January 17, 2025

TikTok Ban, Data Centers in Space… and What's a Vector? | E2073

1 hour 2 minutes

Today’s show: Alex sits down with two CEOs from companies freshly added to the TWIST500. We get a masterclass from Bob van Luijt of Weaviate, on vector databases helping AI and LLMs do what they do. An then Philip Johnston from Lumen Orbit explains his vision of building data centers in space!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Alex kicks off the show.

(0:58) Supreme Court ruling on TikTok and key market numbers

(3:49) Interview introduction with Weaviate and Lumen Orbit CEOs

(4:06) Deep dive into vector databases with Weaviate's Bob van Luijt.

(8:23) Lemon. TWiST listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(11:35) Exploring deep learning, vector indexing, and Weaviate's open-source significance

(18:03) Northwest Registered Agent. For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist ⁠today.

(19:32) Discussion on vector databases use cases and retrieval augmented generation (RAG)

(27:17) Weaviate's business model, revenue streams, and growth

(28:12) Vanta. TWiST listeners automate your SOC2 and get $1,000 off at http://www.vanta.com/twist

(32:52) The future of AI, agentic architectures, and enterprise adoption

(40:50) Lumen Orbit's vision for space-based data centers

(42:54) Philip Johnston on the technical aspects of Lumen Orbit

(49:12) Satellite demonstrators, technology challenges, and VC interest

(53:26) Addressing chip obsolescence and cost advantages in space

(56:21) Deployment strategies and competition in the space data center market

(1:00:12) Strategies for staying ahead of competition and future plans for Lumen Orbit

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

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

Check out Weaviate: https://weaviate.io/

Check out Lumen Orbit: https://www.lumenorbit.com/

Follow Bob:

X: https://x.com/bobvanluijt

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

Follow Philip:

X: https://x.com/johnstonphil

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

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

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

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

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

Thank you to our partners:

(8:23) Lemon. TWiST listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(18:03) Northwest Registered Agent. For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(28:12) Vanta. TWiST listeners automate your SOC2 and get $1,000 off at http://www.vanta.com/twist

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

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

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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By Jason Calacanis

4.2

12411,241 ratings