AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
The Best Engineers in a Movie
The Woodfire Award goes to the character you would fire immediately. The nominees are the engineers who are constantly goofing off at Movie Night. We've also highlighted the skinny, nervous sales guy who seems incredibly ineffective.
This Week in Startups is presented 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 vanta.com/twist
Embroker. The Embroker Startup Insurance Program helps startups secure the most important types of insurance at a lower cost and with less hassle. Save up to 20% off of traditional insurance today at Embroker.com/twist. While you’re there, get an extra 10% off using offer code TWIST.
House of Macadamias is the next big health trend! Get 20% off your first purchase and a free box of Namibian Sea Salted Macadamia Nuts at houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code twist20!
*
Today’s show:
Lon joins Jason to extract the business lessons from the film Blackberry (2:19). The two discuss the company’s rise and fall, the benefits of having multiple co-founders (9:11), the psychology of framing (23:05), knowing when to "fake it 'til you make it" (56:19) and much more!
*
Time stamps:
(0:00) Cold open! “What got us here won’t get us there.”
(2:19) Jason and Lon intro Business Breakdowns - a new series!
(5:51) Blackberry cast breakdown
(9:11) Lessons: Importance of having multiple, complementary co-founders and market pull
(13:25) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist
(14:32) Lessons: “Burn the boats,” importance of diligence, product velocity
(21:51) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist
(23:05) Lesson: Framing the product or pitch
(26:11) Lesson: Importance of riding and recognizing paradigm shifts
(31:04) Lessons: Marketing as a status symbol, real-world virality, being of action, “bend don’t break”
(36:50) Lesson: What got you here won’t get you there
(40:53) House of Macadamias - Get 20% off and a free box of Namibian Sea Salted Macadamia Nuts at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20
(42:12) Lessons: Blackberry’s downfall, importance of focus, product association
(53:13) Lesson: Knowing when to cash in your chips
(56:19) Lesson: Know when to “fake it ‘til you make it”
(59:51) Business Breakdown Awards, presented by Jason and Lon
*
Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four
Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply
Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com
Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
*
Follow Jason:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
*
Follow TWiST:
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
*
Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode