This Week in Startups

Jason starts the show by discussing First Citizens acquiring SVB's assets (2:03) before diving into a Reddit post detailing how generative AI changed a 3D artist's job overnight (9:09). Jason wraps by interviewing Sarika Bajaj, the CEO, and Co-founder of Refiberd, as she dives into the reality of the recycling process, how they are using spectroscopy to recycle textiles, and more (20:28)!

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(2:03) A breakdown of First Citizens' purchase of SVB

(8:05) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(9:09) Reddit Post: A radical change for 3D artists

(18:59) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(20:28) Sarika Bajaj, CEO of Refiberd joins Jason

(21:00) What happens to our textiles?

(25:20) Refiberd's solution

(30:31) Solving for inefficiencies in the recycling process

(38:05) Brilliant.org - Get 20% off an annual subscription at http://brilliant.org/twist

(39:33) The state of recycling today

(49:23) Raising capital in today's market

(54:25) Navigating gate SVB collapse

FOLLOW Sarika: https://refiberd.com/

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

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Acquired co-hosts Ben and David are BACK to discuss the state of the VC market and YC shutting down its Continuity Fund (6:20) before diving into industries that benefitted from ZIRP (26:35). They also break down which social apps they want to own and why (45:29). Then, Ben and Jason wrap up the show by discussing the future of Amazon and Starfish Space, a new space startup (1:11:48)

(0:00) Nick tees up today's topics

(1:36) David's time at Stanford

(6:20) Ben's private market snapshot

(8:49) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(10:19) David's private market snapshot

(16:19) Reacting to YC closing down its Continuity Fund

(25:35) QuickNode - Go to http://quicknode.com/ and use the code TWIST for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan

(26:35) Industries that benefitted from ZIRP

(35:08) House of Macadamias - Get 20% off at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20

(36:36) How compelling is AI?

(45:29) Owning either Instagram, Linked In, or YouTube

(48:15) Rational and Wildcard: Who is likely to acquire TikTok?

(53:44) Twitter product development

(1:00:51) Reclaiming lost time

(1:11:48) The future of Amazon

(1:19:57) Apple to spend $1B on producing theatrical releases + Project Titan

(1:25:21) SOTD: Keeping satellites on course with Starfish Space

FOLLOW Ben: https://twitter.com/gilbert

FOLLOW David: https://twitter.com/djrosent

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

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Jason kicks off today's episode by reacting to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's testimony in front of Congress (1:41) before delving into the news that Coinbase was served a Wells notice by the SEC (22:57). Then, he discusses the reports that Do Kwon has been arrested in Montenegro (32:35) before wrapping up with more information on China and TikTok (35:44).

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:41) Jason reacts to Shou Zi Chew's testimony in front of Congress

(6:14) China's use of private companies to manipulate its population

(11:02) Linode - Apply to Linode's Rise program for up to six figures in discounts at https://linode.com/twist

(12:29) TikTok's ability to influence our youth

(16:48) Chinese espionage

(21:27) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(22:57) SEC serves Coinbase a Wells Notice

(31:19) Clumio - Visit https://clumio.com/twist to start a free backup or sign up for a demo

(32:35) Do Kwon arrested in Montenegro

(35:44) More information on China and TikTok

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

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Jenny Lefcourt of Freestyle VC joins Jason for an insightful conversation. They delve into the mission of All Raise and the importance of diversity in venture capital (2:04). Jenny shares her thoughts on embracing non-consensus bets and her experiences investing in Narvar and Discord (20:04). Additionally, they discuss the value of strategy meetings in comparison to traditional board meetings (59:10).

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(2:04) Co-Founding All Raise: Promoting Diversity in Venture Capital

(9:53) Prenuvo - Save $300 on Full Body Scans at http://prenuvo.com/twist

(11:23) Biases Towards Certain Business Models

(15:05) Identifying and Avoiding Unsuccessful Business Models

(18:54) LinkedIn Jobs - Post Your First Job for Free at https://linkedIn.com/angel

(20:04) Embracing Non-Consensus Bets

(22:53) Jenny's Investment in Narvar

(28:16) Understanding the Economics of a Seed Fund

(35:14) Comparing Hype: Generative AI versus Web 3.0

(40:47) Miro - Collaborate with Unlimited Team Members for Free at https://miro.com/startups/

(42:28) Insights from Jenny's Investment in Discord

(47:05) Attaining Product-Market Fit and Making a Significant Impact

(56:56) Exiting Deals: When to Move On

(59:10) Strategy Meetings Compared to Board Meetings

(1:04:04) Jenny's Ideal Timeline for Committing to Investments

FOLLOW Jenny: https://twitter.com/jennylefcourt

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

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Today on the podcast, we have a new format for you! Jason will hear four pitches from Founder University participants and choose ONE startup to invest $25K in! (1:45)

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show and explains the pitch format!

(1:45) Jason brings on Presh and Kelly to explain the fundamentals of Founder University and introduces today's pitches!

(13:44) ⁠Squarespace - Use code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

(16:18) George Lam pitches Fantastic Funding

(21:18) Naman Dwivedi pitches Promptify

(25:59) Pilot - Go to https://pilot.com/twist for 20% off your first 6 months

(27:30) Phil Boucher pitches OpenSpot

(34:00) Matt Edminster pitches Renegade Labs

(39:22) ⁠Fennel - Join the waitlist and get your first month free at http://fennel.com/twist

(40:35) Kelly and Presh's pick for best return for LPs

(45:33) The live audience votes!

(50:22) What Founder University meant to these Founders

(53:39) Jason makes his decision on who will receive $25K

Check out the startups!:

https://fantasticfunding.com

https://www.promptify.ai

https://www.findopenspot.com

https://www.renegadelabs.io

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOLLOW Presh: https://twitter.com/preshdkumar

FOLLOW Kelly: https://twitter.com/KSchricks

Rachel Reporting joins Jason to read the news! First, they give an update on the banking crisis and how it's impacting startups (1:34). Then, they cover Balaji's huge Bitcoin bet and his predictions for the future (14:17) before breaking down OpenAI's launch of GPT-4 (35:07). Finally, Jason wraps up with some Jay Trading updates (57:28)!

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:34) Banking crisis update & how it affects startups

(10:11) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(11:14) Best practices for banking

(14:17) Balaji's huge Bitcoin bet

(22:18) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist

(23:42) Balaji's predictions for the future

(32:41) Ray Dalio's The Changing World Order

(33:46) CacheFly - Get 10 Terabyte free forever if you signup at http://twist.cachefly.com

(35:07) A breakdown of OpenAI's launch of GPT-4

(57:28) Jay Trade update

FOLLOW Rachel: https://twitter.com/_rachelbraun

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Molly is joined by Laurie Yoler as they dive into her early experiences in VC before discussing how she became the first investor in Tesla (1:45). Next, Laurie talks about her time at Qualcomm and Playground then they wrap with a discussion about AI and how Laurie's investments were impacted by the pandemic (30:31).

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:45) Arriving in Venture

(7:36) Laurie's first investments

(13:39) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free.

(14:49) Investing in Tesla

(21:21) Prenuvo - Get $300 off at http://prenuvo.com/twist

(22:51) Raising money for a car company

(26:22) Finding strategic partners

(30:31) Laurie's time at Qualcomm and autonomous vehicles

(37:11) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(38:42) Joining Playground

(41:29) Leaf Logistics

(45:44) Benefitting from the pandemic

(48:54) Investing in AI

FOLLOW Laurie: https://twitter.com/laurieyoler

FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Vinny and Sunny are BACK with Jason for another roundtable! First, they cover the aftermath of the bank shutdowns (2:54) before breaking down the impact on startups and the overall economy. (14:14) They also cover Zuckerberg announcing more cuts at Meta (1:05:49) and OpenAI launching GPT-4! (1:10:55)

(0:00) Jason tees up today's topics!

(2:54) Reflecting on the aftermath of the SVB collapse

(12:50) Cast.ai - Get a free cloud cost audit with a personal consultation at https://cast.ai/twist

(14:14) Understanding the origins of the banking issues and the Fed's response

(27:10) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(28:09) Signature and Silvergate troubles, overall lessons from the past week

(39:33) Orgspace - Get $2000 in credits at http://orgspace.io/twist

(41:04) Understanding CBDC

(56:11) Things to consider going forward, payroll crisis

(1:05:49) Zuckerberg's "Year of Efficiency" and OpenAI launches GPT-4

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Wealthfront Chairman and Co-Founder Andy Rachleff joins Jason for an incredible interview! They start the show by discussing the SVB situation before breaking down different tech mini-crashes throughout Silicon Valley history (2:28). Then, they break down Wealthfront's business and how to know if a business has market pull (40:49). They finish up the show by covering a range of topics, from AI to stock-based comp (1:13:45).

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(2:28) SVB situation

(9:26) The FDIC's $250K limit

(13:27) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups

(14:49) The bank run

(16:17) The SVB ecosystem

(22:20) Merge - Integrate up to 5 customers for free today at https://merge.dev/twist

(23:45) Cycle changes

(36:15) How to judge a VC

(39:27) Issuu - Get 50% off when you go to https://issuu.com/podcast and use promo code twist

(40:49) Wealthfront's operation

(48:58) Reactions to the market

(55:00) Modern analysis and stock buybacks

(1:01:24 ) Caring about profitability

(1:02:06) Attaining market pull

(1:13:45) Andy's thoughts on AI

(1:16:31) The makeup of a great entrepreneur

(1:18:50) Stock-based compensation

(1:25:06) How we avoided inflation

FOLLOW Andy: https://twitter.com/arachleff

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Alora CEO and Co-Founder Luke Young joins Molly to discuss ocean agriculture and the ability to grow crops offshore (1:17). They discuss the progression of engineering that has propelled Alora's innovations (11:55) and the challenges of growing at sea (21:53).

(0:00) Intro!

(1:17) Alora's mission and technological advancements

(5:46) Mitigation and adaptation

(7:58) The first taste test

(10:25) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

(11:55) Alora's progression and timeline

(16:26) Designing infrastructure and engineering fertilizer

(20:25) LMNT - Get a free sample pack with any purchase at http://drinklmnt.com/TWIST

(21:53) Challenges of growing on the ocean

(26:14) Alora's Business Model

(28:56) Fennel - Join the fennel waitlist now and get your first month free at http://fennel.com/twist

(30:10) Salt tolerance

(35:17) Alora's Customer and cost of development

FOLLOW Luke: https://twitter.com/lukeheatonyoung

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood