This Week in Startups

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

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Todays show:

Hume AI's Alan Cowen joins Jason to demo Hume AI's Empathic Voice Interface (6:08), Measurement API (16:20), and discuss the future implications of this tech, both positive and negative (44:14).

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Hume AI's Alan Cowen joins Jason

(3:01) Hume AI and the role of AI in understanding human emotions

(6:08) Hume AI's Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) and its responsiveness to human emotions

(8:27) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist

(9:55) The components in speech that Hume AI studies and its application across different cultures

(16:20) Hume AI's Measurement API and its design for real-time emotion and expression analysis

(21:16) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(22:07) What AI can reveal about a person based on their expressions

(24:12) The impact on customer service and security sectors

(27:24) Hume AI's comedy bot and emotional detection capabilities

(36:08) Hubspot for Startups - Learn more and get extra benefits for being a TWiST listener now at https://www.hubspot.com/startups. Also, be sure to visit https://bit.ly/hubspot-ai-report

(37:01) Hume AI's comedy bot / roast functionality

(44:11) The future implications, both positive and negative, of emotionally intelligent AI on society

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Check out Hume AI: https://www.hume.ai

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Follow Alan:

X: https://twitter.com/alancowen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-cowen

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

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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:

(8:27) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free.

(21:16) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(36:08) Hubspot for Startups - ****Learn more and get extra benefits for being a TWiST listener now at https://www.hubspot.com/startups. Also, be sure to visit https://bit.ly/hubspot-ai-report

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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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Follow TWiST:

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to https://www.Squarespace.com/twist for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

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 http://www.openphone.com/twist

Eppo. Experimentation is how generation-defining companies win. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit http://www.geteppo.com/twist

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Todays show:

Jason kicks off Ask Jason live! Six live guests ask questions on key topics, including prioritizing multiple founders (13:28), advice around moat for a startup (52:42), and whether not focusing on AI in a pitch will affect investment chances (1:02:38).

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Jason kicks off another Ask Jason with 6 live guests!

(1:13) Sean asks about investment firms changing how they invest early on.

(11:42) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/twist

(13:28) Pierson of jellypod asks about prioritizing multiple founders for investments or accelerators

(22:54) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

(24:47) Ann asks if they should raise venture capital to grow faster even though it means giving up some company ownership.

(32:01) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit http://www.geteppo.com/twist

(39:56) Francis asks how to strike a balance between skepticism and enthusiasm when evaluating a company for investment, given that it's impossible to invest in every company.

(52:42) Hosum asks if explaining their startup's moat as current execution and future benefits after reaching product-market fit is enough to convince investors.

(1:02:38) Thom asks if not highlighting AI in our funding pitch will hurt our chances of getting investment.

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Send us your questions for the next episode of Ask Jason LIVE! http://www.thisweekinstartups.com/askjason

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

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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:

(11:42) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/twist

(22:54) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

(32:01) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit http://www.geteppo.com/twist

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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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Follow TWiST:

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

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This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

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go to http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

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Wistia is THE all-in-one video platform for business, with tools that help you create, manage, and measure the impact of your videos.

Try Wistia for free at http://www.wistia.com/startups

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Todays show:

Sunny joins Jason to dive into AI news and demos, including a new report about AI and Enterprises (12:28), Gatekeep AI (23:34), Deepgram API Playground (39:55), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Sunny joins Jason.

(4:33) What the resignation of the CEO of Stability AI signifies. (11:01) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(12:28) Exploring the a16z report about AI and Enterprises.

(20:42) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist

(23:34) Sunny demoes Gatekeep AI and get surprising results when Jason asks it to explain a "keystone".

(31:27) Wistia - Try Wistia for free at wistia.com/startups.

(39:55) Sunny demoes Deepgram API Playground with a fun clip from a young Jason asking Steve Jobs a question.

(50:19 ) Sunny demoes the Claude model Haiku from Anthropic with an image from a famous Michael Jordan dunk.

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

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LINKS:

Report: 16 Changes to the Way Enterprises Are Building and Buying Generative AI: https://a16z.com/generative-ai-enterprise-2024/

Check out Gatekeep AI: https://app.gatekeep.ai/

Check out Deepgram API Playground: https://playground.deepgram.com/

Check out Antrhopic's Claude Haiku: https://console.anthropic.com/workbench/01fd2f39-ed95-40e1-9d11-c92f1a5ef26f

Claude 3 Haiku announcement: https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-3-haikuplayground:

Article about Stability AI CEO resigning: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/22/stability-ai-ceo-resigns-because-youre-not-going-to-beat-centralized-ai-with-more-centralized-ai/

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Follow Sunny:

X: https://twitter.com/sundeep

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

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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: (11:01) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(20:42) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist

(31:27) Wistia - Try Wistia for free at 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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Follow TWiST:

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

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

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

DevSquad. Most dev agencies only offer developers. Why? Because product management is hard. Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at http://devsquad.com/twist.

Gelt. It's time to take control over your taxes. Discover how Gelt can help you to manage and optimize both your personal and business taxes. Visit joingelt.com/twist now.

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Todays show:

David Weisburd hosts Mamoon Hamid, Thomas Scriven, and Jason Calacanis to discuss India's startup ecosystem (2:36), Carta's 2018 startup class data (25:45), IPOs in the tech industry (41:18), and much more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) David Weisburd intros Mamoon Hamid, Thomas Scriven, and Jason Calacanis

(2:36) India's startup ecosystem

(8:16) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(9:08) Traction and support for Indian startups

(17:29) Sovereign wealth funds and their place in the ecosystem today

(24:15) DevSquad - Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at http://devsquad.com/twist

(25:45) Deep dive into Carta's 2018 startup class data, loss ratios, and investment strategies

(40:04) Gelt. It's time to take control over your taxes. Visit https://joingelt.com/twist now.

(41:18) The future of M&A and IPOs in the tech industry

(49:51) The rise of the secondary market

(1:07:09) Rapid-fire segment on recent investments

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Mentioned on the show:

https://www.harvey.ai

https://codeium.com

https://www.ambiencehealthcare.com

https://www.glean.com

https://tolt.io

https://www.argyle.build

https://www.podengine.ai

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Follow Mamoon:

X: https://twitter.com/mamoonha

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

Check out: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/

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Follow Thomas:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-scriven-435281/

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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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Follow Jason:

X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠

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

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Thank you to our partners:

(8:16) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(24:15) DevSquad - Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at http://devsquad.com/twist

(40:04) Gelt. It's time to take control over your taxes. Visit https://joingelt.com/twist now.

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Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co

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Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university

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

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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

*

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

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Eight Sleep. Good sleep is the ultimate game changer. Now you can add the Pod Cover to any mattress! Go to http://www.eightsleep.com/twist to check out the Pod Cover and get $200 off the pod plus free shipping!

Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Gelt. It's time to take control over your taxes. Discover how Gelt can help you to manage and optimize both your personal and business taxes. Visit http://www.joingelt.com/twist now.

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Todays show:

Sunny joins Jason to dive into AI news and demos, including Microsoft absorbing Inflection AI (1:29), the new song creation model from Suno (13:28), impressive reflection skills from Deepseek VL (45:57), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) - Sunny joins Jason (1:29) Big news as Microsoft eliminates competitor Inflection AI by gutting their team. (6:23) Is this a new way to not have regulatory scrutiny like in M&A? (8:14) Apple has been busy acquiring AI companies! (9:14) Eight Sleep - Go to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist for $200 off the Pod plus free shipping (13:28) Sunny demos the new model from Suno v3. (15:58) Surprising punk song from Suno with interesting lyrics. (17:52) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist (19:24) Implications of Suno bringing everyone access to produce their own songs. (25:24) Sunny demos Coral by Cohere. (28:53) Gelt - It's time to take control over your taxes. Visit http://www.joingelt.com/twist now. (30:08) Diving deeper into fair use regarding the data and content scraped from the internet. (45:57) Sunny demos Deepseek VL.

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

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LINKS:

Check out Suno v3: https://app.suno.ai/create/

Check out Coral by Cohere: https://dashboard.cohere.com/playground/chat

Check out Deepseek VL: https://huggingface.co/spaces/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-VL-7B

9to5Mac article about Apple buying AI Startups: https://9to5mac.com/2024/02/08/apple-bought-ai-startups/

Tech Crunch Article about Microsoft and Inflection: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/19/after-raising-1-3b-inflection-got-eaten-alive-by-its-biggest-investor-microsoft/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFUxPOXc4AHnjptN6dxkwFgpZ0kvPL_gTJ1uMicNRJwwtbQbuS1P0AI0MbDZzGawLNTArPSTT6VrWbByv-AyGXGWF_mkTdLG6eBSgiTrJPpqyBvY1y-GZoAE4xzQdq9v8ciP0VfQpKcSr-acjKYZEdwlc0XZV2lP6CeOb9I_QqXl

Rolling Stone Article about Suno: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/suno-ai-chatgpt-for-music-1234982307/

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Follow Sunny:

X: https://twitter.com/sundeep

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

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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:

(9:14) Eight Sleep - Go to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist for $200 off the Pod plus free shipping (17:52) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist (28:53) Gelt - It's time to take control over your taxes. Visit http://www.joingelt.com/twist now.

*

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

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Miro. Working remotely doesn't mean you need to feel disconnected from your team. Miro is an online whiteboard that brings teams together - anytime, anywhere. Go to https://miro.com/startups to sign up for a FREE account with unlimited team members.

Hubspot YouTube Network. Whether you're a marketer, a sales rep, or an entrepreneur HubSpot has you covered with its tutorials and AI-powered tools. It's all guaranteed to make your workday easier. Check out HubSpot's AI Content Writer and start using HubSpot's tools for FREE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmJwJF6ppCo https://clickhubspot.com/zu8

Gelt. It's time to take control over your taxes. Discover how Gelt can help you to manage and optimize both your personal and business taxes. Visit http://joingelt.com/twist now

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Todays show:

Screendoor's Jamie Rhode joins Jason to discuss the evolution of early-stage fund managers (3:00), effective portfolio construction (11:18), qualities of high-performing GPs (38:37), and much more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Screendoor's Jamie Rhode joins Jason

(3:00) Early-stage fund managers today, spray and pray vs. concentrated bets, and importance of GP market fit

(10:11) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://miro.com/startups

(11:18) Effective portfolio construction, investing in startups that are creating new sectors, and finding the right fund managers

(17:28) Why seed stage investing attracts fewer GPs than series A or B

(23:08) Hubspot - Sign up for HubSpot's FREE CRM and get access to the AI Content Writer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmJwJF6ppCo https://clickhubspot.com/zu8

(24:28) Quantity of GPs to invest in and Screendoor's approach to the DEI landscape

(32:22) Gelt - It's time to take control over your taxes. Visit http://joingelt.com/twist now.

(33:35) Carry, Fees, and the percentage of a fund that Screendoor targets

(38:37) Qualities of high-performing GPs

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Check out Screendoor: https://www.screendoor.co

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

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Follow Jamie:

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

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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:

(10:11) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://miro.com/startups

(23:08) Hubspot - Sign up for HubSpot's FREE CRM and get access to the AI Content Writer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmJwJF6ppCo https://clickhubspot.com/zu8

(32:22) Gelt - It's time to take control over your taxes. Visit http://joingelt.com/twist now.

*

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

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

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 http://www.openphone.com/twist

Lemon.io - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

Gelt. It's time to take control over your taxes. Discover how Gelt can help you to manage and optimize both your personal and business taxes. Visit joingelt.com/twist now.

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Todays show:

Glean's Arvind Jain joins Jason to discuss how his startup is building the future of AI-Powered enterprise search (2:35). The two also discuss Google Gemini (42:45), Open-Source vs Closed models (45:17), and much more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Glean's Arvind Jain joins Jason

(2:35) Glean's beachhead market and primary focus

(5:13) Glean's approach to data confidentiality

(11:57) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

(13:13) Competition against native tools and building language models in SaaS companies

(17:00) Glean's approach to permissions

(24:20) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(25:23) Compliance and the "CEO God Mode" feature

(29:28) Potential of productivity software, and people analytics in tech businesses

(38:50) Gelt - It's time to take control over your taxes. https://joingelt.com/twist now

(40:04) Impact of AI on business models

(42:45) Arvind's thoughts on Google Gemini

(45:17) Open source vs closed models in AI development and the progress of OpenAI

(47:49) AGI and the limitations and potential of AI as an assistant

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Check out:

https://cybernews.com/security/chatgpt-samsung-leak-explained-lessons/#google_vignette

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

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Follow Arvind:

X: https://twitter.com/jainarvind

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvind-jain-5935161

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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:

(11:57) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

(24:20) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(38:50) Gelt - It's time to take control over your taxes. Visit joingelt.com/twist now

*

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

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

LinkedIn Ads. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

Gusto is easy online payroll, benefits, and HR built for modern small businesses. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at Gusto.com/twist.

*Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025

Attio - A radically new CRM for the next era of companies. Head to attio.com/twist to get 15% off for your first year.

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Todays show:

Sunny joins Jason to dive into AI news, including the CTO from Open AI talking about their training data for Sora (5:11), the FIgure AI robot (12:26), Devin, the first AI software engineer (38:17), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Sunny joins Jason for a fun AI day!

(2:08) Elon and open source Grok vs "Closed" AI.

(5:11) The CTO from Open AI talking about their training data for Sora.

(9:28) Exploring the fascinating AI robot from Figure.

(10:57) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(12:26) Comparing the FIgure AI robot and what we have seen from Boston Dynamics and why this is impressive.

(19:47) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://www.gusto.com/twist

(21:10) Thinking about how humans learn and applying that to AI.

(28:28) The idea that robots may one day be 1:1 with humans.

(30:50) Attio - Head to http://www.attio.com/twist to get 15% off for your first year.

(32:01) New bet alert! And it's a major one. Sunny and JCal bet on how soon we will all have access to AI robots in our homes!

(38:17) Introducing Devin, the first AI software engineer!

(40:24) The "maestro" concept when working with AI.

(47:21) Hot news: Apple in talks to let Google Gemini power iPhone AI Features.

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

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LINKS:

Cognition's Devin: https://www.cognition-labs.com/introducing-devin

Figure AI Robot: https://www.figure.ai/

*

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

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:57) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(19:47) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist

*Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025

(30:50) Attio - Head to attio.com/twist to get 15% off for your first year.

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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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Follow TWiST:

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

LinkedIn Ads. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to http://linkedin.com/angelpod

Mantle. The AI-powered equity management platform designed for modern founders and operators. Get your first 12 months free at https://withmantle.com/TWIST

DevSquad. Most dev agencies only offer developers. Why? Because product management is hard. Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at http://devsquad.com/twist.

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Todays show:

Jason Calacanis welcomes Churchill Asset Management's Raja Doddala to the show to discuss startups and the VC market in 2024. They dive into the competitiveness in pre-seed, seed, and series A (10:40),

portfolio construction (30:24), the future of the vc industry (50:59), and much more!

*

Timestamps:

(00:00) Jason welcomes Churchill Asset Management's Raja Doddala to the show

(1:52) Trends in pre-seed and seed deal values

(9:19) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://linkedin.com/angelpod

(10:40) Competitiveness and predictability in pre-seed, seed, and series A

(21:28) Mantle - Get your first 12 months free at https://withmantle.com/TWIST

(22:46) Trends in exit values

(29:19) DevSquad - Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at http://devsquad.com/twist

(30:24) Exploring portfolio architecture and the difference between mega funds and smaller funds

(50:59) Prospects in the vc over the next few years and the rise of the next generation

(59:26) The role of secondary sales in venture capital and importance of liquidity for VC funds

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Check out:

Churchill Asset Management - https://www.churchillam.com

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

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Follow Raja

X: https://twitter.com/rdoddala

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

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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:

(9:19) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://linkedin.com/angelpod

(21:28) Mantle - Get your first 12 months free at https://withmantle.com/TWIST

(29:19) DevSquad - Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at http://devsquad.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

*

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

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

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

Uizard. Struggling to transform innovative ideas into concrete product designs? Uizard can help you turn your visions into polished UI designs in a fraction of the time, while enhancing collaboration across your entire team. Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at uizard.io/twist

Experimentation is how generation-defining companies win. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit geteppo.com/twist

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Todays show:

Jason welcomes Melengo's Justin Kwong to the show to discuss how his company simplifies the process of developing, financing, and scaling apparel lines for brands and creators. The two dive into Melengo's business model, initial customers, fundraising, and much more (1:49). Then, Jason breaks down his A.D.D. framework, designed to enhance efficiency and focus within companies (36:50)!

*

Timestamps:

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:48) Justin Kwong from Melengo joins Jason

(4:38) Justin demos Melengo and its use cases

(9:45) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(10:37) Melengo's business model, initial customers, and fundraising

(22:19) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist

(23:26) Building Melengo's team and the next steps for finding product-market-fit

(36:50) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit geteppo.com/twist

(37:50) Jason's A.D.D. framework (Automate, Deprecate, Delegate)

*

Check out:

Melengo - https://www.melengo.com

A.D.D. Framework - https://calacanis.substack.com/p/startup-productivity-in-the-age-of

LAUNCH Accelerator - https://launchaccelerator.co

Founder University - https://www.founder.university

The Syndicate - https://thesyndicate.com

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

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Follow Justin:

X: https://twitter.com/jkwong

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

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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:

(9:45) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(22:19) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist

(36:50) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit geteppo.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

*

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