This Week in Startups

New segment alert! J+M debut "Little Big Things" to highlight a unique new feature from Apple (1:46), before breaking down the company ramping up its ads business and what that means for consumers. (10:49) Then, Lon Harris joins to break down all things streaming. (21:20)

(0:00) J+M intro today's segments!

(1:46) New segment! Little Big Things: Apple News audio stories

(9:42) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(10:49) Apple's potential ads business: great for revenue, potentially bad for consumers

(20:08) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(21:20) Lon joins and Jason discusses Molly's appearance on the Pivot podcast!

(23:47 More chaos at $WBD: 14% RIF at HBO Max, 30+ titles getting canned off streaming, bad feelings with creators

(37:59) Revelo - Get 20% off the first 3 months by mentioning TWIST at https://revelo.io/twist

(39:20) Digital distribution rights, how Netflix changed the industry and how Warner Bros Discovery might use this recent move as leverage going forward

(43:20) New series premiering with massive budgets: House of the Dragon, Rings of Power; breaking down the math on why these shows cost $20M-$58M per episode

(55:32) Streaming overtakes cable viewership for the first time!

J+M kick off the show by discussing the reaction to Adam Neumann's $350M raise (1:40), before covering Boom Supersonic's new deal with American Airlines (24:59), and a Startup of the Day. (41:55) Jason wraps the show solo for part 6 of The Blueprint, where he covers getting ahead of trends! (48:06)

(0:00) J+M intro today's segments!

(1:40) Thoughts on the reaction to Adam Neumann's $350M raise from a16z, including a NY Post article that Jason was quoted in

(12:45) WorkOS - Go to https://workos.com to learn how to make your app enterprise-ready.

(14:14) Was the negative reaction to the fundraising warranted? What is the counter case?

(24:04) Visa - Learn more about Visa's online Small Business Hub at Visa.com/smallbusinesshub

(24:59) American Airlines agrees to purchase up to 20 jets from airplane startup Boom Supersonic, J+M do some math on ticket prices

(34:13) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more

(35:33) Does the world need supersonic passenger jets?

(41:55) Startup of the Day: Goodfellows helps elderly people and young people foster connections

(48:06) The Blueprint Part 6: Jason explains how he gets ahead of trends

Jason's Howard Stern/Spotify blog from 2015: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/howard-sterns-easy-billion-dollar-pay-day-courtesy-app-calacanis

J+M have a big debate over remote work: including covering Apple's return to work policy, Malcolm Gladwell's comments, Jason's WFH playbook, and much more. Then, they cover Meta's new partnership with DoorDash for Facebook Marketplace deliveries, and a Jay Trading update! (1:05:19)

(0:00) J+M tee up today's topics!

(1:57) Apple will be sending all corporate employees back to the office in September + J+M debate Malcolm Gladwell's comments on remote work

(12:45) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

(14:04) Hypocrisy of the return to work, understanding the impasse, "overemployed" and "quiet quitting" movements

(26:28) Notion - Sign up for FREE at https://notion.com/twist

(27:49) What would tech unions look like?

(38:40) Bubbles - Get your point across with unlimited screen and video recordings for free at https://usebubbles.com/twist

(39:57) Shifting power dynamics in modern work, Jason's advice to startup founders for managing remote employees, UBI thoughts, Jason's WFH requirements

(1:05:19) Meta partners with DoorDash to deliver Facebook Marketplace items, Jay Trading updates

Molly is back for a HUGE news days! Adam Neumann has raised $350M from a16z for his new startup Flow (2:14), and his main investor, Marc Andreessen, got into some hot water over housing policy hypocrisy! (22:05)

(0:00) Molly is back! J+M intro today's topics!

(2:14) Jason and Molly catch up Molly's vacation and the craziness of the past week

(12:36) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist

(13:56) Adam Neumann's new residential real estate company Flow has raised $350M from a16z at a valuation over $1B!

(20:34) TripActions - Go to https://tripactions.com/twist and get a $500 Amazon gift card after making your first travel booking OR paying off your first $1000 of liquid spend

(22:05) Marc Andreessen's blog explaining a16z's Flow investment, Jason and Molly go deep on potential business plans for Flow and why a16z made this bet

(34:37) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist

(35:56) Marc Andreessen's housing hypocrisy

(53:35) Jason reads slides from the leaked Flow deck *JOKE*, another a16z portfolio founder in a similar market as Flow chimed in on Twitter

First up, Molly and Jason break down self-destructive founder and VC traits (1:37). Then, Molly interviews Air Protein CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson on how they turn carbon dioxide into protein and how they are innovating in the booming alternative meat space! (21:42)

(0:00) Jason intros the Sunday show!

(1:37) VC Sunday School: Self-destructive founder tendencies

(9:15) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist

(10:45) Self-destructive investor tendencies

(15:13) How to do damage control if you take money from a disruptive investor

(20:35) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(21:42) Molly intros Dr. Lisa Dyson who explains Air Protein's founding story, mission, and the science behind it

(30:35) Helpware - Go to https://helpware.com/TWIST to get $1000 off your first invoice

(31:51) How Air Protein differs from traditional meat

(36:33) Air Meat's fundraising history and creation process

Howard Lindzon joins to talk about the different mindsets and skillsets of public and private market investors and breaks down what the future of the blockchain might look like. (1:39) Then, Producer Rachel is back with another OK Boomer segment, interviewing Ben Smith of Goal House NYC! (1:20:52)

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

(1:39) Howard Lindzon joins and breaks down the differences between public and private investing mindsets

(12:21) UserTesting - Get real human insights from customers, try for free today at https://usertesting.com/twist

(13:38) How liquidity impacts public/private investing, why Howard is bullish on $NFLX over $DIS

(24:05) Liquid IV - Get 25% off at https://liquidiv.com using promo code TWIST

(25:17) Remote work's impact on less experienced employees, how the blockchain will impact startups in the future

(36:11) FanDuel Sportsbook - Sign up with promo code TWIST to place a $1000 risk-free bet at https://sportsbook.fanduel.com

(37:20) Potential game-changing NFT and DAO use cases

(48:27) Howard reviews Jason's Jay Trading portfolio

(59:53) Semantics, media, next generation of the internet, politicizing the Fed

(1:11:02) Jason tees up OK Boomer with Producer Rachel

(1:20:52) OK Boomer: Rachel interviews Ben Smith of Goal House NYC

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Lon Harris joins the show for a full streaming industry breakdown, including $DIS earnings, $WBD drama, streaming strategies, and more! (1:59) Then, Molly interviews Ephemeral CEO Jeff Liu on building a high-quality temporary tattoo solution. (1:09:00)

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

(1:59) Jason welcome Lon Harris to talk misaligned media incentives and Trump coverage

(12:45) MicroAcquire - Sell your business with no fees at https://try.microacquire.com/twist

(14:05) Hulu's new film Prey is its largest streaming debut to date

(27:18) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(28:29 Why the Predator franchise is valuable IP for Disney, how streaming platforms should handle "auteurs"

(35:41) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist

(37:14) $DIS earnings, how Disney's streaming platforms overtook Netflix in terms of subscribers

(46:52 Breaking down $WBD and how it should handle various IP, streaming residuals upheaval

(51:25) Disney vs Netflix BOTE Math, Ezra Miller situation, strategies for Zaslav to take advantage of $WBD IP

(1:09:00) Molly interviews Ephemeral CEO Jeff Liu

Sunny Madra and Vinny Lingham join Jason for a fully loaded crypto market breakdown (1:40). Topics covered include: Tornado Cash being blacklisted by the US Treasury Dept, Coinbase Q2 earnings, smart crypto regulation, fixing early-stage crypto governance, and more! Jason wraps the show with Part 5 of The Blueprint: Generalists vs. Specialists. (1:21:44)

(0:00) Jason intros today's segments: crypto roundtable and The Blueprint!

(1:40) Current state of the crypto market after the massive pullback

(14:31) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more

(15:33 Tornado Cash blacklisted by the US Treasury Dept: what is it, what it means for "frozen" crypto assets & more

(27:12) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(28:36) How large-scale spam attacks and hacks will change consumer behavior in the still-early crypto industry

(37:37) Visa - Learn more about Visa's online Small Business Hub at Visa.com/smallbusinesshub

(38:32) How should crypto be regulated? Should the US create a new agency dedicated to digital assets? Should there be a new set of rules for crypto?

(48:39) Did Coinbase let customers down? $COIN Q2 earnings, responsibilities to customers, what Coinbase's platform might look like if altcoins are regulated as securities

(55:22) Pseudonymous and anonymous impact on high-profile crypto projects, how to fix early-stage crypto governance

(1:04:12 Interesting consumer-facing crypto projects

(1:21:44) The Blueprint Part 5: Generalists vs. Specialists

Acquired's Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal join the show to discuss how they think about public market investments (1:43), VC token sales (27:25), a VC market overview (45:40), the Vision Fund's impact on Silicon Valley (1:00:33), and Amazon's core pillars! (1:13:21)

(0:00) Jason intros today's guests and topics: Crossover Pod with Acquired!

(1:43) Private markets overview, Jay Trading, Ben's investment thesis for TSMC and Shopify

(13:44) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(14:52) Jason makes two live Jay Trades, better solutions for employee stock options

(26:14) Dell - Apply for Dell for Startups and get an additional 10% off Dell Latitude products at https://dell.com/twist

(27:25) Crypto regulation, VC token sales

(39:33) Zapier - Try for free today at https://zapier.com/TWIST

(41:02) The burden of going public, final ideas on digital asset regulation

(45:40) Major takeaways from PitchBook's Q2 US VC Monitor: exit value collapse, deal volume down, seed not impacted as much, signs of life in the early-stage

(1:00:33) Reflecting on Masa's precarious position and the impact that SoftBank's Vision Fund has had on the VC industry

(1:13:21) Ranking the most impressive pillars of Amazon's business: AWS, Prime, marketplace, advertising

Jason breaks down SoftBank's Vision Fund losing $21B+ last quarter and reflects on how founders should approach raising capital from megafunds. (2:11) Then, Jason reflects on lessons learned from the tough DTC space (27:05) and gives a quick Jay Trading update! (36:17). To wrap, NutriSense CEO Alex Skryl joins J+M to break down the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring! (47:37)

(0:00) Jason tees up today's solo news + founder interview!

(2:11) Jason breaks down SoftBank's Vision Fund losing ~$21B+ last quarter and analyzes some clips from Masayoshi Son's investor presentation

(11:31) Microsoft for Startups Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(12:54) Jason disagrees with Masa's new strategy and direction and explains how founders should approach raising capital by megafunds like the Vision Fund and differences between how Uber and WeWork deployed SoftBank capital

(22:46) Assure - To get 20% off your first Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) visit https://Assure.co/twist

(24:06) Reviewing the biggest hits and misses from Vision Fund I

(27:05) Lessons learned from DTC shutdowns, how VCs deploy capital in a downturn

(34:45) Prometheus - Go to Prometheusalts.com or download it on the App Store and use the access code TWIST to sign up

(36:17) Jay Trading update: $DIS, $AMZN, $WBD, $SFIX

(47:37) Nutrisense CEO Alex Skryl joins to talk glucose monitoring benefits, biohacking, and more!