!: Navigating startup growth with Real-Time Q&A | E1937

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Timestamps:
(0:00) Sunny joins Jason to dive into this week’s AI news and demos.
(2:03) Examination of Facebook's Llama 3 model, its impact on the AI community, and its superior performance compared to GPT-4 despite being a smaller model.
(4:45) Open source vs. commercial products
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(10:42) Three big projects where Facebook has affected the open community.
(15:38) US Air Foruce staging dogfights with AI-flown fighter jets.
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(21:06) Looking at Grok’s capabilities in first-party research.
(27:35) Zendesk - Get six months free at http://www.zendesk.com/twist
(29:08) Jason asks Grok a more “spicey” question regarding Trump.
(40:46) Sunny demos Marblism.
(45:33) Sunny demos Lumona
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Article “US Air Force stages dogfights with AI-flown fighter jet” https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/04/19/us-air-force-stages-dogfights-with-ai-flown-fighter-jet
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AI Demos and News: Llama 3, Marblism, Lumona & AI Jet-Fighter Dogfights | E1936

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

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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
The Equinix Startup program offers a hybrid infrastructure solution for startups, including up to $100K in credits and personalized consultations and guidance from the Equinix team. Go to https://deploy.equinix.com/startups to apply today.
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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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(30:26) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://deploy.equinix.com/startups
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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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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

E987: The Next Unicorns: Upgrade CEO & Co-founder Renaud Laplanche is empowering users to better understand credit through his consumer credit platform, announces the Upgrade Card, shares insights on

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